YESTERDAY’S NEWS. If you missed yesterday’s set of links, they’re online here.
TANGLED. Roll Call. “Super PACs are pouring tens of millions of dollars into the 2012 election season — and a healthy percentage of it into the pockets of friends, family members and business associates who serve as consultants and vendors to the political action committees.”
COLBERT-CAIN CONNECTION. The Hill. “Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert may not have qualified for the South Carolina ballot, but his Super-PAC has found a way to still prove disruptive in the coming presidential primary: urging supporters to vote for Herman Cain.”
TOPS ON FB. Politico. “Mitt Romney and Ron Paul outpace their GOP rivals in official Facebook fans, with Romney leading the pack at just under 1.4 million fans as of Jan. 14.”
ROMNEY ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE. The Post. “Mitt Romney says he’d like to scrap campaign finance laws that have given rise to a war of independent attack ads from political action committees. Romney said he’d instead like to allow candidates to accept unlimited donations and take responsibility for their own words.”
SUPER PAC CEASE FIRE? Story here. “Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Scott Brown on Monday demanded a cease-fire of the third-party spending that’s certain to play a major role in this state’s pivotal Senate race.”
SUPER PACS THE STORY. LA Times. “Sparring with rival Mitt Romney on the debate stage Tuesday night, former Sen. Rick Santorum forced Romney into disavowing attack ads run by a ‘super PAC’ supporting his candidacy.”
SPENDING SUPER PAC MONEY. Mediaite. “The new president of Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow took to the stage today wearing a tiara and spending money on insane and useless things, much like other SuperPACs have done for candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, and was legally unable to tell Colbert anything about it.”
DEFENDING “BIG MONEY.” Richard Cohen writes here. “Since 1968, my views have changed on many matters. But my bottom line remains a fervent belief in the beauty and utility of free speech and of the widest exchange of ideas. I am comfortable with dirty politics. I fear living with less free speech.”
MERGING IN WA. Story here. “A new proposal is in the works to tinker with the state’s ethics boards this year, merging both the Executive Ethics and Legislative Ethics boards into the Public Disclosure Commission that already deals with campaign finance.”
LOBBY DAY IN VA. Story here. “Monday’s annual gathering at the state Capitol is commonly called ‘Lobby Day’ because hundreds of Virginians trek to Richmond to make their case to legislators on a range of issues.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.