by Jeremy Wheelock

News Reporter

U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., visited Madison Saturday to speak about campaign finance and the media as well as to campaign on behalf of Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who is running for president.

Slaughter participated in the National Conference on Media Reform, which was held in Madison over the weekend. The Congresswoman joined a panel discussion on campaign-finance reform and the media entitled “Our Democracy, Our Airwaves.”

“This issue has plagued me,” Slaughter said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so in fear for my country.”

Slaughter explained how campaign costs have skyrocketed in the past few years, with a vast majority of that money going to pay for broadcast advertising. With television and radio advertising time getting more and more expensive, it has come to the point where the wealthiest individuals have a significant advantage over ordinary citizens in campaigns.

Slaughter pointed out that this is hardly representative government.

With the cost of running for political office in America so high, Slaughter has committed herself to cleaning up a campaign-finance system that is not otherwise being controlled. Part of that effort has included a push for media reform. In 1997, Slaughter reintroduced the Fairness in Political Advertising Act, which would require broadcast stations to make free political advertising time available to qualifying candidates in an effort to level the playing field among candidates.

“Our efforts cannot be limited to campaign-finance reform,” Slaughter added. “We must question these media conglomerates. We’re losing our country.”

After participating in the panel, the Congresswoman from Rochester, N.Y., campaigned aggressively on behalf of Kerry in his bid for the Democratic Presidential Candidate Nomination.

“I endorsed him from the start,” Slaughter said.

She described Kerry as a courageous hero who had been tested in battle and promised that the Senator from Massachusetts did not mince words. His environmental policy and international strength, Slaughter said, will help to reclaim ground that was lost by the current administration in these areas. She also emphasized Kerry’s integrity and intellect, making him the ideal candidate for President of the United States.

Slaughter is one of the most powerful women in the U.S. House of Representatives, achieving a significant level of leadership as the second-ranking Democrat on the influential House Rules Committee as well as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process. She was also recently tapped to serve on the newly created Select Committee on Homeland Security.