Story of the day from the NYT: Obama yields in marshaling of "super PAC"
"President Obama is signaling to wealthy Democratic donors that he wants them to start contributing to an outside group supporting his re-election, reversing a long-held position as he confronts a deep financial disadvantage on a vital front in the campaign." Jim Messina's full explanation, AP, Politico, National Journal, The Hill, MSNBC, and Washington Post. We'll likely have something on this out a little later this morning.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
The Hill: Citizens United more radical than realized
Fred Wertheimer's latest: "The Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in the Citizens United case has done enormous damage to our political system."

Wicked Local: Amend 2012 aims to bring power back to the people
From Common Cause's Bob Edgar: "The good news is that as we mark that anniversary, there is a growing citizens’ movement to revoke that license and put the people back in charge."

WSJ: Taxing gifts to super PACs?
"Super PACs have become dominant forces in the GOP presidential nominating process, sponsoring millions of dollars’ of TV ads in places like Florida. Now a Democratic lawmaker is taking the first steps toward reining them in, at least indirectly, via the tax system."

The Hill: STOCK Act spotlight is set to expose Wall Street's tipsters
"The lucrative market for political intelligence that runs from Washington to Wall Street could be more fully exposed by insider-trading legislation that is moving quickly through Congress. " More at Politico.

Congress/2012
NYT: Major Obama donors tied to fugitive who fled to Mexico
"Two American brothers of a Mexican casino magnate who fled drug and fraud charges in the United States and has been seeking a pardon enabling him to return have emerged as major fund-raisers and donors for President Obama’s re-election campaign." It must be said here that finding this out was possible because Obama has released his list of bundlers, something other candidates should do when they drop hit pieces on this story.

Roll Call: For left, win lies in "people power"
Eliza Carney on how progressive groups know they can't compete with money, but PCCC's Adam Green says they have, "people power, versus corporate power."

WaPo: Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties
Big Washington Post investigation out today: "Thirty-three members of Congress have directed more than $300 million in earmarks and other spending provisions to dozens of public projects that are next to or within about two miles of the lawmakers’ own property, according to a Washington Post investigation."

The Hill: Most effective bundlers are not registered lobbyists
A lobbyist at King & Spaulding takes on Obama's call to ban lobbyist bundling and he also sort of takes our response to the SOTU out of context.

WaPo: Congressional investigators find "reason to believe" Buchanan broke ethics laws
Rough day for embattled Rep. Vern Buchanan: "Congressional ethics investigators concluded there 'is substantial reason to believe' that Florida’s Rep. Vern Buchanan, one of the top Republicans in the House, violated ethics laws by failing to report his position with a half-dozen firms, according to records released Monday."

WaPo: Secret money is funding more election ads
"More than a third of the advertising tied to the presidential race has been funded by nonprofit groups that will never have to reveal their donors, suggesting that a significant portion of the 2012 elections will be wrapped in a vast cloak of secrecy."

Bloomberg: Private-equity lobbying helped protect Romney's tax benefits
"The largest U.S. private-equity funds and venture capital firms have relied on a five-year, multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to protect the carried interest tax break that helped drive presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 2010 effective tax rate below 14 percent."PCAF's David Donnelly says it's not just lobbying that got them the tax break: "The people who are interested in this particular provision are high net-worth individuals. That’s a constituency that Congress always cares about when they have to raise money to fund their campaigns.”

iWatch: Bain execs spent nearly $5 million on Romney's White House runs, records show
"Current and former Bain executives and their relatives have given about $4.7 million to organizations dedicated to making Romney the next president of the United States, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation."

AP: Gingrich shunned lobbyists, but hired lobbyists
"Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says his consulting group never lobbied for clients. But his business hired state and federal lobbyists to work with clients, and some staff left to take lobbying jobs, according to lobbying disclosures and corporate reports."

E&E Daily: Energy industry dollars flow to Romney
"The energy industry is beginning to coalesce around Mitt Romney as its preferred candidate for president, according to an E&E Daily review of contributions to the various presidential candidates and political action committees associated with them."

ABC: Santorum and his super PAC: Just friends, not coordination
Rick Santorum has been flying around Minnesota with Foster Freiss, the billionaire funding his super PAC. "Santorum told ABC News that he 'know(s) what the rules are' and 'I don’t think it crosses a line whatsoever.'" Well it certainly would be news if he did think he crossed the line!

AP: Big donors and what they want
"The millionaires, billionaires and companies giving big sums to political committees supporting Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama have important business with the next president. Some are already in trouble with the government. Some are pressing for new laws or regulations that would benefit their interests in energy, mining and high finance."

CSM: How super PACs are changing the GOP presidential race
"The $41 million that 'super PACs' have spent so far leaves 2008 in the dust and is changing campaign dynamics. Notable effects: many more negative ads and an ability to keep faltering campaigns alive. "

Maine Today: Obama headibng to Maine in March for "money trip"
"President Obama will visit Maine next month to raise money for his re-election campaign, according to the White House and the Maine Democratic Party."

WaPo: Jack Abramoff's atonement
"Fallen super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff is out of prison now but still doing penance," Dana Milbank writes about Jack Abramoff and his event at Public Citizen yesterday. Other stories on the event at NYT, TPM, Roll Call, Washington Times, AP, Reuters, and very strong opinions from Ellen Miller at Sunlight on the whole thing. You can watch it here.

Roll Call: Colleagues petition for retirees' funds
"After a House Member announces retirement, there's often one lingering question from their colleagues: What's going to happen to the rest of their campaign cash?"

Other/States
WSJ: Cuomo brings potential foes into his fold
"Gov. Andrew Cuomo has built closer relationships with so-called good government groups than perhaps any of his predecessors, folding into his tent a wide spectrum of potential critics on matters of transparency, ethics and campaign finance."

Mother Jones: Scott Walker and the secret "John Doe" investigation explained
Andy Kroll explains the "John Doe" investigation in Wisconsin that features Gov. Walker.