Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
A few groups are urging Ethics Chair Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) to step aside, at least temporarily, due to his roll in the turmoil surrounding Maxine Waters' (D-Calif.) investigation.
Congress/2012
News. Corp released its June PAC giving yesterday. A lot of Democrats (and Speaker Boehner (R-Ohio)).
"President Obama has outraised his Republican rivals in six of nine key battleground states that he won in 2008, a USA TODAY analysis of new campaign-finance reports shows."
But, as Politico reports, he's losing some of his big money bundlers.
"For reasons ranging from disillusion and dissatisfaction to an overriding sense that the once idealistic Obama crusade has become yet another soulless political behemoth, that inspired cadre of early Obama supporters has largely been replaced by professional Democratic Party operatives."
Mitt Romney may have a tiny base of small dollar donors, but it's being matched on the other end by Wall Street. Interesting stats: "Nearly three-quarters of Romney’s money came from donors giving the maximum $2,500 contribution, and one in eight of Romney’s donors live in New York City and its suburbs."
Mark McKinnon writes that Buddy Roemer needs to be heard. "Roemer has an important message about the corrupt influence of money in politics."
The Times reports on Congressional meetings with, and actions on behalf of, the Kashmiri American Council, an organization whose head was just arrested for funneling foreign government funds into campaign bank accounts. "What they did not know, though, is that the Capitol Hill gathering, and others they participated in over the years, had secretly been financed by Pakistan’s military."
And Ron Paul supporters have formed a Super PAC.
"Brother, can you spare a dime," ask Washington lobbyists as the dysfunction in Congress and battle over the debt limit are reducing K Street's income this year.
Ha! The New York Daily News covers the $500 contribution Michael Grimm, who wants to repeal the tanning bed tax, got from the head of the tanning bed association.
The Chamber of Commerce spent $9 million in the second quarter of 2011--lobbying on weakening Dodd-Frank, internet gambling, and the "Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act."
On the anniversary of Dodd-Frank's passage, our look at the first six months in Wall Street influence in the 112th Congress.
"Lobbyists and interest groups are closely monitoring proposals from the Senate’s Gang of Six to overhaul the tax code and are fearful that popular credits and deductions could be targeted."
Ah, the three groups denied IRS tax exemption were state units of Emerge America, a group deovted to cultivating female political leaders. Whew, I was worried Karl Rove might be impacted.
Rep. Vern Buchanan's (R-Fla.) troubles just aren't going away.
The DNC has asked the RNC to forgo PAC donations and donations from lobbyists and asked why GOP 2012ers weren't releasing their bundlers.
CRP looks at the second quarter fundraising of House freshmen. Love this quote from Rep. Richard Nugent (R-Fla.), who's had pretty weak numbers this year. "As soon as I got to Congress, people started asking me if I had started fund-raising. I was amazed at that. It seems to me that a person ought to get some results first before you start getting too focused on re-election. Otherwise, what on earth are the voters sending you to Washington to do?"
A letter writer from Pennsylvania writes, "It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to start serving ‘usn’s’," but it's hard because "Politicians are beholden to moneyed entities."
This Wall Street Journal article asks, can Rick Perry raise enough money for a presidential bid? Probably.
States An update on McComish's impact on the Hawaii public financing system.
More on ALEC's work in the states: "Koch Industries Inc. and ExxonMobil Corp are among companies that would benefit from almost identical energy legislation introduced in state capitals from Oregon to New Mexico to New Hampshire -- and that’s by design."
"The District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance is investigating allegations that Mayor Vincent Gray’s campaign illegally converted cash contributions into money orders."