In March, Governor Mitt Romney came out squarely against the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. In the aftermath of the past year’s campaign corruption scandals in Washington, it’s easy to see why.
Sens. John McCain R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold D-Wis., brought this legislation to the Senate floor in 2002. It promised an election process free from the corrupting influence of money. As it turns out, just the opposite was true.
Money is not only as pervasive as ever in federal campaigns, but thanks to McCain-Feingold, it’s easier for deep-pocketed individuals to swing elections and it’s harder for ordinary Americans to make their voices heard in Washington D.C.
Just look at the 2004 campaign, the first held under McCain-Feingold rules. Not only did we see a record half-billion dollars in political donations (more than triple the 2000 figure of $146 million), but we saw the rise of shadowy groups created and funded almost exclusively by deep-pocketed individuals.
The Wall Street financier George Soros, for example, dumped more than $23 million of his own money into so-called “soft money” liberal groups.
Ever since Watergate, politicians in Washington have been making elections laws more complex and harder to understand – which is perfect if you’re an election lawyer but terrible if you’re a citizen. Consider the situation of non-profit organizations – that can’t easily afford the $500-an-hour legal experts needed to make sense of the new election laws.
In 2004, a pro-life group wanted to run television and radio ads asking Wisconsin voters to call their elected representatives (including Senator Feingold) and tell them to stop filibustering President Bush’s judicial nominees. McCain-Feingold was used to prevent these ads from running.
This Free Speech Blackout Period – also called the “electioneering communications ban” – is at odds with a free and open issues debate and should be repealed.
Unless you have very deep pockets and the ability to set up a separate political soft-money operation, your rights to free speech are severely limited by McCain-Feingold.
Was this just an example of good intentions mugged by reality? I don’t think so. I believe that the unstated goals of McCain-Feingold were to use the law to protect incumbents from criticism, limit the ability of citizens to fund focused and upstart issue campaigns, and place more political power in the hands of the wealthy and the media.
We a need a President who is a proven turn-around expert to lead this nation in a new direction; someone from outside Washington. I believe Republican Gov. Mitt Romney is that man. Romney makes the case that we should repeal McCain-Feingold and bring greater transparency and disclosure of contributions to our campaign finance system.
Most of all, Governor Romney stands squarely for the rights of grassroots activists, who often perform the vital service in our democracy of informing their neighbors and all voters about critical policy issues. McCain-Feingold has had the perverse effect of gagging these grassroots activists; Romney wants to lift the gag, and permit those activists to make sure their voices are heard. I say, let’s help him do it.
Written by Senator Chuck Gray (R-Ariz.)
