"Reid Defends Earmarks Before Obama's Speech"

Political Wire reports on Senator Reid's defense of earmarks in the face of an expected earmark ban call by President Obama in the State of the Union speech. What president wouldn't be for an earmark ban, which shifts power from the legislative to the executive branch?

It Was Literally "Stop the Presses" with the Rahm Ballot

Chicago Tribune:

Chicago election officials said about 300,000 ballots without Emanuel's name on them had been printed before the Supreme Court order. Those ballots will be quarantined and printing was to resume this afternoon with Emanuel's name on the ballot.

"We called the printer, Lake County Press, and essentially told them, 'Stop the presses,' said Langdon Neal, chairman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

Further Update on Rahm Case

Chicago Tribune: The Illinois Supreme Court will take Rahm's appeal, and will decide it on the existing briefing, without oral argument. What to make of that? First, the Court sees the need to act very quickly, given the imminent election. Second, I don't think they would have taken this step if there wasn't a fairly good chance of a reversal, thereby allowing Emanuel to run.

FEC Commissioner Don McGahn Calls for End to Presidential Public Financing System

Here. This does not surprise me.

Brenda Wright on CU

Here.

CCP on FEC

See recent posts from Allison Hayward and Jeff Patch.