Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Fighting Citizens United
New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio's group, the Coalition for Accountability in Political Spending, is staffing up with its hire of EMILY's Lister Kate Coyne-McCoy to be Executive Director. Coyne-McCoy: "Fighting for concrete changes in corporate policy and behavior in political spending is essential for improving and protecting our democracy. It is a fight CAPS will win."

One lockout ends, another rages on in Washington, D.C.
Johnny Papagiannis writes on the Public Campaign blog about the NFL lockout and Congress's people lockout.

Congress/2012
After aiding Republicans, business groups press them on debt ceiling
Shorter business groups on the default crisis: "Guys, we got you elected. Do what we want." The Chamber of Commerce threw its weight behind House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) plan providing a "with-us-or-against-us moment that would be remembered during the next election campaign."

Frustrated executives say political impasse slows hiring, investing
Business execs who are totally cool with anti-regulation Republicans are annoyed that a Congress they helped elect can't pass a default deal.

Rep. Pitts donated campaign contributions
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) has donated the contributions he received from a man indicted for funneling contributions from the Pakistani government.

Issa promises theatrical brushback
Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) will hold a hearing on whether a taped video for the Obama campaign violated the Hatch Act. Don't look for anything serious, though, even Issa says "it'll be good theater."

Business booming for finance lobbyists
The financial services lobby has  "seen a boom in business and a hiring bonanza."

Hero to liberals, Soros ends hedge fund career to escape regulations
George Soros will wind down his hedge fund business and focus solely on his family's interests and philanthropic ventures.

Conservative RightMarch raises big bucks but gives little
"A political action committee that raised more than $1 million from tea party and conservative activists in the last election cycle spent very little of that money actually supporting candidates."

OpenSecrets.org unveils 2010 big picture analysis.
You know you've been waiting for it! CRP has released its big picture data for 2010. Interesting stuff here on average cost of winning (and losing) races, etc.

Fincher FEC complaint "dismissal" doesn't exonerate 8th district congressman
The Jackson Sun isn't buying FEC's decision to let Rep. Steve Fincher (R-Tenn.) off the hook. "The truth is that the case was dismissed only because the six-member bipartisan review panel was split 3-3 on whether to levy a civil fine against Fincher. In fact, the members of the panel all agreed that Fincher did violate the law."

Other
The GOP's state-by-state crusade to disenfranchise voters
Do read Katrina vanden Heuvel's piece on voter ID laws. "Unfortunately, the assault on our democracy is not confined to Congress or the standoff over the debt ceiling. It is also seeping into the states, where voting rights — the fundamental underpinning of any democracy — are being curbed and crippled."

NC House falls short of canceling governor's veto of photo ID mandate for voters
Good news: North Carolina Republicans failed to override Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of a voter ID bill.

Cuyahoga County Council member's proposed campaign-finance legislation draws criticism
Campaign reform in Cuyahoga County, Ohio!