Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Making political office the exclusive domain of the wealthy
Fred Markham writes on McComish, "These rulings are clear victories for those who believe that wealthier candidates will ensure better elections and better government. We disagree."

Spider-Man, Stephen Colbert, and the Shareholder Protection Act 
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy and Lisa Gilbert have this op-ed in The Hill, writing "Either way, we need corporate laws and regulations that recognize that the overwhelming power of corporations to act on the political stage should be accompanied with some basic responsibilities."

Congress/2012
Don't let Fox's campaign cash blind investigators in Congress
We launched a campaign yesterday calling on members of Congress to not be blinded by News Corp's campaign cash when considering whether to hold Congressional hearings on the phone hackings.
- And Sen. Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) has called for an investigation: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/13/us-newscorp-rockefeller-idUSTRE76C06920110713

Congress hears outcry from business lobby on debt ceiling and deficit
Dan Eggen writes on the increasing pressure Wall Street and business groups are putting on congressional Republicans to raise the debt ceiling, quoting a report we did earlier this year: "The Public Campaign Action Fund, a liberal-leaning advocacy group that favors public financing of elections, calculates that the Chamber and the financial services sector together spent nearly $20 million on GOP midterm candidates affiliated with the conservative tea party movement."

Democrats reach out to lobbyists for help on debt talks
More on efforts by Congressional Democrats putting pressure on lobbyists to put pressure on Republicans on the debt talks.

Mitt Romney using Olympics motif for bundlers
And Mitt Romney's bundlers will receive gold, silver, and bronze medals depending on the level of money they raise. Funny, I'm sure they all wear jewelry made of such things!

Obama campaign: We will release campaign contribution bundlers information
The Obama campaign told CRP that they will release the names of their bundlers, a good sign.

Congress increasingly staffed by former lobbyists
"The number of former lobbyists working as key congressional staffers has more than doubled since the Republican Party took control of the House, a new report finds."

American Crossroads executives Duncan, Law offer goals for 2012 election cycle
American Crossroads lays out its goals for 2012 - defeating President Obama, keeping the House, taking the Senate, and spending $120 million.

Rush to defend tax rule on inventory and profits
Lobbyists are swarming Capitol Hill on an Obama administration proposal that "would increase the taxable income and tax liability of companies that have been using this method of accounting for decades."

Vulnerable Senate Democrats stockpiling 2012 cash
Senate Democrats facing competitive elections next year are doing strong fundraising.

Republicans faithfully doing the bidding of billionaires
An op-ed by Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift on the debt ceiling states, "The result is that more than ever Congress is beholden to the wealthy — people with means and corporate interests."

The hunt for an Obama scandal is on
More on Rep Darrel Issa's (R-Calif.) hunt for an Obama fundraising scandal.

GOP working for rich at the poor's expense
This letter to the editor opens with, "We criticize Afghan politicians for accepting big money from the rich to buy influence. This is a bribe. We criticize American politicians for accepting big money from the rich to buy influence. This is a legal bribe."

Paying to pollute? Will House coal ash bill benefit big contributors or pollution's victims?
The Environmental Integrity Project has a new report: "Energy and Commerce vote on bill to weaken coal ash standards today -- FEC data shows big coal/power industry contributions to bill supporters."

Other
Public financing of political campaigns: Sinful and tyrannical
If you want a little dose of crazy for the day, you could read this.

A big haul: Obama 2012 and the DNC joint fundraising committee raised $86 million in the second quarter: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58861.html