Fair Elections/Campaign Finance Campaign finance woes can be fixed by “Just $6” This letter to the editor cites Americans for Campaign Reform in suggesting Congress pass public financing. Two important campaign finance cert petitions filed with SCOTUS Rep. Joseph Cao and the RNC have filed a cert petition with SCOTUS, looking to throw out the provision of McCain-Feingold limiting coordinated spending by the party on a candidate. No backsliding on House ethics Clarence Page calls for the House to keep the Office of Congressional Ethics in place—it might just need some tweaks. Congress/Presidential Obama’s re-election campaign could hit billion-dollar mark If Obama can raise $750 million as a Senator running for president, it’s pretty plausible he can raise $1 billion running as an incumbent president. Obama to meet with executives Obama will hold a roundtable with about 20 corporate chiefs on Wednesday, according to the White House. Financial arms race underway in Washington “There is no down time. Even the most entrenched incumbents — including many Republicans, who could face left-leaning independent attacks in 2012 — feel compelled to go into permanent campaign mode, further impinging on the already limited time lawmakers spend on policymaking and constituent service.” Good quotes from Reps. Hinchey and Grijalva. 7 incoming GOP leaders rode wave of PAC gifts into power Incoming House chairmen raked in “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from PACs from October 1 through the election. Ellen Miller: “It raises the question of who is really represented most effectively in Congress — the big-money contributors or the average constituent?" Sharron Angle launches “Patriot Caucus” Thankfully, Sharron Angle is not going away  - she’s starting a PAC to support Tea Partiers in 15 states. Pharmaceutical industry on verge of major Hill victory The pharmaceutical industry is on the verge of a major victory—likely helping to kill an effort to “severely restrict pharmaceutical industry deals from delaying” entry of generic drugs. - The pharmaceutical/health productions industry gave $20 million in 2010 cycle. In the States Clean Elections puts off vote on spending rule The Arizona Clean Elections Commission has put off a vote on a proposed rule change that “would require publicly financed candidates to either return or buy for themselves fixed assets purchased for their campaigns.”