In the News
The Hill: The Virginia bait and switch
By Brad SmithBut McDonnell’s foibles are not about campaign contributions or campaign finance laws. Rather, they involve personal gifts given not for campaigning, but to pocket in exchange for official action. If the McDonnell scandal represents a failure of the law (it’s not clear that it does – McDonnell is being prosecuted), it is those “ethics laws” that are relevant, not the much broader category of campaign finance that McGehee leads with and mentions repeatedly.Political activists have long sold campaign finance regulation like a 19th century patent medicine – “it’s good for what ails ya.” Campaign finance reform is offered up as the cure for almost any real or perceived scandal, policy failure, or any thing people don’t like about politics and government. Reform legend “Granny D” even offered up campaign finance reform as a prevention for future 9/11 type events.It’s a rather shameful game the “reformers” play, but apparently they’ve decided that when “money in politics” is the issue, cutting a few corners of intellectual honesty seems like the ethical thing for “good government” advocates to do.
Independent Groups
Wall Street Journal: Ad Barrage in Alaska Senate Race Set to Escalate
By Reid J. EpsteinMr. Sullivan’s nomination on Tuesday in Alaska’s GOP primary is fueling Republican hopes of claiming the seat as part of its effort to win a Senate majority. Mr. Sullivan was the choice of many establishment Republicans as well as of the Club for Growth, a prominent group that has backed tea-party challengers to GOP incumbents.His victory means there will be no GOP general election candidate in a competitive Senate race who wasn’t backed by party leaders—a contrast to the last two cycles, in which conservative insurgents won primaries and, in some cases, lost what were considered winnable seats.
Gov. Perry Indictment
More Soft Money Hard Law: “The Criminalization of Politics”
By Bob BauerSo to worry about the criminalization of politics requires agreement about what should be included in the definition of normal “politics”. When does a contribution express support for legislative action and when does it “buy” it? When does a politician pledging certain actions reasonably hope for contributions from those who want him to do it—and when he is “selling his office”? When does the concerted action of candidates and allies groups represent smart, desirable coalition politics, and when does it fall within the zone of illegal “coordination”?.In various ways, these brands of politics and others have already been “criminalized” but not with consistent clarity of purpose. Tom Edsall has pointed out that the political corruption bandied about in political debate, and that inspires various political reforms, is not clearly defined. And yet it is corruption that, denounced in strident, moral terms, gives rise to calls for criminal penalties–for the invocation of the most severe sanction that a legal system can impose upon a wrong-doer.
Disclosure
Wall Street Journal: Wall Street Isn’t the Political Baddie It Used to Be
By Patrick O’ConnorAs political villains go, Wall Street seems to be enjoying something of a reprieve.No industry was more battered on the airwaves in 2012 than the financial-services sector. Candidates, parties and outside groups aired a total of more than 280,000 political ads that mentioned Wall Street, “Big Banks,” corporate “bailouts” or some other reference to the industry, according to a tally by Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks advertising for campaigns and outside groups. Even when presidential ads are stripped out, the total spots eclipsed 200,000 airings.That’s not the case this year. By mid-August, roughly 15,000 ads aired that referred to Wall Street or the financial-services industry, according to CMAG numbers, a sliver of the 2012 tally. The theme has only surfaced in 28 races, including a handful of governors’ races.
Kochs Obsession
Wall Street Journal: Those Koch Attacks Are Working
By Kimberley StrasselMr. Reid’s Koch attacks also appear to be depressing donor giving to GOP Super PACs that could run their own attack ads and even the odds. Super PACs have to disclose their donors. That hasn’t bothered Democratic billionaires like former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, climate activist Tom Steyer or hedge-fund titan James Simon —all of whom have given multimillion-dollar donations to Senate Majority PAC.But Republican insiders say the Koch attacks, and the IRS targeting (and audits) have made Republican donors skittish of donor disclosure. They are still writing checks, though much of the money is going to 501(c)(4) organizations that don’t have to disclose their funding sources.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Washington Post: For political fundraising e-mails, ‘Hey’ is out. 😀 is in.
By Jaime FullerWhy all the emoji? “The age when people sat down at a desktop computer a couple times a day to check their email is over,” writes Matt Compton, the DNC’s digital director, in an e-mail. “We’re living in a world where people are constantly plugged into their mobile devices. We want to talk to our supporters where they are — and we want to make sure we’re getting their attention when we need it. Sometimes, that means we need to get creative with an emoji or two.” The DNC did not comment on how the emoji e-mails are performing.
AP: In July, DNC outraises RNC
The Democratic National Committee squeaked past its GOP rival in fundraising last month, but the Republican National Committee still has a bigger bank account, according to finance reports filed Wednesday.The DNC raised almost $9.3 million in July and went into August with more than $9.6 million saved for November’s elections. The RNC says it raised $8.4 million last month and has almost $14 million in its account.
The Daily Beast: Former Congressman May Be Future Convict
Rivera has faced criminal scrutiny almost since he was first elected to Washington over allegations of campaign finance irregularities as well as over an alleged $500,000 payment from a dog track. But what might finally take the slippery South Floridian down is his involvement in a bizarre scheme to back a candidate in the 2012 Democratic primary for his seat.In an attempt to weaken Democrat Joe Garcia, who eventually defeated Rivera in the general election, the Republican congressman recruited Justin Lamar Sternad to run against Garcia in the primary and funded Sternad’s campaign. Throughout the campaign, Sternad, a political unknown, repeatedly attacked Garcia in mail pieces, which were funded by roughly $82,000 in illegal campaign contributions.Rivera never dealt with Sternad directly. Instead, Alliegro ran the Sternad campaign. When she first came under investigation, she fled to Nicaragua, where she was arrested in March. And while Alliegro was on the lam in Central America, Rivera reportedly visited her several times.
State and Local
California –– LA Times: California Senate OKs bill targeting activities of indicted Calderons
The California Senate on Wednesday approved new campaign rules in response to a controversy involving the political activities of suspended Sen. Ronald S. Calderon and his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, both Democrats from Montebello.The measure, which next goes to the governor for consideration, prohibits elected water board members throughout California from accepting campaign contributions of more than $250 from sources with business pending before their board.
New York –– Capitol New York: Bill seeks more disclosure for certain campaign spending
By Sandy GoldenbergA bill to require more disclosure for the sources of unlimited spending in New York City elections is on its way to passage.The measure easily cleared a City Council committee on Wednesday and is likely to pass when the full Council votes on it Thursday. A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said the mayor will sign the legislation, meaning it would become law well before the 2017 citywide elections.The law would require that far more information be made public regarding “independent expenditures,” a term that refers to the money that pours into elections but is not directly given to a political candidate.
