Monday, November 30th, 2009
Sara Jerome, THE NATIONAL JOURNAL, 11/23/09. WASHINGTON DC — Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., is the lead sponsor of legislation (the Fair Elections Now Act, H.R.1826) to enact a public financing system at the congressional level. With the Supreme Court considering a case that would scale back campaign finance law, he recently spoke about his bill with National Journal.
NJ: Could momentum pick up for the Fair Elections Now Act if the Supreme Court issues a broad decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission?
Larson: Yes…. [The bill] overcomes many of the constitutional questions that challenged other attempts at campaign finance reform. It’s purely voluntary; it doesn’t restrict speech or political say of any single group; it encourages — and we learned well from [Barack] Obama — small-dollar donations and grassroots efforts while it [takes away] the very corrosive [act] of dialing for dollars.
NJ: Do you see it as a palliative measure for the court’s general thrust toward scaling back campaign finance law?
Larson: Yes, exactly. Critics might say the bill leaves it open for self-funders and people to continue to put money of their own in, staying with the current system. That is true. But I think therein lies the beauty. The public is way ahead of the Beltway and politics in this situation and understands that there is far too much money in the system and therefore far too much influence in the system. Far too many candidates for office are raising money instead of focusing on issues.
NJ: What other options does Congress have for enacting stronger election money laws in the short term?
Larson: To be honest with you, none that I’m focused on. I see this as the crown jewel for us. I see this as a very important first step. It’s grassroots-oriented. It passes constitutional tests. That’s why I think it has attracted everyone from Common Cause to SEIU to former members. On both sides of the aisle. Walter Jones [R-N.C.] supports our bill and is working his caucus. It demonstrates the depth and breadth of our support. Read More
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Eliza Newlin Carney, THE NATIONAL JOURNAL, 11/30/09. WASHINGTON DC — At a time when the rest of Washington can’t seem to stop bickering, voting rights advocates have quietly scored a bipartisan victory to help military and overseas voters participate in elections.
With little fanfare last month, President Obama signed into law the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act as part of a larger defense authorization bill. The law will remove obstacles that have blocked as many as one-quarter of uniformed and overseas voters from successfully casting their absentee ballots.
The law’s enactment is an object lesson in how framing an issue along non-ideological lines can transcend partisan splits so lawmakers actually get something done. It also offers a template for how to fix the bigger, systemic problems that plague U.S. elections, most notably the nation’s error-riddled, paper-based registration system. Read More
Monday, November 30th, 2009
DEMOCRACY21, 11/10/09. WASHINGTON DC –Below are editorials that appeared on November 27, 2009 in The New York Times entitled “Fly the Sleazy Skies” and today in The Washington Post entitled “Even Friendlier Skies.”
The New York Times editorial states, “The Federal Election Commission — the supposed referee of fair campaigning — has just created an ethics loophole big enough for lobbyists to fly a corporate jet through. The commission has taken upon itself to reverse the Senate’s self-restriction against lawmakers’ cozy cut-rate travels on corporate jets.”
The editorial continues, “The F.E.C. gutted the reform by totally misinterpreting it to say it does not apply when a senator is traveling on behalf of assorted party committees and not as “a candidate” himself. This is nonsense by any fair reading of the Senate’s rule, which clearly considers any incumbent an ongoing candidate 24/7, regardless of announced business in hopping a corporate jet.”
The editorial concludes, “The underlying problem is the F.E.C.’s history of circumventing campaign law and enabling easy money abuses. We hope the Senate is red-faced enough to begin the full overhaul that the commission richly deserves. It should include quality independent appointees from President Obama, not more rubber-stamped hacks out to do the bidding of party machines.” Read More
Monday, November 30th, 2009
John Wonderlich, THE SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION, 11/30/09. WASHINGTON DC — The US House is expected today to release the quarterly Statement of Disbursements online for the first time.
Sunlight has long called for electronic disclosure of the accounts of Members and other offices within the House, and last June Speaker Pelosi announced this new policy. The US Senate quickly followed, announcing a new policy set to take effect in 2011. Read More
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Julie Carr Smyth, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 11/29/09. COLUMBUS, Ohio — It is not a registered nonprofit, though it bears a nonprofit’s Web identity. It has no board of directors, no campaign finance filing history, and no paperwork on file with the IRS or the Federal Elections Commission.
So who is LetOhioVote.org, the mysterious group that filed a lawsuit and successfully challenged Gov. Ted Strickland’s plan to expand gambling in Ohio? Read More
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