The American political system has been steadily shifting from democracy to, as former President Jimmy Carter calls it, an “oligarchy with unlimited political bribery.” According to a recent big story from The New York Times, less than 130 families and their businesses account for more than half of the political contributions to Republican contenders and […]
Campaign Spending
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Lawrence Lessig’s Curious Candidacy for Campaign-Finance Reform
Last night, The New York Times reported that prominent campaign-finance reformer Lawrence Lessig is considering a Democratic run for president. His civic-minded platform is simple, and his plan is rather curious. If he can raise $1 million in small donations by Labor Day, Lessig will run for president with the sole purpose of passing legislation-the […]
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Bernie Knows Repealing Citizens United Isn’t Enough. Does Anyone Else?
Earlier this week, Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders announced that he will introduce legislation that will create a robust public campaign-finance system in an attempt to beat back the unhinged influence of big money in the U.S. electoral system. “The need for real campaign finance reform is not a progressive issue. It […]
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Court Upholds Delaware Dark Money Disclosure Law
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District upheld the constitutionality of Delaware’s Election Disclosure Act. The 2012 law, which is a transparency safeguard instituted after Citizens United v. FEC, closed the loophole allowing outside groups to evade disclosure as long as their ads, known as “sham issue ads,” refrained from expressly advocating […]
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2016 Marks a New Era for Dark Money
Candidates like Hillary Clinton say they want to undo Citizens United. But their campaign spending says differently.
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How Big Money Lost in Philly’s Mayoral Race
Support from unions and public-education advocates won Jim Kenney the primary election, despite $7 million in outside spending for his opponent.
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Sheldon Adelson Will Not Be Ignored
View image | gettyimages.com Sheldon Adelson has never struck me as a brilliant guy, but I admit I don’t have much to go on in making that judgment. Maybe it’s the spectacularly ridiculous dyed-red combover that makes him seem like such a comical figure, but who knows. What we do know is that all-or almost […]
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The Political Roots of Widening Inequality
The key to understanding the rise in inequality isn’t technology or globalization. It’s the power of the moneyed interests to shape the underlying rules of the market.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Hillary Clinton: From Symbolism to Specifics
Hillary’s economic agenda is vague and undefined. When she’s forced to get specific, what kind of Democrat will she be?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
In 2016, Money Will Matter More Than Ever, Yet Not At All
Money in politics is a problem, but it goes way beyond this or that donor or election.
