Mop Up the Campaign Mess

Congress has a chance Tuesday to heal some of the corruption and cynicism that have overtaken American politics. Proponents of the Shays-Meehan campaign finance bill who saw it stymied last summer have forced it back onto the House agenda. Although opponents are preparing every possible sneaky trick to defeat it, with vigilance the measure can pass intact.

Amid the Enron scandal, the pressure from ordinary citizens to limit corporate influence on politics has never been greater. But even the Enron case hasn’t budged House Republican leaders, because they believe that raising hundreds of millions in “soft money” is the key to defeating Democrats. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois is talking about the bill as “Armageddon.” Terrified that corporate donations will be drastically curtailed, Hastert and his deputies, with the silent assent of at least a few Democrats, are staging a frantic last-ditch effort to kill reform.

Hastert and company are contemplating a variety of maneuvers to derail the bill. The most obvious would be to bring up a substitute bill offered by Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and Albert Russell Wynn (D-Md.) that would allow unlimited contributions of unregulated soft money to state party organizations. But the more likely tactic would be to offer “poison pill” amendments so that even backers of campaign finance reform would recoil and agree to send the measure to a conference committee. There, it could be argued to death. One possibility is a clause saying that if a court ruled any part of the bill illegal, no matter how minor, the legislation would be voided entirely. Another could be to bar legal permanent residents from making contributions--the Hispanic Caucus would reject such a provision. Other amendments would simply soften the ban against soft money.

But banned it must be. The example of Enron, which showered millions on Democrats and Republicans, should be enough. And there is plenty more. A study by New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, which examined 3,500 political ads, shows how bogus the arguments against reform are. Take the claim that soft money is essential to creating grass-roots voter activity that strengthens parties. The study concludes that this is a pious myth: A large share of soft money went to ads that attacked specific candidates, without ever even naming a political party.

Real campaign reform has never been so tantalizingly close. The Democrats and Republicans who signed on to reform at the last minute should not falter. If they close ranks, the bill can be sent directly to the Senate, which passed its own version of the bill last year. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota has indicated he will push the final version through as quickly as possible.

The American campaign finance system is a blot on democracy. Congress this week could mop up the worst of it.

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To Take Action: Go to www.house.gov, click on “Member Offices” and write, phone or e-mail Hastert and your representative.