‘Calling McCain and Feingold’

Your October 30 editorial, “Calling McCain and Feingold,” [Editorial, October 30, 2006] is simply wrong in claiming that the sleazy ad run by the RNC in the Tennessee Senate race is attributable to the McCain-Feingold bill.

First of all, the McCain-Feingold law is not responsible for the Federal Election Commission’s failure to regulate 527 groups. Secondly, and more to the point, the RNC is a party committee, not a 527. Prior to McCain-Feingold, party committees could use unlimited soft money contributions, raised by candidates, to run TV attack ads. Now, they must use limited hard money contributions to run their ads. McCain-Feingold had no effect on their ability to coordinate such ads with candidates. Such coordination is and was illegal, except for a small amount of coordinated spending, both before and after McCain-Feingold.

The fund raising of political parties and of both incumbents and challengers has flourished in the first midterm elections since our bill took effect. According to the nonpartisan National Journal, challengers and incumbents have raised record sums, there are more financially competitive races, and the number of smaller donors is reaching record levels. By banning soft money, McCain-Feingold has helped to clean up political fund raising. If the Sun has complaints about the quality or content of political advertising, it should address them to the sponsors of the ads themselves, not to Senator McCain or myself.

RUSS FEINGOLD
U.S. Senator
Middleton, Wisc.

---

Please address letters intended for publication to the Editor of The New York Sun. Letters may be sent by e-mail to editor@nysun.com, by facsimile to 212-608-7348, or post to 105 Chambers Street, New York City 10007. Please include a return address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited.