Senators Want to Overturn Buckley
by Amanda Adams*, 10/25/2007
On October 18, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced SJR 21, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would overturn the 1976 Supreme Court opinion in Buckley v. Valeo. The proposed amendment states, "Congress shall have power to regulate the raising and spending of money, including through setting limits, for campaigns for nomination for election to, or for election to, Federal office."
The Center for Competitive Politics refers to the resolution as the "anti-first amendment resolution," for allowing "further regulation of political speech by imposing restrictions on campaign spending."
Politico reports, "[t]he senators did not offer any plans for a new campaign finance system, but instead voiced their disapproval of the current, increasingly arcane regulatory scheme. . . . All in all, a real long shot."
