Buy a judge? or their courtroom decisions?
August 16, 2007
NPR coverage detailing the increasing investments and competitiveness of winning the judiciary, based on a report from non-partisan group, Justice at Stake. Their 2006 report , along with a nod to a Zogby survey of business leaders, in which 79% believe that “campaign contributions made to judges have at least some influence on their decisions in the courtroom.”
As for the NPR summary, it states:
… Documenting the increasing influence of money in judicial elections, the report shows fundraising by state supreme court candidates rose in 2006, with the median being close to $250,000 per candidate. The high-water mark came in Alabama, where the total price tag for the race for chief justice was $8.2 million.
TV ads ran in 10 or the 11 states where state supreme court judges were up for election, compared to just four states out of 18 six years earlier. Average television spending hit a new record at $1.6 million per state. And business interests outspent everyone else combined — by a 2-to-1 margin.
More Casualties, More Problems
August 16, 2007
Deborah Pryce, the “highest-ranking woman in the Congress” prior to Madame Speaker Pelosi, announced her intent to spend more time with her daughter/family. And not have to run for public office in 2008 (she barely won in 2006, by a margin of 1600 votes out of 200,000 cast).
For someone who was the 4th-highest member of the GOP House leadership, it is another blemish to accompany former Speaker Hastert’s decision to bid adieu.
Why the Youth Vote Matters
August 2, 2007
or why we — those of us up to 29 — mattered in the 2006 mid-term elections is decipherable from this pretty image from the MFA folks:
Tired of giving your email address to the newsites … that sell your email to … who give it to spammers? Try bugmenot.com, an online resource where you can get legit username and password combinations to use on the washingtonpost.com, latimes and any other sites that ‘require’ user registration.
For starters…
August 2, 2007
For starters, here are some recent stories that stoked my interest in money and politics:
Money Chooses Sides, by John Heilemann
New York Magazine, April 23, 2007.
The 2nd Quarter 2007 Political Contributions to Presidential Candidates: Mitt, Johnny “son of a millworker” Edwards, McFallin’ McCain, Rudy, Hillary, Barack et al.
from Open Secrets.org (unofficial)
“In the Money”
Washington Monthly, July 2, 2007
Moving Past Push Pins
this is a sweet online map of the places making the biggest political contributions to each presidential candidate
