As we continue our effort to keep you up-to-date with all the news on how money continues to corrupt American government and politics, BillMoyers.com is pleased to publish this daily digest of money and politics news compiled and edited by Adam Smith, communications director of the non-partisan campaign finance reform group, Every Voice.
The Washington Post’s Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger have a masterpiece today on wealthy donors complaining that they just aren’t wealthy enough to matter in the age of billionaire-funded super PACs.
Here are a few of my favorite parts:
- “One longtime bundler recently fielded a call from a dispirited executive on his yacht, who complained, ‘We just don’t count anymore.'”
- “What about when I get to the convention? Last time, I was sitting in a box. This time, I may not even get a ticket!”
- “Other bundlers, on the left and the right, are turning their attention to congressional races, where they can get more personal attention,” because as one Democratic fundraiser says, “Senate candidates will call asking for $2,700, and they are eager to talk. When they come to town, they’ll meet with you one-on-one. But $2,700 won’t even get you a parking spot at a super PAC event.”
But don’t miss this quote from a GOP bundler: “I am not going to support the super PACs. I just think it’s morally not right. It’s corrosive on our democracy.”
Because we now need a laugh: the Post reached out to a founding member of 80s new wave band Devo to get his opinion on Scalise’s new “Whip It Good” fundraising committee.
Campaign Finance/Elections
NYT: President Obama Could Unmask Big Political Donors –> On the edit page blog: “In a letter to Mr. Obama, they called on him to issue an executive order requiring full disclosure of political spending by corporations receiving federal contracts, as well as by their directors and officers. He should do so without delay.”
At House Financial Services yesterday –> RT @BartNaylor Rep Capuano says SEC Chair White’s refusal to require political spending disclosure shows she is captured by industry.
Billings Gazette: House Gets Campaign Finance Bill to Floor –> Watch Montana this week as it tries to pass a bipartisan dark money disclosure bill.
Reuters: US Appeals Court Questions Challenge to SEC Pay-to-Play Rule –> “A US federal appeals court raised doubts on Monday about whether two state Republican parties can legally challenge a federal pay-to-play rule that puts restrictions on investment advisers who make contributions to certain political candidates.”
NYT: Schools Need Albany’s Help, Now–> Editorial on budget negotiations in Albany has this: “Public financing of campaigns is a must. The state needs to close damaging loopholes that allow unlimited donations for party slush funds or that allow the creation of multiple limited liability corporations to evade contribution limits.”
NYT: Campaign Finance Reform Turns to Reward and Punishment –> I think the key thing here is the need for innovative ideas to get more people engaged in the political process.
Maryland State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D), who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year on the Democracy for All Amendment, will run for Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) seat.
Congress/Admin/2016
NYT: Jeb Bush Returns to the Washington Fund-Raising Well –> Last month, Jeb Bush said “I’m not an expert on the ways of Washington,” but “even as he positions himself as a Washington outsider, he seems to have mastered a skill that is crucial in this city: tapping into the money-raising clout of the K Street lobbyists, political operatives, superlawyers and business leaders in Washington’s permanent class.”
NYT: Hillary Clinton Caught Between Dueling Forces on Education: Teachers and Wealthy Donors –> Oh man, the headline alone is something but, “The pressure is from not only the teachers who supported her once and are widely expected to back her again, but also from a group of wealthy and influential Democratic financiers who staunchly support many of the same policies… that the teachers’ unions have resisted throughout President Obama’s two terms in office.”
WSJ: Can Small Donors Power a GOP Presidential Campaign? –> “But the big question for the 2016 presidential campaign is whether small-donor fundraising — particularly email solicitations — can counterbalance the vast sums of money being raised through outside groups and at high-dollar fundraising events.”
The Hill: Cruz Says He’s Raised $1M Since Launching Bid –> “Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday he has raised $1 million in the 36 hours since he officially launched his bid for the White House.”
WaPo: If the Campaign Finance System is Scandalous, Let’s Treat it That Way –> Good piece from Paul Waldman on yesterday’s news about a secret Scott Walker donation and the need for more investigative pieces on such things: “It may not be a story with all the sexiness of the latest exchange of insults and faux outrage between campaigns. But it’s far more important in the long run. It’s often said that when it comes to campaign finance, the real scandal is what’s legal, and I’m sure most reporters think that’s true. So they ought to treat that story the same way they treat the rest of the trivial things we give the name ‘scandal.'”
WaPo: The Remarkable Universe of 2016 Politicians and Their PACS, Charted –> Helpful resource: “We took Gold’s list of PACs affiliated with possible 2016 candidates and plotted them in a table showing, first, the state of the person’s candidacy and, second, the PACs that are lined up behind them.”
NYT: Cheney Rallies Troops and Rakes In Cash at G.O.P. Dinner –> “Dick Cheney can still pack a house. Or in this case, a museum. Republicans raked in more than $17 million at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s spring dinner Tuesday night…”
Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was asked about Goldman Sachs and whether they were good or bad. He said bad when “they seek out and get special favors of government.” One wonders how they could pull off such a feat! (Flashback: the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission literally wrote about the lobbying and campaign cash of Wall Street in its report on the 2008 collapse).
POLITICO: Can Cruz Win the Oil Primary? –> Who will win the Big Oil primary?
POLITICO: Jeb Fundraiser Gets Special Guest: George W. –> “On Wednesday, the former Florida governor, who stresses in public appearances that he is his ‘own man,’ heads to Dallas for his first fundraiser of the year with George W. Bush.”
Sunlight: Lobbyists and Contractors Fete Senators, Fuel McConnell –> Mostly from lobbyists and PACs: “Just days after the start of the 114th Congress, the Republican from Kentucky pulled down more than $80,000 for one of his campaign committees at a bash celebrating his rise to the perch of Majority Leader.”
Every Voice: McConnell’s War on Plans to Slow Global Warming Fueled by Coal Money –> And we look at the energy (and Wall Street money) that might be behind McConnell’s recent attack on the EPA.
CRP: Big Industries Gave to Democrats Who Strayed on EPA Bills –> “Two bills passed by the House last week that would redefine how the EPA considers science, and what science it can consider, have attracted huge interest from big EPA-regulated industries that have shown a preference for contributing to GOP campaigns — and to the handful of Democrats who voted with the Republicans.”
WaPo: The Most Important Number in Indiana’s New Senate Race –> Sen. Dan Coats (R-Indiana) won’t run for re-election and former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) has $9.9M in the bank but he doesn’t seem interested.
The Hill: Centennial Renews K Street Brawl Over Armenian ‘Genocide’ Resolution –> “Lawmakers in the House are pushing to mark the 100th anniversary of mass killings of Armenians during World War I with a controversial resolution that would officially label it an act of genocide. Coming at the centennial, the proposal — which dates back decades — has reignited a lobbying battle, with each side more resolved than ever.”
Chicago Tribune: Jesse Jackson Jr. to be Released from Prison to Halfway House, Friend Says –> “Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is being released from a federal prison Thursday and will move into a halfway house, according to a friend and former House colleague.”
Rep Aaron Schock’s (R-Illinois) former fundraiser is not happy –> “The last time I saw Aaron was February 8, 2015. I have tried to text, email and call, but with zero response. Right now, I feel like someone we thought we knew really well died.”
Bloomberg: Transparent Win for Political Disclosures –> “US Steel Corp. today becomes the latest corporation to agree to disclose its spending on candidates, political parties, ballot measures and other political activities.”
CRP: Netanyahu Taps Paul’s (and Cruz’) Digital Gurus –> “That digital strategy was mostly engineered by an American consulting firm, Harris Media, which was recently hired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to manage his unofficial presidential campaign.”
Other/States
WSJ: Legislators on Lookout as Scrutiny of Them Intensifies –> Albany continues to inspire: “In this capital city’s hallways, hotels and bars, lawmakers from both parties are wondering: Who’s wearing a wire?”
WaPo: Report: VA Governor Received Special Treatment from Homeland Security –> This EB-5 program keeps raising questions: “The long-anticipated report found no evidence of law-breaking. But members of the department’s staff perceived Mayorkas’s actions as ‘politically motivated,’ and the report concluded that he had ‘created an appearance of favoritism and special access.'”
To read more go to everyvoice.org.
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