“Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court,” ProPublica reports.
LaunchRepublican lawmakers’ troubles deepen as Koch donors and Bannon take aim
We could face a bloodbath. I think that we have a potential of seeing a Watergate-level blowout. — Ted Cruz, telling donors at the Koch-aligned
LaunchCan Ben Ray Lujan lead House Democrats to a majority?
The Los Angeles Times profiles New Mexico Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
LaunchWild west: How B.C. lobbyists are breaking one of the province’s few political donation rules
Via The Globe and Mail: “With no limits on political donations in B.C., the provincial Liberals [who are actually conservatives] raised an astonishing $12-million last year. One alarming source: Lobbyists are giving tens of thousands of dollars in their own name – and some power brokers are breaking one of the few rules the province has in place. Kathy Tomlinson reports.
LaunchSenator Elizabeth Warren calls for action to root out influence of money in politics
In a Senate floor speech on the sixth anniversary of Citizens United, Senator Elizabeth Warren laid out steps that Congress and the Administration can take
LaunchTed Cruz failed to disclose loan from Goldman Sachs for his first Senate campaign
Four years ago, when radical right wing demagogue Ted Cruz was running for U.S. Senate, he financed his campaign with a large loan from Goldman Sachs — coincidentally his wife’s employer and one of the big Wall Street banks he likes to rail against as being too influential in the nation’s capital. Cruz conveniently failed to disclose the loan at the time he was seeking to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison. The New York Times has more.
LaunchLarry Lessig isn’t giving up on his presidential campaign
I am running for president. I am running with the purpose of restoring this democracy. I will make that objective primary. I will do everything
LaunchThe one hundred and fifty-eight families funding the 2016 presidential election
The one hundred and fifty-eight families funding the 2016 presidential election Required weekend reading: “Just 158 families, along with companies they own or control, contributed
LaunchTim Eyman’s financial machinations all too familiar
“For the sake of argument, let’s presume that [Tim Eyman sidekick Mike] Fagan – Spokane’s champion of vaccine denial and conservative critic of library story time – was completely, totally unaware of these creative maneuvers. He shouldn’t have been,” writes Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal.
LaunchTime to widen Eyman finance probe
Time to widen Eyman finance probe “The state needs to get to the bottom of this, and a wider look at other initiative campaigns Eyman
LaunchTim Eyman’s lucrative initiative game
Tim Eyman’s lucrative initiative game Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat ponders the answer to the question, “Is Tim Eyman the problem, or a symptom of
LaunchInitiative 735 volunteers working to make sure ‘the small potatoes matter’
You can call them crazy dreamers, or naive. But I’m rooting for them. It’d be great to call something a “citizens’ initiative” again that doesn’t
LaunchDemocrats who voted for the CRomnibus have received twice as much money from the finance industry as the ‘no’ voters
Democrats who voted for the CRomnibus have received twice as much money from the finance industry as the ‘no’ voters In politics, money talks. The
LaunchThom Hartmann on the origin of “corporate personhood” and the need for Move to Amend
Lincoln didn’t fight the civil war to free the corporations: Thom Hartmann on the origin of “corporate personhood” and the need for Move to Amend (Video from TEDx ConcordiaUPortland, published May 9th, 2014).
LaunchKoch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity plans to spend $125 million to influence 2014 elections
Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity plans to spend $125 million to influence 2014 elections Politico’s Ken Vogel reports on an internal memo leaked from within
LaunchLeft and right agree: Supreme Court too political
Left and right agree: Supreme Court too political Americans of all political stripes are fed up with the Roberts Court, a new survey conducted by
LaunchJustice Breyer schools the Roberts majority: “Where enough money calls the tune, the general public will not be heard”
Corruption breaks the constitutionally necessary “chain of communication” between the people and their representatives. It derails the essential speech-to-government-action tie. Where enough money calls the
LaunchSenator Bernie Sanders blasts the Supreme Court’s harmful McCutcheon decision
Senator Bernie Sanders: “The Supreme Court is paving the way toward an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of billionaires like the Kock brothers and Sheldon Adelson will control our political process.” (Graphic courtesy of Senator Sanders’ office).
LaunchCourt’s liberal justices take aim at conservative Roberts majority for dismantling anti-corruption laws
Taken together with Citizens United, today’s decision eviscerates our Nation’s campaign finance laws, leaving a remnant incapable of dealing with the grave problems of democratic
LaunchAddicted to Koch: A limerick for the occasion
Today’s right-wing Republican Party is addicted to Koch Those brothers want us to think our government’s broke They’re spending big to spread lots of FUD
LaunchWhere have all the lobbyists gone? Into the shadows, that’s where
Where have all the lobbyists gone? Into the shadows, that’s where The Nation’s Lee Fang: “On paper, the influence-peddling business is drying up. But lobbying
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