Editorial: Timely reforms are antidote to scandals

Tuesday, March 26, 2002 | 8:26 a.m.

It's too bad that it took the Enron scandal, serving as it did to exemplify Washington awash in corporate money and influence, to finally win over enough support in Congress for the campaign finance bill that cleared the Senate on Wednesday with a 60-40 vote. Sen. Harry Reid voted for the reform legislation and Sen. John Ensign voted against it, a bill that President Bush has pledged to sign.

For now, the clout enjoyed by corporations and wealthy individuals with their six-figure checks will be more subdued in Washington. Under the bill, the hay rides of "soft money" to national political parties will end. Because these unlimited soft contributions provided millions, and because the parties had wide discretion on how to spend the money, the limits on contributions to individual candidates were all but negated. The reform allows direct contributions to campaigns to double, from $1,000 to $2,000, and allows single contributions of up to $10,000 to state and local political parties. This reduces the influence of any single special interest.

But the day will come when another campaign-finance bill will be needed. Campaign reform is like an antibiotic -- effective until the harmful strain it's attacking ultimately develops a resistance. When big money of the harmful variety figures out how to beat this latest reform, which it will, we hope it won't take Congress another three decades to approve a stronger antidote.