CCP
(A Rare Positive) Media Watch: WSJ on Soros Donations to Super PACs
By Joe TrotterThe Wall Street Journal hit the nail on the head.
CCP President David Keating in NYC for Commit Forum, Oct 2-3
By Sarah LeeALEXANDRIA, Va. — CCP President David Keating will be a featured speaker at tonight and tomorrow night’s Commit Forum in New York City, a two-day workshop that calls on business and organizational leaders to make a commitment to “change the world.”
Independent groups
Roll Call: Liberal Super PACs Announce New House Race Advertising
By Abby LivingstonA super PAC led by Jonathan Soros, the son of liberal financier George Soros, today announced the eight lawmakers it will target via direct mail, phone contact and Internet advertising.
Wall Street Journal: Samuel L. Jackson Shakes Up Political Video Charts
By Tim Hanrahan and Michael CrittendenBoth videos were funded by Jewish Council for Education & Research, or JCER, a super PAC backed by Alexander Soros, son of billionaire George Soros.
Washington Post: Americans for Prosperity puts big money on legislative races in Arkansas
By TW FarnamPARAGOULD, Ark. — Arkansas is not a battleground in the presidential race, being solidly in Mitt Romney’s camp. It doesn’t have a U.S. Senate contest or gubernatorial election this year. Even its four House races are not considered competitive.
Politico: Crossroads groups swamp airwaves
By Dave LevinthalThe Karl Rove-backed American Crossroads super PAC and Crossroads GPS non-profit group spent more than $20 million in late September on TV and radio ads attacking President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats.
Washington Examiner: 9 of 10 superPAC ad dollars are Republican
By Paul BedardElection ad spending by superPACs, mostly Republican, has soared to unprecedented levels in key battleground states, some of which have seen an increase of over 200 percent since the 2008 presidential election, according to an authority on TV advertising.
Associated Press: Horne faces campaign finance allegations
By PAUL DAVENPORTPHOENIX (AP) — A county prosecutor on Monday accused Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne of illegally coordinating his 2010 election campaign with a separate group supposedly operating independently and said he’ll demand that hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions be returned.
Disclosure
Roll Call: Rules of the Game: Shining a Light on Political ‘Dark Money’
By Eliza Newlin CarneyHistorically, the IRS has protected the anonymity of donors to 501(c)(4) social welfare groups, along with other tax-exempt organizations such as 501(c)(3) charities and 501(c)(6) trade groups, and for good reason. As the Supreme Court established in its landmark 1958 NAACP v. Alabama ruling, anonymity protects potentially unpopular citizen groups from government intrusion.
Candidates and parties
Politico: A pollster under oath
By Josh GersteinWhen a pollster or strategist for a struggling political campaign presents what seems like a sugar-coated view of his candidate’s chances, do you ever think: I wish I could give that adviser some truth serum, or maybe put him under oath?
Huffington Post: RNC Cash Advantage: Republicans Use $5.3 Million Recount Fund To Bolster Total (UPDATE)
By Sam Stein and Paul BlumenthalThe RNC has taken in a whopping $5.29 million in donations for a recount fund that could be accessed if the results in the Nov. 6 election are indecisive. In the committee’s Federal Election Commission filings, the money is being counted among the $282,795,014 in total donations that it has received during the current electoral cycle. After the August fundraising period, the committee claimed to have $76,569,658 in cash on hand. In actuality, that figure is close to $71.2 million.
Lobbying and ethics
STL Public Radio: Mo. Sen. candidate wants ban on all lobbyist gifts to state lawmakers
By Marshall GriffinA Democratic candidate for the Missouri Senate is calling for a ban on all gifts from lobbyists to state lawmakers, and accusing his opponent of accepting more gifts and free meals over the past decade than any other Missouri legislator.
