CCP
Materiality and corporate political disclosure
By Allen DickersonAlison Frankel yesterday discussed shareholder activism in an interesting blog post on Thomson Reuters. She references my concerns about the relationship between materiality and corporate political disclosure. For the interested, I’d like to expand on the concept.
Independent groups
Washington Post: Obama super PAC: Bashing Bain works
By Rachel WeinerSome Democrats may not like it, but Obama’s allies argue that aggressive attacks on former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital are working.
Huffington Post: Romney Targeted By Priorities USA Action And SEIU In New Spanish-Language Ads
By Sabrina SiddiquiPresumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is “a person without feelings” who doesn’t care about the Hispanic or Latino population, according to a new set of television and radio ads released by pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action and labor group Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on Wednesday.
Washington Examiner: Correcting misconstructions
By C. Boyden GrayIt has become conventional media wisdom that the recent Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare was necessary to protect the court from yet another politicized, partisan 5-4 decision on top of George W. Bush v. Al Gore and Citizens United. Yet that characterization of those two decisions is a media misconstruction that must be corrected, as should the growing consensus that the insurance mandate is a “tax” only for constitutional analysis but otherwise a penalty for all legislative and political purposes.
Politico: Obama super PAC poll: Anti-Romney offensive moves swing states
By Alexander BurnsVoters in five 2012 swing states have moved noticeably away from Mitt Romney since the Obama super PAC began attacking his business background on the air, according to polling conducted for the group Priorities USA Action.
Disclosure
Pro Publica: Broadcasters Make Emergency Motion to Block Transparency Rule
By Justin ElliottThe National Association of Broadcasters, an industry group representing television stations around the country, is asking a court to block the implementation of a new rule that will put political ad information online before it goes into effect next month.
Candidates and parties
Politico: GOP unnerved by Democrats’ candid camera techniques
By ALEX ISENSTADTThat ratcheting up of the video surveillance game is unnerving Republicans who insist that even by political standards, it’s a gross invasion of privacy. Worse, they say, it creates a safety risk for members of Congress and their families at a time when they are already on edge after a deranged gunman shot former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords 18 months ago.
FEC
Roll Call: FEC Gridlock No Help to Obama Campaign
By Justin WorlandBut, as in many policy areas, Obama’s big plans for campaign finance reforms never quite panned out. Despite repeated pleas to Obama from watchdog groups to strengthen or even appoint new commissioners to the Federal Election Commission, the president had other priorities. Now Obama, swamped by unrestricted spending on behalf of his GOP opponent, has asked the FEC for help. But some reform advocates say it’s too little, too late.
