In the News
More Soft Money Hard Law: A Reply to Brad Smith About the State of the Campaign Finance Reform Debate
By Bob Bauer
Brad is correct to say that he does not control the headlines of his op-ed. So to the extent that my argument rested on the reference to the IRS “power grab” in the op-ed headline, Brad is not fairly faulted. I do note, however, that in another of his op-eds immediately before this last one, the title was “The IRS Attack on Political Speech.” Brad’s views have now twice come advertised in this way.
The Libertarian Republic: Welfare for Political Campaigns?
By Joe Trotter
Although the New York City system is often touted as a success, research shows that these programs are simply a waste of money and ineffective at combating corruption.
In fact, experience shows that these sorts of political welfare programs do the exact opposite of discouraging corruption. Over the last twelve years, New York City provided $19 million to politicians later investigated for corruption and abuse of the public trust. Offenses range from illegally leaching money from the city through the use of straw donors to using public money on personal expenses. And, in almost every single case where candidates were granted funds, campaigns went on spending sprees instead of returning excess funds to the city.
CCP
Reality Check: What Does Influence Really Look Like?
By Luke Wachob
Another unfortunate consequence of focusing on definitions is that it pushes campaign finance debates towards the abstract and hypothetical, and away from an equally valuable analysis of how speech actually operates in practice. Failing to anchor discussions to the actual conditions of reality can cause arguments to spiral out of control into the absurd, and thus lead us towards bad laws and regulations.
A good example of this can be found in the attitudes people carry towards corporate speech. Confronted with the abstract question of who should qualify as a speaker able to influence public opinion, many people feel that for-profit entities should not hold sway. The slew of constitutional amendments being proposed in state legislatures followingCitizens United, which generally stipulate that free speech applies only to natural persons, exemplifies this sentiment that corporations just shouldn’t have a voice in public life.
Independent Groups
Washington Times: Feds pick Obama supporter to lead probe of IRS tea party targeting
By Stephen Dinan
The Justice Department selected an avowed political supporter of President Obama to lead the criminal probe into the IRS targeting of tea party groups, according to top Republicans who said Wednesday that the move has ruined the entire investigation.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, and regulatory affairs subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, said they have discovered that the head of the investigation is Barbara Kay Bosserman, a trial lawyer in the Justice Department who donated more than $6,000 to Mr. Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, as well as several hundred dollars to the national Democratic Party.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Sacramento Bee: Michelle Obama to join Nancy Pelosi at fundraiser in San Francisco
By Christopher Cadelago
First lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to make a fundraising trip this month to San Francisco, a White House official confirmed Monday.
Obama will appear with House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, for a “Women’s Lunch” and reception on Jan. 31 at the Fairmont Hotel benefiting the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Politico: The GOP’s money problem: Age
By ANNA PALMER and TARINI PARTI
The void the two leave behind represents an even bigger problem for the Republican Party: just as it struggles to attract younger voters, it also must win over younger elite donors.
Insiders fear that if it can’t, Republicans risk losing ground in the big money race to Democrats, who already rely on younger supporters to fuel their super PACs.
Lobbying and Ethics
Roll Call: The State of K Street
By Kate Ackley
No one expects a boom in the lobbying business this year. But out of the dysfunction and stalemate of 2013, K Streeters see signs of potential work in select areas, including a revival for an old standby: appropriations.
The bipartisan budget deal (tiny as it may have been) from late last year has given lobbyists cause for hope that a return to regular order on appropriations bills will offer them a legislative vehicle to work on behalf of clients.
State and Local
Delaware –– WDDE: GOP chair has questions about state campaign finance investigation
By Sean Carlson
The chairman of Delaware’s Republican party wants the state attorney general to be more transparent about a recent investigation into campaign finance abuse.
GOP chair Charlie Copeland is calling on Attorney General Beau Biden (D) to release documents relating to the costs associated to that investigation; the state commissioned that independent investigation in the wake of a scandal that saw some donors abusing Delaware’s campaign finance laws.
Vermont –– CPR: State Revising, Raising Campaign Finance Limits
By Taylor Dobbs
Lawmakers have reached a deal that would raise campaign contribution limits to statewide political candidates and allow unlimited contributions from political parties to candidates.
Under proposed campaign finance legislation, all candidates would face increased reporting requirements for their campaign funds, but some would be able to collect more money from individual sources.
