Campaign finance reform may continue

Chris Burford cburford at gn.apc.org
Sun Aug 6 23:35:08 PDT 2000


If Bush wins the presidency it is still possible that Republicans may not dominate Congress, and Congress could be arkward about several issues.

One of these is campaign finance reform.

Despite the questionnable banner bearers, (see below) this is ultimately a class issue: - which class controls the bourgeois democratic political process.

Chris Burford

London

_________________

McCain threatens Senate shutdown over campaign finance

reform

August 6, 2000

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite the near absence of the issue as a topic at last

week's Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, campaign finance

reemerged Sunday as an issue of import to the nation's political leaders.

"The U.S. Senate won't proceed next year until we address the issue," Sen. John

McCain, R-Arizona., told NBC's "Meet the Press." "I believe we have enough

friends and comrades that we can force that," he said.

Asked if that means he would close down

the Senate, if need be, he said, "Absolutely."

The former GOP presidential candidate,

whose primary bid was defeated and who

now supports Texas Gov. George W. Bush,

acknowledged that "there is disagreement

between me and Governor Bush" on the

issue.

.....

Still, he said, Bush supports "a majority of the reforms. He's for outlawing

corporate and union contributions. He is for full disclosure."

The lavish corporate donations to the GOP evident during the convention are

"clearly another indication of the need for reform," McCain said. "You'll see that

out in Hollywood this week," he added, referring to the Democratic National

Convention, which is slated to open August 14 in Los Angeles.

Also on NBC, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura called campaign finance

reform "and cleaning up what our political process has turned into today" the

most important problems facing the country. "It's all about raising money, who

donates to what," said the member of Minnesota's Independent Party, who

recently left the Reform Party.

Ventura said campaigns should be publicly financed. "That's the one way I'll go

socialist," he said. "Each candidate gets a certain amount of money, and how

they spend it is up to them."



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