President Obama could take action right now to help clean up our election system. Last month, we published a list of different steps Obama could take immediately, including issuing executive orders and using the S.E.C. to require publicly traded companies to disclose political spending for investors. But as The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports, the administration
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On March 29th, the New England Council — a “non-partisan alliance of businesses, academic and health institutions, and public and private organizations throughout New England” that bills itself as “New England’s voice on Capitol Hill for more than 85 years” — held a private breakfast inside one of the buildings that houses the offices of
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In recent weeks, Republic Report joined a coalition of other groups to demand that companies withdraw affiliation with the American Legislative Exchange Council, a front group that helps lobbyists pass pro-corporate legislation in states across the country. [See our letter to ALEC board members here] Republic Report’s Suzanne Merkelson covered how the Bill and Melinda
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Since former Congressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI) was named in January as the new head of the largest for-profit college association, APSCU, there has been talk that he might take a “kinder, gentler” approach to leading the troubled industry, which has pursued a take-no-prisoners lobbying approach in Washington. But having read Gunderson’s pronouncements in recent months, and
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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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Earlier today, we reported that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said they would leave the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the corporate front group that pushes controversial laws like Stand Your Ground and disenfranchising Voter ID laws in state legislatures across the country.  Citizen groups, led by Color of Change, have pressured the corporations that fund ALEC
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Got a million bucks lying around? How about 100 grand? If so, you’re in good company…of the 714 super PAC donors in 2011, who gave an average of $88,000 to the nine biggest non-campaign organizations supporting (or, in many cases, opposing) candidates for president in 2012. With total outside spending on elections now in excess
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Last month, the Koch Brothers ramped up their efforts to take control of the right-libertarian Cato Institute. Cato has long been a beacon of independent thought, not tied to one political party or another. The Kochs are apparently trying to push the think tank in a more blatantly pro-corporate direction. Last week, we talked to
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