Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:21 PM
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Subject: Money and Democracy Update
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| an e-newsletter about the movement to curb corporate influence in politics and restore our democracy | | Issue #6 • April 2, 2010 We hope you enjoy this issue of Public Citizen's e-newsletter about the intersection of money and politics. This is part of the campaign we developed following the disastrous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts supporting or attacking political candidates. We'll update you regularly with select news stories and blog posts, legislative developments and ways to get involved.Stunning Statistic of the Week: - Total amount spent on federal elections in the 2008 election cycle: $5.285 billion
- Microsoft's cash on hand: $33.4 billion
Citizens United is … a media company?
Citizens United, the conservative group that describes itself as a grassroots education and advocacy organization, is now claiming it's a media outfit. Why? It doesn't like that it must adhere to rules requiring the organization to document how it spends money and where the money comes from. Media companies don't have to do that.Citizens United fallout: Two more rulings come down
Two courts have issued decisions on campaign finance issues in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The first case, SpeechNow.org v. FEC, is concerned whether political committees that engage in independent campaign expenditures but do not make contributions to candidates have a right to receive unlimited contributions. Relying on Citizens United, the federal appeals court said there should be no limit on individual contributions given to independent groups that use the money to promote or defeat federal candidates. But the court also said that the conservative group that brought the case, SpeechNow.org, must reveal the names of its donors. In a second decision, a three-judge panel said that the Republican National Committee cannot raise unlimited amounts of cash from corporations and individuals. Look for that case to head to the Supreme Court.Republicans form another fundraising group
Several former Republican National Committee officials are forming a new fundraising organization to raise $52 million to defeat Democratic candidates in the fall, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. This follows a trend; Republicans plan to use several organizations to raise money from corporations and wealthy individuals in advance of the elections. Visit www.DontGetRolled.org to learn more!
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