CCP
Spending and Amending: The Past and Future of Citizens United (Part One: Independent Spending Increase?)
By Tom SwansonIf the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC were going to turn the campaign finance world on its head, one would expect the 2010 elections to indicate that independent groups were spending and advertising in greater numbers. To evaluate this proposition, Michael M. Franz of Bowdoin College compared spending by independent groups in 2010 and 2008. Franz found that “interest groups in 2010 increased their advertising totals over 2008 by 168 percent in House races and 44 percent in Senate races.” Independent groups ran significantly more ads in 2010 than they had in previous election years, especially in races for House seats. Franz characterizes this as a “dramatic spike in airings,” but he notes that “on the other hand, levels of advertising increased from other sponsors.”These findings likely indicate that the increase in airings was not caused by Citizens United alone, since advertising by candidates, which was unaffected by the case, increased as well. In fact, the candidate advertising spike was a mirror image of the independent group spike, as candidates for the House of Representatives “aired 26 percent more ads over 2008 and Senate candidates boosted their ad totals by 61 percent.” This may indicate that independent groups strategically spent more in House races, where candidates were spending less of their own funds on advertising, and spent less in the Senate, where candidates were spending well above 2008 levels. Therefore, it is too early to guess how much of the increase in 2010 was caused by Citizens United and how much was caused by what Francia characterizes as “overall inflation in campaign spending.”
Independent Groups
Forbes: Claim Citizens United Attorney Broke Charity Tax Law Doesn’t Hold Up
By Peter J. ReillyUnfortunately, I think that Mr. Bopp and his firm did give JMFCS its money worth, which is why CREW is so pissed at him. I don’t like the Citizens United decision any better than CREW does. I almost wish that Mr. Bopp was a sleaze ball running a phony not for profit and taking people’s money and not doing anything. Instead he ran his not for profit very lean, put almost all the money that came in into litigation and won some important cases supportive of the causes that JMFCS advocates.
Candidates, Politicians and Parties
Roll Call: Gay Couples Could Face Different Campaign Money Rules Across States
By Nathan L. GonzalesFor example, Democrat Sean Eldridge is expected to challenge GOP Rep. Chris Gibson in New York’s 19th District. Eldridge is married to Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who Forbes estimated was worth approximately $700 million in 2011.Before the Supreme Court decision, Hughes could contribute a maximum of $2,500 per election to his husband’s campaign. If the FEC agrees with the DSCC, Eldridge could use “jointly held assets” as “personal funds” under the same guidelines as married heterosexual couples.
Lobbying and Ethics
Roll Call: Does the DOMA Ruling Affect Ethics Rules?
By C. Simon Davidson
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act could certainly have implications under House ethics rules. The word “spouse” appears almost 150 times in the House Ethics Manual, and the Supreme Court’s decision could come into play almost every time it is mentioned, particularly for members and staffers in state-recognized same-sex marriages.
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Washington Examiner: To salvage Obamacare, White House hires lobbyist for drugmakers, hospitals
By Tim CarneyPresident Obama has hired a lobbyist for drugmakers and hospitals to try and right the chaotic implementation of Obamacare. This further exposes the fraud of the president’s anti-lobbyist rhetoric.
State and Local
California –– Bakersfield Californian: State investigating Ward 1 election hit piece
By THEO DOUGLAS“We’re officially investigating that, Winuk said. “We do a lot of mass mailer pieces. A lot of times, we have to go hunt down whoever sent it, but at least this time we know who sent it.”The complaint accuses Martinez of being behind a mailer “hit piece” sent out “(on) or about June 1,” that Langdeaux believes unfairly linked Rivera, a coordinator for the 16th State Senate District, to his former boss, Michael Rubio, who resigned the seat in February.
New York –– NY Times: Spitzer Rejoins Politics, Asking for Forgiveness
By MICHAEL BARBARO and DAVID W. CHENThe son of a wealthy real estate developer, Mr. Spitzer said he would pay for the campaign himself, forgoing the city’s public financing system. The race is expected to cost several million dollars.
