--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For many years, we have had these…" description: "\"For many years, we have had these campaign finance reforms, and they have been failures. Money is more coursing through our system than ever before. In..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/mark-shields-1572_advantage_for-many-years-we-have-had-these-campaig_3117718.png" --- # For many years, we have had these campaign finance… ![“For many years, we have had these campaign finance reforms, and they have been failures. Money is more coursing through our system than ever before. Incumbents have used the laws to advantage themselves. And one of the reasons I think they have been failures is we have tried to crush down the…” quote by Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/mark-shields-1572_advantage_for-many-years-we-have-had-these-campaig_3117718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/mark-shields-1572_advantage_for-many-years-we-have-had-these-campaig_3117718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/mark-shields-1572_advantage_for-many-years-we-have-had-these-campaig_3117718.png) > “For many years, we have had these campaign finance reforms, and they have been failures. Money is more coursing through our system than ever before. Incumbents have used the laws to advantage themselves. And one of the reasons I think they have been failures is we have tried to crush down the money in places like the political parties, and it has squished out into opaque super PACs and sort of hidden channels.” [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Campaign finance reforms have failed because they unintentionally pushed money into less transparent entities, undermining transparency and fairness. **In simple terms:** Reforms pushed money into hidden channels, reducing transparency. Key Takeaway Advocate for truly transparent funding mechanisms. Themes politics money transparency reform law Mood critical concerned Type political policy When to use this quote - Legislative drafting - public advocacy - journalistic investigation - voter education Key Concepts Regulatory capture political inequality dark money Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent money from slipping into opaque channels? - How can citizens hold politicians accountable for financial influence? 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And it was run under the Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1974. In all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/from-1976-judy-to-1996-we-had-six-presidential-elections-and-it-was/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [The bottom line is that if politicians weren't in the business of granting favors and exacting tribute, every single issue surrounding campaign finance reform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/the-bottom-line-is-that-if-politicians-weren-t-in-the-business-of/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [I find that students are very strong on my issues, stronger than anyone: anti-death penalty, anti-racial profiling, campaign finance reform, questioning the anti-terrorism bill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-find-that-students-are-very-strong-on-my-issues-stronger-than/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Maybe when they no longer receive Sierra magazine in their mailboxes, journalists will understand how campaign finance reform abridges free speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-welch/maybe-when-they-no-longer-receive-sierra-magazine-in-their-mailboxes/) Matt Welch > [Democrats' desperate attempt to focus on campaign finance reform instead of laws that may have been broken by the Clinton-Gore campaign is like Mike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/democrats-desperate-attempt-to-focus-on-campaign-finance-reform/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [Scaling back the campaign finance reform bill may get more Republicans aboard, but it leaves many of us who have been involved in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-torricelli/scaling-back-the-campaign-finance-reform-bill-may-get-more/) [Robert Torricelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-torricelli/) > [Nobody wants campaign finance reform more than me. 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I admired the way Nancy Pelosi stiffened the Democrats' spine during the health care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-admired-the-way-mccain-worked-on-campaign-finance-reform-i-admired/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [We are very frustrated because we have a Supreme Court that seems determined to say that the wealthier have more right to free speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-are-very-frustrated-because-we-have-a-supreme-court-that-seems/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More by Mark Shields > [I'm not sure Betsy DeVos has ever spent a day in a public school. 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