For every high-spending, politically-connected PAC, there are even more PACs that fail to accomplish much of anything. As of January 30, some 300 organizations have written letters to the FEC with their intention of raising unlimited money as a super PAC. Any citizen, union or company (assuming the company is U.S. or has a U.S.Read… Read more »
This blog post was written in conjunction with Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey. The Brookings Institution hosted an event in conjunction with Publish What You Fund on Thursday, January 19th to discuss progress made in regards to foreign aid transparency. Video of the event is available here. The event featured a keynote address from USAID AdministratorRead… Read more »
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Tuesday’s take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Campaign Finance CREDO Mobile, which donates some of its revenue to progressive causes and supports efforts to repeal Citizens United, launched a super PAC to target 10Read… Read more »
It’s a big day in politics: Voters in Florida are casting ballots in their hotly contested GOP presidential primary; voters in Oregon’s 1st Congressional District are picking a replacement for ex-Rep. David Wu, a Democrat. Here in Washington, we’ll be hovering over computer screens hitting the refresh button in hopes of learning who is tryingRead… Read more »
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is the week’s first look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Campaign Finance Democratic politicians have assaulted Republicans over their use of “unlimited secret money” in recent days. At the same time, the party has beenRead… Read more »
Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd set off a firestorm of criticism last week when he suggested that Hollywood would withhold campaign money from President Obama and lawmakers who don’t toe the Hollywood line on online piracy. Losing support of the entertainment industry would not be insignificant for the president: In 2011, DreamWorksRead… Read more »
While summarizing the changes Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst hopes to implement with the Senate Select Committee on Open Government, Curt Olsen reminds, “Initiatives for ‘open government’ either improve access or hinder it.” Olsen maintains that each change should be watched carefully, as, “ State lawmakers can pass laws that enhance openness and transparency orRead… Read more »
The Google Analytics URL Builder is a simple tool that helps you track traffic statistics for specific campaign related links. The tool works by adding parameters to a link from a page on your site that you then track using Google Analytics. When running an advertising or social media campaign, this is incredibly handy forRead… Read more »
Recent calls for technologists to hire lobbyists to educate Washington on internet issues miss a significant part of the big picture. Congress makes bad technology decisions because it has dismantled its ability to evaluate policy issues. While public mobilization and lobbying efforts can affect decision-making through political pressure, lobbying to educate congress on technology issuesRead… Read more »
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Thursday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: International Two years after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti, the country is still dealing with the ramifications of rampant corruption on the rebuilding process. Transparency International isRead… Read more »