On Friday, Mitch McConnell and 42 of his colleagues sent a letter to President Obama pledging to block Rich Cordray's CFPB appointment unless the agency agreed to several concessions to weaken it. Our analysis out this morning: "The 43 U.S. Senators who signed a letter to President Barack Obama pledging to block Richard Cordray’s re-appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have received nearly $143 million in campaign contributions from the finance, insurance, and real estate sector."

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
NYT: Waiting times at ballot boxes draw scrutiny
"With studies suggesting that long lines at the polls cost Democrats hundreds of thousands of votes in November, party leaders are beginning a push to make voting and voter registration easier, setting up a likely new conflict with Republicans over a deeply polarizing issue." Dems expect some talk during the State of the Union.

WFPL News: Congressman John Yarmuth proposes Fair Elections Now Act
Kentucky coverage of the recent Fair Elections introduction. Yarmuth: "The American people have ample evidence of the unfortunate influence of money on politics and policy. And [Fair Elections Now Act] is an attempt to allow people to run for office and not be dependent upon big donors and therefore be primarily answerable to citizens and not to special interests."

Politico: Disclosure is hardly un-American
Adam Kanzer, Lisa Gilbert, and Leslie Samuelrich respond to yesterday's Politico op-ed opposing SEC rulemaking on political spending disclosure: "Atkins seeks to demonize disclosure as a plot – a smokescreen to disguise more nefarious goals. He claims our tactics are 'un-American,' and the law is not on our side. He fails to note that eight Supreme Court justices supported real-time disclosure of corporate political spending in the Citizens United decision."

Roll Call: Attorneys want public input on ethics office rules changes
"A bipartisan group of attorneys who represent lawmakers in ethics proceedings said in a letter to the independent Office of Congressional Ethics on Monday that its recent rules changes rolled back important protections for their clients and that there should have been public input."

Congress/Administration
Slate: Jim DeMint: "Big corporations, big banks" give to Democrats, not Republicans
Jim DeMint, lying: "The Democrats generally represent those things that are big. Big corporations, big banks, don't give to Republicans. They give to Democrats." Dave Weigel analyzes: "And Democrats, in an act of great chutzpah, pretended that Romney and only Romney was going to be the tool of these interests. So part of the Republican rebrand is flipping that onus back on the Dems, whether or not the money trail leads to them."

Miami Herald: Dominican lawyer defends Melgen, Menendez
"Prominent Dominican lawyer Vinicio Castillo on Monday said allegations that linked U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez to sex parties with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic were part of a 'dirty campaign' aimed at discrediting his cousin, a Florida eye doctor who has a stalled multimillion-dollar contract for security at Dominican ports." WaPo, Star-Ledger, LA Times, Roll Call.

Politico: Harry Reid aide opens lobbying shop
"A longtime aide to Harry Reid is opening up a lobbying firm — and he’s getting a ringing endorsement from the Senate majority leader. Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/harry-reid-aide-jake-perry-opens-lobbying-shop-87071.html#ixzz2K2Ah3BzY"

The Hill: Drugmaker tweaks lobbying roster after win on fiscal cliff bill
"Amgen has cut ties with one firm that lobbied for the company on drug reimbursement issues, according to federal disclosure records, and followed another lobbyist who worked on the issue to his new firm."

Roll Call: Defense industry braces for sequester while publicly urging alternatives to cuts
Roll Call on defense getting ready for cuts. "The Aerospace Industries Association, which has waged a two-year campaign to fight automatic defense cuts imposed by Congress, plans to add staff to its lobbying and communications divisions and is ramping up its messaging with fewer than four weeks before the ax is set to fall."

Politico: Paul Ryan's new path to power
What's next for Paul Ryan? He's got a few options, but to be sure, he knows it takes money. Ryan recently "huddled" with Romney fundraiser Spencer Zwick and held a leadership PAC fundraiser in Texas with top Romney donors.

Lansing State Journal: Sen. Carl Levin's bid for re-election questioned
With Carl Levin raising just $13, 206 in the 4th quarter of 2012, staff were "knocking down speculation that Levin won’t seek a seventh term in 2014."

The Hill: Conservatives wary of Rove super PAC
"Tea Party leaders are balking at the creation of a Karl Rove-backed group they consider to be a GOP establishment effort to protect incumbent Republicans against the will of the party’s grassroots — and warn they could back 'alternative' candidates in response."

CPI: Senate lobbying data revamp causing problems for data watchdogs
"A weekend revamp of the U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclose Act database has caused previosly active hyperlinks to hundreds of thousands of lobbying disclosure documents to stop functioning."

NYDN: NRA spent $15 million to oust President Obama from office in 2012, and donated overwhelmingly to Republican candidates
"An analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission reveals that the National Rifle Association and its political action committee spent a whopping $15 million to try and make sure Obama would not be re-elected in 2012, the most the group spent either for, or against, any single candidate."

Sunlight: At least $200k spent in DC on Super Bowl political ads
"Sunday's Super Bowl was the country's top rated sporting spectacle--but viewers in Washington area got something extra: more political ads."

The Hill: Lobbyists rush to shape immigration deal
"Lobbyists are elbowing into the talks over immigration reform to ensure they aren’t left out in the cold when lawmakers move forward with legislation."

CPI: Hillary Clinton's presidential committee officially history
It's official: Hillary 2008 is over--they filed a termination report with the FEC.

Other/States
AP: Spurned Bolling backs Democrats in tie voter ID vote
"Senate Democrats have effectively delayed new Republican voter identification restrictions for another year with Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling siding with them to break a party-line 20-20 tie. "

News and Observer: Stevens, Brubaker are latest lawmakers-turned-lobbyists
North Carolina editorial on state lawmakers becoming lobbyists: "Top legislators-turned-hired-guns advising lawmakers sounds like an opening for well-funded interests to buy influence. It’s time to slow down the revolving door through which legislators return as lobbyists."