More than a hundred people crowded Faneuil Hall Friday morning to hear federal and state legislators demand campaign finance reform.
The rally focused not only on the McCain-Feingold bill currently being debated in the Senate, but also the Clean Elections Law passed by Massachusetts voters in 1998.
“Starting Monday, you need to flood the State House with phone calls,” Rep. Douglas Petersen (D-Essex) told the audience. “Demand to speak with your legislator and senator, and tell them ‘I want my law, keep your hands off it.’
“We can change the way politics are done in Massachusetts forever. With your help, and only with your help, we can do it.”
“When my constituents passed the law, they made it part of my job to ensure it goes into effect,” said Sen. Jo Ann Sprague (R-Norfolk).
The Clean Elections Law is being debated in the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives and faces modification from many members, including Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran (D-Suffolk).
“We need to get the money out of politics. … You shouldn’t have to pay to vote,” said comedian Jimmy Tingle, who introduced the rally. “This will increase voter participation and make it easier for people to run.”
Rep. Christopher Shays (D-Conn.) also spoke well of the Clean Elections Law.
“I admire what the law has done,” he said. “This is the first step. Ultimately, what should happen is public financing of campaigns.”
Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) agreed that stopping soft money was only the beginning.
“We need to ban soft money, publicly finance campaigns and give all candidates free air time on television,” he said.
Shays also spoke of the dangers of soft money in Congress.
“Donating corporate treasury money, union dues, money from foreign nationals to campaigns — all that is illegal, but soft money allows it,” he said. “Because of this, Congress spends less time on legislation and more time worrying about offending special interests.”
Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Mass.) saw parallels between the fight against soft money and the colonial revolution against England.
“We have come together in the cradle of liberty to demand freedom from soft money,” he said. “This is a historic fight to redeem democracy.”
“I believe in order to have a democracy based on the people, you have to remove all barriers,” said Jenny Tucker of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. “What’s going on in Massachusetts is indicative of what could happen.”
“They’re trying to change the [Clean Elections] law; it could be weakened or gutted,” said Nancy Cronin, of Concord. “It’s very close, though.”
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