Because of the Citizens United decision, Karl Rove and the Republicans are looking forward to a breakfast the day after the election. They are going to assemble 17 angry old white men for breakfast, some of them will slobber in their food, some will have scrambled eggs, some will have oatmeal, their teeth are gone. But these 17 angry old white men will say, ‘Hey, we just bought America. Wasn’t so bad. We still have a whole lot of money left.’
Sen. Harry Reid (via bostonreview)
source2012: Obama And Romney Spent $1.1 Million in Days Leading to Colorado Ad Freeze Election year politics has been put on hold at least temporarily in the swing state of Colorado today in the wake of last night’s tragedy in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Both President Barack Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney — as well as some big-spending super PACs supporting the candidates — announced they would pull all advertising from the state out of respect for the victims of the mass shooting at an early-morning screening of the latest Batman film. A quick analysis of weekly ad spending posted by National Journal’s election spending tool finds that the Obama campaign had spent more than $1.06 million on advertising in the state since Monday alone, and more than $9.5 million since May 1. The Romney campaign meanwhile had spent more than $642,000 in Colorado this week before it pulled its advertising in the state today. All told, team Romney has so spent about $3.9 milliion overall since May 1. GRAPHIC
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source2012:

Obama And Romney Spent $1.1 Million in Days Leading to Colorado Ad Freeze

Election year politics has been put on hold at least temporarily in the swing state of Colorado today in the wake of last night’s tragedy in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Both President Barack Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney — as well as some big-spending super PACs supporting the candidates — announced they would pull all advertising from the state out of respect for the victims of the mass shooting at an early-morning screening of the latest Batman film.

A quick analysis of weekly ad spending posted by National Journal’s election spending tool finds that the Obama campaign had spent more than $1.06 million on advertising in the state since Monday alone, and more than $9.5 million since May 1. The Romney campaign meanwhile had spent more than $642,000 in Colorado this week before it pulled its advertising in the state today. All told, team Romney has so spent about $3.9 milliion overall since May 1.

GRAPHIC

(via opensecretsdc)

Tax-Exempt Groups Shield Political Gifts of Businesses American Electric Power, one of the country’s largest utilities, gave $1 million last November to the Founding Fund, a new tax-exempt group that intends to raise most of its money from corporations and push for limited government. The giant insurer Aetna directed more than $3 million last year to theAmerican Action Network, a Republican-leaning nonprofit organization that has spent millions of dollars attacking lawmakers who voted for President Obama’s health care bill — even as Aetna’s president publicly voiced support for the legislation. Read More on the “New York Times” Photo: Gerald Holubowicz/LAIF - 2011
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Tax-Exempt Groups Shield Political Gifts of Businesses

American Electric Power, one of the country’s largest utilities, gave $1 million last November to the Founding Fund, a new tax-exempt group that intends to raise most of its money from corporations and push for limited government.

The giant insurer Aetna directed more than $3 million last year to theAmerican Action Network, a Republican-leaning nonprofit organization that has spent millions of dollars attacking lawmakers who voted for President Obama’s health care bill — even as Aetna’s president publicly voiced support for the legislation.

Read More on the “New York Times”

Photo: Gerald Holubowicz/LAIF - 2011

Disco PACs

Campaign finance laws and Super PACs can be funky! Watch this video from ProPublica explaining how Super Pacs and 501c4 work. 

Citizens United is very often depicted as a problem for the liberals and not for the conservatives. Well actually the Supreme Court decision is a non-partisan issue, most Democrats are opposed to it but some Republicans can also see the danger of the Supreme Court decision, just like John McCain.  source2012: John McCain predicts “huge scandals” in wake of Citizens United Campaign finance reformer John McCain had harsh words for the U.S. Supreme Court and their controversial 2010 ruling Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission at an event in D.C. this morning. McCain was joined on the panel by former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), former GOP Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, former FEC Chairman Michael Toner, Center for Competitive Politics president David Keating and others to discuss super PACs and the question of whether money corrupts lawmakers. Read iWatch News reporter Michael Beckel’s full dispatch from the event here.
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Citizens United is very often depicted as a problem for the liberals and not for the conservatives. Well actually the Supreme Court decision is a non-partisan issue, most Democrats are opposed to it but some Republicans can also see the danger of the Supreme Court decision, just like John McCain. 

source2012:

John McCain predicts “huge scandals” in wake of Citizens United

Campaign finance reformer John McCain had harsh words for the U.S. Supreme Court and their controversial 2010 ruling Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission at an event in D.C. this morning.

McCain was joined on the panel by former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), former GOP Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, former FEC Chairman Michael Toner, Center for Competitive Politics president David Keating and others to discuss super PACs and the question of whether money corrupts lawmakers.

Read iWatch News reporter Michael Beckel’s full dispatch from the event here.