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Worth posting on "sosfbay-discus."<br>
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fd<br>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Subject: </th>
<td>Money and Democracy Update</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Date: </th>
<td>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:25:00 -0400 (EDT)</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">From: </th>
<td>Public Citizen
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:publiccitizen@mail.democracyinaction.org"><publiccitizen@mail.democracyinaction.org></a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Reply-To:
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<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:publiccitizen@mail.democracyinaction.org">publiccitizen@mail.democracyinaction.org</a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">To: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:fredd@freeshell.org">fredd@freeshell.org</a></td>
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<td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);
text-align: center;" valign="top"><span
style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-family:
Arial;"><b>an e-newsletter about the movement to
curb corporate influence in politics and
restore our democracy</b></span></span></td>
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<p><b>Issue #36 • October 29, 2010</b><br>
<br>
<i>We hope you enjoy this issue of Public
Citizen's e-newsletter about the intersection of
money and politics. This is part of the campaign
we developed following the disastrous Supreme
Court decision in </i>Citizens United v.
Federal Election Commission<i>, which allows
corporations to spend unlimited amounts
supporting or attacking political candidates.
We'll update you regularly with select news
stories and blog posts, legislative developments
and ways to get involved.</i><br>
<br>
<b>Stunning Statistics of the Week:</b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>149</b>: Number of independent groups that
have spent money to influence this year’s
elections (according to Federal Election
Commission (FEC) reports through Oct. 25)</li>
<li><b>$176.1 million</b>: Amount those groups
have spent on the midterms</li>
<li><b>10</b>: Number of groups responsible for
the bulk of that spending</li>
<li><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jyOvr9e4hzMDXMPIVsTMizghQdZYxnT3"><b>59.9
percent</b></a>: The percentage of that
money that comes from undisclosed sources</li>
</ul>
<b>Public Citizen calls on electioneering groups to
disclose corporate donors</b><br>
Public Citizen has <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rMeA%2F%2BQ7DXk%2BNhfW%2Bsj6Blh5wqUr9anK">sent
a letter to all groups</a> that are conducting
electioneering communications or independent
expenditures in the 2010 elections, urging them to
disclose to the public the sources and amounts of
corporate contributions they use for their campaign
spending.<br>
<br>
<b>Disclosed corporate funds are a fraction of what
is hidden, heavily favor Republicans</b><br>
Tapping into what few disclosure records exist of
campaign spending by outside groups in the 2010
elections, Public Citizen has identified about 200
corporate contributors to a mere 29 independent
groups that have reported their funding sources to
the Federal Election Commission. These disclosure
records account for a very small fraction of the
record-breaking campaign spending by outside groups
this year, but they confirm a widely suspected
trend: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wyYEM32hDDahsR%2BHRCAWIAQlUg93oFNP">Corporate
money is heavily favoring Republican candidates</a>
by 11-to-1.<br>
<br>
<b>BP, other firms called out for trying to elect
climate change deniers </b><br>
BP is on the offense. The company is one of <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vYbxW5%2BvtwYivM6u3wN81jghQdZYxnT3">more
than half a dozen polluters</a> named by Climate
Action Network Europe as pouring money into
campaigns for candidates who oppose climate change
legislation. In a new report, CAN Europe says the
support “is all the more galling because the same
companies argue that additional emissions reductions
in Europe cannot be pursued until the United States
takes action.”<br>
<br>
<b>Total estimated bill for midterms: $4 billion </b><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=a%2Boj5xZ4yJe2zKMF3cTkyDghQdZYxnT3">The
latest guesstimate</a> from the Center for
Responsive Politics of how much everybody –
candidates, political parties and outside groups –
will spend on the midterms is $4 billion. <br>
<br>
<b>Citing negative ads, New Hampshire Chamber cuts
ties with U.S. Chamber</b><br>
Saying that it was offended by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce’s political attack ads, a New Hampshire
Chamber of Commerce has <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Cp6XNUkUh3NJJJ5v7lYb4zghQdZYxnT3">cut
its ties to the national group</a>. The Greater
Hudson Chamber of Commerce is not renewing its
membership to the U.S. Chamber. The U.S. Chamber
plans to spend $75 million to influence midterm
races. The U.S. Chamber has spent more than $1.3
million <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FR7M8nkuWZVN0ti7z9ihAzghQdZYxnT3">targeting
Paul Hodes</a>, the Democratic candidate running
for U.S. Senate in the Granite State. <br>
<br>
<b>Gold’s Gym franchises leave after owner donates
to anti-gay conservative group</b><br>
Remember the Target controversy? Seems as though
political donations have landed another company in
hot water. Four Gold’s Gyms franchises in the San
Francisco area are leaving the brand because Gold’s
owner <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=I2DlaLdcaVzpypOrwhwvkDghQdZYxnT3">gave
$2 million</a> to American Crossroads, the
conservative group created this year by Republican
strategist Karl Rove. American Crossroads is helping
anti-gay candidates; the San Francisco gyms get a
lot of business from the LGBT community.<br>
<br>
<b>TARP aided companies make big donations to PACs </b><br>
Companies that received money from the Troubled
Assets Relief Program, some of which still owe the
government money, have made large donations to
political action committees (PACs), <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Q1f8xPHN4oKGa9c11e%2BchDghQdZYxnT3"><i>The
Washington Post</i> reports</a>. General Motors
gave $190,000 to campaigns in the past month, some
of which went to support candidates who opposed TARP
support for the company. <br>
<br>
<b>Business execs say much corporate money being
spent on elections</b><br>
Business executives are concerned about the pressure
exerted on them to cough up money to support
political campaigns, a new poll shows. What’s more,
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wciO1uFtjMeoxQjmhVtBwDghQdZYxnT3">two-fifths
of them say</a> the amount of corporate money
being solicited for politics is too high.<br>
<br>
<b>National parties open lines of credit only weeks
before elections</b><br>
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has
taken out a $10 million line of credit and the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took out
a $17 million line of credit <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gYT%2B6U7Q%2FZYujQw1XTO0hzghQdZYxnT3">less
than two weeks</a> before the midterm elections. <br>
<br>
<b><span style="font-size: larger;">Visit </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1Zxtnl82CISr7%2FRUBmUF%2FTghQdZYxnT3"><span
style="font-size: larger;">www.DontGetRolled.org</span></a><span
style="font-size: larger;"> to learn more!</span></b><br>
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