Campaign Finance/Fair Elections GOP’s public-financing defunder won’t pass, but reform advocates have little hope for improvement Sam Stein does a “where is reform going story.” It’s tricky, he says. David Donnelly: “The White House ought to engage Americans in indicting the way that politics is done in Washington and they ought to do it whether or not there are clear policy objectives. They ought to do it as a means to press Congress on the way politics works." “The obliteration of equality in American Campaign Finance Law (and why the Canadian Approach is Superior” Dan Tokaji has a draft paper up, saying, “The article traces the roots of equality's banishment from campaign finance discourse, explains how Citizens United makes things worse, and suggests a path toward a more constructive U.S. jurisprudence.” Congress/2012 Egypt hired top Washington lobbyists to protect alliance, gain U.S. Access “Three of Washington’s top lobbyists have helped Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government get access to lawmakers to protect his nation’s status as a U.S. ally and major recipient of foreign aid, federal records show.” Bob Livingston, Toby Moffett, and Tony Podesta. Senate Ethics Panel dismissed bulk of its cases in 2010 Not to be outdone by their House counterparts, “The Senate Ethics Committee reviewed 93 instances of alleged wrongdoing in 2010 but ultimately dismissed all but four cases without any public action.” Senate Dems invite lobbyist on press call “Senate Democrats tapped an airport lobbyist to help them make their case for the passage of a long-stalled aviation bill to reporters on a conference call Monday. “ Romney laps the GOP field in fundraising Mitt Romney is definitely ahead in the wealth primary for the 2012 GOP nomination, having raised $6.3 million between his federal and state-based PACs in 2010. Boehner launches 2012 political operation Speaker Boehner has launched “Team Boehner,” a joint fundraising operation meant to retain the majority in 2012. - No surprise, it’ll be led by a lobbyist: http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?lname=Whatman%2C+Tom&id=Y00000177670&year=2010 Democratic ad campaign targets Runyan The Cherry Hill Courier Post picks up the PCAF healthcare ad about Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.) Meg Whitman’s grand total: a record $178.5 million spent Meg Whitman spent a record-breaking $178.5 million to lose her race ($144 million of her own money)--proving NOT that money can’t buy elections but that money can’t help a flawed candidate. Elijah Cummings: Copy me on Darrell Issa letters House Oversight Ranking Member Elijah Cummings isn’t sitting back and letting Rep. Darrell Issa confer with corporations in secret—he’s demanding that those that received the letters from Issa also send him the responses.

• Related: CREW is doing a good job of rounding some of these up: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=46998&oref=todaysnews

Other Bank of America CEO gets $9.05 million bonus The CEO of Bank of America got a $9 million bonus this year, even as the company continues to fraudulently foreclose on people’s homes.