In the News
Roll Call: Does Mitch McConnell Have a Conflict of Interests?
By Meredith Shiner“I don’t think outside group spending is the reason why Republicans have nominated a few duds in recent years — and it’s really been a few duds. They’ve been high-profile duds,” said Brad Smith, chairman and co-founder of the Center for Competitive Politics, which supports a rollback of campaign finance restrictions. “I don’t think that’s been a problem with outside groups, that’s a problem with a primary electorate.”
CCP
Media Watch: The New York Times Selective Quoting
By Sarah LeeMake no mistake: there is renewed vigor to assault the First Amendment and attribute negative circumstances to an over-indulgence and respect for free speech. (Remember this piece from Slate just after Benghazi broke? Never let a crisis go to waste as they say…) The New York Times — and I hope I’m wrong — has shown, through selective quote usage, that they may have an affinity for these ideas.
Independent groups
USA Today: Column: ‘Citizens United’ didn’t kill our democracy
By Paul ShermanOver the nearly three years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, the public has been bombarded with criticisms of that decision, particularly as the election approached. Some critics have gotten hysterical, claiming that it is the worst decision since Dred Scott; that it would allow billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson to buy the presidency for Mitt Romney; that it was the very death of democracy itself.
Wall Street Journal: The Super PAC Lesson
In every election there are issues that take up an inordinate amount of media attention but turn out to be sideshows. This year’s champion is Super PAC spending. Liberals first claimed that the Koch brothers and other wealthy donors were “buying” the election, but now that Democrats have won they are claiming that these GOP donors were gullible fools for giving at all. They’re wrong on both counts.
NPR: Was Unlimited Cash Over-Hyped In Election 2012?
The 2012 election was the first since the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizens United and the most expensive in U.S. history. But not much changed. Host Michel Martin discusses the impact of unlimited cash with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mother Jones: The Man Behind Citizens United Says 2012 Has Vindicated Him
By Gavin AronsenLast month, James Bopp, the legal mind behind the Citizens United case that gave rise to super-PACs and the dark-money boom, told me he didn’t really believe Americans were all that upset with the increasing amounts of money spent on politics. “There’s a general cynicism among the American people about politicians and politics,” he said, but “they could care less about campaign finance.”
Candidates and parties
CBS News: Romney earned zero votes in some urban precincts
By Jake MillerPresident Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney in last Tuesday’s presidential election was driven, in part, by the president’s strength in urban areas, where robust support cushioned the incumbent against electoral deficits in rural America. But almost a week after the election, it is now becoming clear just how lopsided President Obama’s victory was in some cities: in dozens of urban precincts, Mitt Romney earned literally zero votes.
Lobbying and ethics
Roll Call: Street Talk: Plum K St. Jobs Scarce in Post-Election Market
By Kate AckleyIf a revolving door between government and downtown actually existed, the line to get through it in the next few weeks would easily snake for miles.
