There are two important things in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second thing is.... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 3/1/2012
Here is the Thursday's look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
- Mitt Romney and the super PAC supporting his candidacy spent twice as much in Michigan as his republican rivals combined. So far the Romney machine has spent $38.5 million, easily outpacing the combined totals of the other Republicans remaining in the race. (Politico)
- Reform advocate Lawrence Lessig has argued against repealing the Citizens United decision. Instead he has strongly supported more comprehensive electoral reforms. (iWatch News)
- Retiring Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) will be a hot commodity if she decides to look for her next job on K Street. Her long service, committee experience, and bipartisan reputation could guarantee her lucrative offers. (The Hill)
- Mitt Romney recently received the endorsement of former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot. Racicot has also worked as a lobbyist and president of the American Insurance Association. (National Journal)
- Small steps have been taken towards government transparency in Russia over the past few years, including a Freedom of Information Act. (Global Voices)
- China's top official in Tibet urged authorities to tighten control over the internet and mobile phones. The move comes ahead of Tibet's annual parliamentary session, amid fears of unrest. (Reuters/Yahoo)
Legislative Transparency and Legislative Branch Appropriations – March 12th
The Advisory Committee on Transparency will host an event on legislative transparency and legislative branch appropriations on Monday, March 12th... View Article
Continue readingBig Super PAC donors: Same old guns, just more money
If there were any doubts about how much the political landscape has changed post-Citizens United, here's one leading indicator: An analysis by Sunlight's Reporting Group shows that the biggest donors to super PACs are giving more political donations earlier in the campaign than they have in the past.
In the first 12 months of the 2012 election cycle, 37 individuals and 9 organizations each gave $500,000 or more to super PACs, for a total of $48 million. The same individuals and organizations gave a combined $64 million to a range of state and federal candidates during the ...
Continue readingPartners in Data Transparency: Parliaments and Non-Profits
This week I participated in an international meeting on “Achieving Greater Transparency in Legislatures through the Use of Open Document... View Article
Continue readingDid lawsuit factor in Olympia Snowe’s departure?
Last August, while Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, was in the midst of an intensive round of fundraising for her 2012 reelection bid, a four-year-old civil lawsuit alleging fraud by an education company in which she and her husband are heavily invested became public.
Nationally, most of the coverage of Snowe's decision to drop her reelection bid has focused on the centrist Republican's frustration with the polarized politics on Capitol Hill. But in Maine, a few newspapers have speculated that her husband's legal entanglements had a role in Snowe's sudden and surprising decision, which left her with ...
Continue readingLawmakers demanding LightSquared docs got campaign money from company’s adversaries
The three GOP House lawmakers who yesterday demanded that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cough up documents detailing its actions and relationship with wireless telecommunications company LightSquared have gotten ample campaign contributions from the embattled firm's corporate adversaries.
The ongoing saga surrounding LightSquared's efforts to launch a satellite-based 4G network demonstrates that when it comes to spectrum wars, there are monied interests on all sides pushing lawmakers, complicating President Barack Obama's campaign promise to expand the reach of broadband.
AT&T and Verizon figure prominently among the top donors to the three lawmakers who are demanding documents ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 2/29/2012
Enjoy this extra special leap day look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
- The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is losing its President later this year. Steve Miller led the group for 17 years and helped grow it from a regional shop into a major player in Washington. (National Journal)
- Quinn Gillespie & Associates is losing one of its top Republican lobbyists. The firm has had some high profile staff changes and seen its earnings slip over the past year. (The Hill)
- Mitt Romney spoke out about the relationship between super PACs and campaigns. He called regulations governing coordination "very strange, awkward and inappropriate" and suggested throwing out and rewriting campaign finance laws. (National Journal)
- The New York Times Developer Network is now updating FEC data through its campaign finance API every 15 minutes. (Lobby Comply)
- A former News Corporation executive is co-hosting a high profile fundraiser for President Obama. Other notable co-hosts include movie producer Harvey Weinstein, designers Tory Burch and Michael Kors, and HBO co-president Richard Plepler. (Politico)
- The New York City Council is expected to vote on a wide-reaching open data bill that would require all city agencies to provide data online in machine-readable formats through a single, citywide portal. Agencies would have until 2018 to fully comply with the law. (Tech President)
- A Utah Representative introduced a bill that would funnel anonymous political contributions of more than $50 to the entity where the position the candidate is pursuing exists. For example, a local school board candidate would have to transfer any anonymous donations over $50 to their school district's general fund. (Lobby Comply)
Olympia Snowe: A red-meat Republican after all?
Many people in Washington will miss Olympia Snowe, the Maine Republican and bipartisan bridge-builder who announced Tuesday evening that she has decided not to seek a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. But perhaps none more so than Charlie Palmer.
Though the confirmed centrist hardly fits the image of a "red-meat Republican," the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol, appears to be one of her favorite venues. Records compiled by Sunlight Foundation's Political Party Time show that the GOP lawmaker held 27 fundraisers there between May and December of last year. On three ...
Continue readingSuper PACs fund final push in Michigan
Voting in today's Michigan primary follows a week in which super PACs spent more than $2.7 million to influence the contest. And nearly all of that money was spent either in support of or in opposition to Rick Santorum.
Since Feb. 21, Mitt Romney's Restore Our Future super PAC spent $1.67 million opposing the former Pennsylvania senator, while Santorum's Red White and Blue Fund spent $773,700 in his support.
The filings provide some insight into who is perceived by Romney backers as the former governor's biggest threat. In the last week of January ...
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