Blogs Posts on "Campaign Finance"

FEC unwisely OKs return to cheap private jet travel by members of Congress by Scholars & Rogues on Nov 20, 2009Let’s say you’re Sen. John Dough. You’re running for re-election. You need money. Often, you have to travel to where the money is to get it. Say, in Los Angeles. So you fly. But you wish to avoid flying commercial. Too much time was...

I’ve got a mandate for the bastards by Scholars & Rogues on Nov 17, 2009We’re quick to point out political corruption around the world. Afghanistan is corrupt. Iran rigs elections. Putin has his oligarchs. It’s all true, but rarely do we take a long hard look at the corruption endemic in our own politics. My...

It’s not Congress. It’s legalized corruption. Time to end it. by Scholars & Rogues on Nov 16, 2009Former Rep. William J. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, is off to prison. In August, a jury told him that bribery, racketeering and money laundering were not acceptable behaviors for anyone, let alone a member of Congress. As a felon, Jefferson has h...

Gay marriage loses in Maine: the campaign finance scorecard by Scholars & Rogues on Nov 6, 2009On Nov. 3, 299,483 citizens of the state of Maine were persuaded to tell women who love women and men who love men that they cannot marry. Those Downeasters who voted “Yes” on Question 1 — to repeal a same-sex marriage law — bashed ga...

Tom Daschle: When is a ‘resource’ really a lobbyist? by Scholars & Rogues on Aug 23, 2009Been wondering what Tom Daschle’s been doing since he bowed out of a nomination to President Obama’s cabinet because of a peculiar Washington disease — not paying taxes? According to The New York Times, former Sen. Daschle has been...

My congressman: A one-time shining star, now tarnished by reality by Scholars & Rogues on Aug 15, 2009My new Democratic congressman, who barely bested an entrenched Republican, has disappointed. Rep. Eric Massa, NY-29, has parted with his most cherished, pre-election promise. He has gained power; now, like all members of Congress, he wishes to keep i...

President Obama’s ambassadors: more political picks than career professionals by Scholars & Rogues on Jul 11, 2009Twenty-seven people nominated to ambassadorships by President Obama, as tracked by the Center for Responsive Politics, have made $4,475,725 in campaign contributions, almost all to Democrats, since 1989. These 27 nominees contributed $144,431 to Pres...

Not Suprisingly, Espada's Very Late Campaign Finance Report Says Nothing by Joshing Politics on Jun 24, 2009More than seven months after the 2008 election, Pedro Espada finally filed a campaign finance report with the state. He had hurriedly filed after learning prosecutors were about to file criminal charges against him. Despite that belated "complia...

The president’s promise of ethical transparency … is just a promise by Scholars & Rogues on Jun 19, 2009A week after the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, the chief of his transition team, John Podesta, served notice that the president would make good on his campaign promise of change in the area of ethics. In a state...

A jobs act that created no jobs: a lesson in profitable lobbying by Scholars & Rogues on May 3, 2009You’re a coalition of multinational corporations. Imagine this deal: Invest $1 in lobbying. Get a return on investment of $220. Save $100 billion on taxes, too. Nice, eh? That’s the conclusion of three University of Kansas professors who...