A quick update to Paul's post on CRP's invitation to track mystery PACs. The Penguin PAC, one of the 31 political action committees that our friends at the Center for Responsive Politics listed as an "anonymous" leadership PAC, does indeed belong to Rep. Tim Ryan. I called Fraioli & Associates to confirm what their Web site seemed to indicate, that Ryan had a connection to Penguin PAC. And here's a few suggestions on tracking these things if searching for the name of the PAC doesn't turn up anything:
Continue readingTaking a Criticism Seriously
We don't have an answer yet (Paul and I both made some calls to some Democratic offices on the subject--I called the offices of Sen. Harry' Reid and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, while Paul called Sen. Russ Feingold's office), but we did take seriously Robert Bluey's suggestion that in addition to playing phone tag with the staffers of Republican Senators, we also call Reid's office to find out if the Majority Leader would put the bill on the legislative calendar as an alternative to last week's thwarted attempt to get unanimous consent to consider the bill. There's more than one path for a worthy transparency bill to get through the Senate, and if anonymous Senators close off one, it's worth asking whether there's a "plan B."
Continue readingQuorum Found, Bill Moves to Full Senate
Word from Adam Bonin is that Feinstein found 10 members of the Rules and Administration Committee on the floor of the Senate and they voted in a side room 10-0 to pass S.223, the Senate electronic filing bill, out of committee. This is excellent news. You can, and should, still sign the Sunlight Network's petition to your Senators urging them to support the bill when it comes up for a vote on the Senate floor. (Link to the petition.)
Continue readingBennett Trying to Muck-up Electronic Filing Bill
Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced that the Senate electronic filing bill mark-up will be held next Wednesday, March 28th. During the Senate Rules and Administration Committee hearing on Sen. Russ Feingold's electronic filing bill ranking member Bob Bennett declared his intention to introduce amendments during the committee mark-up of the bill. Bennett promised that these amendments would be non-controversial. It appears that Bennett isn't going to keep his promise. The Campaign Finance Institute is sending out a letter to Congress demanding that the committee approve the bill as a stand alone measure with no amendments. In the letter Bennett is said to be introducing a highly controversial, partisan amendment that, if attached, would make the bill D.O.A. on the floor of the Senate. Read a section of the letter:
Continue readingAction: Senate Electronic Filing Update
Tomorrow at 10 AM the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold a hearing on Sen. Russ Feingold's bill to require Senators to file their FEC reports electronically. As documented in many different places this would save taxpayers at least $250,000 and would make tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions much more accessible and available to journalists, bloggers, and the public at large. It's a win-win. If haven't called your Senator to ask them if they support the bill (S. 223) you should. And report back to us (info@sunlightfoundation.com) about where they stand.
This is the first hearing into the bill which will be followed by a markup in a couple of weeks. The key for this bill to advance is for it to be unencumbered by other campaign finance related amendments. The bill must be reported out amendment-free or else it risks being defeated on the floor in the Senate.
Check out the Campaign Finance Institute for a wealth of research and information into this subject. (I've listed the current co-sponsors and the Rules and Administration committee members below the fold.)
Continue readingCongress Facts: Everybody Hates Congress
In this second installment of Congress Facts let's take a look at some of the lowlights of Congress' recent history. Fewer days in session, fewer committee hearings, and fewer House members reelected.
Follow below the fold. Continue readingThe Democrats’ Blind Spots
Let’s start with a premise: money buys blind spots.
The money I’m referring to is the mountain of campaign contributions – at last count, nearly $1.3 billion – that flowed this election year to candidates for Congress.
The bulk of that money found its way to winners, and those winners – the members of the incoming 110th Congress – are certainly grateful. More to the point, they’d like to ensure that future donations will continue to flow their way in 2008 and beyond. And every incumbent understands that every vote they take, every amendment they introduce, is duly noted – and scored – by a galaxy of interest groups and PAC directors.
Continue readingPermanent (Fundraising) Campaign Continues
Today's mail brought an envelope with a pair of fundraiser fliers, both of which were originally faxed out on November 9, 2006--a scant two days after the election (what, these slackers took Wednesday off?) to Washington lobbyists, association heads, and other special interest folks all over town. The one above, from Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., will be held at the offices of O'Connor and Hannan, a firm that represents the likes of Exxon Mobil, General Electric and Lockheed Martin, to name but a few. The flyer asks $500 for individual contributions, $1,000 from PACs to attend the event.
Winners and Losers
Now that the dust has nearly settled from Tuesday’s election, it’s time to calculate winners and losers among the nation’s biggest blocs of political donors. I’ve been looking over the numbers at the Center for Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets website – specifically the chart showing the 20 biggest industry donors to this year’s campaign.
“Industry,” I should point out, is a term of art on the CRP website. It includes not just familiar industries from the business world, but other categories of political donors from the labor and ideological worlds as well. “Interest groups” is probably a better way to think of it.
Continue readingWill the Levees Hold?
Rain is on my mind these days. Out here on the Oregon coast the seasons abruptly changed last week. We moved from the brisk and sunny days of Septober to the onset of the annual rains. The first wind warning of the season is now upon us. Soon the rain will be slicing down in horizontal sheets, like it often does out here from November to April.
All of which brings to mind, on this election eve, thoughts of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, tomorrow’s election – in the face of a Class IV political hurricane – raises the question that bedeviled New Orleans last summer: will the levees hold?
Continue reading
59063
