Campaign Finance/Fair Elections Too much money, and far too little concern from voters This letter in Louisiana states, “Recently, Congress passed good reforms, but — first and foremost — a  government of, by, and for the people hinges on implementing a whole-hearted campaign finance overhaul.” Congress Why can’t Congress police itself? Ensign case is Exhibit A Susan Crabtree writes her first piece for TPM on why it’s so darn hard for Congress to police itself. As Public Citizen’s Craig Holman says, “The way the Congressional ethics committee are set up -- they are set up to be hindered in their responsibilities and they tend to be very unprofessional.” Ethics report highlights thin wall between Congress and campaigns “Although the House Ethics Manual forbids the use of official resources to support campaign or political activities, the case of the three lawmakers who came under scrutiny demonstrates how closely intermingled those activities can sometimes be.” - A related column from Norm Ornstein: http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_76/-203030-1.html Reports offer first 2012 glimpse Fundraising figures for the fourth quarter of last year are trickling out, signaling who’s likely to run for re-election in 2012. BP’s growing presence in Washington From our blog—adding some context to BP’s latest hire and new legislation aimed at gutting the EPA’s power. Bundlers raise millions for Capitol Hill 122 lobbyists bundled $8.9 million for Democrats in 2010, 56 lobbyists bundled $3 million for Republicans Political powerhouses raise millions with leadership PACs Elected officials and national political figures raised millions for their leadership PAC during the 2010 cycle according to this new report from CRP. Spending on lobbying hits plateau for first time in decades “Last year, for the first time in more than a decade, the amount of money spent on lobbying appears to have decreased.” Still a lot of money, though. Senate rejects repeal of health care law The Senate voted down a repeal of health care reform yesterday, 51 to 47.

• If interested, here are the lifetime totals of insurance money for those who voted for repeal: http://campaignmoney.org/blog/2011/02/02/senates-insurance-money

Other The Kochs fight back Now that they’re in the spotlight, the Koch Brothers are going on a PR offensive to try to salvage their image (though at the same time, their legal team is still playing hardball).