Congressman Schock Violated Earmark Ban With Tariffs Exemption Requests To His Campaign Contributors
On March 19 at Finish Line Ford in Peoria, Illinois, Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL) hosted a big fundraiser with Mitt Romney. Tickets cost $250 or $500 per person, or $5,000 for a table of 10 and a guarantee of a photograph with Schock and Romney. At least 8 employees of Caterpillar inc., according to FEC filings, were in attendance. Four gave
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New Health Insurance-Funded Front Group Airing New Ads Calling For Health Reform Repeal, Attacks Democrats
As House Republican again prepare to repeal every single provision of health reform, industry-funded fronts are on the warpath to provide political attacks in key districts across the country. Yesterday, American Action Network, a 501(c)(4) front that does not disclose its donors, uploaded a series of ads to its YouTube page that showcase the type
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Political Corruption Enhances the Influence of the One Percent
The Atlantic: Big Campaign Spending: Government by the 1% Here’s what we must come to see: America has lost the capacity to govern. On a wide range of critical issues — from global warming to tax reform, from effective financial regulation to real health-care change, from the deficit to defense spending — we have lost
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John Deere, CVS Caremark, HP, MillerCoors, And Best Buy Drop ALEC
Today, five new companies have pledged to stop funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). They include John Deere, CVS Caremark, MillerCoors, HP, and Best Buy. According to the activist group ColorOfChange: “Over the last few weeks, we have closely followed the issues surrounding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and have heard from numerous
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Nebraska GOP Senate Candidate Deb Fischer Puts Out Bold Plan For Ethics Reform
Deb Fischer shocked political observers recently when she came from behind and won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Nebraska. Although an endorsement from GOP icon Sarah Palin probably helped, it’s worth noting that Fischer has also been campaigning on a strong proposal to reform the ethics and lobbying laws in Congress. Here’s a
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Bigger Than Countrywide? Bribes To Lawmakers Coordinated By The Mortgage Bankers Association
The Countrywide VIP scandal has rocked Capitol Hill. Initial reports showed that Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) were the most high profile politicians to accept special cut-rate mortgages from the troubled subprime lender. Now, it has become clear that dozens of lawmakersand high-ranking officials were recipients of these bribes. The scandal has
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State Political Parties Dominated By Lobbyists
Polls show an overwhelming majority of Americans view lobbyist and big money influence as the main problem in our politics today. But the two major political parties, on both the state and federal level, have done little to substantively reform the system. Republic Report interns Nick Lyell and Mehrad Yazdi took a look at the
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In Recorded Message To Drone Lobby Group, Congressman Rick Berg Brags About Loyalty To Industry
With little debate, lobbyists slipped language into an FAA reauthorization bill earlier this year that will allow some 30,000 drones to fly over domestic airspace in coming years. While the shift may lead to a marked loss of privacy for millions of Americans, one congressman is bragging about carrying the drone industry’s water. Congressman Rick
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