Political law links (8/28/12)

NO ALI-FRAZIER SUPER PAC BRAWL. Bloomberg. “Ali versus Frazier, it wasn’t. But the co-founders of the super-political action committees supporting President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney attacked each other over the honesty of their ads, which have come to dominate presidential campaign advertising.”

POP-UP TAMPA TECHNIQUE. Story here. ”The political conventions have always been open season for big money influence peddling. But this year, ever-creative Washington lobbyists have devised a nifty new technique to bypass pesky ethics rules that were supposed to bar them from throwing lavish convention parties for lawmakers.”

EVENT DANGERS.  Roll Call.  “Campaign finance watchdog groups are warning Congressional Republicans in Tampa this week to steer clear of convention-related events held by lobbyists in their honor.”

PRIVATE EQUITY CANDIDATE. The Post. “[John] Delaney, running on his expertise in finance and as a can-do executive, is unapologetic about his success and has given away millions to charity.”

PAY TO PLAY AND THE VP PICK. NY Post. “[Gov. Christie’s] problem was two Securities and Exchange Commission rules that are meant to curb pay-to-play.”

RULES ISSUE IN TAMPA. BLT. “Patton Boggs partner Benjamin Ginsberg is facing a growing storm of criticism from Republican delegates who say he pushed through a rules change that would help Mitt Romney if the presumptive GOP nominee ousts President Barack Obama and seeks reelection.”  UPDATE:  The Hill.  “Republican Party officials struck a last-minute deal Monday night in an attempt to avert a messy convention floor battle with supporters of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).”

REAPING CU WINDFALL.  The Post.  “Since the landmark ruling in the winter of 2010, Republican-leaning groups such as American Crossroads and Restore Our Future, as well as their Democratic counterparts, have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. Citizens United, on the other hand, has experienced no such deluge of funds.”

AL:  REPORTING TO PRISON.  Story here.  “A casino lobbyist and a former legislator who pleaded guilty in Alabama’s gambling corruption case are now in federal prison.”

CO:  REVIEWING SIGNATURES.  Story here.  “Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler says all signatures submitted in support of a campaign-finance measure and a proposed ban on abortion will undergo review before either one can make the ballot.”

DC:  REFORM PUSH?  Story here.  “D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray will roll out his long-awaited campaign finance reform plan Tuesday, one week before one of his convicted campaign aides is due to return to federal court.”

WA:  USE OF EXCESS FUNDS.  Story here.   “The Associated Press identified hundreds of questionable expenses — from Democrats and Republicans — during a computer analysis of thousands of spending reports.”

POLITICAL LAW TWITTER ACCOUNTS.  Two new Twitter accounts you may be interested in:  @VenablePolLaw and @CovPoliticalLaw.

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Political law links (8/27/12)

TODAY CANCELED. The Times. “Organizers on Saturday evening canceled Monday’s scheduled events, citing safety concerns. Forecasters said Tampa was still likely to see a storm surge that could cause flooding in low-lying areas, including the Tampa convention center.” The revised schedule is online here.

CONVENTION FINANCING.  Roll Call.  “This year, the political costs of making a big splash in Tampa seem to outweigh the benefits, according to more than a dozen lobbyists and consultants representing major outfits.”

K ST. AND THE CONVENTIONS.  The Hill.  “Limited access to lawmakers dampened enthusiasm on K Street for this week’s Republican National Convention, leading many lobbyists to keep a low profile or skip the festivities altogether.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CONVENTIONS? The Times. “When thousands of delegates, elected officials and party leaders begin arriving in Tampa, Fla., for the Republican National Convention, hundreds of lobbyists, corporate executives, trade associations and donors will be waiting for them, exploiting legal loopholes — and the fun-house atmosphere — that make each party’s quadrennial conventions a gathering of money and influence unrivaled in politics.”

BLURRED LINES. Story here. “While some of the events are well advertised and open to the public, private schedules, prepared for GOP fundraisers and obtained by NBC News, show that this year’s convention will once again provide a unique opportunity for lobbyists and big dollar donors to wine and dine lawmakers — and press their agendas.”

THE POST:  WHO’S PAYING?  Here.  “Although various corporate sponsors adorn the Republicans’ convention Web site, they’re also not filing until Oct. 15. The Democrats, however, have claimed for themselves the moral high ground.”

GROUPS ON AIR.  Politico.  “Conservative groups are dropping thousands of dollars to help keep the spotlight in Tampa on Mitt Romney during this week’s Republican National Convention.”

TRANSFERS.  Politico.  “Romney Victory, a joint fundraising committee set up by Romney’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, on the last day of July transferred $1.5 million each to the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.”

ABRUPT REFUNDS. Story here. “A failed Democratic congressional candidate whose campaign is under federal grand jury investigation abruptly amended his financial disclosures to show he loaned himself nearly $53,000 more than he originally reported.”

TXT $. The Post. “President Obama’s reelection campaign will begin accepting donations sent by text messages this week, marking the first foray into a potentially lucrative new avenue of grass-roots fundraising for federal candidates.”

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT. Politico. “Hollywood may have run out of summer hits, but an anti-Obama documentary is helping to fill the gap.”

PATRICK PAC EXPENSES. Story here. “The goal of the PAC was to raise money to pay for [Gov. Deval] Patrick’s travels and other activities for Obama and the national Democratic Party.”

SC: PROPOSED REFORMS. Story here. “Gov. Nikki Haley and Attorney General Alan Wilson toured the state last week with a package of ethics reforms that should become South Carolina law.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links (8/23)

NEW APP FROM SUNLIGHT. Here. “Ad Hawk is a free mobile app that allows you to identify political ads as they air and immediately learn about who is behind them.” Or you can just read the disclaimer…

NEW SUPER PAC APP. More here. “Their free iPhone app, which will be available on Wednesday, listens to political advertisements on television and matches the ad’s audio waves against a database — much like the Shazam app identifies music.”

DISCLOSURE DELAY. The Post. “Democratic Party officials say they will not release the names of donors to next month’s political convention before the event, despite an earlier pledge that they would regularly disclose the contributors.”

SHOWALTER ON MIRACLE-GRO $. Here. “There’s a bigger issue here that has lessons for any executive thinking about increasing their corporate political engagement, especially as it relates to political contributions.”

LISA GILBERT ON JPMORGAN. Here. “The JPMorgan PAC is once again writing checks – writing them to, among others, the same old cast of House Financial Services Committee members who have done their persistent best to both undermine the Volcker rule and block tighter derivatives regulation that would bring more transparency and accountability to the kind of deal-making that triggered the financial crisis.”

ISAAC AND THE CONVENTION. Story here. “It’s deja vu all over again: Four years ago, Hurricane Gustav threatened Republican National Convention plans. This year, it’s Hurricane Isaac.”

SHARING DIGITAL AD FIRM. ClickZ. “It’s not the first time the same vendor has worked with a candidate campaign and an advocacy group backing the candidate.”

CA: PROP 32 CHEAT SHEET. Here. “Prop 32, known as the Stop Special Interest Money Now Act, would introduce three key reforms to California’s campaign finance rules.”

NJ: FINE FOR FORMER MAYOR. Release here. “In a decision issued Friday August 17, Judge Harriet F. Klein granted a summary judgment motion to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission and ordered James to reimburse $94,004 to the campaign fund. She also imposed a $30,000 fine and enjoined James from further violations. James has a right to appeal.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.