John McCain has the right idea. So does Russ Feingold. What am I talking about, you ask? Campaign finance reform, that’s what.

A landmark bill passed through the Senate Monday that would ban all soft money contributions from big business to political campaigns. A wonderful idea, if I ever did hear one.

The bill moved to the house Tuesday, where it faces much more opposition, scrutiny and possible changes.

However, House members who want to see it passed said Tuesday they feel they will have the momentum to get the bill through.

The bill, authored by McCain (R.- Ariz.) and Feingold (D.-Wisc.), would ban the use of soft money, which amounts to millions of dollars every election season. This type of money usually comes from corporations or big interest groups who have a vested interest in how a party will stand on certain issues.

This especially comes into play during elections such as the presidential race. Candidates from the GOP and the Democrats have access to extremely large amounts of money, something their independent counterparts do not have access to.

President Bush has said he would consider signing a bill that would improve the way campaign financing is run; however, he has said he is opposed to a soft money ban. Perhaps I should not be surprised, as he ran a very high-finance campaign just last fall.

Another problem the new bill will face is that if it does get through the House, and the White House, it will be immediately challenged in the courts.

According to an Associated Press article, interest groups ranging from the AFL-CIO to the National Rifle Association to the Christian Coalition are against the bill, saying that their right to influence politics is being taken away. Part of the bill says that no political advertising by interest groups would be allowed in the final 60 days of a campaign. These groups claim their First Amendment right to free speech would be violated by the law.

As a journalist, I believe strongly in the First Amendment. And perhaps banning all advertisements in the last 60 days before a campaign is a bit too extreme. However, this bill is important. It would help curb the abuses of corporate America, which has a chokehold on American politics.

And, maybe, just maybe, the amount of money it takes to win an election will drop. We could go back to the way things used to be, the way they were meant to be. When, if someone was discontent with their representation, they could run for themselves and try to make a difference. Maybe the great majority of our politicians wouldn’t have to be millionaires anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, all campaigns could be equal, like the men and women who are running them.

Maybe, we could have representatives who are in office to represent us, not their party’s biggest contributors.