Tag Archive: Barack Obama

Influence at the Oscars

by Lindsay Young

investigations

Feb 24, 2012 12:17 am

Update: The contribution amounts coming from George Clooney and Kathleen Kennedy have been corrected.

It's Oscars weekend in Hollywood, a place that -- when it comes to money and influence -- isn't as far from Washington as it appears on a map. In honor of the occasion, Sunlight has decided to take a look at who among this year's Academy Award nominees are playing the political field. The results of our inquiry do absolutely nothing to dispel the notion that the Hollywood hills are a Democratic stronghold.

The envelopes, please.

Three movies from DreamWorks Animation -- "War Horse," "The Help ...

Secret Cabinets of Cash

by John Wonderlich Feb 13, 2012 4:24 pm

Byron Tau makes a great point in Politico: Obama’s reversal on super PACs returns “to a system where corporate donors,... View Article

Crossroads, Planned Parenthood advertise in presidential battlegrounds

by La Toya Gratten

investigations

Feb 7, 2012 4:04 pm

As if independent expenditures by super PACs weren't enough, two major political players have notified the Federal Elections Commission of recent electioneering communications in states likely to be battlegrounds this fall.

Crossroads GPS reported spending $500,000 on ads against President Obama in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri, while Planned Parenthood Action Fund Inc., spent $36,000 on ads in Florida and Michigan. Electioneering communication are TV or radio ads that refer to a candidate for office within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election but stop short of calling for a vote for ...

Obama Super PAC Thoughts

by John Wonderlich Feb 7, 2012 9:24 am

Last night’s announcement came as no surprise — that the President would formally align himself with super PAC run by... View Article

Super PAC profile: Democratic governors play in presidential primary

by Ryan Sibley

investigations

Feb 2, 2012 5:33 pm

DGA Action is a super PAC created by the Democratic Governors Association, but so far in this election cycle, all of its ads have been against Republican presidential candidates.

During January, the group placed a series of ads on Facebook and Google targeted to users in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. Like bigger presidential super PACs, such as the pro-Mitt Romney Restore Our Future and the pro-Newt Gingrich Winning Our Future, DGA Action focused on the negative.

Its ads opposed Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. No ads were placed opposing Newt Gingrich, but that could change according ...

Nine things you need to know about super PACs

by Reporting Group

investigations

Jan 31, 2012 6:47 am

What makes a super PAC super?
Traditional political action committees are bound by a $5,000 annual limit on the size of contributions they can accept from individuals and are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations and labor unions. A super PAC is freed from these restrictions under two conditions: The PAC must neither 1) give money directly to a candidate or other political committees that give directly to candidates, nor 2) coordinate how it spends its money with a federal candidate. As long as those two conditions are met, a super PAC may accept donations directly from corporate or ...

Super PACs: How we got here

by Reporting Group

investigations

Jan 31, 2012 6:46 am

Nearly four decades ago, the delivery of a suitcase stuffed with $250,000 in cash to one of then-President Richard Nixon's top aides helped fuel the Watergate scandal and a complete overhaul of the laws regulating campaign finance. Voters in the 2012 election are likely to know less about who is trying to influence their decision than they have at any time since then. And, compared to the amounts of unregulated dollars flowing into campaigns, the stash of cash that former Commerce Secretary Maurice Stans accepted during the 1972 presidential campaign seems like peanuts.

Here's a look at ...