Good morning, here are today’s political law links

PAUL RYAN AND DUAL CANDIDACY.  The Post.  “Ryan would appear on the ballot as both a candidate for the House and for vice president. If the Romney-Ryan presidential ticket is not successful, but he wins his congressional race, Ryan can keep his seat. If the national ticket wins the White House and Ryan holds his House seat, a special election would be held to replace him in the House.”

FRANKING BLACKOUT.  The Post.  “Wednesday marks the beginning of the general-election ‘franking blackout’ that starts 90 days before Election Day. That’s the period under federal election law during which congressional offices can’t send out ‘franked’ mass communications. Translation: lawmakers can’t send out unsolicited communications — like postcards or e-mails — to more than 499 people.”

FCC HEADACHES.  Story here.  “A Federal Communications Commission plan to make television stations disclose how many political ads they have sold is creating administrative headaches for network affiliates in battleground states that deal with a dozen or more campaigns or political groups in a single market.”

GA:  TOTAL GIFT BAN?  Story here.  “House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, will propose next year a full ban on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers, delighting ethics advocates and worrying some lobbyists.”

IN:  COOLING OFF PERIOD DOESN’T APPLY.  Story here.  “Two state ethics rulings have concluded that Gov. Mitch Daniels can lobby the state Legislature for university funding and other matters once he becomes Purdue University’s president next year.”

MN:  SCHOOLS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE.  Story here.  “If a school district spends money and resources to promote a ballot issue, it should register and report that activity like any other political committee, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Friday.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links (8/9/12)

BLAGOJEVICH CLAIM IN THE NEWS.  Story here.  “An upcoming book about Rod Blagojevich says undercover tape-recordings caught the former governor saying he had heard that convicted influence peddler Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko secretly channeled $25,000 in cash to Barack Obama, but federal authorities did not deem the claim credible.”

JOE SOPTIC AD IN THE NEWS.  Politico.  “Soptic, laid off from Bain Capital-owned GST Steel, stars in a Priorities USA Action spot this week in which he tells of how his wife died without health insurance after he lost his job. Soptic also appeared, wearing what appears to be an identical shirt, in a May television ad for the Obama campaign.”

QUESTIONS ON PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS.  Here.  “The White House is being very tight-lipped about a staffer who produces videos designed to paint President Obama and his policies in a positive light. Observers note that the videos advance some key themes of the president’s reelection campaign.”

FCC DATABASE.  The FCC’s database for political ad buys is online here.  I added a permanent link in my list of “general resources” on the right side of this site.

ONLINE POLITICAL FILE WAIVER.  Story here.  “At least one top four affiliate technically in a top 50 DMA won’t have to share its political spot prices in a national, FCC-administered database for another two years.”

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.  The next set of links will be prepared on Monday.

Good morning, here are the 8/8 political law links

VP CHOICE AND FUNDRAISING RACE.  Politico.  “As Mitt Romney closes in on picking a running mate, Sen. Rob Portman is about to deliver a halfmillion dollars to the campaign.”

AD CONFUSION.  Story here.  “Fox News’s ‘The Five’ dedicated a segment of tonight’s program to attacking what it labeled an ‘Obama ad.’ The ad, however, was made by pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA.”

POLITICAL APP PRIVACY.  The Post.  “President Obama’s reelection team has taken canvassing to the next technological level, introducing a free iPhone app that maps the location of nearby Democrats, identifying them by first name, last initial and home address.”

CA: BALLOT MEASURE ACTIVITY.  LA Times.  “A whopping $150 million has been raised by campaigns for and against statewide ballot measures in California so far this year, according to the state campaign finance watchdog agency.”

FL:  VICTORY FOR MINORS’ CONTRIBUTION RIGHTS.  Story here.  “A tenacious Boca Raton 17-year-old has helped other kids gain equal footing with adults in the political arena, after a federal judge sided with her and blocked a state law capping political contributions by minors at $100.”

ISSAQUAH LOBBYING.  Story here.  “Issaquah needs a lobbyist to advocate in the marble corridors beneath the Capitol dome — and coax state legislators to support local projects, City Council members said in a contentious decision to hire a longtime Olympia lobbyist.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.