In the News
NY Post: Hillary’s hummus
EditorialBradley A. Smith, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics, says that while this may look fishy, it’s all legal so long as Hillary Clinton hasn’t formally announced she’s running for president.Most interesting of all, it’s been met with mostly silence from all those people who think the Koch brothers are evil for funding commercials that support their beliefs.“Until she declares,” Smith said, “she’s pretty much free to do what she wants, but there is a point at which, if you look and walk and sound like a duck . . . ”
IRS
Washington Post: Here are the government agencies that get sworn at the most
By Philip BumpIt’s really a remarkable moment for people who like data. The Internet, with all of its numbers and whatnot, allows us to examine things in bulk that once were nearly impossible to unearth. Like, for example, people who offer public comments on proposed federal regulations that include some of our more popular/extreme swear words.The catchily named Regulations.gov offers an online database of precisely that. When a government agency proposes a new regulation, it goes through a period in which anyone can write in and advocate for/complain about the idea. (More the latter, usually.) Regulations.gov has a breadth of information related to the regulatory process, but the most colorful language comes once the public gets involved.An important note. There were two words that we focused on in our analysis, one of which starts with an F and one of which starts with an S. Other words didn’t come up as often, or were also commonly used nicknames for men named Richard, or what have you. So we focused on F and S, which have been replaced below with the words “FUDGE” and “SHOOT.” Not because we’re prudes, but because that is funnier.
Independent Groups
Politico: Democrats win PACs, lose money war
By Kenneth P. VogelDemocrats finally caught up to Republicans in the super PAC battle, but it didn’t matter, partly because they got crushed in the overall big-money war.New reports to the Federal Election Commission show that Democrats, who had been leery about embracing the new big money politics until recently, far outpaced Republicans in the fundraising by super PACs, which are required to report their contributors’ identities.But voluntary disclosures by other outfits suggest Republicans more than made up for the disparity through their dominance of secretive non-profit groups that do not disclose their donors.
NY Times: NY Times: A Pro-Clinton ‘Super PAC,’ Ready for Hillary, Is in Debt
By Nicholas ConfessoreThe pro-Hillary Rodham Clinton “super PAC” Ready for Hillary has won over tens of thousands of small contributors, built a finance committee that includes hundreds of big-name Democratic donors, and raised more than $11 million since it was founded early last year.But as of Thanksgiving, Ready for Hillary was also in debt. According to disclosures filed late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, the group had $875,626 in the bank on Nov. 24, but also owed a $1 million loan from Amalgamated, the union-tied bank that is the lender of choice for Democratic candidates, parties and super PACs.
Business Insider: Warren Buffett Makes His First Donation Ever To An Independent Political Group
By Matt JohnstonWarren Buffett has just done something he’s never done before. The third richest man in the world just gave $25,000 to “Ready For Hillary,” a group raising money to help Hillary Clinton get to the White House, according to Bloomberg.That is the maximum amount of money the organization allows an individual to give.As Bloomberg notes, he’s given lots of money in the past to party committees and candidates, but he’s stayed away from political action committees — until now. This is his first ever donation to an independent political group.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Politico: The Ruth Bader Ginsburg taboo
By Burgess EverettSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back on the bench after a hospital stay where doctors implanted a stent — another health scare for the octogenarian and two-time cancer survivor.And while Ginsburg approaches her 82nd birthday, she has announced no plans to leave her post in the final weeks before Republicans take the Senate, a scenario even Ginsburg herself has predicted will leave Barack Obama unable to get an ideologically similar nominee confirmed.But try to get Democrats to engage on whether Ginsburg should step aside and all you’ll hear are responses that sound like denial.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Reporter: Conservatives to court: Open up records on GAB’s role in John Doe
By MD KittleAttorneys for political activist Eric O’Keefe and the Wisconsin Club for Growth, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit claiming the GAB overstepped its authority and misused taxpayer money in doing so, argue that unsealing the information is critical to the public’s right to know.The accountability board has argued since the lawsuit was filed in late May that it is bound by state confidentiality law, and that releasing any information related to the investigation could expose the agency to criminal liability.Not so, say the attorneys for O’Keefe and the Club. They argue that the GAB, the regulator of state campaign finance and election law, may be prohibited from releasing the documents, but the targets of the probe – O’Keefe and the Club – certainly are within their rights to do so. Ultimately, the GAB could be secured from legal consequences through the judge’s protective order.
State and Local
Alaska –– Amanda Coyne: Unintended consequences: Libertarian will be joining APOC Commission
By Amanda Coyne“We aren’t anarchists,” he said. “We do believe in some government and holding public officials accountable is part of that.”He said that if he were commissioner, he would push for more transparency and work to help to clarify the “byzantine” rules which can intimate people who want to serve. It’s a complaint often heard about APOC.“I once asked if I had to put a ‘paid-for’ disclaimer on a balloon, and they had to think about it,” Fish said.
Arizona –– Arizona Daily Star: Registration rule for political groups ruled too vague
By Howard FischerPHOENIX — A federal judge has voided state laws requiring groups to register before spending money on campaigns — and with it, the reports they’re supposed to file on who is behind all that cash.Judge James Teilborg accepted arguments by challengers that the statute dictating who must register is “vague, overbroad, and consequently unconstitutional in violation of the First Amendment.” Teilborg said that means it cannot be enforced.Deputy Secretary of State Jim Drake said his office will ask Teilborg to delay the effect of the ruling, made late Friday, to provide a chance for an appeal. If nothing else, Drake said his office needs time to figure out how badly this undermines years of laws designed to give the public a better idea of who is contributing to political campaigns.
Hawaii –– AP: Gov. Ige’s campaign stayed under spending limits
HONOLULU Hawaii Gov. David Ige was the first successful gubernatorial candidate in two decades to stay under the state’s spending limit and qualify for public funds.The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported (http://bit.ly/1vrwYW2 ) Saturday that Ige spent $2.4 million — or roughly $11.25 per vote — to win the state’s highest office.Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie spent $5.7 million, but he was the first governor in Hawaii ever to lose re-election in a primary.
