---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most significant impact is what it…"
description: "\"The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the executive process, as opposed to what it does ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg"
---

#  The most significant impact is what it does in terms of…

![“The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the executive process, as opposed to what it does for campaigns. But to remove this unheard of process in the 1990s, where members of Congress are being pushed and shoved every Tuesday to ask for…” quote by Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg)

> “The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the executive process, as opposed to what it does for campaigns. But to remove this unheard of process in the 1990s, where members of Congress are being pushed and shoved every Tuesday to ask for $100,000, $500,000, a million dollars from corporations, unions, and individuals, this was never allowed in American history.”

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote warns that influencing legislators through large donations threatens democratic integrity more than campaign effects.

**In simple terms:** Big money to lawmakers harms the lawmaking process.

Key Takeaway

Guard legislative integrity over campaign finance.

Themes

politics ethics campaign finance

Mood

cautious critical

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- lobbying
- legislative voting
- public policy
- election reform

Key Concepts

democracy corruption power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can transparency be ensured?
- What safeguards protect the legislative process?

A Different Perspective

Even with limits, hidden influence can persist through other channels.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Campaigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaigns/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Congress Pushed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress-pushed-2844621/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Integrity Legislative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity-legislative-2902427/) [Legislative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislative-process/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Million dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-dollars/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Remove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remove/) [Significant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significant/) [Significant Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significant-impact-247737/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Tuesday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tuesday/) [Unheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unheard/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/)

## Related quotes

> [A sagging economy, a soaring national debt, and an increasingly restive Congress pushed Obama to order troop reductions that are both deeper and faster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/a-sagging-economy-a-soaring-national-debt-and-an-increasingly-restive/)

[Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/)

> [This has not been a legislative process worthy of the Senate. Members of the Judiciary Committee, as I just said, were implored to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/this-has-not-been-a-legislative-process-worthy-of-the-senate-members/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [I am proud of our diversity, and when you attack the federal workforce, you are having significant impact on women - many of whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/i-am-proud-of-our-diversity-and-when-you-attack-the-federal-workforce/)

[Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/)

> [So far as education is concerned, it has had a significant impact on a lot of young people who turn to science as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stewart/so-far-as-education-is-concerned-it-has-had-a-significant-impact-on-a/)

[Patrick Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stewart/)

> [This was a result of a number of factors, but we do know that the messages kids get about the harms of drugs has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walters/this-was-a-result-of-a-number-of-factors-but-we-do-know-that-the/)

[John Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walters/)

> [Having even just one relationship with an online influencer can have a significant impact on your business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howes/having-even-just-one-relationship-with-an-online-influencer-can-have/)

[Lewis Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howes/)

> [Army Corps activities have a significant impact on the health, public safety, and overall quality of life for many Mississippians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-hyde-smith/army-corps-activities-have-a-significant-impact-on-the-health-public/)

[Cindy Hyde-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-hyde-smith/)

> [I know the war in Iraq is controversial in the States, but for us in the Middle East it has made a great and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/i-know-the-war-in-iraq-is-controversial-in-the-states-but-for-us-in/)

[Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/)

> [I think the most significant change in my life is the decision to do a series. An hourlong dramatic television series on a broadcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spader/i-think-the-most-significant-change-in-my-life-is-the-decision-to-do/)

[James Spader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spader/)

> [My motivation for all my companies has been to be involved in something that I thought would have a significant impact on the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/my-motivation-for-all-my-companies-has-been-to-be-involved-in/)

[Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/)

> [When you're a big enough part of the process that the Writers Guild gives you a lot of credit, that's a good thing. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/when-you-re-a-big-enough-part-of-the-process-that-the-writers-guild/)

[Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/)

> [“Insignificant bad habits have a significant impact over time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hunt-davis/insignificant-bad-habits-have-a-significant-impact-over-time/)

[Ben Hunt-Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hunt-davis/)

> [Even a small reduction in errors and rework can have a significant impact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-johnson/even-a-small-reduction-in-errors-and-rework-can-have-a-significant/)

[Abigail Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-johnson/)

> [The claustrophobia has always been there, so in that sense it's made a significant impact but, by and large, I don't let it impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/the-claustrophobia-has-always-been-there-so-in-that-sense-it-s-made-a/)

[Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/)

> [The Lean Startup has evolved into a movement that is having a significant impact on how companies are built, funded and scaled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/the-lean-startup-has-evolved-into-a-movement-that-is-having-a/)

[Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/)

## More by Russ Feingold

> [If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their office accounts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-congress-should-be-prepared-to/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [When the President picks someone who is his ideological soul mate, that's his right, in my reading of "advise and consent." I do think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/when-the-president-picks-someone-who-is-his-ideological-soul-mate/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [The Democrats were in the majority in the U.S. Senate when we voted for the Iraq war and passed the U.S. Patriot Act. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-democrats-were-in-the-majority-in-the-u-s-senate-when-we-voted/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [Make no mistake, our military readiness is already suffering, ... According to a recent RAND study, the Army has been stretched so thin that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/make-no-mistake-our-military-readiness-is-already-suffering-according/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [The Wisconsin senator gets up and says out loud what half of the country is thinking and talks about every day. This President broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-wisconsin-senator-gets-up-and-says-out-loud-what-half-of-the/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [The notion of American exceptionalism is effective in part because there is little on the face of it that is offensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-notion-of-american-exceptionalism-is-effective-in-part-because/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [It is not only all right but necessary to stand up to George Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-is-not-only-all-right-but-necessary-to-stand-up-to-george-bush/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [The Tea Party ended up being a shill for corporate America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-tea-party-ended-up-being-a-shill-for-corporate-america/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [There is nothing more American than peaceful protest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/there-is-nothing-more-american-than-peaceful-protest/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [It's not enough to be in the majority, you have to stand for something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-s-not-enough-to-be-in-the-majority-you-have-to-stand-for-something/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [Occupy Wall Street is a real movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/occupy-wall-street-is-a-real-movement/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [Its the reality of a situation like this that when you have a large troop presence that it has the tendency to fuel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/its-the-reality-of-a-situation-like-this-that-when-you-have-a-large/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [I believe that the Israelis and the Palestinians, by and large, want peace, they each want their own country, and they want to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-believe-that-the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-by-and-large-want/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [I'm one of the only members of the U.S. Senate who isn't a millionaire. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a millionaire. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-m-one-of-the-only-members-of-the-u-s-senate-who-isn-t-a-millionaire/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [I don't worry too much about what people think about my image, but I think I am pretty polite. My colleagues say I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-don-t-worry-too-much-about-what-people-think-about-my-image-but-i/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

[Explore all 74 Russ Feingold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

## More American history quotes

> [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/)

[William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/)

> [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/)

> [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/)

[Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/)

> [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [We must not falsely teach American history in our schools. We have a law requiring state textbook oversight to guard against frauds like Zinn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-daniels/we-must-not-falsely-teach-american-history-in-our-schools-we-have-a/)

[Mitch Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-daniels/)

> [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/)

[Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/)

> [“Thanks in part to the rapid mechanization of cotton production in the early 1940s, which ultimately threw millions of farm laborers out of work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/thanks-in-part-to-the-rapid-mechanization-of-cotton-production-in-the/)

[James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/)

> [“dark say: berthenia belle never forget the tongue hid name”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-margaret/dark-say-berthenia-belle-never-forget-the-tongue-hid-name/)

[Cathleen Margaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-margaret/)

> [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/)

[Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/)

> [Modern Democrats aren't the first political party to abuse power - far from it. Obama isn'€™t the first president to abuse executive power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/modern-democrats-aren-t-the-first-political-party-to-abuse-power-far/)

[David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/)

> [Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-walsh/medicare-and-social-security-have-created-the-healthiest-and-most/)

[Jim Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-walsh/)

> [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“I used to walk out, at night, to the breakwater which divides the end of the harbor form the broad moor of the salt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/i-used-to-walk-out-at-night-to-the-breakwater-which-divides-the-end/)

[Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/)

[Browse all 685 American history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the executive process, as opposed to what it does for campaigns. But to remove this unheard of process in the 1990s, where members of Congress are being pushed and shoved every Tuesday to ask for $100,000, $500,000, a million dollars from corporations, unions, and individuals, this was never allowed in American history.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Russ Feingold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-does-in-terms-of-the-integrity/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American history"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-does-in-terms-of-the-integrity/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/russ-feingold-9239_american-history_the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-d_1914319.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most significant impact is what it does in terms of the integrity of the legislative process and the…” — Russ Feingold",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Russ Feingold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most significant impact is what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-does-in-terms-of-the-integrity/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-most-significant-impact-is-what-it-does-in-terms-of-the-integrity/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
