You would expect to see Obama branding in every aspect of the Obama Victory Fund website. But the web developers at President Obama's campaign have taken it a step further, creating the Obama “O” campaign insignia in the source code of the website -- the sort of thing only dedicated hackers and data nerds could love -- or, for that matter, bother to suss out.
A screenshot of the Obama source code:
Known as ASCII art, the “O” is made from characters and spaces, serving no functionality other than appeal to geeks.
The Easter egg has generated attention in some circles ...
Continue readingCongrats to OpenGov Champs Homicide Watch DC on Meeting Kickstarter Goal
As the director of our ongoing mini-documentary series OpenGov Champions I am pleased to see that Homicide Watch DC, one... View Article
Continue readingNew Features for Ad Hawk
Since we launched Ad Hawk a few weeks ago it's been downloaded thousands of times, featured as an Essential App by Gizmodo and praised by many media outlets. We're most excited to see users actively using it to learn more about congressional and presidential ads as they air - download the app here if you haven't already.
Continue readingSex and taxes: What the Romney returns and the Edwards precedent say about political slush funds
The cloak and dagger tale circulating on the Internet about a group of hackers who claim to have purloined old tax returns of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and say they will release them to whomever is first to pay their ransom suggests why a federal court case that absolved former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards of campaign finance crimes was wrongly decided.
During his 2008 campaign, Edwards relied on the largesse of two wealthy Democratic donors to keep his affair with campaign worker Rielle Hunter secret. Edwards' campaign did not report the donations, nor did it report the payments ...
Continue readingCome Hack for Democracy
Hackathons are fast becoming a quick but effective way of bringing together developers, civic hackers, election officials, journalists, data analysts... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/10/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government Start-up atmosphere at the CFPB: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aimed to turn the traditional idea of a... View Article
Continue readingKennedy heir’s bid for Congress attracts campaign contributing veterans
Joseph P. Kennedy III easily won a primary election in Massachussett's fourth district thanks in part to some Washington insiders and a high-profile family and their vast network of well-heeled donors.
Since he announced in February his bid for an open seat currently held by outgoing Rep. Barney Frank, the first-time candidate has already held at least four fundraisers, where his campaign requested contributions ranging from $250 to $5,000, according to records in Sunlight Foundation's Party Time.
Caroline Kennedy was among the first to aid her 31-year-old cousin raise cash. In March, she held a $2,500 ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 9/7/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government A big data education: A new report from the Brookings Institution that argues big data will have a... View Article
Continue readingTexas-sized lobbyist bundler shuns Democrats’ super PACs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Democratic super PACs and other outside political groups will be deprived of the party's most generous 2010 bankroller this election: Donor and bundler extraordinaire Ben Barnes is repudiating the outfits that don't provide full financial disclosure.
Since the 2008 election, the 74-year-old Texan has been the lobbyist who, along with his family, has given the most to Democrats -- more than $900,000 in donations to candidates and committees, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been in Charlotte all week for the Democratic convention with a few aides and was spotted busting a ...
Continue readingConvention Report: The Fun List
Just as I did last week in Tampa, I will turn off my MacBook and just take in the final... View Article
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