Whitehouse At Senate Judiciary Hearing: If We Can Ask Soldiers To Go To Afghanistan, We Can Ask The Koch Brothers To ‘Put Up With Some Impolite Blogging’
On Tuesday, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing called “Taking Back Our Democracy,” examining special interests’ increasing grip on American politics and policy, especially focusing on the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. Two panels of witnesses, including both current lawmakers and activists, testified to a friendly panel of Democratic senators (no Republicans appeared to
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Chairman Of Georgia House Ethics Committee Shills For Lobbyist Gifts
You’d think that if there’s anyone who should be for curtailing the influence of lobbyists and other ethics reforms, its the chair of the ethics committee in the legislature, right? In Georgia, you’d be wrong. A trans-partisan coalition of tea partiers and progressives have been pushing for a cap of $100 on gifts that lawmakers
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GOP Lawmakers Huddle With Fossil Fuel Industry Lobbyists To Develop Party’s Energy Platform
GOP lawmakers huddled with fossil fuel industry lobbyists on Monday to lay the “groundwork for the party’s official energy platform at August’s national convention.” The Hill quotes Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) as explaining, “Everyone just kind of threw in a pitch. There were a lot of different people up there.” By everyone in this “small group discussion,” he meant
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Anti-Gun Control Groups Spent 17 Times As Much On Lobbying As Pro-Gun Control Groups Last Year
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Aurora, some have called for a renewed debate on gun control. While there is likely strong evidence on both sides of this debate, the curious thing is that one institution is not having any debate whatsoever: Congress. I ran the numbers to see what the various Big
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LINKS — Lawyers Are Making Money Off Of The Campaign Finance System
Bloomberg: Lawyers Raking In Cash As Campaign Spending Hits Records Every four years, a new mix of politicians assembles to compete for the opportunity to run for president. While the candidates’ names and faces change, the lawyers stay the same. Mother Jones: Meet the Front Group Leading the Fight Against Taxing the Rich Often cited
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VIDEO: Lee Fang Discusses Failure Of The DISCLOSE ACT
Last night, Lee Fang joined a panel on Thom Hartmann’s television program to discuss the failure of the DISCLOSE Act, legislation designed to bring transparency to the election system. Under current law, much of the electioneering in our political system is undisclosed. The legislation, which was filibustered twice last week, would have forced secretive 501(c)
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As NY Gov. Cuomo Faces Fracking Decision, Washington Lobbyists Sip “Fracktinis”
Last week, the oil and gas lobby group the American Petroleum Institute (API) held a red carpet film screening at the Warner Theatre in Washington. Such fancy film events are held regularly in DC, but few come with as sexy a title as this one: the “hydraulic fracturing event of the summer.” Attendees, presumably there for the
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Is Big Pharma Using A Front Group To Exact Revenge On Cheap Drugs Advocate Denny Rehberg?
One of the biggest rip-offs the U.S. government enforces is a ban on cheap pharmaceutical drugs from Canada. Americans are barred from buying perfectly safe pharmaceutical drugs from Canada that can be 20 to 80 percent cheaper than American drugs. Conservative organizations like the Cato Institute and progressive lawmakers like former Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) have
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