Organizing for Action, the 501(c)4 group the Obama campaign is now transitioning into, yesterday posted a statement of purpose on its website. Laying out gun reform, climate change, and immigration as three priority issues this coming year, the organization also made statements (or non-statements) related to elections and campaign finance law.
 
The website’s FAQ states that neither “OFA nor its chapters will be involved in any way in elections or partisan political activity.“ While, OFA also reiterated that it will voluntarily disclose its donors, it still has not explained how detailed or frequent that disclosure will be. More analysis from the LA Times, Politico.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
Conference Board Review: Navigating Politics—Rethink your company’s political spending
Bruce Freed of the Center for Political Accountability and Karl Sandstrom of the law firm Perkins Coie have a nice piece looking at the question of corporate political spending from the corporate perspective. “This is the approach to take with political spending: Evaluate whether spending is truly in your interest, long-term as well as short-term, narrowly and broadly, and then spend mindfully. This should apply to spending your company engages in directly or through trade associations and other third-party groups.”
 
CNN: Gore: Democracy in America has been 'functionally corrupted'
Missed this: Gore spoke out on Fareed Zakaria’s show about how fundraising has entirely corrupted the political system. “[T]he request for a quid pro quo has become routinely far more brazen than was the case in the past. Fundraisers are often scheduled by special interests according to the legislative calendar when particular bills come up. The same conversations involve legislation and fundraising.”
 
Bloomberg BNA ($$): GOP Complaint: Featuring Lawmakers In Super PAC Video Violated FEC Rules
Several reform groups are also on board with this complaint. “A Feb. 5 letter to the Federal Election Commission from the California Republican Party complained about a newly released video produced by House Majority PAC and featuring seven freshman Democratic members of Congress.”


Congress/Administration
Miami Herald: Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen's letter, an FBI-raided donor's port deal, and the Bob Menendez scandal
The Bob Menendez scandal threatens to pull in more elected officials. Recipients of money from “transactional” donor Salomon Melgen might want to start preparing statements now. “Sources tell The Miami Herald the doctor has asked various members of Congress over the years for help with one of his lawsuits, his port deal, Medicare and a tax issue.”
 
Politico: Karl Rove: More Ashley Judd attacks coming
Rove says that he won’t wait for Ashley Judd to step into the Senate race in Kentucky, he’s going to keep hitting her with super PAC ads. “She doesn’t want a long campaign because this is just the opening story and ad. She’s said a bunch of stuff that the people of Kentucky are not going to like and we are going to lay it out in plenty of time for people to get a handle on it.”           
 
WaPo: President Obama returns to campaign trail to help Democratic candidates
After a record-setting year of fundraisers by a sitting president, Obama is keeping the money train going. “Obama, his party’s top draw for wealthy donors, is planning to headline at least 14 separate fundraising events this year, split evenly between the committees responsible for electing Democrats to the House and Senate.”
 
CPI: Michele Bachmann uses liberal super PAC attack to raise funds
With 63 percent of the astounding $23 million her 2012 campaign raised coming from donations under $200, Bachmann is well positioned to turn an attack into a flood of supportive small contributions. “On the heels of being named one of the first 10 targets by Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC, Bachmann e-mailed supporters on Wednesday to ask for funds to replentish her war chest.”
 
Roll Call: Menendez's Chief of Staff Provides Talking Points to Rebut Scandal
“Sen. Robert Menendez’s chief of staff sent an email to some of his boss’s closest supporters Wednesday that supplies talking points to combat news reports linking the New Jersey Democrat to a potential travel and ethics scandal. The missive offers an inside glimpse into the behind-the-scenes public relations campaign to bolster Menendez’s fortunes.”
 
Public Campaign: Penny Pritzker, Not Just an Obama Donor
Most news organizations have focused on probable commerce secretary nominee Penny Pritzker’s past as a top Obama fundraiser. However, her $870,000 in contributions to campaigns includes much more than that, like donations to Republican presidential candidates in 2000 and 2004 and gifts to 73 Senate candidates, nine of whom now sit on the committee that will hold hearings on her presumed nomination.
Here's a look from the campaign contributions for cabinet posts angle from Mother Jones.
 
Politico: Steve King: Donate to me to stop Karl Rove
King: “I have not made a decision on [running for Senate,] but already Karl Rove and his army have launched a crusade against me … Nobody can bully me out of running for the U.S. Senate, not even Karl Rove and his hefty war chest.” Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley announced he would run for the open Senate seat and formed a committee Thursday.
 
Politico: DCCC Chair: Jan. record in member donations
“Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told House Democrats Thursday the committee had a record-breaking month in terms of member participation, raking in roughly $2 million from members in January.”
 
CPI: Did GOP congressman make illegal super PAC solicitation?
“The six members of the U.S. House of Representative’s Office of Congressional Ethics found “there is substantial reason to believe” that Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., “violated federal law, House rules and standards of conduct” [for] soliciting more than $5,000 for a super PAC.”

Other/States
WaPo: D.C. campaign finance proposals await more public comment
The D.C. Council will wait until spring to address campaign finance reform, so that it can gather public comment first, but don’t hold your breath. “I seriously doubt that the council will enact meaningful campaign finance reform,” said Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), a sponsor of a bill to ban corporate contributions to city campaigns. “I don’t see the majority of the council doing anything significant.”