Campaign Finance/Ethics

McComish, the Supreme Court and the Fiesta Bowl Scandal
Doug Kendall writes on the connection between the U.S. Supreme Court case McComish v. Bennett and what’s currently going on in Arizona with the Fiesta Bowl scandal.
Public Campaign’s release on the scandal: http://publicampaign.org/pressroom/2011/04/01/fiesta-bowl-scandal

The Supreme Court Battle Over Campaign Finance Reform
The Wall Street Journal covers the McComish case and Jeffrey Tobin’s recent piece in The New Yorker.
 
The Law is Working
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorializes on the Impartial Justice Act.

• “Public financing has allowed both Justice David Prosser and Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, the two candidates in Tuesday's general election for the court, to avoid taking money from people who might come before them at the court. And it has freed the candidates to actually go out and campaign, rather than trying to raise money. Both aspects aid the cause of clean elections and removing conflicts of interest.”

No Constitutional Protection Against Being Framed?
“There couldn’t have been any other conclusion. Giving candidates the ability to answer attacks in so-called issue ads expands speech. It doesn’t restrict it. The groups argued that not being able to say such things as “vote for” or “vote against” in effect censored their speech. But if you can watch or listen to those ads and not conclude that the words are there even if not spoken, I suspect you are not one of those “reasonable” people that lawyers always talk about.”
 
WFP Uses Leaked RSA Vid to Push for Clean Elections
In New York, the Working Families Party has used a clip of Rent Stabilization Association President Joe Strasburg bragging about how his group helped elect a Republican majority in the State Senate.
 
2012
Bigger Pockets in Fashion for 2012 Presidential Race
And 2012 is expected to be the costliest battle for the presidency. Shocking.

Gingrich: Obama Will ‘Extort Contributions’
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) has some harsh words about Obama’s re-election campaign.

• ”Here's a president who 18 months before the election is going to use his office to extort contributions on a scale we've never seen before. He's in effect trying to create a Chicago style machine for the whole country with a billion dollars.”

Private Jets Prepare for Campaign
As a serious candidate it’s important to have access to a private jet. Thankfully most viable candidates just happen to know big donors with a plane.

• “At this stage in the game, aside from the president, any potential candidate “with enough buzz going for them” is able to get rides on smaller private jets owned by supporters, Mr. Ramthun said.”

Rep. Michelle Bachmann Takes in $2M-plus
The GOP presidential fundraising race is on and Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) has raised more than $2 million in contributions over the first 90 days of 2011.
 
Obama Opens 2012 Campaign, With Eye on Money and Independent Voters
“President Obama did not directly ask supporters to send contributions as he formally opened his re-election bid on Monday. But to build the grass-roots network that he believes is essential to winning a second term, he is preparing to undertake the most ambitious fund-raising effort by a sitting president.”
 
Congress/Lobbying

Senate Republicans Push for Wall Street Reform Repeal
Public Campaign Action Fund’s David Donnelly: “After witnessing the near collapse of our economy, and seeing millions put out of work thanks to greed on Wall Street and millions more living with underwater mortgages, you would think that these Senators would side with the ordinary Americans who were hurt the most.”
 
How Microsoft Learned ABCs of D.C.
“Ultimately, there even was a feeling that, in refusing to play the Washington game, Microsoft was being downright unpatriotic. Look, buddy, there is an American way of doing things, and that American way includes hiring lobbyists, paying lawyers vast sums by the hour, throwing lavish parties for politicians, aides, journalists and so on. So get with the program.”
 
Other
No Degree, Little Experience Pay Off Big
Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisc.) has hired someone with almost no credentials. The catch? His dad is a big time donor to Walker’s campaign.
 
In Hard Fought Wisconsin Judicial Race, a Bad Omen
Though both Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates took public financing, outside groups have poured huge amounts of money into the race.
More on this here: http://www.channel3000.com/news/27430730/detail.html

More Wisconsin News
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America have expanded their new ad’s reach to include the Minneapolis market – this comes after a burst of fundraising following the announcement that they had collected enough signatures to recall state senator Dan Kapanke.
 
Unions Rally, Linking Their Cause to Dr. King
The New York Times covers yesterday’s rallies to protest the attack on collective bargaining rights.