Indictments abound, deadlocked FEC, Progressives United and a possible run for Gingrich
Stunning Statistics of the Week:
- Eleven: Number of days until The Story of Citizens United is released. A trailer for the eight-minute short, created by The Story of Stuff Project, is available here.
Obama should fix the FEC
The Obama administration should seize the opportunity afforded by the expiration of terms for five commissioners on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to break the deadlock that has immobilized the agency over the past few years, Public Citizen told the president in a letter today.
Speaking of the Federal Election Commission …
Three Republican members of the commission want to give corporations even more sway over elections. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations may spend as much money as they want to influence elections, but they are still prohibited from helping candidates raise money. Now, these FEC commissioners say that should change.
Clinton fundraisers indicted
Two fundraisers for two of Hillary Clinton’s campaigns have been indicted for improperly reimbursing donors. The two men helped raise money for Clinton’s Senate run in 2006 and her presidential campaign in 2008. The total amount involved is $186,600.
You got Citizens United? We got Progressives United!
Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) is launching a new group designed to be an answer to Citizens United, the conservative organization that brought the Citizens United case to the Supreme Court. The new group will combat corporate influence over politics, work to overturn the Citizens United decision and, if all works as planned, launch a new progressive movement.
Pelosi calls for law to require government contractors to disclose contributions
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for legislation that would prevent the government from entering into contracts with companies that do not disclose their political contributions. Pelosi said we need such a law because of last year’s Citizens United decision. In fact, such a measure was introduced as an amendment to the 2011 spending bill but failed.
Newt Gingrich poised to rake in bucks for a presidential run
If Newt Gingrich decides to run for president, he already has a powerful fundraising operation in place. Gingrich’s advocacy organization, American Solutions, is the largest money-making machine of its kind in the country, according to The Washington Post, collecting more than $52 million in its first four years.
New campaign finance rule for New York state judges
Judges in New York state soon will no longer be able to hear cases brought by lawyers or involving people who donated $2,500 or more to their campaigns in the past two years. A new rule being enacted by the state court system will affect about 700 trial-level judges. Scheduled to take effect after a 60-day comment period, it is considered one of the most restrictive in the country.
Visit www.DontGetRolled.org to learn more!
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