Clips Round-up for 11/20/12
Here’s what Public Campaign’s Nick Nyhart had to say: “The Fix the Debt coalition is just the latest in a long line of efforts by some of the largest companies in the country to use their monetary resources to gain the kind of influence in Washington that middle class families could never hope for. It’s no wonder that their plan consists of more tax breaks for the largest corporations and slashed benefits for everyday Americans.”
Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
NYT Editorial: Justice Alito, Citizens United and the Press
“But Justice Alito’s argument wrongly confuses the matter. It is not the corporate structure of media companies that makes them deserving of constitutional protection. It is their function — the vital role that the press plays in American democracy — that sets them apart.”
Huffington Post: Lawrence Lessig, Fred Wertheimer Butt Heads Over Best Path To Campaign Finance Reform
Reformers Larry Lessig and Fred Wertheimer debate the merits of insider versus outsider approaches to campaign finance reform.
PBS Frontline: What’s the Future for Campaign Finance Reform?
A survey of the many approaches to reform being proposed after 2012’s big money flood.
PR Watch: Next Act for Super PACs and Dark Money Nonprofits: Lobbying to Block Compromise on the ‘Fiscal Cliff’
“The ‘dark money’ nonprofits that spent millions in the 2012 elections are not required to disclose their donors, but also cannot have influencing elections as their primary purpose. As a consequence, Holman and other experts expect these groups to now spend a fortune on lobbying and issue advocacy. “
Congress/2012
WaPo Editorial: Awash in cash (cont’d)
“Both the remarkable size of the checks written by big contributors in 2012 and the fact that a sizable chunk of the contributions was not publicly reported nurture a climate ripe for corruption. If big donors are not buying guaranteed election results, they are buying access — and perhaps more if favored candidates win.”
Politico Influence: McConnell Ramping Up Campaign Machine
Already looking toward November 2014, McConnell has created a joint fundraising committee with the Republican Party of Kentucky called McConnell Victory Kentucky.
WaPo: Forget creativity: Can lobbying be taught?
The Post chronicles the classroom-based approach to becoming a lobbyist: “In short, you can go to school to learn about lobbying, but you don’t become a lobbyist by going to school.”
Center for Public Integrity: OPINION: ‘Disrupt the new buzzword of Obamacare opponents
Many of these same opponents have spent big to try to repeal or weaken the Affordable Care Act, but often route their money to avoid disclosure, e.g. Aetna earlier this year: “To obscure their involvement, insurers have enlisted the support of the same allies they have called upon in the past to front for them — including the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.”
Other/States
NYT Editorial: Judicial Elections, Unhinged
“This year’s round of state judicial elections broke previous records for the amounts spent on judicial campaigns around the country. The dominant role played by special-interest money — including money from super PACs financed by undisclosed donors — has severely weakened the principle of fair and impartial courts.”
Sunlight Foundation: Another way to look at money in politics: Its impact on partisan control of state legislatures
Lee Drutman at the Sunlight Foundation covers a paper from a Harvard researcher that finds passing a state ban on corporate contributions boosts the share of Democratic seats in the state senate by 8.8-9.5 percentage points.
The Cincinnati Enquirer: A vote for reform: Ohio was not the next Florida, but problems still need to be fixed
The editorial board calls for reforms to provisional and early voting: “Now is the time for legislators and election experts to take a deep breath and summon the will to make changes. The reforms should be just that – reform, not attempts to gain political advantage. The goal should be to ensure voters enjoy broad access to the polls and confidence their votes will be counted.”
Barry: Only “Liberal White Folks” Care Who Pays for My Turkey Giveaway
“As in years past, Barry is declining to say who paid for the turkeys he'll be giving away or whether those donors also have contracts with the city. "Suppose they are," says Barry, who says city contractors shouldn't be barred from being charitable. He says he's keeping his donors secret to protect them from the media.”