Offering Donors Secrecy, and Going on Attack

By JIM RUTENBERG, DON VAN NATTA Jr. and MIKE McINTIRE

The American Future Fund, a conservative organization based in Iowa, has been one of the more active players in this fall’s campaigns, spending millions of dollars on ads attacking Democrats across the country. It has not hesitated to take credit for its attacks, issuing press releases with headlines like “AFF Launches TV Ads in 13 States Targeting Liberal Politicians.”

Like many of the other groups with anodyne names engaged in the battle to control Congress, it does not have to identify its donors, keeping them — and their possible motivations — shrouded from the public.

For Democrats, Even ‘Safe’ Seats Are Shaky

By JEFF ZELENY

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — Republicans are expanding the battle for the House into districts that Democrats had once considered relatively safe, while Democrats began a strategy of triage on Monday to fortify candidates who they believe stand the best chance of survival.

As Republicans made new investments in at least 10 races across the country, including two Democratic seats here in eastern Ohio, Democratic leaders took steps to pull out of some races entirely or significantly cut their financial commitment in several districts that the party won in the last two election cycles.

Progressive Hunter

Feinberg Firm Paid More Than $2.5 Million by BP in 3 1/2 Months

Kenneth Feinberg and his law firm have been paid more than $2.5 million in 3 1/2 months to administer the $20 billion fund set up by BP Plc to compensate victims of its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The London-based oil company agreed to pay Feinberg Rozen LLP in Washington a fee of $850,000 a month from mid-June, when Feinberg agreed to run the claims facility, through Oct. 1, according to a report today on the compensation by former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Secret donors fuel Crossroads ads

By: Kenneth P. Vogel
October 5, 2010 02:39 PM EDT

A massive $4.2 million ad buy announced Tuesday by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS erases any doubts that the groups, conceived by veteran GOP operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, have the cash to be major players in next month’s election.

And with nearly 75 percent of the buy paid for by undisclosed donors, the expenditure highlights a trend that has shaped the midterm campaigns and could have far-reaching consequences in American politics: the shift to anonymous political activity. 

‘Citizens United’ Ruling Opened Floodgates On Groups’ Ad Spending

October 7, 2010 – NPR Transcript

TERRY GROSS, host:

This is FRESH AIR. I’m Terry Gross.

If you think you’re seeing more campaign ads than you’d expect for a midterm election, you’re probably right. This year is expected to set a new record in media spending for an election cycle, and that can be attributed in part to the recent Supreme Court Citizens United decision, which extended the right of free speech to corporations.

The decision allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on ads and other campaign activities that can urge voters to directly oppose or support individual candidates. And organizations with certain IRS designations can accept unlimited donations without publicly disclosing who their donors are, which means when we see an ad, we may not know who is behind it.

Chamber and Democrats battle over the midterms and election spending

By Dan Eggen

Friday, October 8, 2010; 2:18 PM

The long-simmering feud between Democrats and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has erupted into a full-scale war.

The chamber, one of Washington’s most influential lobbying groups, emerged from the background of the midterm elections this week, spending millions of dollars on ads to help Republicans and fending off Democratic allegations that the effort may include money collected from foreign firms.

With large fundraising advantage, Republicans expand the number of targeted races

By Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam Washington Post Staff Writers

Friday, October 8, 2010

The Republican Party and its allies are using a clear financial advantage to pursue a rare opportunity this year, spreading resources across an unusually large number of races, including many considered safe for Democrats just weeks ago.

The conservative push further endangers Democratic control of the House and Senate in a political environment already highly favorable for the GOP.

TARP Puts Some Republicans On The Defensive

by DON GONYEA

In the fall of 2008, when a mortgage crisis brought fears of failing financial institutions, Congress passed emergency legislation creating a $700 billion fund called the Troubled Asset Relief Program. TARP, as it is known, was approved with broad bipartisan support, and the markets stabilized.

Good TARP News Doesn’t Fit; Media Are Flummoxed

by RON ELVING

What do we do with the end of TARP?

And what do we do with the news that TARP will not have cost anything like the $700 billion we thought it would? What if it really cost $50 billion, or less?

What if, in the end, the Troubled Asset Relief Program so controversial at birth and vilified throughout its two years of life turns out to have turned a profit for the government and the taxpayer?

We — most of the news media this is — simply don’t know what to do with this news.