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Money in Politics

Ben & Jerry's Founder: Get Money Out!

The Huffington Post | Erin Ruberry | Posted 06.17.2013 | DC

WASHINGTON -- Welcome to Washington, where frozen treats and political activism meet. On Tuesday, the Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop in Union Statio...

The Frightening Future of Campaign Finance Laws

Jason Kander | Posted 06.14.2013 | Politics
Jason Kander

We've had a virtually lawless campaign finance system in Missouri for more than four years. Here's what it looks like.

Money in Politics Is Not Funny, Except When It Is (VIDEO)

Eddie Geller | Posted 06.12.2013 | Politics
Eddie Geller

While we are obviously not afraid to have a sense of humor (see video), we are dead serious about fixing this problem. Just ask the guy in the American flag underwear.

The Real IRS Scandal

Walker Bragman | Posted 06.10.2013 | Politics
Walker Bragman

In the 2012 election cycle, dark money spent a total of $322 million, 84 percent of which came from conservative organizations in efforts to elect Republicans.

How the Kochs Are Buying Silence -- Without Spending a Dime

Michael B. Keegan | Posted 05.31.2013 | Politics
Michael B. Keegan

Koch's billions are a formidable political weapon, even without owning any influential newspapers. Thanks to Citizens United, it's a more powerful weapon than ever, and we know it's having an impact even when they don't choose to deploy them.

Oil And Gas Industry Exerts Outsized Political Influence In Colorado: Report

The Colorado Independent | John Tomasic | Posted 05.31.2013 | Denver

From The Colorado Independent's John Tomasic. DENVER– A report released Thursday by Colorado Ethics Watch describes oil-and-gas industry spending...

Pro-Rand Paul Group May Violate Major Law

The Center for Public Integrity | Michael Beckel | Posted 05.22.2013 | Politics

Supporters of Republican Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have launched ā€œRand PAC 2016.ā€ But because the super PAC uses the potential presidential candidate...

Why Big Money Still Won in 2012

Jonathan Backer | Posted 05.08.2013 | Politics
Jonathan Backer

“We got way too excited over money in the 2012 elections,” Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein argued at a conference on money in politic...

Need political cash? Use the force

The Center for Public Integrity | Posted 05.06.2013 | Politics
The Center for Public Integrity

By Dave Levinthal May 4, 2013 This story was originally published by The Center for Public Integrity, which is a nonprofit, n...

All the presidents' debt

The Center for Public Integrity | Posted 05.02.2013 | Politics
The Center for Public Integrity

By Dave Levinthal May 2, 2013 This story was originally published by The Center for Public Integrity, which is a nonprofit, n...

This Special Election, Vote for the Special Candidate

Sam Jewler | Posted 04.23.2013 | DC
Sam Jewler

D.C. Council corruption -- legal and illegal -- is endemic. Rare candidates like Elissa Silverman are the antidote. A win by her will show other candidates, black and white, that they can win without the influence of landed wealth and conflicts of interest,

NRA/Senate Fail -- How to Turn Tragedy Into Opportunity

Josh Silver | Posted 06.20.2013 | Politics
Josh Silver

Even the most cynical amongst us were stunned when the U.S. Senate voted down a watered down, bipartisan, partial background check for gun purchases that's supported by some 90 percent of Americans and 74 percent of NRA members. This happened because money has near-complete control of our political system. The NRA outspent the Brady Center to Control Gun Violence by 73 to 1 last year. As Gabby Giffords said in her brilliant New York Times op-ed, senators betrayed the people because of a deep fear of the NRA unseating them from office. The NRA has that power because they have and spend real political money.

Will California's Legislature Let Citizens Vote on Citizens United?

Bob Edgar | Posted 06.18.2013 | Politics
Bob Edgar

While state legislators can appropriately "urge" their colleagues in Congress to take action, voters are in a much stronger position; lawmakers must answer to them or face electoral defeat.

IRS and DOJ Fail to Enforce Laws Against Dark Money Groups

The Sunlight Foundation | Posted 06.11.2013 | Politics
The Sunlight Foundation

If the IRS or DOJ were serious about ensuring that so-called social welfare organizations are not abusing their tax-exempt status by engaging in political activities, they could start by taking a close look at IRS forms 990 and 1023.

Zach Carter

Wall Street's Political Payouts Higher For Those Voting To Deregulate

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 04.04.2013 | Politics

WASHINGTON -- The recent Wall Street deregulation push in Congress has been fueled by a significant disparity in campaign donations from big banks: Me...

Democrats' latest fundraising pitch rife with misleading rhetoric

The Center for Public Integrity | Posted 06.02.2013 | Politics
The Center for Public Integrity

By Dave Levinthal March 29, 2013 This story was originally published by The Center for Public Integrity, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investiga...

Enlist the Enlightened Super-Rich!

Ralph Nader | Posted 05.29.2013 | Politics
Ralph Nader

You often hear progressives bemoaning the massive war chests of the right-wing funders. But a common mistake made by the left is not adequately focusing on cultivating their own likeminded super-rich.

The Morality Brigade

Robert Reich | Posted 05.25.2013 | Politics
Robert Reich

What people do in their bedrooms shouldn't be the public's business. Women should have rights over their own bodies. Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. But what powerful people do in their boardrooms is the public's business.

Peter H. Stone

Officials Turn Up The Heat On Secretive Dark Money Groups

HuffingtonPost.com | Peter H. Stone | Posted 03.26.2013 | Politics

WASHINGTON -- California officials have widened an investigation into the source of $11 million that was mysteriously funneled by a few nonprofit grou...

The Koch Brothers and Structural Rules

Zephyr Teachout | Posted 03.18.2013 | Politics
Zephyr Teachout

One of the key jobs of democratic governance is choosing the nature of the marketplace we want to support. What rules about mergers or sitting on multiple boards would have made a difference in the development of Koch Industries?

Hawaii Showing the Way Toward Cleaner Elections

Bob Edgar | Posted 05.05.2013 | Politics
Bob Edgar

The Hawaii drive for public financing of campaigns is another illustration of how Americans are pushing back against the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations have the same rights as people.

Aggregate Contribution Limits Promote Electoral Competition

Jonathan Backer | Posted 05.05.2013 | Politics
Jonathan Backer

McCutcheon presents an opportunity for the Supreme Court to reaffirm the importance of contribution limits in preventing political corruption and to recognize their role in promoting electoral competition. The Court should adhere to firmly established precedent and uphold the aggregate contribution limit.

How April in New York Can Change the Country

Zephyr Teachout | Posted 03.04.2013 | New York
Zephyr Teachout

So you're depressed about Citizens United, and you feel there are no options. You want a theory of change, how we get from candidates raising all thei...

OFA and the Fundraising Thing

Mike Lux | Posted 04.29.2013 | Politics
Mike Lux

To say a president and other politicians shouldn't try to raise money to help fight for his agenda is simply wrong, especially with the huge buckets of money being raised and spent to fight him.

New Congressman: Corporations Are 'Neither People Nor Patriots'

The Huffington Post | Preston Maddock and Amanda Terkel | Posted 02.26.2013 | Politics

Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) has been in Congress for only seven weeks, but he already supports measures to decrease the influence of money in the pol...