Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Uncoordinated coordination: Six reasons limits on super PACs are barely limits at all
On the fiction of contribution limits in the age of super PACs.

Newt Gingrich, the man who changed Washington
Lawrence Lessig on Newt's creation of a "fundraising Congress:" "For as far too few remember, more than any other living American, it is Newt Gingrich who gave us the current version of our hopelessly dysfunctional Congress — an institution which, according to a New York Times/CBS poll, now has the confidence of 9% of the American people. That monster is his baby, and no one should deny him his parental bragging rights."
- More on Lessig's new book from Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-22/harvard-law-s-lessig-says-smash-washington-s-culture-of-money.html#

Congress/2012
The supercommittee collapses
And, the supercommittee has collapsed!
- It's only success? Keeping deliberations in private: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/despite-public-impact-congressional-deficit-reduction-supercommittee-deliberated-in-private/2011/11/22/gIQAyJrEkN_story.html.

10 facts on lobbying firm trying to discredit Occupy Wall street
We've pulled some more research together on that anti-OWS lobbying firm. Did you know they lobbied for Koch?
- And more on one of the authors, a big campaign donor: http://campaignmoney.org/blog/2011/11/22/anti-ows-memo-authors-wall-street-ties

Eric Cantor rewarded for deriding Occupy Wall Street
On October 7th, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called OWS a "mob." For the rest of the month, he raked in Wall St cash, according to our analysis of his recent PAC filing.

Oil tax breaks safe as supercommittee flops
Another win for Big Oil!

We are the one per cent!
Ha: "We’re angry. We’re angry at something we’re calling 'imagined frustration.' By this we mean that, except for Congress, the White House, banks, major lobbyists, and the editorial boards of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, no one is listening to us. And we’re tired of it.

Issa staffer joins Institute for Energy Research
An investigator for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the congressman who has been trumpeting the Solyndra scandal, will go work for a pro-drilling organization that has been critical of Solyndra. Not fishy at all!

Members raising for Romney
"While Mitt Romney is holding a major fundraiser in New York City on Dec. 14, his son Tagg will be the special guest at a campaign event in Washington featuring nearly 40 members of congress on the invitation <http://www.politico.com/static/PPM170_111121_romneydc.html> ."

No end for K Street deficit lobbying
"Even as the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction conceded defeat, a half-dozen former Members of Congress are advocating for ambitious tax and entitlement changes to reduce the deficit."
- More from The Hill: http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/195021-congressional-bust-is-a-boon-for-k-street

Study: K Street is Holy Place
"According to a new study from the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life , the number of organizations involved in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy has increased nearly fivefold since 1970."

Court-appointed investigator offers scathing report on prosecution of Senator Stevens
"A court-appointed investigator has found that the high-profile prosecution of the late Senator Ted Stevens  was 'permeated' by the prosecutors’ 'serious, widespread and at times intentional' illegal concealment of evidence that would have helped Mr. Stevens defend himself at his 2008 trial, a federal judge disclosed on Monday."     

Other
New chair of campaign finance watchdog draws strong reaction
A profile of the head of California's Fair Political Practices Commission.

In NY, even lax contribution rules are easy to evade
On disclosure and NYC.