[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H10773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ALL TALK AND NO ACTION ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
(Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, how strange that so many Republicans
disagree with my friend from Arizona. They are convening a press
conference right now to propose their campaign finance reforms. And is
it not strange that they decided to propose them as this Congress
adjourns? Because they reject the hopes of the American people that we
might have reform in time for the next elections.
They do not want reform, they want the same sorry system that we have
right now, the same sorry system that allowed them to dump in $1
million of attack ads in a single election in Staten Island earlier
this month; $1 million, in addition to all the resources the Republican
candidate had, the same Republican Party that was happy to accept $1.8
million from a single family for various Republican front organizations
last year.
It is outrageous that we have a campaign finance system that allows
big money special interests to maintain a stranglehold on this
Congress, and these Republicans will not do a thing about it. They
promised to bring up campaign finance reform this fall, and they broke
that promise to the American people. They are adjourning today,
adjourning the hopes of the American people for reform.
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