Interesting stuff at yesterday's press conference with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Sherrod Brown on what's next for DISCLOSE: "Both Whitehouse and Senator Jeff Merkley expressed optimism that tough campaign finance reform would be passed sooner rather than later, however—and made powerful allegations that many Republican senators are actually on their side, but were strong-armed by minority leader Mitch McConnell this week." More from Dan Froomkin at HuffPost.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Bloomberg: McCain: "Mark my words" - campaign finance "scandal not far"
Nice piece from Jonathan Salant on John McCain and campaign finance and a little history of Keating Five.

Newsday: Andrew Cuomo should lead finance reform in New York State
"Cuomo has a chance to add to his list of accomplishments by driving reform on campaign finance. Meanwhile, politicians can burnish their images and avoid the appearance of impropriety by simply refusing donations from those who do business with government."

PCAF Tumblr: Justice Scalia on campaign finance
Justice Scalia spoke about campaign finance on Piers Morgan last night. Same old stuff and reiterated his support for transparency. "Now, you are entitled to know where the speech is coming from. You know, information as to who contributed what."

NaJo: The urgency of fixing campaign finance laws
"Campaign finance law is yet another debate in which the two parties are miles apart. But there’s surprising bipartisan agreement on coordination. The drivers of the debate on Capitol Hill believe coordination between campaigns and super PACs shouldn't be allowed, but that coordination with party committees only makes sense."

USA Today: Protecting democracy from corporate cash tsunami
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy on what's next--shareholder legislation and state-level activity. "Corporations are going to be in elections, and we need to cope with that fact. The only thing worse than a corporation trying to buy an election is one that gets to do so covertly without even letting its shareholders in on the secret."

Congress/2012
Politico: The left's lost donors
"With Republican outside groups on course to raise more than $500 million combined for the cycle, the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action is finding itself badly outgunned. Mega-donors either say privately they’ve been turned off by the White House’s disdain for outside spending, or by the president’s personal aversion to the constant care and feeding of contributors that such high-profile donors demand, a practice that his two most recent predecessors engaged in with flair."

WaPo: Romney's London fundraisers will take him to heart of scandal-plagued banking industry
"Mitt Romney’s overseas trip next week will take him to the heart of London’s scandal-ridden banking industry, as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee holds two campaign fundraisers hosted by lobbyists and executives from more than two dozen financial institutions."

LATimes: Morgan Freeman donates $1 million to pro-Obama super PAC
"Looks like Morgan Freeman has a new million-dollar baby. The Oscar-winning actor contributed $1 million last month to Priorities USA Action, the "super PAC" backing President Obama, helping lift the group to its best fundraising month yet."

Politico: Obama campaign returns alleged Vince Gray financier's donation
"President Obama's campaign is returning the donation of a businessman who allegedly financed a shadow campaign on behalf of D.C. mayor Vince Gray."

NaJo: Christie Brings in the bucks at Romney fundraiser
"Gov. Chris Christie drummed up support, and dollars, for presidential candidate Mitt Romney this morning at a breakfast and roundtable meeting held at the Willard Hotel."

HuffPost: Obama's DC fundraiser takes in $1.5 million
"President Barack Obama is raising about $1.5 million at a Washington fundraiser to benefit his re-election campaign."

Washington Times: Obama fundraiser gets Energy Department post
"Dozens of major fundraisers for President Obama’s re-election campaign have been appointed to plum posts on advisory boards and humanities commissions and at embassies. The practice is not new to Mr. Obama, but it’s generally viewed as unsavory." And good, honest line right here: "Before Republicans gloat at Mr. Obama rewarding a 'bundler,' as the fundraisers are known, with a position, presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney has vulnerabilities on the issue."

Buzzfeed: In 2006, Romney filled most administration appointments with donors
Related: "But a review of the Romney's own 2006 appointees to Massachusetts posts — conducted by cross-referencing press releases with a Romney donor database — show Romney himself has a history of rewarding donors with political postions. Indeed, all but one of Romney's 2006 press releases for appointments are for Romney donors, a total of 15 out of 17 appointees."

PCAF Blog: Just empty rhetoric
And from us on this issue: "Criticizing our big money system that requires elected officials to spend inordinate amounts of time raising money is the right thing to do, but doing so without offering any sort of solution is just more empty rhetoric from a regular politician."

Daily Beast: Mitt's other secret: time to disclose Romney's campaign bundlers
Truth: "But slowing down the velocity of Romney’s message is the fact that his team has refused to release the names of all of his bundlers"

Huffington Post: Mitt Romney says campaign finance laws limit ability to fight negative ads
LOL, it seems Romney makes more of a case against a primary than campaign finance laws generally.

Politico: Sheldon adelson fights back against prostitution claims
Casino magnate and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson is pushing back against allegations that he approved of prostitution at one of his casinos in China, filing a new strongly worded legal brief and threatening to file a libel suit against the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."

Union Democrat: Lungren targeted by PAC campaign
"Gold River Republican Dan Lungren, who has represented the county in Washington, D.C. since his election in 2004, is one of several Republicans targets of a 'super' political action committee called Friends of Democracy. "

Register Citizen: Super PAC may enter 5th district, backed by Dan Roberti donors
Democratic primary that features Connecticut Clean Elections champ Chris Donovan: "A Super PAC could be poised to enter the race for Connecticut’s 5th District Congress seat, backed by wealthy contributors to the campaign of Democrat Dan Roberti."

Roll Call: Businesses lose on sea treaty to Heritage
Fascinating. "Business groups pushing the Law of the Sea Treaty saw their GOP allies sink ratification this week, losing yet another policy battle to conservative activists."

The Hill: Heller refuses to echo his campaign's criticism of Berkley
Haha. Sen. Dean Heller was asked about ads attacking Shelley Berkley and he said to ask this campaign, not him. He, of course "approves of this message" at the end of the ad.

CRP: Mystery super PAC and nonprofit network spent big in PA Senate race
"More than half the outside spending in Pennsylvania's Senate GOP primary race was funneled through a chain of groups that haven't disclosed the original source of the funds."

iWatch: GOP seeks to kill black lung reform
House Republicans have inserted language into an appropriations bill to block a rule that'll prevent miners from getting black lung. Rep. George Miller: "Republicans are sending a message that profits for their wealthy campaign contributors are more important than the lungs and lives of America’s coal miners."

Roll Call: Financial reform lobbying fight persists
"As the Dodd-Frank financial reform law nears its two-year anniversary Saturday, one of the last big lobbying fights over the landmark measure is unfolding over underwriting standards."

Politico: DSCC raised $18.1M in 2nd quarter
"The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took in what it called a record-breaking quarterly haul, collecting $18.1 million between April and June, according to numbers shared with POLITICO."

The Hill: Bill stirs up fight over online music royalties
"A battle between Internet radio companies and the music industry over royalty payments is brewing on Capitol Hill."

Food and Water Watch: Cultivating influence: the 2008 farm bill lobbying frenzy
"As Congress navigates its way through the 2012 Farm Bill process, Food & Water Watch today released a report that delineates the special interest lobbying efforts that shaped the 2008 Farm Bill."