The same day President Obama signed the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, President Obama declared a turning point on earmark reform in his White House blog post, “President Obama declares turning point on earmark reform.” The bill contained, at last count, 9,309 earmarks (Excel file via Taxpayer.net).
Month: March 2009
Iowa Bill
The Center for Competitive Politics and Electionlaw Blog have recently noted a bill in Iowa that would ban the distribution of campaign material under certain conditions. Here’s The Volokh Conspiracy’s take. Or save your energy: “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Francis R. “Frank” Valeo
I thought I’d pass along this 2006 Congressional Record tribute to Frank Valeo, whose distinguished career included participation in the first congressional delegation to the People’s Republic of China in 1972. Mr. Valeo’s Washington Post obituary noted that he was, “by chance,” the defendant in Buckley v. Valeo. In the 1980’s, Mr. Valeo participated in […]