Independent Groups
Washington Post: We got way too excited over money in the 2012 elections
By Ezra KleinBut I think this panel needs to begin on a note of humility. The simple fact is that if you had followed the election simply be reading stories about money in politics, then those stories — which included a lot of very alarming quotes from people in this room — would’ve led you far astray. You would’ve done much worse than my simple, stupid model did in June.
Mother Jones: Inside the Democracy Alliance, the Liberal Answer to the Koch Donor Network
By Andy KrollWhat’s often left unmentioned in coverage of the Kochs’ gatherings is that Democrats and progressives do the same thing. The Democracy Alliance is an exclusive group of about 100 funders, founded in 2005 by Democratic strategist Rob Stein. Members include billionaire financier George Soros and Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes, who owns the New Republic magazine. Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times was recently given a rare glimpse inside the Alliance’s operations, and she came away with a useful, fascinating story.Since 2005, the Alliance has directed roughly $500 million to left-leaning organizations, including the Center for American Progress think tank, the watchdog Media Matters for America, and the political data firm Catalist. The Democracy Alliance, as an organization, does not make donations; instead, leaders of left-leaning organizations pitch the group’s members, and the Alliance recommends which causes its wealthy members should support. Members must give at least $200,000 annually to Alliance-backed organizations, on top of a $30,000-a-year membership fee.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
NY Times: Corporations Find a Friend in the Supreme Court
By Adam LiptakIn the eight years since Chief Justice Roberts joined the court, it has allowed corporations to spend freely in elections in the Citizens United case, has shielded them from class actions and human rights suits, and has made arbitration the favored way to resolve many disputes. Business groups say the Roberts court’s decisions have helped combat frivolous lawsuits, while plaintiffs’ lawyers say the rulings have destroyed legitimate claims for harm from faulty products, discriminatory practices and fraud.
Corporate Governance
Sacramento Bee: Will the SEC save us from Citizens United?
By Jessica LevinsonAn unlikely government agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, may help to stem the tide of undisclosed money pumping through our political system in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. The SEC is not the first government agency that comes to mind when thinking of campaign finance regulations. The SEC is charged with protecting investors, maintaining markets and aiding in capital formation.
Lobbying and Ethics
Roll Call: Lobbyists Keep Freshmen Coming Back for More Checks
By Kent CooperFor new freshman members of Congress, it’s rare to get a maximum contribution so early in the election cycle from a person at a lobbying firm. Lobbyists like to make a moderate-size contribution, either at the rate for a particular fundraising event, or small enough so that the member has to call again to ask for another contribution. It creates another opportunity to talk.
State and Local
New York –– Reuters: N.Y. senator charged with stealing funds for failed campaign
By Jessica DyeJohn Sampson, 47, a Democrat who has represented southeastern Brooklyn since 1997, was charged with nine counts including embezzlement, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.
New York –– NY Times: Second Albany Legislator Secretly Taped Colleagues
By THOMAS KAPLAN and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUMOn Friday, prosecutors disclosed that Shirley L. Huntley, when she was a Democratic state senator from Queens, had secretly recorded conversations with seven elected officials and two other people after she was confronted by the F.B.I. and asked about her alleged participation in criminal schemes involving embezzlement and bribery.The revelation that Ms. Huntley was taping conversations suggested a widening dragnet in Albany: the spectacle of two sitting lawmakers — one a senator, the other an assemblyman — independently recording conversations at the behest of federal authorities.
New York –– NY Times: Corruption in Albany
EditorialMr. Sampson, who pleaded not guilty, is the former leader of the Democratic caucus in the Senate, a big catch for prosecutors and another huge embarrassment for New Yorkers. He also becomes the 32nd state politician to be indicted or convicted of a crime, censured or otherwise accused of misbehaving in the last seven years. Alan Hevesi, the former state comptroller, went to jail as part of a pension scandal. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace. Nearly two dozen state senators and Assembly members have been accused and convicted. Assemblyman Vito Lopez, once the Democratic power broker in Brooklyn, was censured for harassing young women on his staff.
