Campaign Finance Reform Speech 
Town Hall

                  We are blessed to be Americans, not just in times of prosperity, but at all times. We are a part of
                  something noble; a great experiment to prove to the world that democracy is not only the most
                  effective form of government, but the only moral government. And, at least in years past, we felt more
                  than lucky to be Americans. We felt proud. 

                  But, today, we confront a very serious challenge to our political system, as dangerous in its way as
                  war and depression have been in the past. And it will take the best efforts of every public-spirited
                  American to defeat it. 

                  The threat that concerns me is the pervasive public cynicism that is debilitating our democracy. When
                  the people come to believe that government is so corrupt that it no longer serves these ends, basic
                  civil consensus will deteriorate as people seek substitutes for the unifying values of patriotism. 

                  We are a prosperous country, but many Americans, particularly the young, can't see beyond the veil of
                  their cynicism and indifference to imagine themselves as part of a cause greater than their
                  self-interest. 

                  This country has survived many difficult challenges: a civil war, world war, depression, the civil
                  rights struggle, a cold war. All were just causes. They were good fights. They were patriotic
                  challenges. 

                  Now, we have a new patriotic challenge for a new century: declaring war on the cynicism that
                  threatens our public institutions, our culture, and, ultimately, our private happiness. It is a great and
                  just cause, worthy of our best service. 

                  But, those of us privileged to hold public office have ourselves to blame for the sickness in American
                  public life today. It is we who have squandered the public trust. We who have, time and again, in full
                  public view placed our personal and partisan interests before the national interest, earning the
                  public's contempt for our poll-driven policies, our phony posturing, the lies we call spin and the
                  damage control we substitute for progress. And it is we who are the defenders of a campaign finance
                  system that is nothing less than an elaborate influence peddling scheme in which both parties conspire
                  to stay in office by selling the country to the highest bidder. 

                  I want to take our politics and our government back from the special interests. I want to take them
                  back from people like Roger Tamraz, who gave $300,000 to the Democratic Party to get the
                  President's support for his scheme to build a pipeline across Central Asia. And when he didn't get it,
                  he promised to spend "$600,000 next time." 

                  The opponents of campaign finance reform will tell you the voters don't care. They are wrong. Most
                  Americans care very much that it is now legal for a subsidiary of a corporation owned by the Chinese
                  Army to give unlimited amounts of money to American political campaigns. Most Americans care
                  very much that the Lincoln bedroom is rented out to the highest bidder. Most Americans care very
                  much when impoverished Indian tribes must pay large sums of money to have their voice heard in
                  Washington. 

                  I think most Americans understand that soft money - the enormous sums of money given to both parties
                  by just about every special interest in the country -- corrupts our political ideals whether it comes
                  from big business or from labor bosses and trial lawyers. The influence of money is corrupting our
                  ability to address the problems that directly affect the lives of every American. That is something that
                  each of us should care deeply about. 

                  Americans care deeply about tax reform. The tax code is a bewildering 44,000-page catalogue of
                  favors for a privileged few and a chamber of horrors for the rest of America. We must have systemic
                  reform. 

                  But, reform is not possible, when Archer Daniels Midland, the nation's largest ethanol producer, like
                  so many other special interests, trade huge political contributions to both parties in exchange for
                  special tax subsidies. And you lose. 

                  Americans care deeply about education reform. Our students don't perform as they should in the skills
                  of the future: math, science and physics. 

                  But, reform is not possible when teacher unions pump millions of dollars into political coffers to
                  maintain the status quo, to fight teacher competency standards, to kill the ability for lower and middle
                  income parents to chose the school that best meets the educational needs of their child, and to bury the
                  charter school movement. And you lose. 

                  Fifty percent of Latino children in Los Angeles attend parochial school thanks to the commitment and
                  sacrifice of loving parents. Why should these hard working Americans be required to pay taxes to
                  support schools that can't educate their children, on top of tuition to ensure they actually receive an
                  education? Why should the quality of the school system fail to give them any choice? Again, we lose. 

                  American taxpayers care deeply that their hard-earned dollars are spent wisely and to good effect.
                  Today, special interest pork barrel earmarks are swallowing up the budget at an all time high. But
                  reform is not possible when moneyed interests with leather seats at the budget table line-up for their
                  share of the pork. And you lose. 

                  Americans care deeply about the nation's out of control tort system. Frivolous lawsuits aimed not at
                  rendering justice but at striking a jackpot, kill jobs, smother small businesses and strangle the
                  economy. But reform is not possible when trial lawyers spend gigantic sums on maintaining the status
                  quo. And you lose. 

                  Americans care deeply about national security. But rather than spending scarce dollars on training our
                  personnel, improving their pay, and modernizing the weapons that protect our sons and daughters, we
                  continue to spend scarce dollars on military equipment that does not meet today's security threats.
                  Reform is not possible, when defense contractors and their patrons in Congress use their influence to
                  protect sales rather than promote national security. And America loses. 

                  I am a conservative and I'm running for President to restore national pride and broaden our freedom
                  by reforming the practices of government and politics. But we won't reform anything until we first
                  reform the way we finance our political campaigns. As long as special interests dominate campaigns,
                  they will dominate legislation as well. 

                  The 1996 Telecommunications Act proved that. The special interests bought their seats at the table.
                  Consumers lost. Cable rates have gone up. Phone rates of gone up and huge broadcasting giants
                  receive for free billions of dollars in digital spectrum, property that belonged to the American people.
                  Until we abolish soft money, Americans will never have a government that works as hard for them as
                  it does the special interests. 

                  Steve Forbes advocates a flat tax. Dan Quayle has put forth a plan for an across the board reduction in
                  the tax rate. Both Steve and Dan are sincere in their desire to achieve these reforms. But they simply
                  can't be achieved without campaign finance reform. I ask them to join me. 

                  My friend John Kasich was unable to get the tax cuts he wanted in last year's budget out of the House
                  and Gov. Bush couldn't get his school choice plan through the legislature. Both of them were fine
                  efforts. But, special interests opposed these plans and assured that their prescription of "do nothing"
                  prevailed over the medicine of reform. I ask John and George to join me. 

                  I will ask my supporters to make campaign reform their top priority, and I'll challenge my opponents
                  to declare their independence from the political welfare state. Because I'm not running for President
                  to be someone. I'm running to do something. This is your country, my friends. And I'm running for
                  President to give it back to you. 

                  I call on those running for the privilege to serve the country as President, those who seek office on the
                  platform of problem solving and reform, to join me in the fight to cleanup campaign finance abuses. It
                  is the first reform. 

                  In truth, we are all shortchanged by soft money, liberal and conservative alike. All of our ideals are
                  sacrificed. We are all corrupted. I know that is a harsh judgment. But it is, I am sorry to say, a fair
                  one. And even if our own consciences were to allow us to hide from it, the people we are privileged
                  to serve will not. 

                  Most Americans believe we conspire to hold on to every political advantage we have, lest we
                  jeopardize our incumbency by a single lost vote. Most Americans believe we would pay any price,
                  bear any burden to ensure the success of our personal ambitions - no matter how injurious the effect
                  might be to the national interest. And who can blame them when the wealthiest Americans and richest
                  organized interests can make six figure donations to political parties and gain the special access to
                  power such generosity confers on the donor. 

                  The special interests will tell you that the fight for campaign finance reform is an attack on their first
                  amendment rights of free speech. I will fight for the right of the tobacco companies to run ads
                  expressing their opposition to a bill they don't like; I defy their desire to buy the votes to defeat it. 

                  In the next few weeks, Senator Russ Feingold and I are going to attempt once again to force the United
                  States Senate to abolish soft money. We're going to fight as hard as we can. But we need your help.
                  The defenders of the status quo prevailed last time because they convinced the Senate that Americans
                  don't care about this issue. 

                  My friends, I am for campaign finance reform, and I want anyone who might vote for me to know that
                  if I am elected we will have campaign finance reform. Anyone who is satisfied with the status quo
                  should vote for someone else. But anyone who believes that America is greater than the sum of its
                  special interests should stand with me. I stand my ground for this cause for my country's sake, and also
                  for the sake of my self-respect. 

                  I believe public service is an honorable profession. I believed that when I entered the Naval
                  Academy at seventeen and I believe it still. I have grown old in my country's service, and I should be
                  content with a life that has been more blessed than I deserve. But the people whom I serve believe
                  that the means by which I came to office corrupt me. And that shames me. That shames me. Their
                  contempt is a stain upon my honor, and I cannot live with it. 

                  So for your sake, for the sake of your children, for the sake of an America that remains the greatest
                  force for good on earth, please join me in this fight for freedom and reform. It's your country. Now,
                  let's go take it 
                  back.

