By ALLISON HAYWARDAs the John Edwards jury deliberates, we should focus not just on his potential incarceration, but on what a guilty verdict could mean for all campaign finance regulation.
By Joe TrotterAttempting to unmask all internet commenters is more than just a waste of time; it is an affront to the civil liberties of all New Yorkers. Disagreeing with an anonymous person on the internet does not entitle one to that person’s personal information, and for good reason.
By MARY ANASTASIA O’GRADYThere is no doubt that the 39-year-old Mr. O’Rourke was helped enormously, as Mr. Reyes charged, by heavy spending from an anti-incumbent super PAC. But the more likely reason for his success was his ability to tap into broad dissatisfaction among voters of every stripe who are fed up with the status quo in Washington.
By Heidi PrzybylaWhile the presidential campaign commands the most attention, Senate Democrats are bearing an early television advertising assault by Republican-leaning groups that is reshaping those races.
By Mike Allen and Jim VandeHeiRepublican super PACs and other outside groups shaped by a loose network of prominent conservatives – including Karl Rove, the Koch brothers and Tom Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – plan to spend roughly $1 billion on November’s elections for the White House and control of Congress, according to officials familiar with the groups’ internal operations.
By Eliza Newlin CarneyAs the Supreme Court mulls the first direct challenge to its 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, reform advocates have lobbied the court to revisit and fully debate the constitutionality of corporate political spending.
Disclosure
By Dan EggenWatchdog groups cheered a federal court ruling earlier this year aimed at revealing the secret donors behind many political interest groups, calling it a bold step in favor of disclosure.
Candidates and parties
By SEUNG MIN KIMHouse Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) shrugged off the notion that an anti-incumbent wave is under way this year.
By Michael Barone“Axelrod is endeavoring not to panic.” So reads a sentence in John Heilemann’s exhaustive article on Barack Obama’s campaign in this week’s New York magazine.
By Ben GemanSolyndra and Bain Capital have become the battleground on which President Obama and Mitt Romney are warring over who would best lead the U.S. economy.