Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
The Nation: Change we can believe in, 2.0
Katrina vanden Heuvel on the president's talk of an amendment last week and its inclusion in the Democratic platform. National Journal.

NYT: Words not spoken
And this NYT editorial dings the first night of speakers for not talking about big money: "Taking a stand against the rising influence of money in politics is a sharp contrast to this year’s Republican platform, which retreated from the party’s longstanding support for disclosure. But Mr. Booker did not mention it, and no convention speaker on Tuesday made it a priority. Like the assault weapons ban, it has been relegated to a document that few will ever read."

WaPo: Plan B on Citizens United?
Ruth Marcus on this topic and Obama's line that, "Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight on the super PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.”

Daily Mail: W.Va. Supreme Court weighs public funding for Supreme Court race
On the state's public financing system for Supreme Court races and the trigger provisions: "The West Virginia Supreme Court spent two hours hearing a case Tuesday that could help decide the fate of the court for the foreseeable future."

Jewish Daily Forward: Too many secrets
The Forward wants transparency of c4 political spending. "This secrecy is antithetical to a democracy based on transparency and violates the fundamental rationale of privately-supported campaigns."

Congress/2012
NYT: Priorities USA records record monthly donations
"The Democratic 'super PAC' backing President Obama raised $10 million in August, as donors gave a record amount to the group amid growing concern among some elite Democratic contributors that Republican outside groups will swamp Mr. Obama’s re-election effort." And Keenan Steiner at Sunlight made it in to a fundraiser for the group in Charlotte. LA Times.

Politico: Mitt Romney outraising Obama among Charlotte residents
"Donors from Charlotte have given nearly three times as much to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as they have to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign." Same in Aspen.

ABC News: Red carpet for Solyndra figure at Democratic convention
"The Obama campaign rolled out the red carpet this week for a former top Energy Department official who was at the center of the ill-fated government loan to Solyndra, a California solar panel firm that wound up in bankruptcy."

CPI: Corporate cash helps fuel Democratic convention despite pledges
"While Democrats have touted their grassroots fundraising efforts for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, deep-pocketed corporate donors are helping underwrite the event."

Bloomberg: Banker plan would fund super PACs to sway Senate races
American Bankers Association: "A banking trade group is preparing to set up a political fund that would allow members to funnel money anonymously to pro-industry candidates in the final months of the U.S. elections."

CRP: Center for Responsive Politics delivers citizen petition calling for bundler disclosure
"We didn't expect it to be easy to hand the Mitt Romney campaign a thick stack of paper bearing the signatures of thousands of people asking the candidate to be more transparent. And it wasn't."

CNN Money: Wall Street set to break spending records this election
"Wall Street is on track to spend more on this election than it ever has during a campaign season." Related, from WSJ: "Bankers line Mitt's campaign coffers."

Sunshine State News: Mitt Romney to attend presidential fundraiser in Sarasota
"Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney will be at a fundraiser in Sarasota on Sept. 20, the Republican Party of Sarasota announced on Monday."

Campaigns and Elections: FEC oks alternate text donation proposal
"An alternate political text-to-donate model, proposed by the mobile firm Revolution Messaging, has met the approval of the Federal Election Commission."

Daily Beast: Will Republicans' vast super PAC money advantage swing the election?
John Avlon: "As Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., the optimism is palpable. But the party has been dangerously overconfident throughout this election, and some are still in denial about the big money behemoth they are facing this fall."

Politico: Conservatives swamp Obama with negative ads
Conservative groups are spending significant sums attacking Obama, swamping anything Democratic groups are spending.

TPM: Rep. Grimm got campaign cash from porn distributors after approaching rabbi
Ha, missed this nugged in the AP story yesterday: "On Monday, the Associated Press reported that 'after tapping the rabbi’s followers for money,' Grimm received money from several individuals involved in porn distribution businesses."

Politico: Romney hits Nassau County with Kalikow, D'Amato
"Mitt Romney, who has fundraised twice in the more affluent sections of Suffolk County, N.Y., makes his way to Nassau County next week for two fundraisers with former Sen. Al D'Amato, according to invitations." Actually, three (and the co-chair list is huge).

WaPo: Gabrielle Giffords launches Gabby PAC
Gabby Giffords and her husband officially launch their PAC.

Detroit Free Press: Boehner to attend Grand Rapids fundraiser for Benishek
"Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner of Ohio will travel to Grand Rapids Wednesday for a big ticket fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls."

Other/States
Missourian: Groups drop lawsuit to get payday loan, minimum wage initiatives on Missouri ballot
Our friends in Missouri have dropped their effort to get a payday loan interest rate cap on the ballot. Rev. Martin Rafanan: "It is another example of big monied corporate interests displacing the people's interests in the democratic process." It was a David and Goliath battle--here's our report on payday lenders' influence in the state.

TPM: South Carolina says voter ID law's "reasonable impediment" is whatever a voter says it is
"Want to vote in an election in South Carolina but don’t have a photo ID? Lawyers for the state say it will be as easy as explaining why and then casting your ballot."

Akron Beacon Journal: Akron campaign limits argued in court
"An appellate court heard arguments Monday asking for enforcement of a 2010 civil court order directing the Akron law director to uphold the city’s longstanding campaign finance limits by investigating the mayor’s finances over several election cycles since 2007."