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American Morning

Campaign Finance Reform Bill Heads to House This Week

Aired July 09, 2001 - 09:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The issue of campaign finance reform goes to the House this week. This is a similar measure that was seen in the Senate earlier. Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold were sponsors of those bills and they spoke with us earlier here on CNN.

First, John McCain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: It's almost the same bill. In fact, Congressman Shays and Congressman Meehan have gotten a similar bill through the House two times before. Our goal here is to get this bill through the House, to have the differences be very small so hopefully the Senate can accept this good piece of legislation and send it on to President Bush for his signature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Obviously that was Senator Russ Feingold.

Now Senator John McCain speaking on the issue as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It would allow all the scandals that we know of in the past -- the $50,000 coffees and the nights in the Lincoln bedroom and the money from Mrs. Rich would all be allowed under this sham that they are calling an alternative to the Shays- Meehan bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Joining us now to talk more about campaign finance reform and if the fire is still there is election law analyst Ken Gross joining us from, I believe, Washington.

Ken, that's where people like you like to hang out.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Good morning, thanks for being with us.

KEN GROSS, ELECTION LAW ANALYST: Good morning. KAGAN: Is the fire still there for campaign finance reform? First, let's talk from a public standpoint. People very interested in this during election time, but the election seems a long way away.

GROSS: Well, it does come in ebb and flow. It ebbs and flows. I think that once it starts getting in the papers again, all it takes is a little scandal and people get very, very excited about campaign finance reform. It was the -- as Senator McCain was talking about the coffees, then after that it was all the pardons that President Clinton had issued and now we're seeing more and more issues coming up that I think are going to put it back on the front page. And we're hoping to be hearing a lot about it this week because Congress is taking up the legislation.

KAGAN: Well, what about the fire within congress? Are they as fired up...

GROSS: They're...

KAGAN: I mean who - are they fired up about it?

GROSS: Well, they're fired up about it because they have to be. The Senate passed the legislation, and now for the first time, we have a real possibility of getting some legislation through Congress. And if the House passes the same bill that they have passed before, we're going to have a change in the campaign finance law that we haven't seen, really, for 25 years.

KAGAN: But there's more than one version out there. Explain the different versions.

GROSS: Yes, the version that is -- has been talked about the most is the House version of McCain-Feingold. That's the one that's -- it's called the Shays-Meehan bill and it eliminates all soft money going to the party committees and even limits some of the soft money, this corporate money, union money, large individual money going to outside groups.

The alternative bill is Congressman Ney's bill. He is the chairman of the committee that's going to oversee this process and that's the bill that's being backed by the Republican's leadership -- that's speaker Hastert, Tom DeLay and Dick Armey. So there's where the battle lines are drawn.

KAGAN: Well, if you had the Republicans in the House supporting that one, you know John McCain obviously a Republican on the Senate side, what does that do to a split in the party and where does President Bush fall into this?

GROSS: Well, President Bush has said, look, if you don't want this legislation, don't count on me to veto it. He's not going to veto it. As a matter of fact, he says if you're going to kill it, House Republicans, you better do it in the Congress. Don't rely on me to veto it. So...

KAGAN: But as I understand, even if this passes, this thing is headed to the courts anyway.

GROSS: Well that's true. If the McCain-Feingold version passes, the -- before the ink is even dry, there's going to be a lawsuit. I think Senator McConnell in the Republican leadership on - in the Senate has already - has already volunteered to be a plaintiff, and it's going to be challenged. And I think that parts of it will be upheld and parts of it might get struck down.

KAGAN: We will be watching it. Thanks for your help in understanding it. Ken gross in Washington, thank you.

GROSS: Sure.

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