I commend Mr. Meehan, my colleague, for his tremendous leadership and that of Mr. Shays for his, and for the distinguished leadership of our leader Mr. Gephardt for bringing us to this very important and historic day.
Today we have the opportunity to achieve a great victory for the American people, to bring democracy back to them. Every one of us who serves in the Congress takes an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic.
The corrosive and corrupting effect of special interest big money in the political process is indeed a danger to our participatory democracy.
This beautiful city in which we serve, 200 years ago was built on a swamp. And a swamp it is again today, a swamp of special interest money. Today we have the opportunity to drain that swamp. We have the opportunity to bring a more wholesome attitude to Washington D.C. We have an opportunity to create a new architecture of political fundraising in our country, which devolves from the grassroots, to the people, where power comes, and where it belongs.
We have an opportunity today to send a Valentine to the American people. To tell them they are important to us, what they think matters to us, that they should have faith in government, and they should have hope that the issues that they are concerned about will have a fair shake, and not be eclipsed by the blizzard of special interest money in Washington D.C.
A vote for the bipartisan Shays-Meehan bill, the only real campaign finance reform bill, will end the corrosive influence of special interest money and level the playing field, so that all Americans can participate and be heard.
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where we clear the deck, where we make a clean sweep and we start fresh with the American people. Where the money that is raised is at the grassroots level. And we train a cadre of young people interested in politics, interested in government, a more wholesome situation for our country.
I urge a yes vote for Shays-Meehan and a no on all the poison pills. Thank you Mr. Speaker.