Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
The one-percent solution
More from the Boston Review forum on campaign finance reform. The Campaign Finance Institute's Michael Malbin writes on increasing participation with public matching funds.

Fair Elections
And former Sen. Warren Rudman writes that Fair Elections is the solution.

Congress
In Cantor, hedge funds and private equity firms have voice at debt ceiling negotiations
The Post looks at Rep. Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) work on behalf of hedge funds and the money he's gotten from the industry.

Jim Jordan invites donors to testify at hearing
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is holding a hearing today on the EPA. A witness from American Electric Power will testify. AEP execs and PAC represent his largest career donor.

Burton tied to probe of contributions
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette editorializes on Sen. Dan Burton's (R-Ind.) ties to a man arrested for funneling conduit contributions from the Pakistani government: "Dan Burton has survived a number of controversies over nearly 30 years as a Hoosier congressman, but he could face his biggest scandal yet in efforts to aid Pakistan."

2012 attack ads increase with rise of super PACs
On outside spending in Florida races.

High-profile energy companies reduce lobbying expenditures
"Energy companies, often criticized for their overreaching influence in politics, are taking at least a small step back from Capitol Hill -- even as legislators discuss issues such as raising taxes for these wealthy companies and ending ethanol subsidies that help boost their revenue."

As state of play in debt talks changes by the moment, even lobbyists struggle to keep up
"Advocacy groups that have spent months anticipating exactly the stalemate Washington has now reached are working to apply pressure to nudge political leaders engaged in talks on raising the nation’s debt ceiling. But with the state of play changing by the moment, advocates are able to offer only the broadest of thoughts about how to proceed."

MO GOP files election complaint against McCaskill
The Missouri GOP has filed an FEC complaint against Sen. McCaskill (D-Mo.) "saying there were errors in elections documents she filed last week."
- But her likely Republican opponent, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), ain't no saint--amending his records to report 10 times more in personal assets: http://www.rollcall.com/news/akin_amends_decade_of_financial_reports-207635-1.html?pos=htmbtxt

BP announces "disappointing" profits of $5.6 billion
Poor BP. It only made $5.6 billion in profits in the second quarter of 2011.

Other
Club for Growth pumps money into WI recalls
The Club for Growth is pumping big money into the Wisconsin recall races--into one race that Democrats didn't think they could win: not a good sign for Republicans.