For too long, special interests and big corporations have been able to unduly influence our elections through so called “soft money.”  That’s why when I was running for Congress, I talked about the need to pass real campaign finance reform.  In fact, two years ago, I had the privilege of assisting ‘Granny D’ as she traveled through south Arkansas on her walk across America to our Nation’s capitol to raise awareness for campaign finance reform.  

When I came to Congress, I immediately signed on as a cosponsor of the bipartisan Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill—the bill that was passed this week.  And earlier this year, I was one of 218 members of the House to sign a “discharge petition,” a procedure that forced the GOP leaders to bring this bill to a vote on the House floor.

As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to strengthen our democracy by significantly reducing the influence of soft money.  If Enron teaches us anything, it is that corporate wrongdoers can buy access and influence in Washington at the expense of regular hard-working men and women and their families.  This campaign finance reform bill not only bans soft money for national political parties, it also limits campaign ads by political parties or independent groups that masquerade as so called “issue ads.”  

As Senator John McCain stated this week, and as he said back when he did a town hall meeting with me last year, meaningful campaign finance reform will "mak[e] every American's voice as loud as the special interests."  I am pleased that we are now a major step closer to that goal.