Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Fight harder, Dems 
Brent Budowsky defends Democrats getting in on the secret money game for 2012: "It is profoundly ironic, but profoundly true, that large and undisclosed donations that we might disapprove of, in theory, are the best way to eliminate them, in practice."

Corporate Contributions  
Cato isn't even trying anymore to make good arguments, even pulling out a Planned Parenthood canard to bash shareholder approval.

Super PACs could test campaign finance law 
Another story on super PACs pushing the legal line on campaign finance.
- And the Times' editorializes, "How low will a candidate go for fat-cat money?" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/opinion/26thu4.html

Florida's senators should co-sponsor legislation to bring the Senate into the 21st century by requiring campaign finance reports to be filed electronically 
Great piece from Gabby Schneider at Sunlight Foundation on Senate electronic filing

Roll Call for Cole amendment
Rep. Cole (R-Okla.) passed an amendment yesterday as part of defense authorization bill that would essentially block Obama's draft executive order on transparency

Congress/2012
Background briefing
In talking about Rep. Patrick McHenry's (R-N.C.) shameful behavior toward Elizabeth Warren, Jennifer Taub from UMass Amherst says in this interview: "what was on display yesterday was bad manners, but beneath the surface was big money." "Patrick McHenry went after her because he is supported by banking interests."

Berkley steps up attacks on Heller big oil
Rep. and Nevada Senate candidate Shelly Berkley (D) on her likely opponent Dean Heller: "Dean wants to end Medicare as we know it and give billions more in wasteful subsidies to his big oil campaign contributors."

Ryan budget vote
We pulled the insurance industry numbers on the Senate vote yesterday on the Ryan budget.

League of Women voters ads take on senators about clean air
The League defends its recent ads aimed at Scott Brown and Claire McCaskill over their votes to gut the Clean Air Act

"Grass-roots" group that boosted GOP financed by only 11 checks
On Norm Coleman's American Action Network: "A Washington advocacy group that spent millions of dollars on Republicans in the 2010 election and claimed to have broad grass-roots support actually drew all of its first-year revenue from fewer than a dozen well-heeled donors, according to a recent tax filing." Shocking!

Facebook extends lobbying reach into GOP circles
"Facebook is adding new lobbyists with Republican credentials to its Washington, D.C., operation as the company deals with Congressional and executive branch concerns about online privacy and security."

Republicans float bill aimed at limiting enviro lawsuits
Sen. Barasso and Rep. Lummis are pushing legislation that would limit the lawsuits environmental groups can bring against land management decisions.

Other
Walker's minions steal from clean campaign fund to pay for voter disenfranchisement
This editorial bashes Scott Walker for stealing fund from judicial public financing to fund laws to make it harder to vote.