March 20, 2002. House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt joined
leaders of the campaign finance reform effort in celebrating the Senate's
68-32 cloture vote on H.R.2356,
the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. The Senate passed the
bill later in the day in a 60-40 vote; the House had passed it on February
14 in a 240 to 189 vote.
Democracy 21 president Fred Wertheimer said, "Dick Gephardt is a central reason why the American people have won today." "He provided heroic leadership here," Wertheimer stated. "He believed in it. He fought for it. He really wanted this to happen." Specifically Wertheimer cited Gephardt's role in getting signatures on the discharge petition and in leading the overwhelming majority of members of his party in the House (198 of 210 voting Democrats) to support the measure. |
Copyright © 2002 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.