July 12, 2012

LINKS: Do We Need Dodd-Frank? That’s A Clown Question, Bro

Washington Post: Money gap may not matter so much in November Obama probably will be similarly outspent in the end, but given the near-parity in bank accounts on both sides, it won’t make much difference. “Nobody’s going to win or lose this election on the basis of not having enough money,” said Bob Biersack, a
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July 11, 2012

LINKS: Corruption Is Up In The United States

New York Times:  The Spreading Scourge of Corporate Corruption The misconduct of the financial industry no longer surprises most Americans. Only about one in five has much trust in banks, according to Gallup polls, about half the level in 2007. And it’s not just banks that are frowned upon. Trust in big business overall is declining.
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July 10, 2012

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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July 2, 2012

Still Sweating? Here’s Another Reason To Hate Pepco: It Spends Your Tax Dollars Lobbying To Increase Rates For Its Shoddy Services

DC power outage and money in politics

The Washington, DC, area experienced incredibly severe storms on Friday night, the kind that, with an unprecedented number of downed trees, can only lead to extensive power disruptions — 1.5 million were without power for at least part of the weekend. Yet three days later, 25 percent of households and businesses in the area still don’t
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June 28, 2012

A ‘Fast And Furious’ Hypocrisy: Members Behind Holder Contempt Vote Receive Lots Of Campaign Cash From The National Rifle Association

Eric Holder is implicated in the Fast and Furious scandal thanks to the influence of corporate lobbyists.

One person who is probably happy about the attention the Supreme Court is getting for its pending Obamacare decision is Attorney General Eric Holder, who, by any measure, is having a really bad week. Later today, the House of Representatives is likely to hold him in contempt of Congress because he has refused to hand
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June 27, 2012

NY Attorney General Probing U.S. Chamber of Commerce For Allegedly Laundering AIG Money For Lobbying, Political Commercials

Yesterday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a subpoena targeting a foundation affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for illegally funneling $18 million to the Chamber for its political campaigning and lobbying efforts. The New York Times reports: The investigation is also looking at connections between the chamber’s foundation, the National Chamber
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June 14, 2012

Obama’s Second Term Agenda: Why Not Focus On Campaign Finance Reform?

Ryan Lizza’s much buzzed about recent piece in The New Yorker investigates what Barack Obama might focus on in a second term. Obama could focus on immigration reform, on clean energy and the environment, on shoring up healthcare reform to future attacks from Republicans, on foreign policy. These are all issues that candidate Obama promised
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May 14, 2012

Meet Three Congressional Primary Candidates Running Against Corruption

Americans everywhere are waking up to the corrupting influence of Big Money on our democratic form of government. Activists are holding rallies, signing petitions, getting city resolutions passed against Citizens United, and taking part in other activities designed to push for major reforms to our system. But that’s not the only way Americans are challenging
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