In the News
Wall Street Journal: McGurn: The Chick-fil-A War Is Back On
By WILLIAM MCGURNMr. Smith says that many Americans who favor disclosure do not perceive that these requirements might make them targets. For example, if you were a gay-marriage supporter working in the midst of an evangelical Christian business in a deep-red state, would you want your boss and co-workers to know you gave $100 for a gay-rights referendum? Obversely, if you were a young professor at Harvard up for a tenure vote, how comfortable would you be with your colleagues’ knowing you had contributed to a tea-party initiative?
Bloomberg: Aflac and Chubb Join Ranks of Companies Expanding Disclosure
By Jonathan D. Salant“Many corporations are feeling pressure from faux ‘shareholder rights’ groups to adopt such policies, or to exit the political arena entirely,” said Smith, chairman and co- founder of the Center for Competitive Politics, an Alexandria, Virginia-based group that opposes campaign finance regulations.
CCP
IHS/CCP Video Collaboration: Video #2 – Is Money Speech?
By Sarah LeeCCP Founder and Chairman Bradley Smith appears in video number 2 of the Institute for Humane Studies’ Learn Liberty Series featuring campaign finance issues, questions, and policies. This time, Smith asks listeners to provide their own thoughts on whether or not they think money equals speech in elections.
Independent groups
NY Times: Conservative ‘Super PACs’ Synchronize Their Messages
By Jeremy PetersSo they operate largely from the same playbook, sharing polling data and focus group research to develop many of the same lines of attack. And they are being careful to keep their efforts consistent with the themes being emphasized by Mitt Romney’s campaign.
Burlington Free Press: Vermont GOP alleges improper coordination between Sorrell, super PAC
By Sam Hemingway and Terri Hallenbeck“Governor Dean’s role with both entities allowed Committee for Justice and Fairness SuperPAC to make improper coordinated expenditures with the Sorrell campaign so that it was as though General Sorrell himself had made the expenditures,” Lindley’s letter stated in part.
Candidates and parties
Washington Post: Romney’s nightmare scenario
By Ezra KleinIf you just compare the Romney and Obama campaigns, Obama’s actually got a cash advantage. Up until August, the most recent month for which fundraising numbers are available, Obama raised $337 million to Romney’s $194 million. He’s also got about $88 million on-hand, as compared to Romney’s $50 million. That’s in part because Romney wasn’t the clear nominee until a few months ago, leaving Republicans who wanted Obama out of office unsure where to put their money. Many of them sent that money to the Republican Party itself.
USAT: Obama has edge in political merchandise
By Gregory KorteThe Obama campaign has bought four times as much gear to sell to supporters — T-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and the like — as Republican rival Mitt Romney, according to a USA TODAY analysis of campaign-finance reports.
NY Times Blog: Romney Camp Talks of Dialing Down Fund-Raising
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and ASHLEY PARKERWhen President Obama and Mitt Romney decided to decline public financing for the general election and raise hundreds of millions of dollars on their own, the upside was clear: No spending limits and effectively unlimited resources to spend taking their message to voters.
Lobbying and ethics
AP: Lobbyists, staff aided Lt. Gov. Owen’s nonprofit
By Mark BakerOwen’s office staff used taxpayer-funded time to help conduct the operations of the anti-bullying organization that he founded, state records show. The Democrat also worked with lobbyists to help raise money for the nonprofit.
State House News: Lobbyists claim overreach by Galvin
By Matt MurphyPROMINENT LOBBYISTS HAVE filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State William Galvin claiming the state’s chief lobbying enforcement officer overstepped his authority by trying to force registered lobbyists to disclose every public official with whom they’ve had communication over the past six months.
