[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 10 (Thursday, January 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S838-S839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           CAMPAIGN SPENDING

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I noticed in the newspapers this morning

[[Page S839]]

that the chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee is suggesting 
that he be given some $6.8 million to hire some 80 investigators on the 
issue of investigating campaign irregularities, apparently including 
the ones that are in the paper about the Democratic National Committee, 
and more.
  It seems to me the first step in dealing with the issue of 
irregularities in campaigns--and if there are some, they ought to be 
investigated--the first step would be to give the Federal Election 
Commission some teeth. Invest a little bit in the Federal Election 
Commission and give it some teeth, and let them investigate. But if we 
are going to investigate in Congress, if we are going to have a group 
of politicians investigating another group of politicians, I don't 
think we need $6.8 million to do that. But if they decide to do that, I 
have a suggestion: Go ahead and rent a truck and back it up to whatever 
house--the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National 
Committee--and I hope all of them will encourage their minions to load 
up all the relevant paper and let people read it to see who did what, 
who didn't do what and who didn't comply with laws and who did comply 
with laws.

  But it ought to be more than that. The trail of trouble, it seems to 
me, in campaign financing isn't just in the national committees--and 
there are some problems in both national committees. One fellow went to 
jail already earlier this year on the issue on the other side of the 
aisle. There are plenty of questions on this side of the aisle with 
respect to the DNC.
  Let's find out where the trouble was and correct it. But that is not 
the only place there is trouble on the campaign trail. Let's also 
investigate the growth of these 501(c)(3) organizations that some in 
politics have created to get tax-exempt money and use it in the 
political system. Let's follow that string wherever that leads.
  In my judgment, there are a substantial number of questions that need 
to be addressed by investigators in that whole range of areas. Once we 
start down this trail, let's make sure we follow the fresh trail all 
the way to the end, not just take a look at one little building or 
another little building. Let's look at all of it.
  I say to those who are concerned about it--and I am concerned about 
it--the first step ought to be for us to come to the floor of the 
Senate--we could do it this afternoon or early next week--and decide 
there is too much money in politics and we ought to limit campaign 
spending.
  The Supreme Court says that is hard to do, but there are mechanisms 
by which we could do it. If Republicans and Democrats decided to create 
a system in which there were voluntary spending limitations, we would 
limit spending in campaigns, and we would solve a lot of these 
problems.
  We have some folks trotting around here who think there is not enough 
money in politics. They say we spend more money on washing machines and 
dog food than we do on politics, suggesting somehow that politics is a 
commercial activity like everything else, just buy and sell.
  Our political system is our democracy. It ought not be for sale. What 
has happened to money in politics is that it has ratcheted up out of 
control in an exponential way, and it is time for us to put some limits 
on campaign spending. Let's limit campaign spending, and let's make it 
stick. There is too much money in politics, and we can do the American 
democratic system and the American public a real service if we would, 
on a bipartisan basis, decide to come together and support campaign 
finance reform that has real and effective spending limits.
  Yes, it can be done and it ought to be done today, tomorrow, next 
week or next month. We do not need $6 million or 80 investigators to do 
that. All we need is the will to decide there is too much money in 
American politics and we ought to limit campaign spending.
  Take a look at what has happened with campaign spending relative to 
the consumer price index in this country. You will see the consumer 
price index has risen a bit and campaign spending has risen out of 
sight. There is too much money in politics, and we ought to adopt a 
bill that the President will sign that limits spending in our political 
system.
  Some won't like that, I suppose. We have one party that spends twice 
as much as another party. I suppose they would say, ``We have a 2-to-1 
advantage, so why would we want to do that?''
  We ought to do it to clean up the political system. The fact is, 
there have been abuses on both sides. Any abuse ought to be 
investigated, and we ought to investigate it thoroughly. Let's not take 
one little cause of abuses and say, ``All right, let's drive our trucks 
over there and send all our investigators over there.'' Let's look at 
all the whole thing. Let's look at 501(c)(3)'s using tax exemption and 
trying to contravene the law. Let's find out how they have done it, why 
they have done it, and what laws they have broken. If we are going to 
have an investigation, we ought to open that investigation, make it 
aggressive and don't limit the vision.

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