The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged campaign finance reform

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DISCLOSE Act Fails in Senate Vote

By | 09.23.10 | 6:38 am

Update: Today, the Senate voted on the DISCLOSE Act — which would have required organizations involved in political campaigning to disclose the identity of large donors and would have barred foreign corporations, large government contractors, and TARP recipients from making political expenditures.

[Congress1] Public interest groups and Democratic Senate staffs More…

Collins, Snowe Face Pressure at Home on DISCLOSE Act

By | 09.22.10 | 9:45 am

In Maine, public interest groups in favor of the DISCLOSE Act are cranking up the pressure this morning on GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe:

Lacking Votes, Dems Press Ahead With DISCLOSE Act

By | 07.27.10 | 6:00 am

On Monday afternoon, President Obama convened a press conference in the Rose Garden to promote legislation that would counteract the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which held that corporate spending on campaign ads can’t be restricted under the First Amendment. The DISCLOSE Act would require corporations, unions and nonprofit groups More…

Another Legislative Fix to Citizens United

By | 02.11.10 | 12:51 pm

Democratic leaders in each chamber have teamed up today to introduce a legislative package designed to nullify the Supreme Court’s recent decision empowering corporations to spend uncapped sums to influence federal elections. Calling the High Court’s ruling a “radical decision” that could “drown out the voices of American More…

A Legislative Fix to Citizens United

By | 01.26.10 | 10:30 am

Since last week’s Supreme Court decision freeing corporations to spend unlimited sums to influence elections, there’s been a great deal of debate about what Congress, short of amending the Constitution, could do to prevent the nation’s big businesses from buying even more influence in Washington than they’ve already More…

Supreme Court Empowers Foreign Governments to Sway Federal Elections?

By | 01.22.10 | 3:55 pm

That’s the warning coming today from the folks at the Center for Public Integrity, who caution that the recent High Court decision empowering corporations to spend unlimited sums on federal election ads could also have the unintended consequence of ending the ban on foreigners buying influence More…

If You Thought Big Business Ran This Town Before …

By | 01.21.10 | 12:00 pm

As Dave just mentioned, the Supreme Court this morning freed corporations to make unlimited donations to candidates for the White House or Congress. The decision hinges largely on two theories: (1) That a corporation, legally, is a person as it pertains to free-speech rights, and (2) More…

Congress, Heal Thyself

By | 11.11.09 | 1:34 pm

Congress this year is on a tear against bad behavior in the corporate world. Lawmakers have passed credit card reforms to protect Americans from the worst abuses of the big banks; they’re moving now on health reforms to protect Americans from the worst practices of the More…

Ben Nelson: A Man of the People?

By | 11.11.09 | 12:06 pm

As Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) marks his line of opposition to a public insurance plan in the Democrats’ health reform bill, it’s worth noting that no industry has given more to Nelson’s congressional career than the insurers. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions, insurance More…

Today’s SCOTUS Argument Doesn’t Bode Well for Campaign Finance Reform

By | 09.09.09 | 12:17 pm

Here’s Scotusblog’s Lyle Denniston’s take on this morning’s argument in the campaign finance case Citizens United v. FEC:

If supporters of federal curbs on political campaign spending by corporations were hoping that Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., would be hesitant to

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