Fair Elections/Campaign Finance CA Rep. Susan Davis votes to reduce special interest campaign cash Kathay Feng of California Common Cause praises Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) for supporting Fair Elections last week. Checking corporate power in Washington and Wall Street Ari Berman briefly mentions Fair Elections in his latest column. Update from Capuano’s office http://www.fenwaynews.org/politics/update-from-congressman-capuanos-office/ An update from Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), including a paragraph on Fair Elections.

• “With committee passage of the Fair Elections Now Act, we move one step closer to  reducing the influence that money is all too often perceived to have in  politics. I am hopeful that the full House will soon vote on this measure.”

Citizens United finds niche after landmark case A profile on Citizens United.

• “David Bossie is making movies and cutting a path for a new art form: the nonpolitical political ad.” He’ll be spending a “couple hundred thousand dollars” in the next few weeks on 30 second ads highlighting new movies. Though they will be attacking Pelosi, Reid, and Obama, they are not electioneering.

On K Street, an ex-Senate staffer is worth $740,000 a year A new study finds that when a U.S. Senator leaves the hill, the lobbyists who used to be her staffers make 24 percent less money for their firms. The article goes on to talk “public financing,” with a quote from Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) on the subject.

• "People say, 'Oh, I don't want my public money spent on campaigns.' Well, guess what? It already is, in the form of special interest deals and this, that and the other and this revolving door everybody hates and earmarking and blah, blah, blah," said Kennedy. "So how do we change it? Take away the need for people to have to turn that stuff around and you're going to make a big difference."

Congress Ex-PMA lobbyist pleads guilty to contribution scheme, feds say pols were unaware Paul Magliocchetti has pled guilty to make illegal federal contributions, but members of Congress were unaware of these illegal schemes. An anonymous group tries to ignite a sleepy congressional race An anonymous group, “Concerned Taxpayers for America,” is running ads against Pete DeFazio. Nobody seems to know who they are. "Is this a corporation? Is it one very wealthy, right-wing individual? Is it a foreign interest? Is it a drug gang?" DeFazio said. "We don't know." We’re seeing exactly what a rotten Supreme Court decision has wrought Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman calls anonymous election spenders cowards. Quotes Common Cause, “The Supreme Court just put our democracy up for sale to the highest bidder.” Cash-flush groups work outside GOP to back conservatives From Americans Crossroads to Americans for Prosperity, outside groups are basically duplication the GOP apparatus, a lot of it allowed because of the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision. Other Public financing gives candidates cash advantage In several statewide races in Arizona, those with public financing have more money than their privately financed candidates.