Independent groups
Huffington Post: Citizens United and Forked-Tongued Candidates
By Trevor BurrusCitizens United’s victory in the Supreme Court helped strip the FEC of some of this arbitrary power. For example, under the law struck down in Citizens United, The Obama Effect, a recent movie about a man who devotes his life to getting President Obama elected in 2008, could easily have been banned by the FEC as an improper “electioneering communication” financed by a corporation. It would have been left to the discretion of FEC regulators to determine whether the movie is improper political speech. Even movies such as Zero Dark Thirty, the upcoming film about the Osama bin Laden assassination, are not exempt in principle from the FEC’s watchful eyes.
NY Times: The Campaign-Super PAC Revolving Door
By ANDREW ROSENTHALRahm Emanuel announced today that he was stepping down as co-chair of the Obama campaign in order to help raise money for Priorities USA Action, a super PAC that supports President Obama, but of course never, ever coordinates with the campaign, because that would be illegal.
New Jersey Newsroom: The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ of campaign finance law
By Jeff BrindleIn an ironic twist caused by a recent court ruling, independent, non-profit groups that run issue-oriented broadcast ads during federal campaigns now must disclose their contributors and spending if those ads mention the candidate’s name. Previously, most such ads could avoid donor disclosure by simply refraining from an explicit appeal for the election or defeat of a candidate.
SCOTUS/Judiciary
Associated Press: Appeals court says Minn. corporate political disclosure requirement likely unconstitutional
By STEVE KARNOWSKIIn a 6-5 decision, the full 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a three-judge appeals panel and backed a challenge filed by the anti-abortion group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and a travel agency. The court backed their argument that the law impermissibly inhibits the freedom of speech of associations and corporations, and it sent the case back to a lower court where it said the groups and agency are “likely to win on their First Amendment claim.
Taxpayer Financed Campaigns
The Small Donor Revolution: Empowering Citizens to Combat Influence-Money in Politics
By Fred WertheimerOn August 22, 2012, the Brennan Center and Democracy 21 issued a report and new proposal for financing congressional elections. The proposal would engage and empower citizens in the political process by matching in-state contributions to candidates of up to $250 per donor with public funds at a 5 to 1 ratio.
Candidates and parties
Huffington Post: Barack Obama Campaign Finance Reforms Fiddled While System Crumbled
By Paul Blumenthal“All the candidates have always made decisions about what was best for their candidacies,” said Nick Nyhart, president of the campaign finance reform group Public Campaign. “Each step away, I believe, was a decision predicated on which system will allow [the candidate] to raise the most money.”
The Atlantic: Obama’s Chance to Keep His Reform Promise
By Lawrence LessigFour years ago, Obama’s campaign focused on “change.” But not just the change described in Michael Grunwald’s book The New New Deal. (And to pretend it was that sort of change alone would be The New Newspeak.) As well as calling for the “change” of sensible, substantive policies, Obama told us again and again that we needed to “change our politics.”
Charlotte Observer: Duke CEO Rogers rides political, corporate intrigue into DNC
By Bruce HendersonDuke contributed money – it won’t say how much – to help attract the convention to Charlotte. It guaranteed an unusual $10 million line of credit, prompting protests outside its headquarters by conservative picketers. Stockholders would pay for any default on the credit line. Duke also let the host and DNC committees use 53,000 square feet of vacant space it leases uptown.
Politico: Verdict is in: Obama levels more personal attacks
By JOHN F. HARRIS and ALEXANDER BURNSWith a few exceptions, Romney has maintained that Obama is a bad president who has turned to desperate tactics to try to save himself. But Romney has not made the case that Obama is a bad person, nor made a sustained critique of his morality a central feature of his campaign.Obama, who first sprang to national attention with an appeal to civility, has made these kind of attacks central to his strategy. The argument, by implication from Obama and directly from his surrogates, is not merely that Romney is the wrong choice for president but that there is something fundamentally wrong with him.
Politico: Democrats lower sights on donors
By Kenneth VogelLiberal donors in Charlotte have been confronted with a simple message — if you and your friends don’t dig deeper to boost our super PACs, we could lose — from some of the biggest stars in Democratic politics including Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Paul Begala.
Washington Post: Worried Democrats scramble to close fundraising gap with GOP
By Peter Wallsten and Tom HamburgerThe anxieties, expressed in back corridors and late-night bar-stool conversations, spilled into public view Wednesday with the announcement that Obama’s former White House chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was quitting his honorary position with the president’s campaign to devote his time to helping raise big-dollar contributions for a pro-Obama super PAC called Priorities USA Action.
