Independent groups
Politico: Democratic super PACs get jump on 2014, 2016
By KENNETH P. VOGEL and TARINI PARTIWinning changes everything.It took Democrats a while to warm up to super PACs, but their glee over 2012 is — for now — eclipsing any moral qualms about big money eroding democracy, and they’re already busy at work courting their wealthiest supporters and planning even more ambitious efforts for future elections.
Roll Call: Bevy of Fixes Might Complicate Efforts To Reshape Campaign Finance System
By Eliza Newlin CarneyUnrestricted spending in the 2012 elections has created tantalizing openings for advocates of overhauling the campaign finance system, but it’s also fueled a rush of competing remedies that might complicate attempts to rewrite the rules.
Bloomberg: White House Opens Door to Chamber on Fiscal Cliff Talks
By Julie Bykowicz“The chamber expects to have a seat at the table, but the table is set by people it just tried to politically kill,” Dennis Kelleher, president and chief executive officer of Better Markets, a New York-based nonprofit, said in an interview.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Bloomberg: Court Will Reconsider Political Ads on Public TV Ruling
By Karen GulloA federal appeals court in California said it will review its ruling that a law banning political advertising on public television is unconstitutional.
Disclosure
LA Times: States crack down on campaigning nonprofits
By Matea Gold and Chris Megerian,WASHINGTON — Tax-exempt advocacy groups that played an aggressive role in this year’s election are coming under increasing scrutiny from state regulators, who are cracking down on organizations seeking to engage in campaigns without revealing their financial backers.
Tax financing
NY Daily News: From Behind Bars, Hank Morris Calls For Campaign Finance Reform
By KEN LOVETTAs he argued unsuccessfully for his freedom at a recent hearing before the state parole board, Morris said political campaigns should be publicly financed.
Candidates and parties
California Watch: 2 lawmakers accused of money laundering
By Lance WilliamsAs soon as they got the money, the county committees funneled it to Bill Berryhill’s campaign, according to the commission. Bill Berryhill then filed reports falsely saying the money came from the county committees and not his brother, the commission said.
Wall Street Journal: Obama Considers Corporate Funding for Inauguration
By PETER NICHOLASWASHINGTON—President Barack Obama’s fundraising advisers have urged the White House to accept corporate donations for his January 2013 inaugural celebration rather than rely exclusively on weary donors who underwrote his $1 billion re-election effort.
NY Times: Democrats Unlikely to Regain House in 2014
By NATE SILVERDemocrats did not have as strong a performance in races for the United States House of Representatives last week as they did in the contests for the Senate and the presidency. Instead, Republicans retained control of the chamber.
Bloomberg: Barack Obama, Fashion Magnate
By Joshua GreenOne of the funnier story lines of the 2012 presidential campaign was Barack Obama’s decision—or rather, campaign manager Jim Messina’s decision—to inaugurate a fashion line that the campaign sold on its website. This included everything from Thakoon Panichgul silk scarves ($95) to Tory Burch handbags ($75) to Monique Pean hemp-and-cotton scarves ($95) to yoga pants.
