In a last-ditch effort to sway voters in the upcoming South Carolina Republican primary, George W. Bush brought campaign finance reform to the forefront of his campaign in order to combat a similar plan proposed early on by Sen. John McCain.
"This is a plan that offers complete reform," Bush campaign spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Bush's reform package focuses mainly on the flow of soft money into campaign funds. Bush said he plans to set limits on these donations by labor unions and corporations.
Under the Bush plan, federal candidates would not be allowed to roll over their finances from one campaign to the next. Also, labor unions and corporations would give their members the right to decide where their money is channeled. Finally, lobbyists would be prohibited from donating money to congressmen while in session, McClellan said.
One of the program's main reforms demands that candidates divulge information about campaign contributions.
"One thing we need to do is have full disclosure and let the sunshine in," Bush said in the Tuesday South Carolina debate.
The Bush campaign already has started to act on this part of its program, offering a complete listing of campaign contributors on their Web site. So far the Bush campaign has raised over $70 million from donations and used $50 million.
The list "lets Americans look for themselves who is supporting the candidate," McClellan said.
Many criticized Bush for waiting until now to reveal his entire plan. However, the Bush camp insists this plan is nothing new.
"I have been talking about the campaign finance reform since last summer," Bush said at the debate.
"This is no surprise," said Larry J. Sabato, government and foreign affairs professor. "He's just pieced together previous press releases."
One of McCain's central campaign issues always has been his proposed campaign finance reform plan. While Bush focuses on labor unions and corporations, McCain concentrates on the individual, Sabato said.
Former Republican candidate Gary Bauer recently gave his support to McCain and his campaign finance reform plan.
In order to compete with McCain's plan, the Bush camp aired a new television advertisement yesterday in South Carolina and Michigan.
The Bush camp hopes the new ad and Tuesday's South Carolina debate will help inform constituents about his entire campaign reform plan before the coming primaries in South Carolina and Michigan.
Despite both candidates' claims to have a comprehensive reform package, there still is some question about both plans' feasibility from political analysts and other observers.
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