President-elect Obama has reportedly named former lobbyist Patrick Gaspard, previously with Americans Coming Together, to be his White House Political Director (he is listed as a union official here).
During the presidential campaign, Sen. McCain had pledged to move political operations to the national party committee.
The Washington Public Disclosure Commission’s consideration of whether blogging can be regulated as lobbying is getting more attention.
Blogger beware? State regulators are wondering whether online political activism amounts to lobbying, which could force Web-based activists to file public reports detailing their finances.
In a collision of 21st century media and 1970s political reforms, the inquiry hints at a showdown over press freedoms for bloggers, whose self-published journals can shift between news reporting, opinion writing, political organizing and campaign fundraising.
On November 20, 2008, the Federal Election Commission approved an advisory opinion for the Libertarian Party of Colorado granting state party status and discussed on audit. More information here.