[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 38 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CYNICISM IN THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE

  (Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I began my political career after I 
left the University of Hawaii, was teaching at Leeward Community 
College, had little or nothing in the way of fiscal resources. We had 
the backing of young people, ran a grass roots campaign in 1974 when we 
had campaign expenditure limits. No matter how wealthy one was, and I 
was up against candidates who had great wealth available to them, we 
could not spend any more than the amount that was allocated.
  We will not have an opportunity today to even debate whether we can 
get democracy back to the ordinary person. That is why we have such 
cynicism in the electorate today. And the approach today, and I ask my 
Republican colleagues to take this into account, I do not want to make 
this a partisan issue; but if we put this bill forward today with the 
two-thirds requirement when the membership is not even here, it will 
add to the cynicism of the American people that prevents young people 
from being able to run for office or even consider it.
  Please do not move forward with this bill today.

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