In the News
More Soft Money Hard Law: Hypotheticals and the Doctrine of Circumvention
By Bob Bauer
The McCutcheon case continues to stir up comment about the hypotheticals the Justices used at oral argument to debate the need for an aggregate limit. Zac Morgan at the Center for Competitive Politics takes on one such hypothetical and suggests that it does not illustrate the need for any such limit. He correctly contends that the anti-earmarking and anti-proliferation provisions of the statute would apply with or without an aggregate limit to prevent the violation the hypothetical was meant to suggest.
NYU: “Polarization” in the “Political World”
Through presentations and panel discussion, the program brought together experts from politics, the media and public policy to discuss how the question of “polarization” has become so prominent in our national policy debate and politics.
Features CCP President David Keating.
Independent Groups
WFB: Donor Disclosure by Center for American Progress Leaves Much in the Dark
By Lachlan Markey
The left-wing Center for American Progress (CAP) released a list of its corporate donors on Friday, but key details of its financial backing remain shrouded in secrecy.
CAP had 55 corporate donors in 2013, according to a list published on its website. Its 501(c)(4) arm, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, had only three corporate donors that year, it said.
Forbes: With His New PAC, Louis Bacon Becomes Latest Hedge Funder To Get Politically Active
By Monte Burke
Louis Bacon, the billionaire hedge funder and philanthropist, and Ken Salazar, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, announced yesterday that they have formed a new conservation-minded political group, called America’s Conservation PAC, which is “dedicated to strengthening our nation’s long-standing, bipartisan tradition of conserving lands and cultural resources for future generations to enjoy.”
The new group is what’s known as a multi-donor, multi-candidate PAC, which can support political candidates through donations.
Reuters: Proposed IRS campaign rules may create strange tax-exempt allies
By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI AND PATRICK TEMPLE-WEST
The IRS rule-writing battle could create some unusual alliances, tax and election lawyers said.
Traditionally nonpartisan groups such as the League of Women Voters, which sponsors candidate debates and produces voters’ guides, object to proposals that would appear to ban such activities during the 60 days before an election.
Meanwhile, both conservative and liberal organizations are likely to argue that the new rules should not restrict their advertising and campaigning tactics.
NY Times: Think Tank Plays Down Role of Donors
By ERIC LIPTON
Senator Warren, who began the debate in a letter last week to the top executives of the nation’s largest banks, asked them to publicly disclose all their contributions to research groups, saying that such donations might create bias.
“If the information provided by think tanks is little more than another form of corporate lobbying, then policy makers and the public should be aware of the difference,” she wrote, not mentioning any of the organizations by name.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Iowa Public Radio: Anti-abortion Group Challenges Iowa Campaign Finance Law
By JOYCE RUSSELL
An anti-abortion group is waiting to hear if the U.S. Supreme Court will reconsider a ruling on an Iowa campaign finance law. Iowa passed its statute in response to the landmark case known as Citizens United.
Disclosure
NY Times: Protests Aim at One Man Who Moved North Carolina to the Right
By TRIP GABRIEL
“It may appear he’s contributing to the community because he has a business,” the Rev. Kojo Nantambu, the local N.A.A.C.P. president, said on Wednesday. “But those are only vehicles to be used to destroy the community.”
Liberal groups that thronged North Carolina’s Capitol over the summer to protest the General Assembly’s abrupt rightward swing are trying to keep the momentum going with holiday pickets at Mr. Pope’s stores across the state. More than a dozen are planned in coming days, including five this weekend.
Often called North Carolina’s equivalent of the billionaire Koch brothers, Mr. Pope has used a family fortune to endow conservative research groups and donate to tax-exempt organizations that unseated Republican moderates as well as Democrats. Gov. Pat McCrory, after becoming the first Republican to capture the executive mansion in 20 years, appointed him budget director last year.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Wall Street Journal: GOP Incumbents Lean on Donors to Beat Back Primary Foes
By Dion Nissenbaum
WASHINGTON—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently delivered a direct pitch to one of America’s top defense contractors: Get off the sidelines and start backing Republicans who will protect military spending.
WFB: Lines Blur Between Eldridge Business and Campaign
By Lachlan Markey
Democrat Sean Eldridge is making large investments in Hudson Valley businesses, but some say his venture capital firm acts as a de facto political operation designed to boost his congressional campaign.
Eldridge, the husband of New Republic editor and “poke” button pioneer Chris Hughes, is looking to unseat Rep. Chris Gibson (R., N.Y.). He has dodged allegations since 2011 that he and Hughes moved to New York solely to make him eligible for a House run.
State and Local
New York –– NY Daily News: NYC Campaign Finance Board Fines Ex-City Council Hopeful For Faked Records And More
By CELESTE KATZ
The Campaign Finance Board on Thursday slapped a former City Council candidate with nearly $18,000 in penalties — including a $5,000 fine for falsifying records and a $6,600 hit for taking a corporate contribution.
James Wu, a business consultant who ran in the 2009 Democratic primary for Council District 20 in Queens, got jammed up when his campaign submitted false documents regarding more than $20,000 provided by the candidate’s brother. Team Wu first reported the money as a loan, but later backtracked and characterized it as an advance payment to a vendor.
