-Caveat Lector-
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
--- Begin Message ----Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om--- Begin Message ------ End Message ------ End Message ---
-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message -----From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:43 AMSubject: [LOCT] Bill Moyers Interviews Senator John McCain | PBS12.13.02 Transcript: Bill Moyers Interviews Senator John McCain
BILL MOYERS: We turn now from money and the American economy to money
and American politics. Faithful viewers of NOW know this is one of our
favorite subjects. It's also a passion for my guest, Republican Senator
John McCain of Arizona. He's just written a new book in which he
honestly discusses how he got tripped up by too much money in politics,
and about other subjects as well. It's called Worth Fighting For.
Well, he has a fight on his hands with the campaign finance law that was
recently passed which he sponsored along with Democratic Senator Russell
Feingold of Wisconsin. That law is being attacked from many sides: by
the two political parties, by the Federal Election Commission, and in
the courts. Welcome to NOW.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Thank you, Bill.
BILL MOYERS: Were you able to follow the hearings before those three
judges in Washington last week?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I was briefed on it. I was back in Arizona, but my
people were there, and they gave me a pretty good report.
BILL MOYERS: I have with me some of the documents revealed in those
hearings. They confirm everything you've been saying for years now, how
the system really works: give us the money and we'll give you the
legislation. Do you think your colleagues will begin to listen to you
now?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Well, I don't know if they will or not. You know,
this is a very addictive system. It's so much easier to raise money in
hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars than in one thousand-dollar
or two thousand-dollar contributions. But I think they're tired of it.
There was recent comments by Senator Zell Miller of Georgia where he
said after a period of fund raising he felt like a prostitute after a
busy day.
BILL MOYERS: Can a government run by prostitutes and addicts claim to be
legitimate?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I don't think so, and I think what happens is that
the public interest is not served; the special interests are. We passed
a homeland security bill, which was important. The House of
Representatives passed it and put some special interests provisions on
it. One was, guess who for, a major drug company, who had been huge
contribution...contributors in the last campaign.
And let me remind you, recent data shows that the pharmaceutical
companies who are the largest single contributors, they spent about $30
million dollars in the last campaign insulating incumbents from a tax
for not having passed prescription drug bills for seniors.
So we were able to put in those special interest provisions, but we
didn't have time to take care of the unemployed whose benefits will soon
run out.
BILL MOYERS: Every version of the National Energy Legislation provides
billions of dollars in subsidies for the fossil fuel industry that has
poured millions of dollars into electing a compliant Congress and a
White House. Do you smell a rat there?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I don't see it as a whole lot different from a lot
of other legislation that goes through the Congress which special
interests have enormous influence on. In 1996 we passed a bill called
the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996. Telecommunications issues, as
you know, are incredibly complex. Lobbyists wrote that bill. Since then
we have had no real reform of the telecommunications to say the least,
and a consumer has paid more in the cost of long distance calls, cable
rates, the list goes on and on. But those special interests have done
very, very well.
BILL MOYERS: Do you think Vice President Cheney should release the names
of those industry...energy industry officials with whom he met secretly
when he was drafting the National Energy Policy?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Sure. I've always believed in open government, and
that should be part of it, absolutely.
BILL MOYERS: The Non-Partisan Center for Responsive Politics says less
than one-tenth of one percent of the country gave 85 percent, almost 85
percent, of all itemized contributions in our recent elections. What
does that tell you, Senator?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Well, it tells me that it's huge amounts of money
contributed by a handful of Americans that are dictating the legislative
agenda here in Congress.
BILL MOYERS: If you were an ordinary citizen do you think you'd have a
chance up against that system?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: No. I do not.
BILL MOYERS: The Federal Election Commission has left some very large
loopholes as you indicate in the...in your bill. Those loopholes will
allow millions of dollars in soft money to still go to the political
parties -- the very thing you were trying to prevent.
Now, the American people pay to support that commission, but it
functions as a lap dog frankly for the two parties. Why don't we just
abolish it?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: We're going to introduce legislation in January to
fundamentally restructure or abolish it. And that will be hard, because
both parties are very satisfied with a commission that will gridlock.
Now, the reason why the Federal Election Commission passed regulations
that created loopholes in these laws is because they had a lame duck
democrat whose term had expired who was voting with the three republican
commissioners.
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I demanded that the lame duck democrat be replaced
by Senator Daschle's nominee, which was the way that we usually operate,
a republican and a democrat. And guess what? The administration gave me
their word that they would appoint her as a recess appointment because
they had done that with the other Republican.
And they waited until after the regulations were issued before giving
her a recess appointment despite the fact that in writing I had gotten
their word that she would be recess appointed in October.
BILL MOYERS: If you can't trust them, why can we?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I don't...I can't answer that, except to say that
in 20 years around this town I've never had my word...I've never had
people break their word to me in this fashion.
BILL MOYERS: You said earlier this week also that while President Bush
signed the McCain-Feingold bill, his people are doing everything behind
the scenes they can to weaken it as much as possible. Why don't you call
the President and ask him to lay off?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Perhaps I should, Bill. Perhaps I should.
BILL MOYERS: Who is it who was suing to declare unconstitutional the
McCain-Feingold Bill, and why do they consider it unconstitutional?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Well, I think you just look at those who are
involved in the suit. It's public knowledge. The ACLU, the NRA, National
Right to Life, The Republican Party, the Democratic Party of California.
You know, it's public knowledge.
BILL MOYERS: With your own White House double crossing you with your own
party and the democratic party trying to undermine your bill, what hope
do you have of changing the system from within?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: We'll keep going to the American people, Bill, and
they will respond just as they responded in the past. We've got a little
army out there of people who are supporting us on reform issues, and
they'll continue to do so. And again, I think…I cannot overstate the
importance of Russ Feingold in this fight. He's an honest and decent
man, and a person who…we have stuck together through thick and thin.
BILL MOYERS: It's so clear that both parties have become so corrupted by
money that you can't change the system from inside the bordello. I mean,
would you consider running for President in the year 2004 as an
independent?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: No, I would not, Bill. I don't envision that
scenario. I'll keep up the crusade for reform, but I had my run at it
and I'm proud of it, but you know, I don't want to.... As much as I
admired Harold Stassen I don't want to be one of those [LAUGHTER].
BILL MOYERS: But Harold Stassen aside, most of the momentum for
reforming politics has come from third parties whose candidate ran on
principle and on ideas. I mean, wouldn't you like to go down in history
that way?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Yes, but I also have to consider viability. I also
think that I can make reforms within the republican party as I just did
with campaign finance reform, although any reform has to be bipartisan,
we all know that.
I'll continue the struggle and fight, but I think it's not.... If I
thought it was do-able, maybe I would consider it. But I still believe
in the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and I want to
see us return to those.... Theodore Roosevelt was the great reformer. He
took on the robber barons. He was a great conservationist. He...you
know, we've got to return to his kinds of principles in my view.[Dream on..........TR was on the take up to his eyebrows. (LJM)]BILL MOYERS: Senator, in your home state of Arizona, a number of
candidates recently were elected to office running with public funding,
public financing. Would you support it? Would you endorse, what do you
think about that experiment there?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I think it's good overall. I think it needs to,
like any other new experiment, it needs to have some wrinkles taken out
of it. But we had more people run for public office than any time in the
history of our state, and that's what it was all about.
As I say, there's some fixes that need to be made, but it was a new
experiment, and overall I think was very successful and interestingly
the ones who are running, you know what they're telling me? They said,
surprise, surprise, I spend my time talking to voters not to
contributors.
BILL MOYERS: Do you think that could become a model for the nation as a
whole?
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Absolutely.
BILL MOYERS: Thank you very much, Senator McCain, for joining us…
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Thank you, Bill.
© Public Affairs Television. All rights reserved.
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the
homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden
door."- Emma Lazarus
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_mccain.html
<A HREF="">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
