Independent Groups
Mother Jones: In the Future, Everyone Will Have a Super-PAC
By Andy KrollCharles Spies has seen the future of American elections, and it is drenched with super-PAC cash—much of it aimed at getting single politicians elected.
Politico: Democratic super PAC targets 10 GOP lawmakers
By Alexander BurnsThe top Democratic super PAC focused on the House of Representatives has picked its first set of targets for the 2014 cycle, assembling a list of vulnerable lawmakers the group will seek to weaken over the next year in order to lay the groundwork for a strong midterm challenge.
Politico: Bloomberg super PAC spent over $9M last fall
By Tarini PariNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC, which went after several opponents of gun control last year, spent more than $9 million in the last few weeks before Election Day, new campaign finance records show.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Reuters: Justice to SCOTUS: Don’t allow direct corporate campaign spending
By Alison FrankelDespite the 2012 election cycle’s disappointing returns on investment for business-friendly political action committees unleashed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, corporate campaign spending remains a hot topic. Earlier this month, you’ll recall, the New York State Common Retirement Fund filed a books-and-records suit in Delaware Chancery court, demanding that Qualcomm shareholders be permitted access to information about the company’s political expenditures. The Securities and Exchange Commission, meanwhile, is considering a proposed rule to require such disclosures, which, predictably, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes. All told, the Center for Public Integrity estimates, Citizens United opened the way for almost $1 billion of new political spending in 2012.
The Hill: Scalia’s dead Constitution
By Brent BudowskyIn the latest example of how the distemper of the right infects the rule of law in America, and why President Obama would enhance his legacy by moving to fill ALL federal judicial vacancies within 60 days, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has reiterated his opinion that the Constitution is not a living document that should reflect the lessons of history but is, instead, a stale document that is (in his words) “dead, dead, dead.”
Disclosure
USA Today: States push political groups to reveal secret donors
By Fredreka SchoutenWASHINGTON — A growing number of states are working to force secretly funded non-profit interest groups to reveal their donors, as these tax-exempt organizations play a bigger role in politics.
Candidates, Politicians and Parties
ProPublica: Obama’s Flip-Flops on Money in Politics: A Brief History
By Justin ElliotWhen President Obama told supporters that he would morph his campaign into a new nonprofit that would accept unlimited corporate donations, the announcement set off a familiar round of griping from campaign finance reformers.
Slate: Senate Democracy Is Dead
By Akhil Reed AmarSenate democracy—not just Senate Democrats—suffered two significant setbacks last week. One wound was partly self-inflicted. The other was mischief worked by judges. President Obama’s wiliest and most subtle adversary—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—has just won big, twice.
Washington Post: Watchdog group hits DNC and Sebelius in new FEC complaint
By Josh HicksA government watchdog group claims the Democratic National Committee has failed to properly disclose its reimbursements for a 2012 trip during which Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius violated the Hatch Act.
