Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Throw a light on secret funds
A call for transparency from Arizona.

Systemic corruption for rich and poor
Lawrence Weschler on corruption in Uganda...and the U.S. What our campaign finance system brings us: "As a result, while we don't, in general, have to pay off police officers during traffic stops, we do live in a society in which one of the richest men in America reports that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary."

Congress/2012
For every tax break, a lobby to fight for it
"Corporate tax reform is a stated goal of many business groups in Washington. But for every tax break that would be washed away to lower the corporate rate, there is a pressure group in place to keep it alive."

Former Cantor aide launches young guns PAC
"A former top aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has officially filed paperwork for a super PAC, dubbed the YG Action Fund, to promote the Young Guns movement that Cantor helped launch."
- And, Cantor faced protests at a speech yesterday in Michigan: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/10/31/357525/protesters-interrupt-cantor-speech-in-michigan/.

Witnesses at Rep. Kristi Noem congressional hearings also have donated thousands to campaign
"Twice in the last four months, Republican Rep. Kristi Noem has held or testified at congressional hearings in South Dakota and Washington where the tables were packed with witnesses who between themselves, their employees and their families have given her a total of more than $19,000 in campaign contributions."

Romney's NYC fundraiser
See the invite for Romney's NYC fundraiser on Wednesday, hosted by a couple of billionaires
- Chris Christie will throw him one too: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67304.html

Roemer attacks "political corruption"
"Roemer said the real issue in the campaign is the 'institutional corruption' involved in politicians seeking money. He noted the nation's tax laws are drafted by lobbyists and that General Electric was able to avoid paying any U.S. taxes last year on $5.4 billion because it could deduct foreign taxes paid."

Female donors not rushing to Herman Cain's defense
CRP stays topical: "In terms of receiving political donations from the ladies, Cain's fund-raising so far this year has been slightly lower than nearly all of his rivals."

Perry super PAC going up in Iowa, South Carolina
"An outside group of big donors who back Texas Gov. Rick Perry will start running advertisements in Iowa and South Carolina tomorrow, the first in a coming barrage of independent spending on behalf of specific presidential campaigns."

Clyburn: Donations don't influence his actions on "supercommittee"
"Rep. Jim Clyburn, a member of a congressional debt-reduction "super committee," said Monday he is "absolutely not" influenced by campaign donations and never discusses the committee's business during fundraisers."

Congressional "super committee" holds rare public hearing today
The supercommittee will have another public hearing today. On their fundraising, Common Cause's Mary Boyle says: "It certainly raises the question of, 'Were people giving him money as a way to influence his decisions and vote?' It just looks bad. A lot of people feel like our Congress is bought and controlled by wealthy special interests."

Did you hear the one about the bankers?
I forgot to include this Tom Friedman piece yesterday, but it's definitely worth a read. "Our Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery."

Frank's effusive thank you
Oh Barney. What he wrote in a recent thank you note to donors: "Rep. Barney Frank took it to the next level with a recent thank you note obtained by POLITICO. 'I thought about lip-synching Eddie Fisher’s version of 'Danke Schoen' on YouTube. Other possibilities suggested themselves — some combination of friending, tweeting, texting and sexting.'"

The Wizards of Oil: How the Koch brothers influence environmental politics
Good piece from the Colorado Independent, which Public Campaign provided research for. "The Wichita-based conglomerate has spent a fortune lobbying for its oil, gas, mineral and chemical interests this past decade while bankrolling the campaigns of sympathetic congressmen."

And Congress' rich get richer
"Members of Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2 billion in 2010, a nearly 25 percent increase over the 2008 total, according to a Roll Call analysis of Members' financial disclosure forms."

For Congress, Donovan financed by reformers and lobbyists
What? People who support reform aren't participating in the nonexistent public financing system to run for office?

Bachmann PAC donation may violate campaign finance rules
Did Bachmann's PAC violate campaign finance rules?

"Eye of the Tiger?" Some PAC names pack punch
"As a general rule, political action committees try not to draw too much attention to themselves, and that begins with a generic name. But some politicians and fundraisers are setting aside caution and having a little fun."

Other
Russell Pearce pummeled in attack ad by Citizens United for Progress
- And PCAF's Campaign Money Watch released its third mailer in the race: http://campaignmoney.org/press-room/2011/10/31/watchdog-releases-3rd-pearce-mailer-carved