Campaign-finance reform advocates were on high alert during President Obama’s final State of the Union address Tuesday night, looking for any indication that Obama might finally take steps to curtail the influence of money in the political system. For months, reform advocates have been running a pressure campaign aimed at pushing the White House to […]
Blog: CHECKS
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Winners and Losers in the Impending Ad Blitz
The presidential candidates and the outside groups backing them are opening up their wallets in a very big way leading up to the Iowa caucuses on February 1. The ad blitz means a windfall for some businesses and a financial loss for others. The big winners are local TV stations in the early primary states. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Why California’s Citizens United Ballot Initiative May Not Matter
Voters in California-the most populous state in the union-have won the right to voice their collective opinion on whether Congress should pass a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United, the infamous Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited outside political spending in 2010. The issue could make it onto the state’s 2016 ballot thanks […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Presidential Ads and the Legality of Lying
As presidential campaigns enter offensive mode leading up to the Iowa caucus, candidates-as well as their personal super PACs and supportive dark-money nonprofits-are starting to launch their respective ad blitzes. And not surprisingly, many of them feature fast and loose interpretations of facts. The presidential election is an open race with over a dozen Republican […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
For the GOP, A Small Step Forward on Campaign-Finance Reform
Conservative Republicans in Congress have taken one small step on campaign-finance reform, and one (potentially) giant leap forward for bipartisanship. Last week, Freedom Caucus conservative and Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar introduced a bill, the Stop Foreign Donations Affecting our Elections Act, that would close a loophole he says allows foreigners to illegally make online contributions […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
For Watchdogs, Budget Deal a Mixed Bag
For the past couple of weeks, a number of controversial riders aimed at deregulating the campaign finance system and curtailing President Obama’s ability to increase the transparency of undisclosed political spending have been at the center of federal budget negotiations. A coalition of progressive reformers has been mobilizing to stop the riders. And now, with […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
More Than a Dozen States Eye Automatic Voter Registration
Advocates of automatic voter registration won two legislative battles in Oregon and California this year, and lost another in New Jersey when GOP Governor Chris Christie vetoed automatic registration legislation last month. Now the question is whether 18 states mulling a variety of automatic voter registration bills will approve or reject those proposals. The bills […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Is Adelson Spending Going Underground?
Tonight, the leading Republican presidential contenders will descend upon Las Vegas to participate in this year’s final GOP debate. And in a perfect metaphor for the rising influence of billionaire mega-donors, the debate is being held at The Venetian, the palatial casino owned by notorious Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. Adelson spent close to $100 million […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Voter Outrage Over Political Money Continues to Escalate
Even as most of the presidential candidates have pivoted their focus to foreign affairs and the rise of ISIS, poll after poll makes one thing clear: voters are still concerned about the influence of money in the political system. This voter alarm is escalating hand in hand with campaign spending. The Pew Research Center released […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Obama’s One Last Chance to Tackle Dark Money Spending
Progressives who have been pressuring President Barack Obama to sign an executive order that would require federal contractors to more fully disclose their political spending got fresh ammunition this week with the release of a scathing report faulting the president’s campaign finance “legacy of inaction.” President Obama has talked a big game on campaign-finance reform, […]