Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
DealBook: Voluntary Disclosure on Corporate Political Spending Is Not Enough
Law professors Lucian Bebchuk and Robert Jackson, Jr.: “The fact that some large public companies have begun to voluntarily disclose information on political spending is a positive development. It does not remove, however, the need for S.E.C. action. Mandatory rules are needed to ensure that all public companies provide investors with adequate information about whether and how their money is spent on politics.”
 
Columbia Journalism Review: Do super PACs have a right to lie?
A Florida bill would extend the state’s an on “malicious falsehoods” by candidates to cover independent groups empowered by Citizens United v. FEC. Rick Hasen predicts the question of truth in campaign ads will eventually reach the Supreme Court.

Congress/2012
Sunlight Foundation: Explaining the power of the National Rifle Association, in one graph
Sunlight look at the difference between electoral and lobbying spending by the NRA and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the leading pro-gun control group. I would add that another part to this story is the NRA’s ability to mobilize its enormous member base very effectively.
 
The Hill: The top 10 lobbying victories of the year
Kevin Bogardus puts the tech lobby’s show of strength in defeating SOPA and PIPA as number one and multinationals’ ability to get the Export-Import bank reauthorized as second.
 
Bloomberg BNA ($$): Obama's Campaign May Have Raised $1.5 Million Through Texts, Reports Show
Judging by fees to vendor mQube Inc, it appears Obama pulled in $1.5 million via text messages in the last few months of the election. Another congratulation to Public Campaign’s Aaron Scherb for his role in shepherding this policy through the approval process.
 
Sunlight Reporting Group: Gun lobby active in regulation writing process
“In addition to spending heavily on elections and lobbying Congress, the gun lobby is also quite active in the rulemaking process, federal dockets show.”
 
OpenSecrets Blog: Center to Protect Patient Rights Gave Millions in 2011 to Outside Spenders in Election
“A mysterious conservative group that funded many politically active nonprofits in 2010 gave away nearly $15 million in 2011 to a range of groups that spent heavily airing ads in the most recent election cycle, documents obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics show.”
 
Justice at Stake: New Data Shows Judicial Election Ad Spending Breaks Record at $29.7 Million
“TV ad spending in state Supreme Court elections reached a record breaking $29.7 million on more than 51,000 ads this year, surpassing the previous record of $24.4 million spent in 2004”
 
BuzzFeed: News Outlets Send Letter To Romney Campaign Contesting Expenses
$812 for a meal? ‘The outlets are requesting that the campaign provide a specific price breakdown for every event that cost them $200 or more. Until then, the letter reads, "some of our organizations have alerted American Express that we are contesting these charges."’
 
Sunlight Reporting Group: Jim DeMint's possible successors: influence profiles
Now that Tim Scott will officially be the next senator from the state of South Carolina, check out Sunlight’s influence profile of him from a few days ago.
 
Roll Call: House Names Conaway as Ethics Chairman
Boehner puts the Texas CPA in charge of the House Ethics Committee, the last committee in the House to lack an assigned chair.
 
Moyers & Company: Stories From Washington’s Revolving Door
 “The revolving doors in Washington spin especially quickly after elections: … Meanwhile, 97 lawmakers have retired, resigned or lost their bids for reelection, and they — and their staff — are looking for work.” John Light profiles eleven.

Other/States
NYT: Michigan Effort Shows G.O.P. Sway in State Contests
“Yet much of the groundwork for the quick victory was laid months and years before by a loose network of donors, strategists and conservative political groups that has sought to win Republican control of legislatures around the country and limit unions’ political power. Their bet: that money invested in local elections would yield concrete policy victories that could not be had in Washington.”
 
NYT: The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Get Its Way in Mexico
Corruption and influence take many forms. Here’s a blockbuster report from the Times on how Wal-Mart threw money around to get its way with Mexican officials.
 
Washington Examiner: D.C.'s Tommy Wells to force campaign finance votes
Despite Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser not advancing campaign finance legislation out of her committee, Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells is forcing votes on significant reforms. Those would include banning contributions from city contractors and corporations, as well as strengthening disclosure.
 
NBC New York: Analysis: Campaign Finance Reform Takes a Step Forward in Albany
Love the sub-headline here: “Albany leaders are actually doing the right thing, for a change.”