Political Parties
Washington Examiner: A time to revive the party
Lee E. Goodman
This week the Federal Election Commission will vote on a proposal to revive political parties and make them more effective at mobilizing populist political participation. The proposal has the support of Democratic and Republican party advocates who lament the onerous government regulations that have handicapped parties and rendered them increasingly irrelevant.
The principal focus of the party proposal is the effectiveness of state and local parties. State and local parties are the most democratic institutions in American politics today. They are populist associations of local citizens from all walks of life who care deeply about their communities and the country and devote their time and passion — not necessarily their checkbooks — to participate in democracy. I refer to state and local parties as the “Motel 6” of civic engagement because there is always a state or local party office with a light on for people who want to get involved in the political life of America.
Free Speech
The Federalist Society: Free Speech, Anti-Corruption, and the Criminalization of Government Affairs
If we accept the premise that government, and government power, is growing, then the stakes for elective office have never been higher. With the levers of power at stake, are we seeing an increase in the use of the criminal justice system to attack legitimate political activity? Or are we perhaps seeing the proper policing of increased fraud and abuse by those in the political sphere? In a media climate in which a mere investigation can be fatal to a political campaign or career, what actions are political and what actions are criminal, and who should decide?
Independent Groups
Washington Free Beacon: String of Felons Worked With Nonprofit Cofounded by Bill Clinton
Alana Goodman
Numerous former board members and trustees of a charity group cofounded by Bill Clinton have been accused of or convicted of insider trading, campaign finance violations, and other illegal schemes.
The American India Foundation is one of several nonprofit groups in Bill Clinton’s charitable orbit, although it has received less attention than the Clinton Foundation and its spin-offs.
The group was founded in 2001 “at the initiative of President Bill Clinton following a request from Prime Minister Vajpayee” in order to help with the recovery efforts after the Gujarat earthquake. It is currently run by CEO Ravi Kumar.
Huffington Post: How Super PACs And Campaigns Are Coordinating In 2016
Paul Blumenthal
Bush’s super PAC involvement is just the most high-profile example of direct coordination in the supposed pre-candidate period. Republican presidential candidates, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, were all involved with the super PACs supporting them before they publicly entered the presidential race.
In Kasich’s case, every ad aired by two groups that support his candidacy — New Day Independent Media Committee and the New Day for America super PAC — includes footage of the governor talking directly to the camera. Candidates aren’t allowed to appear in footage shot exclusively by a super PAC or other outside group. However, the groups say they shot the footage prior to Kasich’s announcement that he was running for president.
FEC
Washington Free Beacon: Hillary Clinton Wants Colleges to Subsidize Campaign Labor
Brent Scher
Lawyers for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign asked the Federal Election Commission whether an intern working for the campaign could be paid by her college rather than the campaign for the work.
The campaign not only wants DePauw University to pay the female intern for her campaign work, but it also wants the payment to be off the campaign books…
The Clinton campaign has been criticized both for its widespread use of unpaid campaign work and for its treatment of female campaign workers, who make considerably less money than male campaign workers, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.
Buzzfeed: A Federal Agency Inadvertently Just Gave Super PACs More Power
Tarini Parti
As of Friday night, the operatives running super PACs on behalf of candidates can push some legal bounds with even more confidence.
The agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws announced that they are deadlocked on key issues related to the separation between campaigns and outside groups. And in taking no action, the Federal Election Commission — which includes three Democrats and three Republicans — essentially permitted these types of activities in its final opinion released Friday evening by showing that it doesn’t have the required votes needed to take action against them.
“When the commission deadlocks, you can do what you want because it’s clear that there aren’t four votes for enforcement,” said FEC Chairwoman Ann Ravel in an interview, explaining how lawyers will immediately view the inaction.
“That’s what the unfortunate outcome is. That’s not the law, but it’s the practicality.”
Candidates and Campaigns
Politico: Clinton under fire for linking her Wall Street donations to 9/11
Nick Gass
Minutes after Hillary Clinton referenced 9/11 as part of the reason why she has received significant contributions from Wall Street, people on both sides of the aisle pounced or were, at the very least, left scratching their heads to account for it.
“So, I represented New York, and I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked. Where were we attacked? We were attacked in downtown Manhattan where Wall Street is,” Clinton said, in response to a comment from Bernie Sanders about her acceptance of campaign cash from Wall Street executives. “I did spend a whole lot of time and effort helping them rebuild. That was good for New York. It was good for the economy and it was a way to rebuke the terrorists who had attacked our country.”
Roll Call: NRSC Relishes Making Russ Feingold Eat His Own Words
Warren Rojas
Supporters of Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold’s Senate campaign plan to welcome their candidate back to D.C. next week with a fundraiser at 201 Bar — a spot the former lawmaker once cited as a key place where influence is bought and sold.
In a video released by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Feingold tells audience members at the 2012 Chicago Humanities Festival how things really get done in Washington.
“Typically a member of the House or Senate will be having a fundraiser and the lobbyist will bring in a few people and a bunch of checks and this is, you know, the same lobbyist who’s arranging to have meetings and talk to this guy about policy in his office the next day,” Feingold tells the audience. “Hopefully they’re not doing the same thing in the office the next day because that’s illegal. But, I mean, it’s across the street. You know it’s 201 Club or, you know, at the Monocle.”
The States
WKOW: Wisconsin Assembly to vote on GAB, campaign finance bills Monday
Dani Maxwell
The state Assembly will vote Monday on a bill that would get rid of Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board, and another dealing with campaign contribution limits.
Both bills are backed by Republicans and expected to pass. If they do, they’ll go to Governor Scott Walker who is expected to sign them.
Democrats oppose both bills, saying the changes will increase corruption in politics. Republicans argue the bills are meant to protect free speech rights in elections and reform the GAB following critical audits.
The campaign finance bill makes changes in reaction to a series of court rulings and expands contribution limits, plus does away with a requirement for donors to disclose who they work for. It passed the Senate earlier this month.
Milwaukee Courier: Wisconsin’s Slippery Slope to Citizens United
Leon D. Young
Last week, the Republican-controlled Assembly succeeded in ramrodding through legislation that would double campaign contribution limits to $20,000 and allow unlimited anonymous dollars to be given to issue advocacy groups, who may coordinate with candidates under the bill, making Wisconsin the first state to allow such coordination.
Not surprisingly, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has contended that the bill puts the state on equal footing with neighboring states and protects the First Amendment.
