LD-203’s have given new insight into lobbyists’ contributions and other activity.
While many candidates decry special interests’ influence in Washington, new reports show campaigns received $140 million from lobbyists in the first half of 2008.
Donations from federally registered lobbyists were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, and much of it went to congressional candidates, according to the lobbyists’ disclosure reports filed with the House and Senate this week.
Massachusetts State Senator Dianne Wilkerson has settled a campaign-finance matter with the State’s Attorney general.
“This agreement should ensure that Sen. Wilkerson and her campaign committee are and will be accountable in the future,” Coakley said in a statement. “Sen. Wilkerson has agreed to an array of extensive public reporting and OCPF oversight measures that we hope will guarantee full compliance with campaign finance rules. We believe that this result is in the best interest of the Commonwealth at this time and given available remedies under the current law.”
I came across this interesting post at Examiner.com discussing the Supreme Court’s recent campaign finance opinions.
So recent decisions by the Supreme Court moving — however incrementally — to favor the First Amendment at the expense of phony “reform” is welcome to anybody who cares about free speech. Courting the public and suffering heckling from the cheap seats may annoy the political pros, but it’s an integral part of any political system that isn’t an overt farce.