And news from New York: "Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced today the passage of legislation that provides for public financing of campaigns for the Office of the State Comptroller beginning in 2014. In an effort to end the perception that large campaign contributions translate into unfair influence, the measure ( A.8367/Silver), a comptroller’s program bill, has been advanced by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli."

#745 of the profiles done on Jim Bopp this year. 

An interesting piece from WNYC on New York City's matching system. "If that program is struck down, public financing programs nationwide may need to be reconfigured, and New York City's public financing system may become the new model."

CREW "filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee on Tuesday against Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) over allegations that he attempted to 'bribe' the Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar."

Will Mitt Romney be the American Crossroads candidate in 2012?

The NRCC will raise $1.5 million for 10 vulnerable incumbents today at a fundraiser in Washington. I would LOVE to see the guest list on this one.

The Times on the wealth primary currently going down on the GOP side. "The focus of the campaign — for the rest of June, at least — is on donors, not voters."

No, not because of the calamitous effect it'll have on the economy--but because of tax breaks: "K Street lobbyists are scrambling to defend industry tax breaks and spending programs from ending up as fodder to reduce the deficit in the debt limit talks led by Vice President Joseph Biden."

Our response to Rep Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) hearing yesterday on the Hatch Act. He should probably look in the mirror when it comes to "separating politics from policy."

"One day after new filings revealed the House GOP campaign arm outraised its Democratic counterpart for the third straight month, Democratic House leaders pleaded with rank-and-file members to get serious about fundraising or risk not winning back the majority."

Small donor fundraising may not come as easy in 2012 as it did last time. 

On new slightly weak Department of Education regulations on for-profit colleges, one expert says, "It’s absolutely accurate to say they caved in to the industry."

Whew, Gingrich's fundraising team has now quit. He's going to need that Tiffany's line of credit to continue going, it seems. 

We did an analysis of the end of quarter fundraisers coming up this week. At least 159. Golf outings, Sade concert, wine bar breakfasts, you name it--there's something for you!

"Bachmann, a conservative Tea Party favorite in the House of Representatives, saw one of her two political committees -- MichelePAC -- bring in about $214,000 in May, compared with $173,000 for April, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission posted on Monday"

"Since becoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in January, Representative Dave Camp has invited executives from 13 publicly traded companies to testify on tax and trade policy. The chairman owned shares in six of them." Craig Holman: “To try to pull off this image of holding an impartial educational hearing and then bring in the very same executives representing the companies in which you have a personal investment, that’s not something I hear very often."

This editorial from the Cap Times: "If it is wrong for Republicans to fuel their campaigns with corporate cash, then it is wrong for Democrats to do so too."