[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21419]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       A VOTE FOR SHAYS-MEEHAN IS A VOTE FOR A STRONGER DEMOCRACY

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, when the founders created our democracy, 
they did not foresee soft money. They did not anticipate PACs, they did 
not know phrases like ``lobbyists,'' ``fund raiser'' and ``issue ad.'' 
They did not know they would become part of our political vocabulary. 
But what our forefathers did know was that the strength of our 
democracy would rest upon the courage of its inheritors. Today that 
courage is being tested. Mr. Speaker, today we are looking for men and 
women of mettle to pass meaningful campaign finance reform.
  Campaign finance reform presents a very clear choice. Those who vote 
in favor of Shays-Meehan, which passed this body by a wide margin last 
year, vote to eliminate soft money from our campaigns. Those who 
obstruct campaign finance reform and try to attach their poison pills 
turn their backs on the American people's desire for a political system 
that is built vote by vote and not dollar by dollar.
  This is a bipartisan problem, and it needs a bipartisan solution. Let 
us make our founders proud; let us support and pass Meehan-Shays, 
remove soft money from our campaigns, and strengthen our democracy for 
future generations.

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