Interview conducted by Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani and Suzanne Merkelson. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this weekend, Republic Report ran into Mark Block, Herman Cain’s campaign manager and cigarette-puffing star of one of the most infamous ads of the 2012 election so far. We asked him about Cain’s signature “9-9-9 plan” to reform and
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 Interview conducted by Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani and Suzanne Merkelson. Last week, nearly 10,000 conservatives gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to discuss their ideology and goals for the coming year. At the conference, Republic Report ran into Radoslaw Fogiel, a Polish citizen who is the Vice Chairman of the European Young Conservatives. He
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One of the basic pay to play schemes we see in most states and in the Federal government involves the privatization of government services to third party contractors who then kick back money through campaigns or lobbyists for increased privatization. It’s a transfer of state power from the public, which elects the government, to private
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The Atlanta Constitution-Journal reported yesterday that many corporate lobbyists in Georgia have flouted the already weak ethics laws in the state. There is no limit on the amount lobbyists can spend on travel and events for lawmakers, and the rules only mandate disclosure. However, since the disclosure rules do not require receipts or any documentation,
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Last Monday, Republic Report broke the news that astroturf lobbyist Rick Berman appeared in his own anti-union ad that ran during the Super Bowl. Our story was picked up and covered at CREW, Brave New Films, ThinkProgress, and other outlets across the Internet. Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani discussed the story on the Alyona Show. View
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As reports revealed this week, the 50-state attorney general settlement with the five largest mortgage banks has been finalized. The federal government negotiated a deal that delivers approximately $26 billion dollars worth of aid to states and homeowners in exchange for broad immunity for many for fraudulent foreclosure processes allegedly perpetrated by the banks across
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Recently posted financial disclosure reports reveal that David Koch now contributes to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the big business lobbying federation. The disclosure shows that Koch’s foundation gave $100,000 to the Chamber for its “Free Enterprise” public relations campaign in 2010 (view full document here): In recent years, the Chamber, which represents large companies
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A White House petition sponsored by an array of good government groups has gained 25,000 signatures, enough to be reviewed by the Obama administration with an official response. The text of the petition reads: We expect candidates for federal office to follow our campaign finance laws, but the FEC – the agency charged with enforcing
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