As we continue 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.
President Obama made a few jokes about money in politics at the White House Correspondents Dinner. On the Kochs: “Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker: who will finally get that red rose?” (I’m not implying anything here but I basically made that joke last week.)
Jeb Bush, who has somehow gotten away with not declaring his candidacy yet, “told about 350 of the top donors to his super PAC on Sunday evening that the organization has raised more money in 100 days than any other Republican operation in modern history, according to several people in attendance.”
According to The New York Times, “the figure does not comprise ‘hard dollars’ – the type of capped donations he’ll raise in maximum $2700 chunks once he declares in the next two months – but his team has privately signaled plans to use the super PAC differently than it has typically been used.” At the same event, he said, “I don’t think you need to spend a billion dollars to be elected president of the United States in 2016.” More on the retreat.
There’s been a lot of talk about the new Clinton Cash book and Eleanor Clift writes for The Daily Beast, “but if the data in Schweizer’s upcoming book, Clinton Cash, survives the vetting it will get from the mainstream media, Clinton will have to clean up her act. Aside from actual wrongdoing, and there’s no evidence of that, this is about the appearance of conflicts of interest, and in politics, appearances are everything.” Common Cause called for an audit. Washington Post editorial.
Campaign Finance/Elections
New Haven Register: How to fight back against big money in politics –> Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) have this op-ed on money’s influence over policy and why they support the Government By the People Act: “With Congress pursuing these kinds of special interest-driven priorities, millions of everyday people are convinced that their vote — and their voice — do not matter. They are left with little incentive to participate in our democracy. This should sound the alarm bells in Washington. It should catalyze a creative and sustained push to restore the public’s faith in government.” NH Independent.
At a press conference Sunday with the Brennan Center and Common Cause NY, “Senator Kirsten Gillibrand [announced she is introducing] legislation to expand online voter registration, which would allow all eligible voters across the country to register online.”
NYT: A Better Way to Rein In Lobbying –> Lee Drutman has this op-ed on how to rebalance the system: “Give government the resources it needs to think for itself and to develop policy without having to depend almost entirely on outside lobbyists.”
AP: Effort to repeal Clean Election law faces opposition –> This line says everything you need to know about a bill in Maine to repeal the Clean Election Act: “No one testified in support of the measure.” MPBN.
Brendan Boyle: Congressman Boyle Joins Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the House in Call for Restoring People-Powered Politics –> Nice to see House freshmen like Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) talking about our broken campaign finance system: “As a young, newly elected Member of Congress, I am especially aware of the impact our broken system has on young voters. Understandably, they feel disconnected and disillusioned, like their voice doesn’t matter because it is only as loud as their wallet is big.”
HuffPost: Gotham Needs Batman. Washington Needs Mary Jo White –> Rachel Butler and Lisa Gilbert write, “The SEC alone can secure fair markets and empower investors with a common-sense rule that requires disclosure of political expenditures by public corporations.”
Congress/Admin/2016
NYT: Intense Lobbying Failed to Assure Comcast’s Deal –> Even Comcast’s lobbying army couldn’t overcome this bad deal for consumers: “Comcast, at least until this deal, had a near-legendary reputation in Washington for leveraging its connections.” The Hill, POLITICO.
CRP: Despite Predictions, Business is Down on K Street –> “Some K-Street watchers predicted that the first quarter of 2015 would mark a return to boom times for lobbyists, what with a new GOP-dominated Congress digging in to legislation. But success for some of the top firms does not appear to have translated into a pickup overall. Once again, the first quarter of the year saw an overall slide in lobbying revenues.”
CNN: Campaign finance debate heats up ahead of 2016 –> “Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton lamented the amount of money that can influence elections during a recent stump speech. Pressed at town halls, potential Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie and Lindsey Graham have offered their own solutions. And just for good measure, a Florida mailman landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of the US Capitol to bring attention to the cause.”
WaPo: Why the 2016 GOP race may be more like 2012 than the party hoped –> Politics is the new yacht racing for rich people: “The 2016 Republican presidential contest, designed to be a tidy affair, is instead shaping up to be a chaotic, drawn-out slog, thanks largely to an expanding pool of rich patrons raining money on a broad field of candidates.”
Oregonian: Big-money presidential campaign comes to Portland –> The 2016 campaign started in Oregon last week, sort of. For donors, not actual voters: “But if the first sign of 2016 in Portland didn’t put a candidate on public display, it did give us a clear vision of the campaign. With the encouragement of the Supreme Court and technology, this clash of red America and blue America is going to be all about green.”
WSJ: Kasich Weighs Odds, Money in Possible Presidential Run –> Ohio Gov. John Kasich elaborated on his possible presidential run Sunday, saying that he’ll decide based on his fundraising outlook and odds of success.”
NYT: How Super PACs Can Run Campaigns –> Editorial: “Super PACs are supposedly independent of the candidate’s campaign, but that distinction has just about vanished.”
Des Moines Register: Iowans have great ideas for a better future –> In an op-ed in Iowa, Clinton writes about the “four big fights I’m taking on for you,” including: “We can fix our dysfunctional political system and get unaccountable money out of it once and for all, even if that takes a constitutional amendment.” Earlier this month, I put together this list of suggestions for her campaign finance plan.
AP: Clinton Foundation acknowledges mistakes in revealing donors –> “The acting chief executive of the Clinton Foundation says the global philanthropy is working quickly to remedy mistakes it made in how it disclosed donors, saying that its policies on transparency and contributions from foreign governments are ‘stronger than ever.'”
Bloomberg: No Evidence of Clinton Foundation ‘Quid Pro Quo,’ Republican Governor Says –> “Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson cautioned members of his party Sunday against overconfidence when it comes to Schweizer’s blockbuster claims.” Schweizer on Fox News Sunday.
Washington Times: Ted Cruz: Clinton Foundation should return all foreign donations –> Before heading to Vegas to woo Adelson, “Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wants former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to return all donations made by foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation.” (Flashback: Adelson’s company basically admitted to bribing foreign officials)
POLITICO: Hillary’s money for nothing –> “Hillary Clinton’s enemies, and more than a few of her friends, believe the story will resonate — if only because she has always been at the center of most of the family’s major financial decisions.”
Bloomberg: Hedging Presidential Bets in Vegas –> This weekend in Vegas: Sheldon Adelson “held private meetings with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and a stream of other Republican politicians” but he’s not ready to commit yet. Typical man. From the NYT’s take: “And Mr. Adelson ‘wants to be able to field the strongest field,’ Mr. Bialkin said.” LA Times, Washington Post.
Bloomberg: How Record Spending Will Affect 2016 Election –> Al Hunt: “If US political history is any guide, this staggering amount of money in the political system, much of it from vested interests, will result in scandals. Whether it’s through lawsuits, or leaks or an industrious news media, that seems inevitable.”
National Journal: Meet the GOP’s Mega-Donors –> “Here’s a guide to the biggest Republican mega-donors and the candidates they are funding — or might fund — in the 2016 campaign.”
Daily Caller: This Is Exactly Why People Hate Politicians –> Strong Matt Lewis piece that starts with criticism of Ted Cruz for skipping the Loretta Lynch’s confirmation vote to go to a fundraiser.
AP: House GOP Rebels Blame Party Leaders As Donations Fall –> Members bucking Boehner see a decline in business PAC contributions. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): “Those who don’t go along to get along aren’t going to get as many PAC checks.”
Courier-Journal: McConnell’s Money –> Tom Loftus spend a lot of time and energy analyzing thousands of pages of paper fundraising records in KY-Sen and he writes about it here, with a list of top donors for the Senate Majority Leader. Top states.
NJ.com: Defense companies flock to N.J. freshmen who land House committee positions overseeing industry –> These New Jersey Reps. got barely any defense industry cash for their election but after getting named to defense committees, you can guess what happened.
Miami Herald: Ex-congressman’s former chief of staff accused of setting up ringer candidate –> Man, that district: “Federal prosecutors on Friday accused former Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia’s ex-chief of staff of secretly financing a ringer tea party candidate in 2010 to draw votes away from a Republican rival — an illegal scheme that inspired a more serious copycat case two years later.”
NYT: Tea Party Group Uses Emily’s List as a Fund-Raising Model –> “FreedomWorks, the tea party organization, has started a new PAC based specifically on the original Emily’s List model of bundling donations and funneling them to targeted candidates in an effort to give them a strong start, drive off challengers and attract more money.”
New poll in New Jersey: “Eighty-eight percent of the people in New Jersey say that it’s unacceptable for politicians to accept gifts and vacations from supporters and only 9 percent say that’s okay.”
The Hill: Industry shelled out $63M to fight GMO labeling rules –> “Food and biotechnology companies spent $63.6 million last year to lobby against mandatory labeling laws for genetically modified foods, according to a new study from the Environmental Working Group.”
Other/States
Capital New York: Advocates rally in Albany for voting reforms –> “Roughly 100 New York City residents traveled to Albany on Wednesday to lobby for changes to the state’s voting system that are designed to increase turnout, which recently set a historic low.”
Register-Guard: Ethics bills cause rift in state GOP –> In Oregon: “Already on the sidelines due to the strong Democratic majority in the Legislature, Republicans face the spectacle of two of their veteran House members feuding over ethics bills the GOP is pushing hard this session.”
Philly Tribune: ‘Dark Money’ ban gets support from Williams, Kenney –> “A proposed new law to tighten regulations on reporting the source of campaign contributions for local races is getting support from the two candidates accused of taking the most ‘dark money’ in the current race for mayor in Philadelphia.”
Seven Days: Sorrell Allegations Prompt Lawmakers to Seek Elections Panel –> “The Vermont Senate is considering stripping Attorney General Bill Sorrell of his powers to prosecute campaign finance violations. Replacing him, according to lawmakers who support the idea, would be an independent elections oversight commission.”
NYT: Brazil’s Power Dynamics Shifting Amid Political Scandals –> “The head of Brazil’s Senate, Renan Calheiros, has been accused of tax evasion, using a government jet to visit a surgeon who alleviated his baldness with hair implants and allowing a construction company’s lobbyist to pay child support for his daughter from an extramarital affair with a television journalist.” But the speaker of the lower house of Brazil’s congress and the president have their own scandals, too.
Washington Post: Mexicans pin hopes on anti-corruption measures approved by Congress –> In Mexico, “In response to months of scandals and public outcry, the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto has endorsed anti-corruption measures that many hope will begin to rebuild Mexicans’ trust in their government.”
To read more go to everyvoice.org.
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