Friday, September 17, 1999
Foes: Vote hurts Lucas in 2000
Bill tightens election money
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT MITCHELL — Anti-abortion groups and Republican Party leaders are piling on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas for supporting a campaign finance reform bill that passed the House Tuesday with bipartisan support.
Both factions are promising to use Mr. Lucas' vote on the Shays-Meehan bill in next year's congressional election, when the first-term Democrat from Richwood will defend his 4th District seat against Oldham County Republican Don Bell.
As drafted in the House, the bill would ban the use of soft money in federal campaigns. Unlike hard money donations, which are restricted in size, soft money donations are unlimited and unregulated by the federal government.
In addition, the bill would limit certain types of political advertising, including advocacy advertising practiced by groups such as those opposed to abortion. Voter guides and other information anti-abortion groups hand out prior to elections would not be allowed under the law.
“We'll be letting people know about how Ken Lucas voted and how his vote will hurt grass-roots organizations like ours,” said Margie Montgomery, executive director of Kentucky Right to Life, an anti-abortion group based in Louis ville.
And from the partisan political side came comments like these from 4th District Republican Party Chairman Jay Hall:
“Ken Lucas is deeply out of touch with his constituents on this issue,” Mr. Hall said. “He has made some conservative votes, I'll give him that, since being elected. But this isn't one of them.”
Mr. Lucas is making no apologies.
“When I ran for Congress ... I pledged to fight to clean up the mess in Washington, end the influence of soft money and rein in illegal foreign contribu tions.
“It certainly isn't a perfect bill,” Mr. Lucas said, “but we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We must reform the system in order to save it.”
Mr. Lucas' political consultants say the anti-abortion groups and partisan Republicans are spewing tired campaign rhetoric that didn't work in last year's election and won't work in 2000.
“What Ken Lucas did was make a courageous vote,” said Bob Doyle, Mr. Lucas' Washington political strategist. “It's what the voters wanted.”
Mr. Doyle pointed out that anti-abortion groups tried to defeat Mr. Lucas last year, when he beat Boone County Republican Gex (Jay) Williams, a darling of the pro-life movement.
“The bill interferes with free speech, it hurts the little guy,” said Covington lawyer Robert Cetrulo, head of Northern Kentucky Right to Life.
“It's going to be harmful to the pro-life movement and I think we will let the voters know about it,” he said.
John Lapp, Mr. Lucas' top Washington aide, said soft money is expected to total $500 million to $750 million in the 2000 federal elections.
“This is a system awash in money that Ken Lucas wants to help clean up,” Mr. Lapp said.
The bill has less chance of passage in the Senate, where Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell has vowed to defeat it.
Mr. McConnell is recognized as Congress' most ardent opponent of campaign finance reform.
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