Hundreds Attend Meeting On Reform

A grassroots effort to reform congressional campaign spending inspired Spokane’s Jon Tuning to drive 300 miles Wednesday.

Tuning crossed the state to attend a “town meeting” here, sending this message to Republican Rep. George Nethercutt: “Sign onto reform and clean up your act.”

Tuning, a 63-year-old retiree who worked on Nethercutt’s 1994 campaign, was joined by more than 1,000 people who crowded a basketball gym at Highline Community College to meet with Ross Perot and members of Congress.

Perot was joined by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; two of the state’s most conservative politicians, Republican Reps. Linda Smith and Jack Metcalf; Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass.; and national leaders of Common Cause, Public Citizens and the League of Women Voters.

When it comes to ending the influence of special interest money in congressional races, all said they are fighting an uphill battle against entrenched power brokers from both parties.

The meeting was one of a series of 10 national gatherings scheduled this spring to turn up the heat under Congress to pass a campaign finance bill this year.

The “Clean Congress” measure bans contributions by political action committees and requires candidates to raise at least 60 percent of their money in their home state.

Nethercutt stands with the majority of the Washington congressional delegation opposing the legislation. He said he agrees in principle that reforms are needed, but does not support some of the provisions in the measure.

Most of the crowd came to see Perot, the billionaire and former presidential candidate.

Perot said voters can no longer afford to let PAC money rule the Capitol. “The people in Washington work for you, you pay their salaries,” he said. “Under the Constitution, they are your servants.” Perot said the money has caused the public to lose faith in government, and powerful special interests are corrupting politicians.

“We have good people in Washington trapped in a bad system. We have got to fix the system.”

“We are angry and our anger has reached the boiling point,” said Common Cause President Ann McBride. “Underneath our anger is a yearning, a yearning for a government that is honest and open and free of special interest money.”

Smith said it’s is up to voters to make campaign reform a reality.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Tom Roeder Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to this report.