Fair Elections/Campaign Finance
 
Fair Elections Now Act Gets a Senate Hearing
http://www.rbr.com/media-news/washington-beat/fair-elections-now-act-gets-a-senate-hearing.html
Not the most optimistic write up – but coverage of the Fair Elections hearing nonetheless.
 
Schram: Death of Public Financing Greatly Exaggerated
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/60933
Good write up by Martin Schram noting that public financing is alive and well – but not in the way you think.
“Politicians famously but quietly dial for dollars, demanding campaign funds from special interests regulated by the committees on which the members serve. Special interests invest millions in politicians and reap billions back in profits, in the form of taxes avoided. All of that is money that would have gone into the U.S. Treasury. Hence, that is why we still have public financing of our politics -- in the most costly and least cost-effective way imaginable.”
 
Adapting to Campaign-Finance Rulings, Democrats Build Big-Spending Network
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/adapting-to-campaign-finance-rulings-democrats-build-big-spending-network/2011/04/07/AF3oq4QD_story.html?hpid=z2
“The effort — spearheaded by a small group of longtime congressional and White House aides — represents Democrats’ response to the electoral drubbing of 2010, when a coterie of conservative and business groups did a far better job than their opponents of adapting to a new campaign finance landscape.”
 
Yes for Clean Elections
http://www.timesrecord.com/articles/2011/04/12/opinion/letters/doc4da48db216f70029860899.txt
Good letter in support of Maine Clean Elections.
 
Law Enforcement, Environment, Rail Set for Funding Cut in U.S. Budget Deal
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-12/republicans-democrats-reach-agreement-on-38-billion-of-u-s-budget-cuts.html
But you know what wasn’t cut – funding for the presidential public financing system.
 
Rory Reid Responds to Campaign Finance Probe
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Rory_Reid_responds_to_campaign_finance_probe.html?ref=244
Sen. Harry Reid’s son is dealing with some issues surrounding his failed gubernatorial campaign.
“In Nevada, a single contributor can donate up to $10,000 to a candidate for state office but larger donations to PACs are allowed. Reid's setup allowed for contributors' larger PAC donations to flow through the other PACs and into the campaign account. Under Reid's system the candidate raised more than $900,000 for an organization called the Economic Leadership PAC.”
 
Congress
 
Lobbyists Won Key Concessions in Budget Deal
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/us/politics/13lobby.html
“This is a textbook case of the special interests prevailing — Exhibit A,” Mr. Wyden said of the demise of his health care voucher plan. “Everyone knows the Business Roundtable wanted this killed, and now they can go back with a trophy to say they protected business as usual.”
 
Wasserman Schultz May Take PAC Money
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0411/WassermanSchultz_may_take_PAC_money.html
This is awkward…”Incoming Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz may continue to accept contributions from political action committees into her personal campaign and leadership PAC, despite a DNC ban on the practice.”
 
Other

Center for American Progress News Team Takes Aim at GOP
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53053.html
The Center of American Progress is staffing up – adding 30 writers and researchers at ThinkProgress, it’s blog.
 
Wisconsin Railroad Chief Made Illegal Donations
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/us/12brfs-RAILROADCHIE_BRF.html?ref=politics
A CEO of a railroad company will plead guilty after being accused of illegally donating to Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign.