Independent groups
Huffington Post: The Sage of Monticello Would Be Turning Over in his Grave
By Jamin RaskinSurely the good Justice cannot be referring to the same Jefferson who wrote, on November 12, 1816, “I hope we shall… crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country.”
Politico: For GOP mega-donors, a convention of their own
By KENNETH P. VOGEL and ANNA PALMERIn years past, conventions were a chance to rally the faithful, reward maxed out donors and raise some cash for the national party committees, but that was about it, as the public financing system meant the presidential campaign money race essentially ended at the convention.
ProPublica: Flood of Secret Campaign Cash: It’s Not All Citizens United
By Stephen Engelberg and Kim BarkerThe emergence of nonprofits as the leading conduit for anonymous spending in this year’s presidential campaign is often attributed to the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, which opened the money spigot, allowing corporations and unions to buy ads urging people to vote for or against specific candidates.
Candidates and parties
Wall Street Journal: What I Learned at Bain Capital
By Mitt RomneyThe back-to-school season is here, and as parents take their children to shop for school supplies, I suspect that many of them will be visiting a Staples store. I’m very familiar with those stores because Staples is one of many businesses we helped create and expand at Bain Capital, a firm that my colleagues and I built. The firm succeeded by growing and fixing companies.
Washington Post: Mitt Romney team of ‘Mad Men’ creates ads to sell nation on candidate
By Philip RuckerA colorful team of advertising gurus — including a onetime “Wheel of Fortune” contestant, a guy nicknamed for a “Super Mario” character and a burly Texan who came up with the “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner” slogan — have converged on the campaign’s drab headquarters here to dream up the ads they hope will propel Romney to the White House.
Huffington Post: On Presidents, Stem Cells and the Man Behind Citizens United
By Don C. ReedBut a still greater assist to Republican power was wrought by a man you may not know: conservative attorney James Bopp, Jr.
National Journal: Republican Spending Advantage Growing
By Reid WilsonRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the outside groups that support him have spent more than twice as much as President Obama and his Democratic allies in three of the past four weeks, according to sources watching the television advertising market.
Lobbying and ethics
NY Times: For Big Givers, Cash and Clout Arrive Together
By NICHOLAS CONFESSOREReflecting the new power and prominence of “super PACs” and other groups in the Republican world, Americans for Prosperity, a tax-exempt organization that is spending millions of dollars against President Obama, will hold a reception, “A Salute to Entrepreneurs Building America.” The honorees are David H. Koch, the group’s billionaire co-founder, and Art Pope, a North Carolina businessman and generous donor to conservative causes.
