    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [June 28, 1997]
    [Pages 841-842]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 28, 1997

        Good morning. Today I'm speaking to you from the East Room of the
    White House, where I'm joined by hundreds of America's brightest high
    school students. These Presidential Scholars are here in our Nation's
    Capital to learn how democracy works. And we know we can make it work
    much, much better.
        I want to talk to you this morning about steps I'm taking to open
    the airwaves so voters have the loudest voice in our democracy, and
    about responsibility of Congress to clean up the campaign finance
    system.
        Our democracy is the oldest and most successful in the world, but we
    know that there is something wrong with the way we pay for elections.
    Our campaign finance laws were last rewritten 23 years ago. For quite a
    long while those laws worked well, but they have been overwhelmed by a
    flood of money and the changes in the way we communicate with one
    another and the cost of communication.
        Spending in congressional campaigns has risen sixfold in the last
    two decades. That's more than 3 times the rate of inflation. Now both
    political parties are locked into an ever-escalating arms race as they
    compete to raise more and more money. There's simply too much money
    required for campaigns, it takes too much time to raise, and it raises
    too many questions.
        In my State of the Union Address, I challenged the Congress to act
    to stem the rising tide of campaign money by passing comprehensive,
    bipartisan campaign finance reform by July 4th, the date we celebrate
    the birth of our democracy. Unfortunately, Congress has made little
    progress toward reform since that time, and it's clear that the
    legislation will not pass, will not even be voted on by Independence
    Day. That's too bad because there has been a significant number of
    bipartisan support for the McCain-Feingold bill, which I have also
    endorsed.
        But now we shouldn't wait for Congress to act, and I'm not waiting.
    Within my power as President, I've acted to advance key elements of
    reform, and I'll continue to do so. First, I have petitioned the Federal
    Election Commission to ban so-called soft money contributions, the large
    contributions from corporations, labor unions, and individuals that both
    parties raise. Bipartisan lawmakers led by Representatives Chris Shays
    and Marty Meehan have asked for the same thing. I am pleased that the
    FEC will begin formal proceedings on our request next month.
        Second, our Justice Department will fight in the courts to uphold
    efforts to limit campaign spending. We know how a spending spiral can
    have dangerous consequences, but for two decades, court cases have made
    it very hard to enact tough limits. Right now, strong spending

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    limits passed for elections in Cincinnati and judicial elections across
    Ohio are being challenged. We believe spending limits are
    constitutional, and if we need to, we'll make that case to the highest
    court in the land.
        And we're acting to address the single greatest reason for out-of-
    control costs, spending on television. In 1972, candidates spent $25
    million for political ads; in 1996, $400 million. We're the only major
    democracy in the world that does it this way, and it doesn't have to be
    this way. We can make our most powerfully effective medium a powerful
    force for expanding democracy. Free TV time can help free our democracy
    from the grip of big money.
        For years, I have supported giving candidates free time. And in
    fact, Vice President Gore proposed legislation to do that a decade ago,
    when he was in the United States Senate. Now we're working to make it
    happen. In March I called on the Federal Communications Commission to
    require broadcasters to give candidates free time as a condition of
    receiving a new, lucrative license for high-tech digital TV. That's the
    least we can ask of broadcasters, who are given access to the public
    airwaves, worth billions of dollars, at no cost, with only the
    requirement that they meet a basic public obligation. Today I'm
    appointing two distinguished Americans to lead a commission that will
    help the FCC decide precisely how free broadcast time can be given to
    candidates as part of the broadcasters' public interest obligations.
        Les Moonves is the president of CBS Entertainment and one of
    America's most prominent and creative broadcasters. And Dr. Norman
    Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is one
    of America's best known political scientists and a renowned expert on
    campaign finance reform. Their commission will explore the details of
    free time for candidates and other public interest obligations, such as
    children's broadcasting, which may need to be updated.
        All these steps are important, but still they're no substitute for
    legislation. Again I say, Congress must act to pass comprehensive
    bipartisan legislation. And as I said before, Senators John McCain and
    Russ Feingold, joined by Representatives Shays and Meehan, have strong
    legislation that would limit spending, end soft money, and give
    candidates free time or reduced-rate TV time. I'm pleased to report that
    Senators McCain and Feingold have announced they will bring their bill
    to a vote later this summer in the Senate. This will be our first chance
    to see who's for real on the issue of reform.
        Needed change has been filibustered to death in every Congress for a
    decade. In my first term, it was filibustered to death each and every
    year. Now the same people who filibustered reform before, whose
    obstruction gave us the present system, have vowed to do it again. Let's
    let the people be heard. Let's not let them get away with it. Every
    Senator must realize that a vote for a filibuster is a vote to continue
    undue special interests influence, soft money contributions, out-of-
    control spending, and continued public skepticism about the way the
    political process works.
        When it comes to fixing our campaign finance system, let's make this
    summer a time not of talk but of action, not of recriminations but of
    results. We have a rare chance to restore the trust and earn the
    participation of the American people. The way we pay for elections is
    broken; it's time to fix it. I ask for your support. And thanks for
    listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 6:09 p.m. on June 27 in the East Room
    at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 28.