About: Suzanne Merkelson
Bio: Suzanne Merkelson is the former Associate Web Editor at United Republic. She previously worked at Foreign Policy magazine, where she was a web producer. She has also interned at The Atlantic and NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook. Suzanne has written for the Chicago Tribune, Foreign Policy and The Atlantic, among others.
Lawmakers Unite With Activist Groups To Press For Constitutional Amendment On Citizens United
On Wednesday, a group of members of Congress, local and state lawmakers, and activist groups met in a Capitol Visitor Center hearing room to do something unusual for its loftiness: they announced and signed a “declaration for democracy,” pledging their support to an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens
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ALEC Tries To Fight Back, While Activists Groups Keep Racking Up Victories
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is in trouble and it knows it. Corporate sponsors have dropped the group in droves and it has responded with a panicked public relations operation. After a series of extremely exaggerated (if not outrightly facetious) press releases, a plea for donations on the organization’s homepage, a botched social media operation,
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In Latest Press Release, ALEC Claims To Be ‘Transparent, Open’
The staff of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have been responding to a firestorm over the exodus of major corporations from the organization thanks to increased attention on ALEC’s role in pushing the controversial “Stand Your Ground” law that allowed Trayvon Martin’s killer George Zimmerman to escape prosecution for 40 days (and other particularly despicable legislation). Yesterday,
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Mars, Maker of Skittles, 8th Corporation To Quit ALEC
Following on the heels of the Arizona Public Service Company (APS), candy-maker Mars announced it has cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The corporate front group has experienced an exodus of members — Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Intuit, and KraftFoods all publicly quit the organization in the past week due to public
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Lobbyists: Unregistered Influence Peddlers Like Newt Gingrich And Tom Daschle Give Us A Bad Name
It’s not hard to understand what lobbyists do: They influence lawmakers on policy that’s important to their (often corporate) clients and employers, in many cases while they or their clients are providing campaign contributions and other benefits to the same lawmakers. But the legal definition of a lobbyist is complicated and leaves out many of
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Big Super PAC Donor Harold Simmons Pays Government To Make His Dump Profitable
Harold Simmons has spent $16 million so far this election season, making him one of the biggest presidential super PAC sugar daddies. Simmons recently said he was prepared to spend at least $36 million to beat President Obama, “for the good of the country.” But Simmons isn’t just spreading his wealth to help others. He’s hoping
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Lobbying Groups Fight To Stop FDA From Regulating Chemical Linked To Erectile Dysfunction And Miscarriages
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly rejected a petition to ban bisphenol-A (BPA) in food packaging, four years after the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) asked the agency to outlaw the toxin. The agency said that “there is not compelling scientific evidence to justify new restrictions” on the chemical, which is used
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