Campaign Finance
Forbes: Campaign Finance Laws Don’t Clean Up Politics, But Do Erode Our Freedom
By George LeefHere is a case to consider. In 2011, the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills proposed a bond issue. One citizen, Dina Galassini, did not want to see the measure pass and let her feelings be known by emailing 23 of her fellow residents to organize a campaign against it. She and her co-conspirators made some signs they would wave around town to generate opposition.Sounds like a pure instance of democracy in action, right?Ah, but Ms. Galassini’s email was brought to the attention of Fountain Hills election officials, who wrote her a stern letter informing her that she could engage in no further political speech until she had properly registered as a political action committee (PAC). Under the law, whenever two or more people associate for a political purpose and either spend money or seek contributions, they are required to register under Arizona law. All PACs must file regular reports, keep records for at least three years, and disclose all donors who contribute over $50.That’s a substantial burden for ordinary folks who just want to make their opinions about political matters known.
Independent Groups
Wall Street Journal: Which Is Jeb Bush’s Group, and Which Is His Supporters’ Group?
By Rebecca BallhausThat part is pretty standard. But a more unusual move came in the simultaneous launch of a Right to Rise super PAC by Mr. Bush’s allies. The super PAC — a different type of fundraising entity — shares its name and assistant treasurer with the traditional PAC, and the two bear similar logos and websites.Super PACs differ from PACs in that they are prohibited from coordinating with a candidate’s campaign, and in turn are allowed to raise money without contribution limits. Campaign-finance law also places constraints on the amount of money candidates can help raise for super PACs supporting them. In this case, the number of similarities between the two groups—one clearly working with Mr. Bush and the other technically not allowed to do so—could raise eyebrows.But there’s just one hitch: Mr. Bush—unlikely nearly every other major Republican considering a presidential bid—isn’t currently a candidate or an office-holder. That means the restrictions on super PACs don’t apply to him, campaign-finance experts said, allowing him to raise money for both groups and work directly with strategists behind each.
DCist: Anti-Marijuana Legalization Advocates Violated Campaign Finance Laws
In response to the allegations against TIE D.C., head William Jones testified in a recent hearing with the OCF that “TIE D.C. was nothing more than a blog that he started to inform the public about the proposed initiative by voting against it.” Jones also stated that he was the chairperson for the “No On 71” initiative, which he argued was the political committee he started to officially campaign against marijuana legalization.But on September 17, 2014, TIE D.C. officially launched what was perceived to be a bona fide campaign. They even held a press conference outside of the Bible Way Church to announce their campaign. “T.I.E. D.C. is committed to protecting these communities and the rest of the city from the consequences of legalizing a third recreational drug,” Jones said at the presser in September.According to the OCF’s allegations, TIE D.C. “may have begun as a blog, but it eventually became a full scale political movement, which was required to register with the OCF,” but it never did. Moreover, the OCF says that TIE D.C. never filed a receipt and expenditure report, which any organization or committee raising funds for campaigning are supposed to do.
CPI: Guess who’s behind 2015’s first super PAC?
By Michael BeckelLess than a week into the new year, the first super PAC of 2015 has officially formed — and it’s not the group anticipated to bolster a Jeb Bush presidential bid.A super PAC called “We the People, Not Washington” registered with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, according to new documents released by the agency.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Media Matters: Media Ignore Supreme Court Case On Campaign Finance In Judicial Elections
By Meagan Hatcher-MaysThis case gives the conservative justices of the Supreme Court yet another chance to roll back restrictions on campaign finance — which they have steadily gutted since 2010’s Citizens United decision allowing millions of dollars to flood the federal election system. Most recently, the court struck down aggregate campaign limits in 2014’s McCutcheon v. FEC, making it easier for wealthy donors to contribute to a virtually unlimited number of candidates and political parties.Yet a Media Matters analysis of Sunday morning talk shows (ABC’s This Week, CBS’ Face the Nation, and NBC’s Meet the Press) as well as nightly news programs (ABC’s World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News, NBC’s Nightly News, and PBS NewsHour) reveals just one segment that covered the Williams-Yulee case since it was appealed to the Supreme Court — the October 2 edition of PBS NewsHour.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Roll Call: Parties Poised to Exploit Broad New Rules | Rules of the Game
By Eliza Newlin CarneyWhen Congress moved quietly late last year to permit much larger contributions to the political parties, some experts cast the rules change as, at best, an improvement on the old system, and, at worst, inconsequential.“This isn’t going to be a game changer for big money in politics,” Jonathan Bernstein, political scientist and columnist, said of the higher limits. The limits now allow an individual to give as much as $1.7 million to the parties in one election cycle — an exponential increase over the previous per-cycle cap of $64,800.“For those who want more transparency, this means more accountability in political fundraising,” Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus declared in USA Today. The rule’s cheerleaders enthuse that strengthening parties tempers partisanship and frees parties to better compete with unrestricted and increasingly influential outside groups that often operate outside the disclosure rules.
Washington Post: Romney huddling with key members of 2012 team tonight
By Robert CostaFormer Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has been encouraged by his allies to consider another run for the White House, will meet with several of his former political advisers Wednesday in Menlo Park, Calif., for a private dinners.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Reporter: State lawmakers look to investigate the GAB and its investigators
By M.D. KittleState Rep. David Craig, R-Town of Vernon, is one of the more vocal proponents of establishing a special legislative committee to investigate the GAB. He said the sooner lawmakers take up the issue, the better.“There are some very serious allegations about the GAB,” he said. “When you have what is tantamount to a conspiracy of government agencies to abuse First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights, this is a grievous situation that needs to be investigated to the utmost.”“The public needs to know what this government agency is capable of.”
