How Do You Like It Now

‘THE political landscape will change when this bill takes effect,” said Michigan Democratic senator Carl Levin on March 20, 2002, the day the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance-reform bill was passed. “It will be filled with more people and less influence; more contributors and smaller contributions; more democracy and less elitism.”

Back then, reformers liked to say that McCain-Feingold would help “level the playing field” between the parties by getting rid of unlimited soft-money contributions. And indeed—constitutional questions aside—the law has led to more contributors and smaller contributions, as Levin predicted. But now, less than 18 months after the bill was signed into law, some of its supporters are deeply concerned about “flaws” in the system and are once again calling for . . . campaign-finance reform.

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Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

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‘THE political landscape will change when this bill takes effect,” said Michigan Democratic senator Carl Levin on March 20, 2002, the day the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance-reform bill was passed. “It will be filled with more people and less influence; more contributors and smaller contributions; more democracy and less elitism.”

Back then, reformers liked to say that McCain-Feingold would help “level the playing field” between the parties by getting rid of unlimited soft-money contributions. And indeed—constitutional questions aside—the law has led to more contributors and smaller contributions, as Levin predicted. But now, less than 18 months after the bill was signed into law, some of its supporters are deeply concerned about “flaws” in the system and are once again calling for . . . campaign-finance reform.