The resounding defeat of rising political star Ralph Reed to a relatively unknown state senator in Georgia sends a powerful message to legislators about the level of voter frustration with the scandals that have plagued the Congress during the last year.
Since the candidates were politically quite similar, these results show that public concern over corruption has gone beyond what voters tell pollsters on the phone to what they do in the voting booth. We can only hope that Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Frist are listening.
To counter the breakdown of ethical oversight and enforcement, Congress should immediately pass the reforms contained in a bill recently introduced by Representatives Shays and Meehan. But the greater sins of Mr. Reed and Mr. Abramoff were their attempts to distort elections and the political process through campaign contributions. If we want fundamental change to the way business is done in Washington, Congress must change the way campaigns are funded. Several states have successfully experimented with giving public funds to candidates who agree not to accept any private campaign contributions. Congress should follow their lead.
