{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://nolan.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/herald-review-tired-of-money-in-politics-negative-advertising-and-a-broken", "Herald Review: Tired of money in politics, negative advertising and a broken Congress?", "2014-12-01", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Rick Nolan", "N000127", "nolan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "To restore America\u2019s confidence in our elections and our government, it\u2019s imperative we change the way we do our politics.\nRegardless of your political views or the candidates you supported this year, I hope we can all agree on this: while campaigns are rough and tumble, partisan exercises \u2013 that\u2019s the nature of democracy \u2013 when campaign season is over, we need to put politics aside, embrace bipartisanship, and focus on the people\u2019s business. Otherwise, government will never be the effective, problem-solving instrument the Founders intended it to be.\n\n\tThe good news is that there is plenty of good will and desire for bipartisanship among Republicans and Democrats alike. Most voters would be pleasantly surprised to see how well we personally get along, and actually like each other.\n\n\n\tThe question is \u2013 how do we transform the idea of bipartisanship into reality, refocus away from endless fundraising, and start getting things done?\n\n\n\tIt\u2019s a two-part answer. First, we need to change the way we campaign by getting rid of outside money. And second, we need to change the way we govern by returning Congress to its own time tested rules of the road.\n\n\n\tMake no mistake. Campaigns are expensive and the pressure to raise money is intense. History demonstrates that the candidates who raise the most money usually get the most votes.\n\n\n\tThat said, negative campaigns financed by outside money and special interests are polluting our airwaves, degrading our candidates, corrupting our public policy, and diluting confidence in our elections system and our government.\n\n\n\tMinnesota\u2019s Eighth District was the national poster child \u2013 one of the most expensive Congressional races in the country. Some $14 million (Center for Responsive Politics) has already been documented \u2013 with considerably more yet to be reported. And nearly two-thirds of that money came from outside special interests.\n\n\n\tIf you watched any TV at all this fall, you know that most of that money was spent on negative advertising neither my opponent nor I could legally control or influence. Those ads made many voters angry and discouraged them from showing up at the polls.\n\n\n\tIt\u2019s little wonder that nationwide, only about a third of eligible voters turned out this year. Campaigns are becoming contests to see who can withstand the most mud. We can and must do better.\n\n\n\tHow? Well, the Constitution grants Congress the power to govern and reform the elections process. When Congress fails to do so \u2013 and it has \u2013 the courts step in. Witness the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s \u201cCitizens United\u201d decision that allowed this flood of unchecked and undocumented outside money into our campaigns by ruling that corporations are \u201cpeople\u201d and the money they contribute is \u201cfree speech.\u201d What nonsense.\n\n\n\tA number of us in Congress have introduced reform measures, any of which would help fix the system. Taken together, they would produce a true renaissance for our democracy. With that in mind, I\u2019ve put the best ideas together into a seven-point blueprint called the Restore Democracy Act. Here\u2019s what the plan would do:\n\n\n\t\u2022 Reverse the Supreme Court\u2019s Citizens United decision. Corporations are not people and money is not free speech. You shouldn\u2019t have to be rich or rely on wealthy special interests to run for Congress.\n\n\n\t\u2022 Implement a federal campaign financing system that combines public money with small donor contributions \u2013 returning control of our elections to regular people.\n\n\n\t\u2022 Prohibit campaign fundraising while Congress is in session - that\u2019s time for doing the people\u2019s business.\n\n\n\t\u2022 Limit the campaign season, as other western democracies do. Campaigns shouldn\u2019t last 365 days a year \u2013 every single year.\n\n\n\t\u2022 End \u201cgerrymandering\u201d that\u2019s made all but about 35 Congressional districts safe for incumbents. All 435 districts should be competitive.\n\n\n\t\u2022 Establish a nationwide online system of voter registration, and put an end to laws that suppress voting. Voter participation should always be encouraged.\n\n\n\t\u2022 And put Congress back to work, five days a week just like other people who have full-time jobs. We need that time to fully consider every bill, idea, and amendment through the regular committee process. By doing so, we can foster bipartisanship as we get to know one another better, and hammer out points of compromise and agreement.\n\n\n\tReform won\u2019t be quick or easy, but our democracy and the integrity of our political process demand that we keep driving forward until we get the job done.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://nolan.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/herald-review-tired-of-money-in-politics-negative-advertising-and-a-broken"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.3552519269287586, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}