[EL] ELB News and Commentary 4/22/12

Sun Apr 22 15:19:57 PDT 2012

Regarding this:

_Deloitte Incorrectly  Advising Clients that Corporations May Contribute 
Directly to  Candidates_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33297)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:09 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33297)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)  

_This  “hot topics” item_ 
(http://www.corpgov.deloitte.com/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/USEng/Documents/Deloi
tte%20Periodicals/Hot%20Topics/Political%20Contributions_Deloitte%20Hot%20To
pics_April%202012.pdf)  begins: “As a result of the 2010 Citizens United1  
Supreme Court decision, which ruled that political donations by corporations 
are  permitted and that donations may be made directly to individual 
candidates,  there has been a heightened focus on corporate spending for political 
 contributions.” 
In fact, Citizens United did not overturn the longstanding ban on direct  
corporate contributions to candidates.

It could be that  Deloitte just spends way too much time reading New  York 
Times Editorials:

_Click  here: The New York Times' Disingenuous Campaign Against Citizens 
United - Wendy  Kaminer - Politics - The Atlantic_ 
(http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/12/02/the-new-york-times-disingenuous-campaign-against-citi
zens-united/253560/)  

Jim Bopp

In a message dated 4/22/2012 4:32:28 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
rhasen at law.uci.edu writes:

_Must-Read NYT Profile  on ALEC_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33313)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:29 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33313)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_Here_ 
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html?pagewanted=1&ref=politics) : 
Most of the attention has focused on ALEC’s role in creating model bills,  
drafted by lobbyists and lawmakers, that broadly advance a pro-business,  
socially conservative agenda. But a review of internal ALEC documents shows  
that this is only one facet of a sophisticated operation for shaping public  
policy at a state-by-state level. The records offer a glimpse of how special 
 interests effectively turn ALEC’s lawmaker members into stealth lobbyists, 
 providing them with talking points, signaling how they should vote and  
collaborating on bills affecting hundreds of issues like school vouchers and  
tobacco taxes. 
The documents — hundreds of pages of minutes of private meetings, member  
e-mail alerts and correspondence — were obtained by the watchdog group 
_Common  Cause_ 
(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/common_cause/index.html?inline=nyt-org)  and shared with The New York 
Times. Common Cause, which said it  got some of the documents from a 
whistle-blower and others from public  record requests in state legislatures, is using 
the files to support an  Internal Revenue Service complaint asserting that 
ALEC has abused its  tax-exempt status, something ALEC denies.
And this, on the 501c3 status: 
Alan P. Dye, a lawyer for ALEC, acknowledged that the group’s practice of  
communicating with lawmakers about specific bills could meet the federal  
definition of lobbying, if not for an exception that he said applied when  
such interactions were a result of “nonpartisan research and analysis.” ALEC  
simply offers independently produced material for elected officials to  
consider, Mr. Dye said. 
“If you look at the ALEC method of operating, it’s all based on  
nonpartisan research and analysis,” he said. “They have consensus building,  pros 
and cons, everyone has a say.” 
Critics dismiss that argument as misleading. Lisa Graves, the executive  
director of the _Center for Media and Democracy_ (http://www.prwatch.org/) , 
which  teamed up with The Nation magazine to publicize a cache of 800 ALEC 
model  bills last year, said that as of last August, all but one of 104 
leadership  positions within the organization were filled by Republicans and that 
the  policies ALEC promoted were almost uniformly conservative. 
“They talk a good game about being bipartisan,” Ms. Graves said, “but the  
record shows the opposite.”

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33313&title=Must-Read%20NYT%20Profile%20on%20ALEC&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10) ,  
_campaigns_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59) , _legislation and  legislatures_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27) , _lobbying_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=28)   | Comments Off 

_“‘Presidential’ vs.  ‘Political’ Trips: A Blurry Line, and Tricky Math”
_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33310)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:24 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33310)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_NYT_ 
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/politics/presidential-vs-political-trips-a-blurry-line-for-obama.html?ref=politics) :  “Officials at the 
White House, the Chicago campaign headquarters and the  Democratic National 
Committee declined to say how they decide which events are  political and how 
much to reimburse the government. That secrecy has a  tradition dating at 
least to the late 1970s.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33310&title=“‘Presidential’%20vs.%20‘Political’
%20Trips:%20A%20Blurry%20Line,%20and%20Tricky%20Math”&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10) ,  
_campaigns_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=59) , _conflict of interest  laws_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=20)  | Comments Off 

_“Democrat PAC Seeks  Help From Bill Clinton”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33307)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:21 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33307)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

WSJ _reports_ 
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304331204577356270834997072.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33307&title=“Democrat%20PAC%20Seeks%20Help%20From%20Bill%20Clinton”
&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_“Unions Finally Make a  Showing On Super PAC Stage”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33304)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:18 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33304)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

Open Secrets _reports_ 
(http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/04/very-wealthy-conservative-individua.html) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33304&title=“Unions%20Finally%20Make%20a%20Showing%20On%20Super%20PAC%20Stage”
&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_John Edwards Trial  Previews_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33301)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:16 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33301)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

NYT: _Edwards  Trial Set to Begin, Reopening a Story of a Derailed 
Political Career_ 
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/as-john-edwards-trial-begins-focus-on-campaign-finances.html?ref=politics)  
Reuters: _Former  presidential hopeful John Edwards faces trial_ 
(http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/22/us-usa-court-edwards-idUSBRE83L06K20120422?f
eedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_
campaign=Feed:+Reuters/PoliticsNews+(Reuters+Politics+News))  
CBS News: _John  Edwards Incredible Gamble_ 
(http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57418496/john-edwards-incredible-gamble/?tag=mncol;lst;1)  
My Slate piece from last year on the Edwards charges is_  here. _ 
(http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2011/06/a_coverup_not_a
_crime.html) Tomorrow, I will have a broader Slate piece posting on the  
criminalization of politics. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33301&title=John%20Edwards%20Trial%20Previews&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10) ,  
_chicanery_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12) , _John Edwards_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=17)   | Comments Off 

_“Unraveling Rep. David  Rivera’s maze of campaign finances”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33299)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:11 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33299)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_Wow_ (http://electionlawblog.org/Unraveling%20Rep.%20David%20Rivera’
s%20maze%20of%20campaign%20finances%20%20Read%20more%20here:%20http://www.miamihera
ld.com/2012/04/21/v-fullstory/2761325/unraveling-miami-rep-david-riveras.htm
l#storylink=cpy) :  “In a memo wrapping up their case, Miami-Dade 
prosecutors said Rivera  ‘essentially live[d] off’ campaign contributions for almost 
a decade while  serving as a part-time state lawmaker, paying mortgages on 
four different  properties and jetting around the globe though he never held 
a full-time job  or earned more than $28,000 a year.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33299&title=“Unraveling%20Rep.%20David%20Rivera’
s%20maze%20of%20campaign%20finances”&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10) ,  
_chicanery_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=12)   | Comments Off 

_Deloitte Incorrectly  Advising Clients that Corporations May Contribute 
Directly to Candidates_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33297)   
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:09 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33297)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_This  “hot topics” item_ 
(http://www.corpgov.deloitte.com/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/USEng/Documents/Deloi
tte%20Periodicals/Hot%20Topics/Political%20Contributions_Deloitte%20Hot%20To
pics_April%202012.pdf)  begins: “As a result of the 2010 Citizens United1  
Supreme Court decision, which ruled that political donations by corporations 
 are permitted and that donations may be made directly to individual  
candidates, there has been a heightened focus on corporate spending for  
political contributions.” 
In fact, Citizens United did not overturn the longstanding ban on direct  
corporate contributions to candidates. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33297&title=Deloitte%20Incorrectly%20Advising%20Clients%20that%20Corporations%20M
ay%20Contribute%20Directly%20to%20Candidates&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_“Voter ID bill in  McDonell’s hands”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33295)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:07 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33295)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_The  latest_ 
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/voter-id-bill-in-mcdonells-hands/2012/04/20/gIQAJmcJWT_story.html)  from Virginia. 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33295&title=“Voter%20ID%20bill%20in%20McDonell’s%20hands”&description=) 

Posted in _The Voting Wars_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60) , _voter 
id_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=9)   | Comments Off 

_“Big money in a big  way for Obama’s reelection campaign”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33292)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:05 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33292)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

_WaPo_ 
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/big-money-donors-find-their-way-to-obamas-reelection-campaign/2012/04/21/gIQAMM0cYT_story.html) :  “
President Obama’s reelection campaign has been rapidly increasing the number  of 
big money “bundlers” collecting checks for his reelection, doubling the  
number of financiers who have brought in at least $500,000.” 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33292&title=“Big%20money%20in%20a%20big%20way%20for%20Obama’
s%20reelection%20campaign”&description=) 

Posted in _campaign finance_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10)   | 
Comments Off 

_New curbs on voter  registration could hurt Obama”_ 
(http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33290)  
Posted  on _April 22, 2012 1:04 pm_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33290)  
by _Rick Hasen_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3)   

Reuters _reports_ 
(http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/21/us-usa-election-voters-idUSBRE83K07O20120421?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&utm_source=
feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Reuters/PoliticsNews+(Reuters+
Politics+News)) .   I think that’s _the  point_ 
(http://www.amazon.com/Voting-Wars-Florida-Election-Meltdown/dp/0300182031/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&q
id=1329286945&sr=1-2-catcorr) . 

(http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=33290&title=New%20curbs%20on%20voter%20registration%20could%20hurt%20Obama”
&description=) 

Posted in _The Voting Wars_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60) , _voter 
registration_ (http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=37)   | Comments Off 
-- 
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law  and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite  1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
949.824.0495 -  fax
_rhasen at law.uci.edu_ (mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu) 
_http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html_ 
(http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html) 
_http://electionlawblog.org_ (http://electionlawblog.org/) 

_______________________________________________
Law-election  mailing  list
Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
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