Why do the Republicans insist on keeping soft money influence..?..." THE DEMOCRATIC-CONTROLLED Senate has already passed a companion bill that would largely ban “soft money” — unlimited contributions that unions, corporations and individuals can donate to political parties for party building and promotion of voter interest.
But resistance is stiffer in the Republican-controlled House, where Republican leaders are backing a replacement bill that would allow soft-money donations of up to $75,000 for some federal election activities, such as voter-registration drives.
Reps. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Martin Meehan, R-Mass., sponsors of a House measure, said it was crucial to pass their bill, which is almost identical to the Senate version crafted by John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis.
Shays and Meehan warned that choosing the Republicans’ alternative would do more than just fall short of true reform. It would also likely kill the entire effort to reform the system, they said, because the legislation would probably be shelved by the House-Senate conference committee that would be appointed to reconcile the differences. |
