Press Conference on Campaign Finance Reform
HEADLINE: PRESS CONFERENCE ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
PARTICIPANTS: SENATOR RUSSELL FEINGOLD (D-WI); SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ); REPRESENTATIVE MARTY MEEHAN (D-MA); AND REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R-CT)
LOCATION: HOUSE RADIO-TV GALLERY, THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D.C.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
REP. MIKE ROSS (D-AR): Thanks. Thank you. We're here truly in a bipartisan way, and we're here from all over the country, every region of the country. And I think that says a lot.
And I want you to know that I'm not a stranger to-I may be a stranger to the House, having arrived January 3rd, but I'm not a stranger to campaign finance reform. Back in August of 1999, I walked with Granny D. as she made her trek across Arkansas. Even put her up for a couple of nights at the EconoLodge in my hometown of Prescott, a town of 3,600 people.
(Inaudible comments followed by laughter.)
REP. ROSS: Well, when you live in a town of 3,600 people, you only have one motel.
REP. : There's no Four Seasons there, huh?
REP. ROSS: I know a lot of people say that this is not an important issue; that people really don't care about campaign finance reform. Well, I want you to know that I was one of six challengers across America last year that unseated an incumbent, and I made it an issue in my campaign. My opponent last year, he opposed the Shays- Meehan campaign finance reform bill in the past. He was one of only 13 to vote against reforming the 527s. I made it an issue, and I think it was a big reason why I won.
I want to thank Senator McCain and Feingold for their leadership on this issue. I was honored to be a part of a town hall meeting with them in Little Rock, Arkansas-what? -- back in February. And Senator McCain asked me to share something today that I shared at that town hall meeting about why I really believe we need campaign finance reform. And it's quite simple. The only thing more embarrassing to me than standing here and telling you that hard and soft money combined, there was over $3 million spent on my behalf, is sitting here and telling you-or standing here and telling you that over $5 million was spent against me and on behalf of my opponent. There's something wrong with a system when you spend $8 million to win a congressional seat-or win or lose; there was $8 million collectively spent down there in a very rural and a very poor district in Arkansas where the average household income is only $19,000 a year.
To give you an idea how soft money, I think, influences an election in an unfair manner, the drug manufacturers. I own a small- town family pharmacy. I was a big proponent of the need to modernize Medicare to include medicine. Obviously, they don't want that in the way that I do. They came after me. But before they came after me, they didn't say, "paid for by the big drug manufacturers," you all saw it last year, it said, "Paid for by Citizens for a Better Medicare." Sounds like a wonderful group, when in fact, they were out to get me because I want to fully modernize Medicare to include medicine.
There was another group called Arkansans for a 21st Century.
We're still trying to find out who funded that group. Still today we don't know who funded that group. If you can find out, please let me know. I'd love to know. They ran one ad that said if I was elected, you'd be hunting duck with a slingshot --
REP./SEN. : (Laughs.)
REP. ROSS: -- when I've been an advocate of gun rights for my 10 years as a state senator. You know, it was a blatant lie, funded by a group of outsiders calling themselves Arkansans for a 21st Century.
That's two examples, I think, that really indicate the importance of how we need to soft money reform. We need to go out, we need to raise our money, and we need to make this less about raising money and more about talking about the issues that matter to people in their everyday lives. And I'm glad to stand here today, in bipartisan manner, in support of campaign finance reform. And I'm asking the leadership in the House to please let us vote on this bill.
Thank you.