Bright and early this morning President Obama launched his re-election campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-VZLvVF1FQ.

Campaign Finance/Ethics
Campaign finance reform and the Supreme Court
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/04/11/110411taco_talk_toobin?printable=true
Do read this piece by Jeffrey Toobin. "But, these days especially, any notion of an equivalency of means between unions and corporations is, to put it mildly, far-fetched."

Clean Elections law enhances democracy
http://www.yumasun.com/opinion/yuma-68941-coffee-first.html
Todd Lang has this letter in the Yuma Sun on the benefits of Clean Elections. "Clean Elections gives the voters more choices — and that return of power to the people of this state enhances our democracy and promotes First Amendment values."

Out of the shadows
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/opinion/04Callahan.html
David Callahan, a fellow at DEMOS, writes "Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem: require all nonprofit organizations that engage in political advocacy to reveal their donors."

Congress
Dodd-Frank supporters fire back
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/04/01/29291/
The Wall Street Journal picks up our piece from Friday on Sen. DeMint's Wall Street payback. David Donnelly: “But this group of senators continues to side with the Wall Street interests who pour millions into their campaign coffers.”
- Here's our release: http://campaignmoney.org/press-room/2011/04/01/watchdog-calls-demints-efforts-payback

Heinrich launches NM Senate bid
http://www.politico.com/blogs/davidcatanese/0411/Heinrich_launches_NM_Senate_bid.html?showall
Fair Elections sponsor Rep. Martin Heinrich (D) has announced his bid for the New Mexico Senate race.

Michele Bachmann weighs run for president
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/us/politics/04bachmann.html
Rep. Bachmann (R-Minn.) could make things interesting in Iowa and that she has "demonstrated her national fund-raising ability by raising a record-setting $13 million last year in her House race," helps too.

Cutting out the middle man
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/opinion/03sun2.html
The New York Times highlights all the lobbyists now working as chiefs of staff or legislative directors for members--100 total. 40 on committees. "After collecting millions from industries or unions or others, lobbyists should not be allowed to turn around and write laws that favor these special interests."

Obama reelection campaign expected to tap big-money donors
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-reelection-campaign-expected-to-tap-big-dollar-donors/2011/03/26/AFKPO0wB_story.html
And you thought 2008 was bad! "Obama’s campaign manager-in-waiting, Jim Messina, has asked the party’s biggest supporters to raise $350,000 each this year, to be shared by Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, far higher than goals set during the 2008 cycle."

SEC gives shareholders a voice on corporate campaign spending
http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/sec_gives_shareholders_a_voice_on_corporate_campaign_spending/
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy writes about the latest SEC decision to provide shareholders with some transparency in political spending.

Other
A first amendment round up
http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2011/04/01/05
On the Media interviewed the Times's SCOTUS reporter Adam Liptak on First Amendment issues.

Cooper offers plan for public campaign financing
http://huntington.patch.com/announcements/cooper-offers-plan-for-public-campaign-financing
Suffolk County, NY is looking at Fair Elections

Scalia's son's firm represents Wal-Mart, but it's OK by the rules.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=86192&tsp=1
"When Wal-Mart asked the U.S. Supreme Court to scuttle a sex discrimination suit filed on behalf of at least 500,000 female employees, the retailer was represented by a law firm whose labor and employment practice group is co-chaired by Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia."

New York awaits reform
http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/new-york-awaits-more-reform/10372/
A round up of things the Times Union editorial page is waiting for, which includes "The state needs to lower campaign contribution limits, provide the money for publicly-financed elections and restrict the legal use of all that money to the cost of actually running for office."

Energy sector, lawyers fuel W.Va. governor's race
http://bdtonline.com/local/x1075327316/Capital-Focus-Energy-sector-lawyers-fuel-W-Va-governor-s-race
Lots of money going into the West Virginiagubernatorial race.