In a post-Citizen’s United world quid pro quo is a way of life. So maybe it should not be a surprise that the Obama team’s fundraising strategy involves selling access to President Obama in exchange for cash despite President Obama’s clear promise not to do so in his early campaigns. President Obama’s political team is [...]

After the victory in Wisconsin, many wondered where conservative interests would strike next to finish off unions and permanently alter the power relationship between labor and capital. It appears the next step is California. In November, voters will decide on an initiative, Prop 32, that would “eliminate unions from having any voice in politics whatsoever,” [...]

Jonathan Martin goes searching for populists in the Democratic Party, and comes up empty. Populism — with its rowdy zeal to brawl against economic elites on behalf of the working classes — was for decades the party’s defining cause. In language that highlights the tameness of contemporary class warfare, President Franklin D. Roosevelt railed against [...]

In a way, the idea that the Supreme Court would overturn their landmark ruling in the Citizens United case, in just two years’ time, with the same personnel on the Court based on a state Supreme Court holding in Montana, of all places, was pretty fanciful. And the Court did not surprise anyone. They quickly [...]

There will be no ruling on the Affordable Care Act today, per the fine folks at SCOTUSBlog. However, three other consequential rulings did get announced. First, there’s the case of American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock. This was the Montana attempt to effectively overturn Citizens United and re-establish limits on corporate participation in political campaigns. The [...]

John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for President and an endorser of Mitt Romney, has launched a broadside against Romney’s new patron, Sheldon Adelson, alleging that Adelson is using foreign money for his SuperPAC donations to help Republicans win the White House in 2012. “Much of Mr. Adelson’s casino profits that go to him come [...]

The Supreme Court overturned a number of campaign finance laws in the Citizens United ruling over two years ago. And since that time, we have seen the corrosive power of runaway campaign spending, and who it benefits. In fact, the orgy of spending has become so embarrassing, that it has led some to believe that [...]

We’re finally seeing a response to all that money pouring in on the conservative side into SuperPACs and electoral-focused independent expenditure groups. George Soros and other finders have opened their pocketbooks, but they will orient their spending a bit differently: After months on the sidelines, major liberal donors including the financier George Soros are preparing [...]

Today, Democratic voters in Wisconsin will choose a standard bearer for the recall election against Scott Walker. This will end a fairly divisive period for Wisconsin Democrats, who had trouble settling on one candidate to take on Walker, especially after the most attractive option, former Senator Russ Feingold, declined the opportunity. The faithful were left [...]

Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man on the planet (net worth: $44 billion), often referred to as the “Oracle of Omaha,” is the target of a May 5 action called for by Stop Coal B.C. Well, not Buffett directly, but a rail company he owns through his massive holding company, Berkshire Hathaway: Burlington Northern Santa [...]

Forget the five people you meet in heaven, here are the five people running the US election system these days. We know how the super PACs have come to dominate the presidential campaign, but a closer look at financial-disclosure numbers shows how just a tiny handful of billionaires are dominating those super PACs. An analysis [...]