The Democratic presidential candidates have talked quite a bit about the need for campaign-finance reform. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have gone back-and-forth on the merits of their respective reform proposals, which are very similar. But increasingly, who is or isn’t benefiting from outside spending has become a major point of contention in the race. […]
Blog: CHECKS
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Obama’s ‘Better Politics’ Rhetoric Lacks Solutions
President Obama’s Springfield, Illinois, speech Wednesday was billed as a first step in his lame-duck quest to begin building a “better politics,” in part, through new campaign-finance reforms. But the lofty rhetoric that failed to include any detailed policy proposals was a familiar letdown for campaign-finance reformers hungry for solutions. Instead, what they got was […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Karl Rove’s “Dark Money” Machine Is Now Tax-Exempt. Here’s Why That Matters
If it wasn’t clear that the Internal Revenue Service has no intention of regulating politically active tax-exempt groups, it should be now. On Tuesday, news broke that the IRS awarded tax-exempt status to Crossroads GPS, a purported “social welfare” group that constitutes one-half of the big-spending political network masterminded by GOP operative Karl Rove. The […]
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Jeb’s Campaign-Finance Solution Falls Flat with Reform Advocates
Jeb Bush caused a stir in New Hampshire Monday when he told CNN’s Dana Bash that he would “eliminate” Citizens United, the much-maligned Supreme Court decision that deregulated independent political spending. The former Florida Governor later called for a constitutional amendment to undo the ruling at a Nashua town hall. “If I could do it […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Democratic Senators Up Pressure on SEC Disclosure
A handful of Democratic senators who sit on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee have stepped up pressure on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require corporations to comprehensively disclose their political spending, even though Congress limited the agency’s ability to do so in last year’s spending bill. Senators Elizabeth Warren of […]
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On Citizens United Anniversary, John Sarbanes Speaks
Since the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United v. FEC ruling exactly six years ago, the massive influx of outside groups propped up by billionaire donors has sparked a national conversation about the growing influence of money in the American political system. And as the conversation advances, a whole host of solutions have been proposed for […]
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Obama ‘Seriously Considering’ Contractor Executive Order
The New York Times reported Wednesday that President Obama is “seriously considering” an executive order that would require federal contractors to more fully disclose their political spending, a move that campaign reform advocates say would be a symbolic first step toward shining a light on undisclosed “dark” money. The Times report follows increased pressure from […]
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GOP House Member Wants to Ban Fundraising
House Republican David Jolly, of Florida, is so sick of dialing for dollars every day that he introduced legislation Tuesday that would forbid members of Congress from personally asking for money. “Our nation is under siege by ISIS, and yet … I’m expected to be fighting for your safety from a fundraising call suite at […]
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Report: The Roberts Court’s Five Campaign Finance Reversals
By now, everyone knows about Citizens United and the flood of unlimited outside spending ushered in by that infamous Supreme Court decision. But that ruling is just one of five major Roberts Court decisions that have completely reshaped the campaign-finance landscape over the past decade, concludes a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice […]
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Ethics Watchdog: NRA Is Lying About Its Political Spending
The National Rifle Association might be misrepresenting the extent of its political activity, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The ethics watchdog filed a new complaint today with the IRS calling on the agency to investigate alleged discrepancies in political spending disclosures. According to the complaint, the reported $12.6 million in […]