Campaign Finance

• Wealthy benefactors for Romney? Yesterday, billionaire political donor Sheldon Adelson suggested that he was done propping up a pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC. Today, it is being reported that Adelson is considering spreading his largess to a pro-Mitt Romney group. (Washington Post)
• Republican rebuffs DISCLOSE: At a hearing on the legislation, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) tried to paint the DISCLOSE Act as a politically motivated move to stop Republican donors from contributing ahead of the 2012 elections. His solution to ensure more disclosure: do away with limits on direct campaign contributions. (National Journal)

Government

• But Mom, C-SPAN did it! Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) blamed C-SPAN’s televised proceedings of congress for the partisan rancor and gridlock in the Senate, saying that the cameras make legislators more interested in grandstanding than leading. (Politico)
• The pursuit of happiness…data? A group funded by the Department of Health and Human Services is trying to figure out how to measure “subjective well-being”. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis have already gotten in on the action. But, it remains to be seen if it’s possible to collect accurate data on a topic as subjective as human happiness. (Washington Post)

International

• Money and politics- International edition: The 2011 Global Integrity Report, released today, found that 29 of 31 countries studied failed to adequately enforce their political finance laws. The United States saw a sharp drop in several categories, but remains strong in its ability to disclose political finance information to the public. (Global Integrity)

State and Local

• Delaware Disclosure: Legislators in Delaware are moving to strengthen reporting requirements for lobbyists after the Corruption Risk Report Card awarded the state a failing grade in its Lobbying Disclosure category. Governor Jack Markell (D) expressed support for the legislation. (State Integrity)
• Chicago Data City: Several members of “Chicago’s Data Brain Trust” sat down to talk about their city’s open data initiatives and explain their efforts to coordinate with state and county level governments. (Government Technology)

• Nothing. Enjoy yourself!