Senator Jon Tester of Montana introduces his constitutional amendment to overturn "Citizens United"
Senator Jon Tester of Montana has just introduced our People’s Rights Amendment in the U.S Senate to reverse the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and to make it clear that corporations do not have constitutional rights, as if they were people. This marks the first introduction in the US Senate of a constitutional amendment bill to overturn fully the fabricated doctrine of corporate constitutional rights and ensure that people, not corporations, shall govern in America.
PDF versionPro Publica: Who are the Super PACs’ Biggest Donors?
Pro Publica has created an interactive chart which shows the share of all contributions given by the top ten donors to each of the 12 largest super PACs, through Jan. 31. Some corporations are affiliated with individual donors, such as the Contran Corporation, which is owned by Harold Simmons. Some donors, such as Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Yasmin and Oren Lukatz, and Sivan Ochshorn gave individually but are all members of a single family. Hover over each super PAC's name to see the total raised by its top ten donors, and hover over each donor to see how much they gave.
The Daily Beast: Karl Rove’s “Liberal Group” Complaint and the Crossroads GPS Scheme
When it comes to dark money groups, what really separates Crossroads GPS from its liberal counterparts is tens of millions of dollars in FEC-reported political spending, writes Robert Maguire of the Center for Responsive Politics.
-by Robert Maguire
June 2, 2013- Karl Rove, the co-founder of Crossroads GPS, has taken of late to asking why his 501(c)(4) social welfare group has been scrutinized, while “liberal groups have operated for decades in the same way GPS does without Democrats complaining.” He singled out the League of Conservation Voters, NARAL Pro-Choice America, unions and the NAACP.
Talking Points Memo: Congressmen Propose The Mother Of All Voting Rights Protections
-By Hunter Walker
May 27, 2013- A pair of Democratic congressmen is pushing an amendment that would place an affirmative right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. According to Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), who is sponsoring the legislation along with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the amendment would protect voters from what he described as a “systematic” push to “restrict voting access” through voter ID laws, shorter early voting deadlines, and other measures that are being proposed in many states.
Huffington Post: Prop C Wins: LA Voters Send Strong Message Against Supreme Court's Citizens United Ruling
-By Anna Almendra
May 22, 2013- In a blow against the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, the second-largest city in the U.S. sent a strong, if symbolic, message against corporate personhood and unlimited corporate spending on political campaigns.
Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition C, a resolution that instructed local and state officials to promote the overturning of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. With 100 percent of precincts reporting by 3:16 a.m. Wednesday, Prop C had won 76.6 percent of the vote, according to the LA City Clerk's unofficial results.
PR Watch: Kochs Form "Business League," Will Keep Political Spending In the Shadows
-by Brendan Fischer
May 2, 2013- The right-wing network funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers is being revamped after the 2012 elections, starting with a new nonprofit called the "Association for American Innovation" that will act as a hub for funnelling undisclosed spending towards the Kochs' political projects. With ambiguous IRS rules and a deadlocked Congress, they might get away with it.
The Progressive: A Bigger, Darker Rightwing Funder
-By Ruth Conniff
April 30, 2013- It's "the most powerful organization in America that no one seems to know about."
That's how Scot Ross, executive director of the progressive think tank One Wisconsin Institute, describes the Bradley Foundation.
Unlike David Koch of the Koch Brothers, whose cover was blown when a gonzo blogger named Ian Murphy (editor of the Buffalo Beast and a frequent contributor to The Progressive), impersonated him in a prank call to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
The Milwaukee based Bradley Foundation operates off the mainstream media radar. Yet the group has made more than $530 million in grants and awards since 1985, making it a much, much bigger giver to rightwing causes than the Koch brothers. With more than $290 million in assets, Bradley is one of the biggest foundations in the United States.
Think Progress: After Casting Key Fifth Vote For Bush, Justice O’Connor Now Regrets Bush v. Gore
-By Ian Millhiser
April 29, 2013- Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the conservative retired justice who provided the fifth vote to install George W. Bush as president, is now having second thoughts about that decision:
Looking back, O’Connor said, she isn’t sure the high court should have taken [Bush v. Gore].
“It took the case and decided it at a time when it was still a big election issue,” O’Connor said during a talk Friday with the Tribune editorial board. “Maybe the court should have said, ‘We’re not going to take it, goodbye.’”
The case, she said, “stirred up the public” and “gave the court a less-than-perfect reputation.”
Texas Tribune: Bob Perry, Prolific GOP Donor, Dead at 80
-by Ross Ramsey
April 14, 2013- Bob Perry, a wealthy homebuilder and philanthropist who was among the nation's largest political givers, has died at his home in Nassau Bay, near Houston. He was 80.
His death was confirmed by lobbyist and former state Rep. Neal T. "Buddy" Jones, a family friend and business associate, who said in a statement, "Bob Perry passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. The family asks for privacy right now as they grieve their loss. They look forward to talking with their friends in the coming days."
Jones added a personal note: "Bob Perry was a friend to many, many people all over the United States, and he was a true patriot. He will be sorely missed. Those of us who knew him were blessed by his friendship."
Anthony Holm, a spokesman, also confirmed Perry's death: "Mr. Perry, one of the finest human beings I've ever met, passed away peacefully in his sleep last night."
