Well folks, the Arizona legislature was able to push through its legislation to put a repeal of Clean Elections on the 2012 ballot: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMRcWfGorFp705PT3P30iogEMDbA?docId=00ebb6b5243d4739aa0fbb9de154fa01, though as the poll we released yesterday shows, opponents face an uphill battle: http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/04/18/20110418arizona-public-campaign-financing-poll.html. Stay tuned.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Citizens United: a first anniversary update 
"Corporate wealth gives companies the special ability to develop and test communications that frame issues, appeal to emotions, provide inaccurate and incomplete information, and increase the cognitive availability of ideas. This allows them to take advantage of voters’ decision-making vulnerabilities. Thus, corporate campaign election funds could be directed into tailored messages for or against candidates who take positions on a variety of public health issues..."

Congress
Boehner tops House with $2.4M raised
Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio) had a big quarter, bringing in $2.4 million.

Boehner aide exiting for K Street
Another Speaker Boehner aide will become a lobbyist, this time policy aide Jay Cranford will head over to Clark Lytle & Geduldig

FEC reports show vulnerable Republicans are preparing for 2012
"With a few exceptions, the 14 Republican House Members representing the most vulnerable political terrain banked largely respectable first-quarter fundraising, starting them out on the right path in what could be challenging re-election bids."

Online poker has big setback, despite lobbying
Interesting read on the battle online poker sites fought--and lost.

Young climate activists push Obama, Vow to create more local awareness
Great article on this past weekend's Power Shift conference. "About 10,000 young climate change activists gathered this weekend in Washington, D.C., for what they billed as the largest grass-roots training event in the nation's history."

Corporations, special interests lobbying taxes to death
In honor of Tax Day, CRP pulled together the top companies lobbying on tax issues--Microsoft, Altria, Verizon, General Motors, and General Electric.

Big U.S. firms shift hiring abroad
As the anger over companies being able to buy tax breaks continues to grow, many of these same companies are still shifting jobs overseas. "U.S. multinational corporations, the big brand-name companies that employ a fifth of all American workers, have been hiring abroad while cutting back at home, sharpening the debate over globalization's effect on the U.S. economy."

Sprint gears up for fight with AT&T
"Sprint is bulking up its Washington operations this month in anticipation of a tough, long political slog against AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile."

Greens air ad against Heller
The League of Conservation Voters is up with some radio ads against a few House members that voted to weaken the EPA. Excerpt: "...Congressman Dean Heller protects corporate polluters that fund his campaign..."

Other
Dirty donations are now open secrets
An interview with CRP's Sheila Krumholz, "the preeminent authority on the growing influence of money in US politics."

Koch buys ad claiming "bias" in CPI story
Instead of talking to the reporter writing the story, Koch Industries just bought online ads to slam it as biased after it was published.

Political donations by MidAmerican Energy rile critics
Our friends in Iowa are highlighting all the energy money going into the state legislature to pave the way for a nuclear power plant. "What we end up with is better fundraisers instead of better public servants. Corporate interests shouldn't have more influence in politics than everyday people."

Anti-gay marriage group NOM threatens to sue defector
The National Organization for Marriage, which has brought all sorts of legal challenges against campaign disclosure laws in the states it has been politically involved, is trying to silence a former employee through legal action.