CCP
I’m Brad Smith, and I approve this message.
By Brad SmithMy favorite line from Obama’s acceptance speech last night: “If you’re sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me — so am I.”
Independent groups
TNR: How I Got Ejected From a Super PAC Reception
By Noam ScheiberCHARLOTTE—At about 3:45 on Tuesday afternoon, I headed over to a restaurant called Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen in downtown Charlotte, just a block or two from the Time Warner arena, where the convention was about to start. A source had told me about a reception being held by the three big Democratic “super PACs,” the shadow groups that have grown up to support political candidates—in this case the Obama campaign and a variety of current and would-be members of Congress. Like most political reporters, I’ve been intrigued by the mechanics of super PAC fundraising pretty much since they arrived on the scene in 2010. I figured they would be worth observing up close.
Associated Press: NY super PAC regulations may not apply to 2012 elections
By Michael GormleyALBANY (AP) — ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is cracking down on high-profile campaign attacks by secretive, well-funded super PACs, but the regulations requiring specific disclosure on spending and donors that were drafted months ago likely won’t be final this election cycle.
Politico: Terry McAuliffe: I’m not focused on super PACs
By Kenneth VogelMcAuliffe, a powerhouse fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns, said he was focusing on raising money for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign and candidates in Virginia, where he is openly weighing a 2013 gubernatorial bid.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Reuters: No new disclosure in sight for money groups before election
By Alina Selyukh and Patrick Temple-WestWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Political advocacy groups pumping millions of dollars into the U.S. elections are about to circumvent a court-ordered deadline on Friday that opponents had hoped would rein them in and shed light on their secret backers.
Reuters: The Supreme Court’s next corporate campaign finance quandary
By Allison FrankelIf you hate the current state of campaign finance, in which corporations and non-profits exert influence through trade associations, political action committees and so-called “Super PACs,” you can’t lay all of the blame at the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which held that corporations and labor unions have the same First Amendment rights to free speech as individuals.
Disclosure
Reuters: No new disclosure in sight for money groups before election
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Political advocacy groups pumping millions of dollars into the U.S. elections are about to circumvent a court-ordered deadline on Friday that opponents had hoped would rein them in and shed light on their secret backers.
NPR: As Election Nears, Keeping Donors A Secret Is Trickier
By Peter OverbySome of the groups running ads this election season haven’t been required to disclose their donors. But as Election Day draws nearer, some of the rules are changing, making campaign ads a riskier business for those who want to keep donors a secret.
Candidates and parties
Politico: 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions: Being there beats online
By Tony RommCHARLOTTE, N.C. — For all the buzz about tech companies tearing down the figurative walls of party conventions to involve every American online, there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical that the physical event will come to an end anytime soon.
NY Times: Race Is On in Earnest as Candidates Hit the Road
By JEREMY W. PETERS and HELENE COOPERSIOUX CITY, Iowa — Mitt Romney’s plane touched down here on Friday, and with it arrived the beginning of what is expected to be the most expensive and intense political advertising war ever.
NPR: Who Benefits In Money Game, Democracy Or Donors?
Pro-Republican groups are way ahead of pro-Democratic ones in raising that money, thanks in part to wealthy donors. According to New Yorker writer Jane Mayer, that has been President Obama’s Achilles’ heel — his aversion to cultivating wealthy donors for his campaign.
