The hottest talk around Washington these days is all about the Democrats’ chances of taking back control of Congress in the 2006 elections. Republicans are understandably nervous at the prospect, especially as the President’s approval ratings continue their long, slow slide. Some Democrats are downright giddy.
Both sides seem to have locked on the image of post-election Washington that would emerge if the Democrats won control: a non-stop cavalcade of congressional investigations into Iraq, oil prices, pharmaceutical costs – you name it. All of this, of course, is seen as prologue to the 2008 presidential contest.
Continue readingHow Competitive?
If you follow the never-ceasing ups and downs of political pollsters, you’re no doubt aware of all the unhappiness voters have been expressing this year with the incumbents in Congress. You might think from this that most members are in peril of having to start a new career after November 7th, since the voters seem so restive.
Don’t bet on it. Absent an indictment, most incumbents – at least in the House of Representatives – will almost certainly glide to another term in office without much of a speed bump. The reelection rates for House incumbents in the last five elections have been 94%, 98%, 98%, 96% and 98%. The last time they dipped below 90% was in 1992 (when only 88% were reelected). The last time before that was in 1974.
Continue readingNot Just Background Noise
Today’s nationwide immigration boycott – in which untold thousands of legal and illegal immigrants will be taking up position in the streets instead of their accustomed supporting roles in the background – is a rare example of unscripted politics in modern America.
Most political discourse these days is so predictable that insiders can recite the lines of both sides on the Sunday-morning talk shows even if the sound is on mute. Professionals handle these sorts of things: you’ve got your Astroturf campaigns, your grass-tops campaigns, email campaigns, talk radio campaigns – all tuned just so for maximum impact on Capitol Hill. Whole armies of specialists take up position inside the Beltway to manage such campaigns every working day of the year. The hoi polloi is often recruited for these campaigns – every army needs an infantry – but the battle plans tend to be drawn up on K Street.
Continue readingDefense contractors
Nobody chews through taxpayer dollars faster than the Pentagon, and fully half the money spent on defense goes out the door to private contractors. Who gets that money? What do they provide in return, and how much competition do they face in winning those contracts? You can find out by digging into “Outsourcing the Pentagon” on the website of the Center for Public Integrity.
Continue readingOil Slick Threatens Capitol Hill
In the face of outraged constituents stung deeply by the ever-rising cost of gassing up the family sedan, SUV or pickup truck, members of Congress are scrambling to look at rollbacks to recent tax breaks for the oil industry. The one-two punch of sky high gas prices and record-breaking oil industry profits looks to be one of this year’s biggest political hot potatoes in every congressional district in the land.
The job of trimming back the oil companies is likely to be a more painful one for Republicans, however, since the oil industry has historically given a lopsided majority of its campaign funds to GOP members.
Continue readingDollarocracy? What’s a Dollarocracy??
Greetings and welcome to a new blog that will explore the often mysterious workings of Washington, DC through the lens of money in politics. I’m calling this “dollarocracy” because that’s what I think our American form of government has turned into. Money all too often gets better represented in Washington than people do, and that’s what this blog is going to look at in the weeks and months ahead. First a word about the background I bring to this. I’ve been tracking money in politics professionally since 1985, first as a journalist in Alaska looking at the state legislature and governor’s races, then moving in 1988 to Washington, DC, where I started tracking Congress, and later the presidential races, for the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. I spent 15 years at CRP and more days, nights and weekends than I care to remember actually digging inside the Federal Election Commission’s database of campaign contributions, cleaning up inconsistent data and coding contributions by industry and interest group. After a while that kind of research gets into your blood. It’s fun to do and I confess to taking home my work on many occasions for an after-hours round of “recreational coding.”
Continue readingIs There a Conflict Here?
One of the key Democrats involved in the high-stakes legislative battle that could give phone companies much greater control of access to the Internet is catching flak over his ties to one of the major players seeking passage of the bill.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday that Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), a co-sponsor of the legislation sought by the phone companies, is the founder of a Chicago-based community center that received a $1 million grant from SBC/AT&T between 2001 and 2004. (SBC acquired AT&T in 2005 and took its name.) Rush sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee panel that will be considering the bill on Wednesday.
Continue readingTracking an Industry
The Center for Responsive Politics' Open Secrets website has so much information about money in US politics that it's easy to get lost inside. One of its most interesting, yet overlooked, sections profiles the giving patterns of more than 100 different industries and interest groups, from the current election cycle all the way back to 1990. This tutorial takes you on a guided tour. Just click on the graphic to start.
Continue readingPeeling Back the Secrets
Ironies abounded in Indianapolis last Friday, when the 2006 Freedom of Information Summit got underway just as Vice President Dick Cheney – perhaps the most secretive vice president in American history – was addressing a GOP fundraiser a couple of buildings away. Cheney’s motorcade had blocked downtown streets and the freeway to the airport, and those at the FOI conference would also argue he has blocked access to a lot more than roadways in the years he’s been a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Continue readingIt Came From Beyond The Beltway
Despite the inability of a deeply-split Congress to pass any kind of immigration bill before heading off for their Easter recess, the surprisingly large and widespread turnouts of marchers around the country – largely Hispanic – are keeping this issue very much alive. That’s making a lot of politicians nervous, and for good reason. Unlike most issues dealt with in Washington, this one isn’t being carefully stage-managed solely by the usual inside-the-Beltway operatives: lobbyists, PR companies, and money men. In fact, looked at through the lens of money in politics, the immigration issue is almost invisible. A search of the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets website shows eight PACs with “immigration” in their names: • Americans Against Illegal Immigration • Americans for Legal Immigration
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