Mitt Romney will provide some details on his energy plan today. Kurt Walters at Public Campaign Action Fund runs down all his big oil donors.

Oh, and want to know who is running those ads you're seeing? Download Sunlight Foundation's new app, Ad Hawk!

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
LAT: Reform advocates propose small donor revolution
Democracy 21 and Brennan Center released a report on a new model public financing policy yesterday, similar to the New York City system, with some (important) differences from Larson's Fair Elections Now Act. NYT editorial. Here's the full report.

BNA: Lawyers for FEC, Republican-Leaning Group Agree to Quick Action on Ad Disclosure Case (PDF)
"Lawyers for the Federal Election Commission and a Republican-leaning organization have agreed to an expedited schedule for court consideration of a challenge to disclosure requirements for political ads known as 'electioneering communications' (Hispanic Leadership Fund v. FEC, E.D. Va., No. 12-893, filed 8/10/12)."

WaPo: Text ‘GIVE’ to Obama: President’s campaign launches cellphone donation drive
Other will likely follow suit soon, a good positive step toward empowering small donors. "President Obama’s reelection campaign will begin accepting donations sent by text messages this week, marking the first foray into a potentially lucrative new avenue of grass-roots fundraising for federal candidates." Reuters. Here's some background on why Public Campaign and many reform groups support text message donations.

Bloomberg: Swing-state aid agencies denying voter signups draws suits
Good: "The Keystone State agreed yesterday to settle a lawsuit over the so-called Motor Voter law, a 19-year-old statute that says public-assistance agencies must offer clients the chance to sign up to vote. Ohio, Michigan, Colorado and Virginia also have changed their ways after either being sued or told by advocacy groups how they could improve compliance."

Congress/2012
Sunlight Foundation: Obama bad at fundraising? Numbers tell a different story
Bill Allison responds to stories that Obama "isn't very good at fundraising." Allison: "This is a bit like saying that the Beatles weren't very good at songwriting, the Yankees aren't very good in the postseason or that Gilligan's Island didn't have much success in syndication."

Miami Herald: FBI, Miami-Dade police target Democratic primary candidate with possible ties to Congressman David Rivera
More on the David Rivera/Democratic primary mess: "The FBI and Miami-Dade police have opened separate criminal investigations into the campaign of a Democratic congressional candidate who, vendors say, was aided by GOP Rep. David Rivera."

WSJ: Basketball legends boost Obama campaign cash
"President Barack Obama combined his personal passion for basketball with his professional need for campaign cash with a high-dollar fund-raising dinner and some hoops with some of his most talented supporters."

HuffPost: Super PAC contributions top $300 million, most goes to GOP groups
Over $300 million given to super PACs so far this cycle, most to Republicans. Big stat that sticks out to me: "Mega-donors giving $500,000 or more to these unlimited money groups remain the biggest source of funds, accounting for 68 percent of all contributions." More at CRP.

AP: Energy loan watchdog an Obama supporter
"A veteran Wall Street executive who performed an independent review that exonerated the Obama administration's program of loans to energy companies contributed $52,500 to re-elect President Barack Obama in the months since completing his work, according to an Associated Press review of campaign records."

CNN: Will money buy the White House?
CRP's Sheila Krumholz on the money being spent this year and what it means: "The result is an atmosphere where candidates and parties must raise upwards of $20 million or more each week or risk falling behind. The airwaves are saturated in an unprecedented effort to influence voters in the dozen states up for grabs this year. In the largest of these states (Ohio, Florida, Virginia) the campaigns, super PACs and other shadowy groups have spent an average of nearly $30 million each month since May, levels not seen until late fall in the closest of previous presidential races."

NYT: Romney energy plan would expand expand US drilling on land and offshore
Important tidbit in this story on Romney's pro-oil policy: "Mr. Romney has raised considerable money from donors with ties to the oil industry. Over the past two days, he pulled in nearly $10 million in oil money: $6 million to $7 million Tuesday from two fund-raisers in Texas (in Houston and Midland), and $2 million at a fund-raiser Wednesday in Little Rock, Ark."

Politico: A super PAC politician firewall? Not quite
Sounds right: "Federal law bars outside spending groups that raise unlimited sums of money from coordinating with politicians they’re trying to elect. But the rules are so narrow — super PACs and other groups can’t share nonpublic information with campaigns or party operatives, such as how much cash is being devoted to individual races — that the firewall they’re intended to create doesn’t exist."

Philly Inquirer: Obama outpaces Romney in fundraisig in Philly region
"President Obama, capitalizing on a strong and well-established Democratic donor base in the Philadelphia region, has started to separate himself from Mitt Romney in tapping the area for campaign cash."Also in New York.

Huffington Post: Sherrod Brown vs. Josh Mandel: Contentious senate race flooded with outside money
"Nowhere is as much money being spent on a Senate race this year as in Ohio, where liberal Democrat Sherrod Brown is seeking a second term, his fate to some degree dependent on how well President Barack Obama does in the state's tossup presidential contest."

News-Herald: Paul Ryan will visit Springfield today for a private fundraiser
Ryan headed to Missouri: "Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is scheduled to be in Springfield today for a planned fundraiser with Ozarks Republicans."

WaPo: While Republicans oppose gay marriage, key donors fund the other side
"Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul E. Singer is one of the Republican Party’s most important money men, raising millions for presidential candidate Mitt Romney and giving even more to a super PAC supporting his campaign."

And if you've made it this far, here's a gif of campaign finance regulation foe Jim Bopp. And why he was so excited.