MATTHEW ROTHSCHILD
Editor of The Progressive, Rothschild said: “Bradley doesn’t represent a real alternative to Gore or McCain or Bush. He supports the death penalty. He favors tougher sanctions on Iraq. Along with Gore, he has been a leading proponent of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization; and he, like Gore, has carried water for the pharmaceutical companies. Bradley’s health plan is a far cry from universal care, and he leaves the insurance companies firmly in command. He voted for aiding the contras in 1986. Bradley — like Gore, McCain and Bush — is for bloated Pentagon spending and has not renounced first use of nuclear weapons. While Bradley has been outspoken on issues of race and poverty and welfare, he’s toed the establishment line on almost every other issue.”
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SHARLENE BOZACK
Executive director of Clean Elections Institute, which was founded to ensure that Arizona’s 1998 landmark Citizens Clean Elections Act would be implemented, Bozack said: “McCain’s talk of breaking the iron triangle of money, lobbyists and legislation is disingenuous. In 1998 he was absolutely silent on the clean elections law here in his home state. He has since said that he is not for public funding, which our law speaks to. The Arizona clean elections law allows a qualified candidate to collect $5 contributions and receive public funds once they reach a threshold, depending on the office for which they are running — for example, 200 contributor/supporters for state legislature, 4,000 for the governorship. Not all candidates have to participate in this system, but this allows people without moneyed backers to actually run for major public office. McCain is not backing true campaign finance reform since he just wants to limit how much lobbyists can give to congressional candidates to $1,000. There’s no cap on the amount the candidates can raise or spend. It allows a kitchen cabinet of fundraisers to line up countless $1,000 contributors. McCain-Feingold would have no effect on how much McCain, Bush, Gore and Bradley have raised in ‘hard money’ so far in this campaign.”
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JERRY STARR
Executive director of Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting, Starr said: “The influence-peddling scandal that put McCain on the front page last month revealed more about him than his special relationship with media mogul Lowell Paxson. The deal McCain pushed on the FCC required the transfer of a Pittsburgh public television license to an ultraconservative religious ministry totally unqualified to operate an educational frequency. McCain blamed a slow-moving bureaucracy for the two-and-a-half-year delay in approving the transfer applications, but the real reason was enormous community opposition to the deal, including 40,000 letters and phone calls to the FCC. McCain has opposed federal funding for public broadcasting so apparently was not bothered by the consequences of the Paxson deal. However, the public has a right to know.”
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For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; David Zupan, (541) 484-9167