KELNER ON SUPER PACS. PBS NewsHour featured a story on super PACs with Covington & Burling’s Robert Kelner, whose segment begins at the 5:28 mark.
SPOTLIGHT ON SUPER PACS. Politico. “But when it comes to super PACs, it seems we are all insiders now. The arcana of campaign finance regulation — the dark science of politics — has entered the popular bloodstream, thanks largely to the on-going shtick of Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart and some genuine insiders like Buddy Roemer and Trevor Potter who have become part of their supporting cast.”
SUPER PAC HAVOC? Fred Werthheimer argues here. “The Supreme Court’s Citizens Uniteddecision, issued two years ago this week, is wreaking havoc on the 2012 elections.”
THE SOPA-CU CONNECTION. Volokh. “Today, Google’s U.S. query page features an anti-Stop-Online-Piracy-Act statement from Google. Say that Congress concludes that it’s unfair for Google to be able to speak so broadly, in a way that ordinary Americans (including ordinary Congressmen) generally can’t. Congress therefore enacts a statute banning all corporations from spending their money — and therefore banning them from speaking — in support of or opposition to any statute. What would you say about such a statute?”
SUPER PAC ANIMATION. Story here. “The pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future plans to run a series of ads in South Carolina hitting front-runner Mitt Romney leading up to that state’s primary on Saturday.”
ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK CORPORATE POLITICAL ACTIVITY. Story here. “Two Boston investment firms said Tuesday that they’ve submitted shareholder resolutions seeking to block corporate political contributions by Target Corp., 3M and the Bank of America.”
TODAY’S FEC AGENDA. The agenda for today’s FEC meeting is online here.
CU MISUNDERSTOOD? Salon. “Never has the ruling been as salient as it is now in the national political discussion.”
NIX LIMITS TO FIX? Roll Call. “The former Massachusetts governor has put his finger on the key question hanging over the two-year anniversary of the landmark Citizens United ruling to deregulate campaign spending. That is, how long can the few remaining election laws withstand the tide of big money, ushering in a system of total deregulation?”
K ST. AND FORMER MEMBERS. Story here. “Corporate headhunters are sizing up the K Street prospects of the retiring members of the 112th Congress — and they like what they see.”
CORP. CONTRIBUTION BALLOT MEASURE FOR DC? Story here. “Corporate contributions to D.C. political funds would be banned for the first time if a ballot initiative proposed by a group of city activists succeeds.”
INDEPENDENT GROUP PLAN IN MA. Story here. “The first-term senator wants both campaigns to commit to donate half of whatever outside groups spend to a charity of their opponent’s choice.”
DURKEE FACT SHEET. From the FPPC. “This fact sheet addresses issues in Part 1 on committee reporting requirements and in Part 2 on committee termination rules for those committees that request an administrative termination.”
CONGRATS TO THE GSPM. GW’s Graduate School of Political Management named former Congressman Mark Kennedy as director. The school’s news release is here. “GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, the pioneer school in the nonpartisan study of political management and applied politics, offers graduate programs in political management, legislative affairs, strategic public relations and PAC management, as well as international programs in Latin America and Europe. The school educates students and professionals in the tools, principles and values of participatory democracy; preparing them for careers as ethical and effective advocates and leaders at the international, national and local levels.” I’m class of ’94.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.