Fair Elections/Campaign Finance MoveOn.org’s Target boycott is about stopping corporations from buying elections An op-ed from MoveOn’s Justin Ruben on their Target effort and how Target is just the beginning of a flood of corporate money.

• “This threat must be matched with every tool at our disposal, including people coming together to vote with our dollars rather than giving them to Target to use against us.”

Congress GOP bringing in the bucks for House elections 1) The NRCC continues to outraise the DCCC heading into November and Rep. John Boehner (R-Texas) has pledged to raise $50 million for them. 2) A business group, the Conference Board, will release a guide for corporations wanting to play in elections and 3) GM is giving money again. Boehner’s pro-business speech reflects campaign contributions

• “His business-friendly speech should come as no surprise to readers of the Center’s June profile of Boehner, which showed how over two decades the Ohio Republican took more than $1.5 million in political action committee contributions from AT&T, CME Group, Bank of America, Altria, United Parcel Service, Reynolds American, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx, and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s PACs.”

GOP groups outpace Democrats in chase for unregulated money Republican 527s have received $113.5 million by the end of July, compared to just $77.5 million to Democrats.Poor nation investing in DC lobbyists The Congo Republic is spending big bucks on Washington lobbyists. Democrats privately fear House prospects worsening

• “Top Democrats are growing markedly more pessimistic about holding the House, privately conceding that the summertime economic and political recovery they were banking on will not likely materialize by Election Day.”

Other People, not corporations, have rights An letter about people attacking Maine Clean Elections. 

• “I value my right to vote. Corporations, advertisers and big business don't have that right and I, for one, do not intend to let them have that voice.”