Tag Archives: campaign finance

Following the money

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During the 2008 presidential race a number of sites, like FiveThirtyEight.com and OpenSecrets.org, looked at the data behind election results and political contributions. The answer is always to follow the money and other projects are now building on those sites’ pioneering work.

In New York City, the politics site Gotham Gazette is launching Councilpedia. Founder Gail Robinson discusses the project on MediaShift’s Idea Lab:

Councilpedia will provide information about New York’s 51 City Council members and two citywide elected officials, including their campaign finance information, the bills they introduced, and the groups they gave “member items” — the parlance here for pork or earmarks. (Our third citywide elected official — the mayor — only takes contributions from one person: his billionaire self.)

Our main source for much of the raw data will be the New York Campaign Finance Board. By most accounts, the city has a model campaign finance law, and the board gets as much information into the hands of the public as it can. That said, the lists of donors often seem to be little more than an undifferentiated list of unfamiliar names.

Councilpedia is a recipient of support from the Knight News Challenge, which funds innovative ideas in journalism.

Statistician Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.com is building on its 2008 work by ranking the most contested Senate races in the country by aggregating polling data. The latest rankings are quite preliminary since many candidates have not yet filed, so fundraising data hasn’t yet been added in.

WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show today spoke with Micah Sifry of Tech President, a blog covering how politicians are using the Web. He’s currently leading an effort to increase transparency in government called Demand Question Time.

To go more in-depth on these issues, join OpenSecrets.org on Thursday, 3/4 for an online chat to address the issue of money in politics and whether or not it’s been affected by the recession.

Campaign finance, then and now

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Today’s Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance reform will allow corporations to give as much money as they want to support candidates, overturning a ruling that had been in effect for the past 20 years. But what was the scenario before 1990?

NPR takes a look at campaign finance through the years in a timeline of legislation from 1900 to the present. The timeline include events such as the 1907 ban on corporate contributions to Congressional and Presidential campaigns, the start of Political Action Committees in 1943, and the start of modern campaign finance in 1971.

Watchdog organizations like Open Secrets and the Sunlight Foundation will clearly play a larger role as this decision takes effect. The Obama campaign was defined by the numerous smaller donations from individuals – will the new rules take away the importance these types of donors play in elections? The non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute provides reports on campaign finance in the 2008 election.

Not surprisingly, President Obama was not satisfied with the court’s ruling. Two notes on the President’s Twitter feed discussed the issue this afternoon:

@BarackObama: Today’s Supreme Court ruling gives special interests more power, and undermines the influence of average Americans. http://bit.ly/7-a

The @WhiteHouse will work immediately w/ bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision http://bit.ly/-I

Public Media Texas gives an overview of NPR’s coverage of today’s proceeds and what their effects may be.
Political Junkie reported:

Today’s decision overturns a 20-year ruling — Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce — that prohibited corporations or labor unions from paying for campaign ads. The decision removes spending limits for independent expenditure groups. It threatens to remove spending limits already established in 24 states. And it struck down part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that bars issue ads paid for by corporations or unions in the closing days of a campaign.

Questions about campaign finance and what the ruling means? Ask Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) on this week’s Ask Your Lawmaker podcast, or submit a question to any Congressperson on Ask Your Lawmaker.

New things for the new year

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New Year candles/ Credit: Flickr user Optical Illusion

New Year candles/ Credit: Flickr user Optical Illusion

While the rest of the country was drinking champagne and indulging in holiday treats, some non-profit media folks were hard at work readying new projects for the new decade.

California Watch is a new approach to investigative local journalism from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Based in the Bay Area, the project links reporters and media outlets, including San Francisco’s KQED to produce stories about issues across California. In its first iteration, the money and politics area of the site features a piece on campaign contributions and an interactive graphic tracking one candidate’s spending.

Curious about how to plan your career for the next decade? NPR’s Morning Edition reported on what types of jobs will be flourishing this decade, including many opportunities in health care and retail sales.

Unfortunately, not all the outlooks for 2010 are good. ProPublica looks at a group of reports from economists who still see the glass as half-empty this January.

If saving money was on your list of New Year’s resolutions, add the Youth Radio Facebook application “Stop Me From Spending”. Do you really need a new pair of shoes? The application lets you get advice from friends before you splurge.