A new series of political ads by SEIU, a powerful liberal union, targets four Republican Senators up for re-election in 2016. Carefully crafted as "issue ads," the expenditures don't have to be disclosed like normal campaign advertisements.
Continue readingOutsiders on both sides of immigration mobilizing supporters
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the TV: More political ads! Blame the immigration debate.
Continue readingPhilly Ad Sleuthing: Republicans are gamers; Democrats like gossip
An analysis of political ad buys at one Philadelphia station shows just how much voters are bombarded by political messages -- and how much office seekers and interest groups spend to influence them.
Continue readingThe Week on Politwoops: Rangel scraps solicitation, a view from the dais and more
It's time again to wrap up the week with a review of the most notable deleted tweets from politicians caught and archived by our Politwoops project.
Continue readingBarrage of political campaign spending follows shootings at Sandy Hook
Even in an "off" election year, groups on both sides of the gun debate spent millions to influence public opinion, and some have stockpiled big warchests for 2014.
Continue readingMayors Against Illegal Guns hits the airwaves in N.H and Pa.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the pro-gun control group backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is not giving up the fight.
Three weeks after the Senate rejected legislation offered in the wake of the December shooting massacre that left 26 people dead at a Connecticut elementary school, the group is launching what appears to be a high-priced ad campaign to keep the pressure on lawmakers.
The ad seen above attacks Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican who was the lone lawmaker from the Northeast to vote against the gun control measure; another advertisement praises Sen. Pat Toomey, a ...
Continue readingBanking money fuels senators who want to slow down Volcker
The six senators who introduced legislation Thursday to slow down implementation of the "Volcker rule," designed to prohibit banks from profiting from trading on their own accounts, are the recipients of ample amounts of campaign cash from the financial industry.
Three Democrats and three Republicans are cosponsoring the effort to push back the effective date of a rule that has provoked bitter complaints from the banking industry. The Dodd-Frank law mandated that it go into effect July 21, the second anniversary of the financial regulatory overhaul. More than 17,000 comments have flooded into federal financial agencies. The proposed legislation ...
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 ...