"Democrats: McCain is violating campaign spending law bearing his name"

WaPo offers this report.
MORE from Politico.

Two from BNA Money and Politics Report

Today's issue features Pro-Democratic Unit Reveals $5.2 Million In Donations for Last-Minute Political Ads and Absence of Electronic Filing Delays Access To Senate Campaign Reports on FEC Site.

Torres-Spelliscy on Shareholder Protection at Harvard Corporate Governance Blog

Here.

California Voter Opinions About Initiative Process

From a just-released PPIC survey of California voters:

As they consider nine initiatives on the ballot, most likely voters (55%) say that decisions made by voters through the initiative process are probably better than those made by the governor and legislature and 30 percent say voters' decisions are probably worse. This finding has stayed remarkably consistent: since PPIC first asked this question in October 2000, majorities have said decisions made by voters are probably better. Despite confidence in their own decisions, voters' dissatisfaction with the initiative process has grown. Between 2000 and 2008, less than a third of likely voters said they were dissatisfied with the way the initiative process is working. Today, 43 percent say so. About half (49%) say the initiative process needs major changes. Another 30 percent say minor changes are needed, and just 15 percent say the process is fine as it is. Even among those who say voters' decisions are better than those of elected officials, a plurality (40%) say the process needs major changes.

PPIC has a nifty tool for sorting their data by a host of variables, and so I've generated this chart sorting voter satisfaction with the initiative process by party.




It is surprising how satisfaction with the process does not vary much by party.

Quote of the Day

"Come to Colorado, your honor. You will see that those iconic individuals don't have a prayer in the post-Citizens-United world, let alone some broadcast time for the soapbox."

--Timothy Egan, at the NYT Opinionator blog.

"Texas Millionaire Gives $7 Million to GOP Group"

AP offers this report.

Very Interesting Order in Don't Ask Don't Tell Stay Keeps Issue Before Same Ninth Circuit Panel

The AP report does not contain the text of the Motion's panel order itself, but does say the following: "The brief order was signed by the three 9th Circuit judges hearing emergency motions this month: Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, who were appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and William A. Fletcher, an appointee of President Bill Clinton." There's an error in that sentence: the third judge is Judge Trott, who was also appointed by President Reagan. TPM has the text of the order, [update: see the original order] which reads:

This court has received appellant's emergency motion to stay the district court's October 12, 2010 order pending appeal. The order is stayed temporarily in order to provide this court with an opportunity to consider fully the issues presented. Appellee may file an opposition to the motion for a stay pending appeal by October 25, 2010. To expedite consideration of the motion, no reply shall be filed.

Note the last line. If the Court allowed for a reply, consideration of the case could be delayed until after the end of the month. But motions panels change at the beginning of each month. The effect of this is to make it very likely that it would be this panel that will decide the motion. It is an ideological diverse panel. Judge O'Scannlain is conservative, Judge Trott is a moderate, and Judge Fletcher is liberal. They are all scrupulously fair and extremely smart: You couldn't do better if you tried to get a sronger, fairer panel.

"Joe Miller Files FEC Complaint"

Interesting government contractor angle.

"Don't Blame Citizens United"

Chris Good blogs.

"Secretary of State's Office looks into justice candidate's voting"

News from Ga.

"Why Not Allow Foreign Spending in U.S. Elections?"

Peter Spiro blogs at Opinio Juris.