When asked whether "the ultrawealthy have an inordinate or inappropriate amount of influence on the political process," billionaire Mitt Romney supporter Ken Griffin said in an interview, "I think they actually have an insufficient influence."

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Slate: The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision has led to an explosion of campaign spending
Rick Hasen writes, "But this logic has not stopped the Citizens United defenders from making their claims that there’s no connection between the case and the emergence of super PACs. So let me try something different: a look at the numbers."

Sun-Journal: Mainers won't take kindly to messing with Clean Elections
Good column on Maine Clean Elections. "The real issue is the public’s understandable desire that elections not be completely dominated by money, so that ordinary citizens can still run for our citizen Legislature – unlike, for instance, the U.S. Senate, where almost every member is a millionaire."

Birmingham News: Super-PACs changing presidential campaigns
Sunlight's Gabriela Schneider on the need for better disclosure of political fundraising and spending. Kansas City Star has an editorial on disclosure too.

NYT: A way forward on judicial ethics
This New York Times editorial takes on the needs for an ethics code at the Supreme Court. "This approach would add little to the court’s workload since recusal motions are rare. But it would add considerably to the court’s credibility with the American public. "

NYT: Hatch weighs in on tax status of "super PACs"
"Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, joined the fight over the tax status of 'Super PACS' on Friday, accusing Senate Democrats of a 'politically motivated witch hunt' for their efforts to rein in tax-exempt political groups."

Congress/2012
Bradenton Sun: Ethics clouds don't scare donors away from Buchanan
The lead in this story is sort of distracting from the actual news of the piece: "Two Bentleys, an Aston Martin and a Maserati sat parked under the palms at Villa Solstice, a private home on Sarasota Bay where friends and supporters of Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., were hosting a fundraiser earlier this month for House Speaker John Boehner."

Reuters: Romney is clear favorite of Washington lobbyists
"Nearly 390 registered lobbyists and lobbying political action committees (PACs) have contributed more than $1.5 million to Romney's campaign and Restore Our Future, the independent Super PAC that backs Romney, according to a Reuters analysis of filings with the Federal Election Commission and the Senate Office of Public Records."

Politico: Money? I though this was the Goldberg bar mitzvah
President Obama had a fundraiser in Houston over the weekend.

NYT: Sunday dialogue - money and influence in U.S. elections
A whole series of letters in Sunday's Times.

Politico: Retiring lawmakers openly eye K Street
Lobbyists and lawmakers aren't even waiting to hit the exit before figuring out what K Street firm they'll go to. "And this year, there’s a noticeable cultural shift afoot: Some retiring members of Congress are openly talking about life downtown and beyond with months in office still ahead of them."

Politico: Super PAC challenge: Congress
Interesting story on super PACs and Congressional leadership battles. "The model has been built. The money’s out there. And there’s no shortage of ambition in Congress. The question is: Can anyone put it all together?"

Roll Call: Super PAC paradox
On coordination: "That's because Federal Election Commission rules define 'improper coordination' so narrowly that political players would have to step far over the line to violate them. What's striking about the wide-open spending in 2012 is not what's illegal, say some election lawyers — it's what's now permitted."

WaPo: Democrats target House GOP ethics concerns
They're partying like its 2006 over at the DCCC with this website relaunch: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it plans to launch HouseofScandal.org Monday as a 'clearinghouse for voters' seeking information on the allegations, investigations and improprieties surrounding Republican House members."

NYT: Union leaders plan a door-to-door effort to aid Obama
"As the A.F.L.-C.I.O. prepares to endorse President Obama on Tuesday, labor leaders say they will mount their biggest campaign effort, with far more union members than ever before — at least 400,000, they say — knocking on voters’ doors to counter the well-endowed 'super PACs' backing Republicans."

USA Today: Mystery super PAC may have violated election law
A secretive super PAC on Ohio may have violated election laws for its role in last week's primary.

Politico: Conservative leaders "all in" for Santorum
"A group of conservative leaders pledged to raise a combined $1.78 million for Rick Santorum's campaign and SuperPAC after meeting privately in Texas this weekend with the Republican presidential hopeful..."

Orlando Sentinel: Palm Beach Republican presidential contributions: Palm Beach called "ATM machine of politics"
"A single ZIP code — 33480, covering the towns of Palm Beach and South Palm Beach in Palm Beach County — has provided more individual contributions to candidates in the 2012 presidential race than the next four most-generous Florida ZIP codes combined."

BuzzFeed: Americans Elect is raising money to repay its millionaire founders
"A deep-pocketed group hoping to field a third candidate in November has quietly shifted its fundraising focus earlier this month to serve a curious goal, a spokeswoman has acknowledged to BuzzFeed: All money raised by Americans Elect will, for the forseeable future, be given to the millionaires who created it."

Common Cause: Common Cause seeks IRS review of Koch brothers takeover atttempt at Cato
"Amid attempts by industrialists Charles and David Koch to take control of the Cato Institute, a long-established think tank advocating libertarian ideas, Common Cause called Friday for an Internal Revenue Service investigation of Koch efforts to use Cato’s corporate structure and tax exempt status to serve their own political and economic interests." Roll Call looks at this too.

iWatch: Donors to conservative super PAC masked by nonprofit
iWatch looks at the closeness between c4s and their affiliated super PACs.

The Hill: Exxon CEO: "Political calculations" halted Keystone pipeline
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson is just so mad that "political calculations" halted the pipeline. Pay no attention to the $30,8000 he donated to the NRSC last year.

WaPo: Democratic Sen. hopeful Warren picks autism charity for ad deal donation from Sen. Brown
"Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren has chosen a charity seeking treatments for autism to receive a donation from U.S. Sen. Scott Brown under an agreement the two signed to discourage outside political ads."

TPM: California campaign scam gets FEC rebuke
"Four years after the fact, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has gotten around to chastising the man behind a political action committee called 'Californians for Obama' for raising thousands of dollars in support for then-Sen. Barack Obama while obscuring the fact that it didn’t have any actual connections to the future president’s campaign."

Other/States
Journal-Sentinel: Walker sets up legal defense fund for John Doe probe
Scott Walker launched a legal defense fund last week.

TPM: SC Lt. Governor resigns after spending campaign money on playstations, iPads
"South Carolina Lt. Gov. Ken Ard, who spent campaign money on a Playstation, women’s clothing, iPads and his wife’s cell phone bill, will submit his resignation on Friday morning."

NY Post: Liu's road to re-election will be rough
" Even if he makes it past the widely publicized federal investigation of his campaign finances, Comptroller John Liu is in for a rough ride if he intends to stay in elective office. Sources say the Campaign Finance Board isn’t likely to hand over public matching funds for his next run without a fight."