Independent groups
NPR: Rove’s Crossroads GPS Gets Explicit In Anti-Obama Air War
By SV DateFor months, the tax-exempt Crossroads GPS has argued that its anti-Obama ads were merely issue ads and not political ads. No more. Today the group went up with ads explicitly telling viewers to vote against President Obama.
Associated Press: Carter says American democracy threatened by financial influence of secret, wealthy donors
The 39th president lamented a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows unlimited contributions to third-party groups that don’t have to disclose their donors.
The Hill: Democratic super-PAC launches biggest ad buy yet
By Alexandra JaffeA Democratic super-PAC working to regain the majority in the House is launching its biggest ad buy of the election season with $2.2 million in expenditures on races in seven tough districts nationwide.
Disclosure
Associated Press: Minn. to keep enforcing campaign disclosure law
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s campaign watchdog says corporations and other groups are still required to reveal campaign fundraising and spending later this month after a federal appeals court found part of the state’s disclosure law probably unconstitutional.
Candidates and parties
NY Times: Candidates Look to Balance Need for Campaigning With Need for Money
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and ASHLEY PARKERSay goodbye to the traditional fall fund-raising slowdown, when big-dollar bundlers could go back to their day jobs, major donors could put away their wallets and candidates could focus on shaking hands and kissing babies on the campaign trail. For the first time since the inception of public financing, each party’s candidate is declining the money for the general election.
Roll Call: ALEC Finds New Friends
By Janie LorberThe RSC is working quietly with ALEC to host a gathering next Friday at the Heritage Foundation in hopes of establishing an ongoing relationship with the group that would allow federal lawmakers to exchange ideas with state legislators.
Washington Post: Are Elizabeth Warren’s ads not working?
By Sean SullivanDemocrat Elizabeth Warren has hit her share of bumps against Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) during the past few months. As she tries to make a course correction, the fate of her campaign could hinge on her ability to re-calibrate a TV ad campaign which has left some Democrats aching for a shift in tone and message.
LA Times: The campaign dance of hollow promises
By Steve Lopez‘Tis the season of partisan exaggeration and simplification, multimillion-dollar super PAC distortions, and bold, inspired lack of specificity, particularly when it comes to jobs and the economy, a centerpiece of this election.
Lobbying and ethics
The Hill: Probe: HHS’s Sebelius illegally campaigned for Obama on the job
By Sam BakerHealth and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius violated federal law by using her Cabinet position to campaign for President Obama, federal investigators said Wednesday.
