CCP
Recapping the year of the super PAC
By Sarah LeeAs we enjoy the relative radio silence of all things related to super PACs, campaign finance, the influence of the misnamed “dark” money in politics, contribution limits, disclosure of donors, and unfounded fears over non-profits’ roles in campaign fundraising, we offer, ironically, a radio clip on what to expect in 2013 from big donors who became nearly household names in the 2012 presidential election.
Independent Groups
Roll Call: Political Spending Sets New Records During Tumultuous Year
By Eliza Newlin CarneyPolitical spending set new records in 2012, which saw the first presidential election since the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.
Huffington Post: The Year the Rich Couldn’t Buy
By Rev. Al SharptonThe end of the year is often a time of reflection; a time to process all the great lessons of the past 12 months. While 2012 brought many challenges, it was also a remarkable year for progress and for the people. Whether it was our united response to voter suppression tactics, or our pushback against the continued attacks on women, or the dedication of countless Americans standing in line for hours to vote, we watched as the power of the wealthy faltered under the sheer will and power of the people. In conclusion, 2012 was simply the year that the rich couldn’t buy.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Washington Post: ‘Democracy and Disdain’ misses the point of judicial review
By George WillKarlan’s disdain for the Citizens United decision — which held that Americans do not forfeit their First Amendment rights when they choose to speak collectively through corporate entities — is muddled. She denounces “spending by outside groups” without explaining what they are outside of. Evidently she accepts the self-interested assumption of the political class — the parties and candidates — that elections are their property and independent participants are trespassers. Karlan approvingly quotes the unsubstantiated assertion of Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer — itself disdainful of elected officials to whom Karlan urges vast deference — that contributions “buy candidates’ allegiance.” She seems unaware that abundant social science demonstrates that contributors respond to candidates’ behavior, not the reverse. And when darkly warning about campaign contributions from corporations’ “management,” she seems unaware that much of the corporate political spending is by nonprofit advocacy corporations — Planned Parenthood, not Microsoft.
Constitution
NY Times: Let’s Give Up on the Constitution
By LOUIS MICHAEL SEIDMANAS the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions.
Disclosure
TPM: My Rights. My Privacy. My Everything.
By John MarshallAs you’ve probably heard, there’s a growing furor about the decision of a suburban New York newspaper to publish a database of the names and addresses of registered gun owners in two New York counties (Rockland and Westchester) just north of New York City. The data is already in the public domain. You or I could have accessed it a week ago. But it’s a little different to have it in a fingertips-ready web 2.0 form.
Washington Post: Our states vouch for transparent campaign financing
By Ron Wyden and Lisa MurkowskiTake it from two United States senators from both sides of the aisle who have decades of experience in public life: Campaign-finance rules have a tremendous impact on the public policy agenda in Congress. Contrary to the popular perception, the prospect of getting — or not getting — a check from an individual or political action committee does not drive the typical decision on Capitol Hill. But decision-making is often colored by the prospect of facing $5 million in anonymous attacks ads if a member of Congress crosses an economically powerful interest.
NPR: Conservatives Invoke NAACP Case In Fight For Secret Donors
By PETER OVERBYHere’s a question: What do Republican strategist Karl Rove and civil rights icon Rosa Parks have in common?
Candidates, Politicians and Parties
The Hill: Udall warns Senate majority at risk in fundraising plea
By Alexandra JaffeHe goes on to warn that in 2008, before the Citizens United Supreme Court case provided for the creation of super PACs, “millions of dollars in outside funding poured into Colorado to stop my bid for U.S. Senate.” His race saw a high influx of outside money in 2008, but he managed to win in purple Colorado with a 10-percentage-point lead over his Republican challenger.
State and Local
California –– LA Times: Lawmakers try to curb anonymous political donations in California
By Michael J. MishakThe moves were prompted largely by an Arizona group’s $11-million donation this year to a California campaign committee, which used the money to oppose Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-hike measure and support another ballot initiative that was intended to curb unions’ political fundraising.
Tennessee –– Knoxville News Sentinel: Better disclosure needed if election finance caps lifted
EditorialTennessee lawmakers will consider next month a plan to repeal the state’s caps on political campaign contributions, while requiring faster and fuller disclosure. With the memory of recent national and state elections during which political candidates accepted and spent record amounts of money — $2.1 billion in the presidential race — one might legitimately ask: There were caps? Who knew?
