Sen. John Kerry, now reportedly under consideration for one of two top jobs in President Obama's cabinet, has spent 28 years on Capitol Hill and run for the highest office in land, during the course of which, he has left a considerable money trail.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who saw his 2004 presidential run swift boated away from him, is being mentioned as a potential replacement for either Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, both of whom plan to leave office at the end of Obama's first term. The latter possibility comes as something of a surprise, since Kerry first burst onto the national scene as a Vietnam veteran opposed to that conflict (a position that came back to haunt him in his presidential race) and, as recently as September was criticizing the Republicans unyielding spending on defense.
Continue readingStealthy wealthy: How Harold Simmons’ political giving has benefited his business empire
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| Photo by the Dallas Morning News |
(This is the first in an occasional series that will shine a light on little known but highly influential donors.)
Even under the post-Citizens United campaign finance rules that unleashed a new generation of mega-donors, Harold Simmons stands out as old political money.
The Dallas-based billionaire, dubbed the king of superfund sites after acquiring an environmentally-challenged company, has gotten plenty of attention for the $10 million he’s given super PACs in the first four months of this year.
But a closer examination of the record shows that Simmons’ 2012 donations are just the ...
Continue readingWednesday: Sunlight Live to check in on super committee
When the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or super committee, emerges from the shadows on Wednesday morning to hold its first public hearing in a month, the Sunlight Live team will be there to shine a light on who’s influencing the panel.
As the 12 members inch closer to proposing at least $1.2 trillion in federal cuts or new revenue sources before the end of November, little has come out about their ideas even as reports have surfaced about daily or twice-daily “unofficial” meetings.
More than 200 groups or people — with health care lobbyists leading the way ...
Who’s watching the Super Committee?
A big audience turned out yesterday for the second meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the "super committee," as its 12 members asked questions of the first witness, CBO director Doug Elmendorf. The meeting was open to the public and there was live video on the committee's new website.
While all the other cameras were focused on the committee members and witness, we turned ours 180 degrees to check out the crowd — and we want your help to identify the people keeping a close eye on this committee. Check out the photos below and the ...
Facebook Hires Top Democratic Lobbying Firm
Last week The Hill reported on the ever-expanding lobbying footprint of Facebook in Washington. The company hired the lobbying firm... View Article
Continue readingFormer government officials hired to lobby as Congress looks to rewrite telecom law
As leaders in Congress announced a series of hearings this June to tackle huge telecommunications issues with a focus on... View Article
Continue readingDisclosure of Bundlers Coming from Obama
ABC News' The Blotter reports:Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Monday evening he would release new details on the levels of campaign contributions raised by "bundlers" for his presidential campaign, "something that no other candidate has done," according to campaign spokesman Bill Burton.
But it doesn't appear that the intended will be as complete as what Democratic candidate John Kerry or President Bush revealed in 2004 about those who raised the biggest bucks for their campaigns.
Update: I should have mentioned that this annoucement comes one day after Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times called Obama to task for his lack of disclosure.
Continue readingKerry to Introduce “Duke Cunningham Act”:
Sen. John Kerry plans to introduce a bill that will strip convicted lawmakers of their pensions. The Boston Globe reports that the bill, dubbed the “Duke Cunningham Act” after the California congressman who pleaded guilty to bribery charges, would strip the $40,000 a year pension from lawmakers found guilty of bribery, perjury, or conspiracy to defraud the government. The current law only strips the pension from lawmakers found guilty of treason and espionage.
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