It was an ugly bit of politics. McConnell, as head of the GOP's campaign committee, isn't bashful about protecting the system that has served his party so well. Reminding GOP incumbents that powerful groups like the Christian Coalition, the NRA and the National Right To Life Committee all oppose the McCain-Feingold bill, McConnell then dared Mr. and Mrs. America to speak up for themselves. "No one in the history of American politics has ever won or lost a campaign on this issue," he said.
"The incumbents know they're there because they used the money system better than their opponents did," says TIME deputy Washington bureau chief Jef McAllister. "Why would they want to scrap it?" Your turn, voters.