Hastert has promised to bring up the legislation in July. The first order of business is for Shays and other Republican supporters of reform to demand that it be taken up this month. The House has debated the bill for years and has no need to churn through still more discussion of issues already thoroughly aired. There is little doubt that many Democrats voted for the soft-money ban in the past on the assumption that it could not pass the Senate. Now some of these Democrats are raising new concerns about the bill.
Organized labor opposes the curbs on donations to independent groups for ads.
Last week Richard Gephardt, the House Democratic leader, forcefully reiterated his support for Shays-Meehan. He needs to work hard now to bring together the black caucus members, labor lobbyists and people like Frost to shore up the consensus for reform. At this early stage, African-American lawmakers are understandably feeling wounded about the inattention by Congress to electoral problems like the ballot abuses in Florida last year and the general disenfranchisement of minority voters. But ballot and electoral reform can be addressed without lessening the urgency of campaign fund-raising reform. Passing McCain-Feingold in the House, or something close to it, cannot be delayed.