Defending Campaign Finance Laws

George F. Will's Sept. 13 column, "Taking On the Book Banners," misrepresented my views on campaign finance laws. Contrary to Mr. Will's claims, I do not support "government control of the quantity, timing and content of campaign speech."

I do support campaign finance laws, consistent with multiple Supreme Court decisions over the past three decades, that are necessary to prevent corruption through the use of campaign funds to obtain influence with federal officeholders.

This includes the McCain-Feingold provisions that Mr. Will denigrated in his column but that the Supreme Court upheld as constitutional in the 2003 decision McConnell v. FEC, based on a record that showed corporate and union treasury funds had been spent on electioneering communications to curry favor with, and gain influence over, federal officeholders.

As the Supreme Court said in McConnell, "since our decision in Buckley [1976]," the power of Congress to enact such provisions "has been firmly embedded in our law."

FRED WERTHEIMER

President

Democracy 21

Washington