In the News
Reuters: Election results raise questions about impact of Citizens United
By Alison Frankel“In a lot of races big money interests threw a lot of money at campaigns and lost,” said Michael Beckel of Public Integrity. Added Allen Dickerson, legal director of the pro-business Center for Competitive Politics: “The major takeaway is that voters are still sovereign. The fact that you can spend money to get your message out doesn’t mean that people will like your message.”
CPI: Spending by outside groups topped $1 billion by Election Day
By Michael Beckel“There were a lot of competitive races, and super PACs were one of the key reasons why,” said Keating, who added that the nascent groups “helped keep Romney competitive,” especially between April, when GOP rival Rick Santorum dropped out of the presidential primary race, and the Republican National Convention in August.
Independent groups
Huffington Post: Super PACs, Outside Money Influenced, But Didn’t Buy The 2012 Election
By Paul BlumenthalFrom the evidence provided by the past two years of outside spending in the presidential race, you can, however, buy a bit of anarchy, a certain amount of time and a megaphone that only really works when it is joined with a compelling narrative.
Huffington Post: California Prop 32, Ballot Measure Aimed At Hobbling Political Power Of Unions, Defeated By Voters
By Aaron SankinThe controversial California ballot measure Proposition 32, which had the potential to significantly hobble the power of labor unions, was defeated by a margin of 56.1% to 43.9%.
Denver Post: AMEND 65: Voters back campaign finance measure, despite lacking legal legs
By Carlos IllescasAmendment 65, which would theoretically stop the influence of corporate spending in political campaigns, was projected to win by The Denver Post, netting more than two-thirds of the votes.
Washington Times: Shadow groups with unknown funders enter election fray
By Luke RosiakElection Day is upon the nation, and groups that did not even exist just weeks ago are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to sway voters, while the big-money advertisers are switching to boots-on-the-ground tactics.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Court House News: Federal Contractors Still Can’t Support Candidates
By BARBARA LEONARDWASHINGTON (CN) – It is constitutional for Congress to bar government contractors from contributing to political candidates, parties and their committees, a federal judge ruled.
Candidates and parties
NY Times: Divided U.S. Gives Obama More Time
By JEFF ZELENY and JIM RUTENBERGBarack Hussein Obama was re-elected president of the United States on Tuesday, overcoming powerful economic headwinds, a lock-step resistance to his agenda by Republicans in Congress and an unprecedented torrent of advertising as a divided nation voted to give him more time.
USA Today: Some House members caught in scandals survive tense night
By Alan GomezMost members of the House of Representatives who battled through scandals secured victories on Election Day, but a few couldn’t escape the cloud hovering over their campaigns.
Lobbying and ethics
Washington Times: False: Obama makes last-minute claim to have barred lobbyists from White House
By Dave BoyerBut the order has a loophole that allows the administration to grant waivers for former lobbyists to serve in government jobs. The administration has used the loophole many times.
