Quotes

Quotes

• President Theodore Roosevelt on public financing- "There is a very radical measure which would, I believe, work a substantial improvement in our system of conducting a campaign, although I am well aware that it will take some time for people so to fa
• Sen. Dick Durbin on introduction of Fair Elections Now Act- "Today the amount of money spent in top ten competitive Senate races averages $34 million per campaign - double what it was just four years ago.
• Sen. Arlen Specter on introduction of the Fair Elections Now Act- "I am joining Senator Durbin in introducing legislation in the Senate to provide for public financing because I believe it will be a significant step in improving public confidence in the election pro
• Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) on public financing- "In fact, not only do I support eliminating soft money, but I support full public financing for campaigns.
• Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) endorses public financing- “In my opinion, we need to again consider the possibility of public funding of congressional elections, following the very successful experience with clean money systems in Maine and Arizona.”
• Gov. Jodi Rell (R-CT) on Connecticut's Clean Elections system- “Yet this is landmark legislation, and not merely because Connecticut is the first state to enact such sweeping reforms through legislative action rather than by referendum, as was the case in Maine
• Gov. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) on the benefits of Clean Elections- I got to spend time with voters as opposed to dialing for dollars, or trying to sell tickets to $250-a-plate fundraisers. This was much better.
• Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) on public financing- You need to figure out how to take on the interests, the special interests that are gigantic in their economic clout, who don`t want to see a change in the system.
• Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on public financing- I believe we have to move, eventually in our country, toward a system of public financing that really works for candidates running for federal office. I will support that as president.
• Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) on his long-standing support for Clean Elections- I am an advocate... of public financing for years. That is the one way to get money out of politics. I believe that would be what we ought to be doing.
• Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) on the need for Clean Elections- Money flies like lightning between corporations, lobbyists, and politicians. We need full public financing to reform the system once and for all.
• Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK) supports public financing- Is the pope Catholic? There's nobody in this race that has less money than I have. You hear people saying they're trying to opt out (of public financing). Hey, I'm trying to opt in
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-IL) on public financing of elections- Public control of the political process requires public financing. The restoration of our American Democracy depends upon public financing.
• Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on Clean Elections- I also believe that if we're serious about change, we need to have a real discussion about public financing for congressional elections.
• Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) on Earmarks and Public Funding- “House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (Calif.), the one Democrat who has pledged not to request earmarks this year and urged a moratorium, said it’s the “sorry fact of the