CCP
The Reality of the DISCLOSE Act
By Sarah LeeBrad Smith was interviewed Friday on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal where he was asked about the newest version of the DISCLOSE Act. He reiterates the problems with every version of the DISCLOSE Act — that the legislation in ever iteration is, at its heart, a partisan piece of legislation that seeks to keep some groups from speaking in elections and campaigns.
Independent groups
Roll Call: IRS May Strengthen Oversight of Politically Active Nonprofits
By Eliza Newlin CarneyIn a potentially significant move hailed by reform advocates, the IRS has signaled that it will consider changing its regulations for politically active tax-exempt groups.
The New Republic: Citizens United? Don’t Worry Your Pretty Heads About It
By Alec MacGillisEveryone loves a good counter-intuitive story, but Washington loves one sort in particular: the kind that assures us all that something we’ve been led to believe was a worrisome problem is, in fact, not all that big a deal after all, thus allowing us to return to watching “Veep” or “The Newsroom.” Yesterday’s New York Times Magazine offered a classic of this form, a Matt Bai piece arguing that the Citizens United ruling of 2010 is not nearly as responsible for the boom in campaign spending by outside groups as those whiny goo-goo types make it out to be:
Huffington Post: ‘Dark Money’ Nonprofit Rules Will Get Review, IRS Letter Says
By Paul BlumenthalThe IRS’ announced review of rules governing 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofits that are funded by undisclosed “dark money” comes in response to a series of letters sent by the campaign finance reform groups Democracy 21 and Campaign Legal Center. The groups had jointly petitioned the IRS not only to review the regulations governing this class of nonprofit, but also to individually investigate specific groups, including Karl Rove-linked Crossroads GPS, pro-Barack Obama Priorities USA and the American Action Network, which is headed by former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.).
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Politico: Election of Supreme importance to Court’s future
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN and JOSH GERSTEINBut the nation’s highest court still serves as one of Obama’s best tools for raising money and waking up his base.
Candidates and parties
NY Times: The Politics of Anything Goes
By THOMAS B. EDSALLHe is running a two-track campaign. One track of his re-election drive seeks to boost turnout among core liberal groups; the other aims to suppress turnout and minimize his margin of defeat in the most hostile segment of the electorate, whites without college degrees.
Politico: Democrats shun Nancy Pelosi’s plea for cash
By ALEX ISENSTADTOne by one, the pictures of House members adorning the lobby of Democratic Party headquarters have come down, turning neat rows of framed photos into a disjointed mess — “splattered,” as one aide described it.
Roll Call: House Members Fight on Message
By Daniel NewhauserIndeed, House Republican leaders had some trouble staying on message amid the noise, with topics both parties called sideshows dominating the news narrative.
Lobbying and ethics
Politico: Big companies spend less on lobbying
By Dave LevinthalAn increasingly idle Congress is causing atrophy in many of the nation’s most muscular political forces.
Politico: K Street’s continuing slump
By Anna PalmerK Street is suffering a slowdown, and business may not pick up much until after the November election.
