Author: Ryan Skukowski

Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:

DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR BART STUPAK: Two recent articles in Politico highlight the precarious position in which Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) now finds himself as a result of his opposition to health care reform legislation that’s primed for a vote Sunday. Stupak and his staff have reportedly been inundated with “abusive” correspondence from constituents who want to see progress on healthcare in the coming weeks. A vocal opponent of federal abortion funding, Stupak has joined nearly a dozen other Democrats in Congress to vote “no” on a health care bill unless current abortion-related language is amended to their liking. Stupak’s potentially sleepless nights are not likely to be made any easier, however, thanks to an emerging primary challenge from a Michigan Democrat drawing early support from the National Organization for Women. Connie Saltonstall, a former commissioner of Charlevoix County, Mich., will employ the fund-raising muscle of NOW as she attempts to mobilize Michigan Democrats discouraged by Stupak’s stance on abortion rights. The National Organization for Women PAC has raised an impressive amount of money on behalf of federal candidates over the past two decades, nearly all of whom have been Democratic women, the Center for Responsive Politcs’ research indicates.

SEAWORLD LOBBYISTS MAKING WAVES IN WASHINGTON: Following the death of a whale trainer at SeaWorld Orlando last month, the renowned Florida attraction is now trying to make amends while, at the same time, facing down criticism from animal rights groups for the inhumane confinement of killer whales. Amid all of this, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment Corp. has increased their lobbying presence in Washington, and according to an update in The Hill, Bryan Cave LLP has been tapped to do just that. The man at the helm of this new lobbying campaign is David Russell, former counsel to the Senate Science, Commerce and Transportation Committee and chief of staff to former Sen. Ted Stevens. Though it is not certain what future relationships between whale and trainer will look like following an extensive safety review in April, SeaWorld’s new lobbying presence could signal the beginning of a mutual bond between the park’s owners and Washington.

CRP, IN THE NEWS: Lots of media outlets have clearly developed March Madness. Among those noting our “K Street College Classic” report this week are USA Today, Miami Herald, the Huffington Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education and Texas Watchdog. Publications and news outlets citing other aspects of our work in recent days include MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show, USA Today, Financial Times, CBS News, Reuters, Seattle Times, Politico, The Atlantic, and public radio’s Marketplace.

Have a news tip or link to pass along? We want to hear from you! E-mail us at [email protected].    

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROPOSAL LANGUISHES: A proposal for reforming the financial regulatory system is quickly losing momentum in the Senate.

A recent article in The Hill reports that Democrats hoping to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, a new agency that would have broad jurisdiction over the creation and enforcement of consumer protection laws, may have to scrap it if any debate is to continue. The article further notes the similarity between the debate over financial regulatory reform and that of health care reform, quoting some as saying that the proposed CFPA is simply a “public option redux.” In other words: a time-consuming point of endless contention.

The creation of the CFPA remains a top priority for the Obama administration, with officials both in Congress and the White House saying that without the presence of such an agency, serious reform cannot be achieved.

Special interests with a stake in future regulatory legislation coming out of the Senate have maintained a close eye on the debate, applying their monetary influence throughout. The American Bankers Association, National Association of Federal Credit Unions and
U.S. Chamber of Commerce have all demonstrated their opposition to financial regulatory reform legislation through a relentless lobbying effort during the past two years.

OBAMA ESTABLISHES DEBT COMMISSION: President Barack Obama, with the signing of an executive order, established a bipartisan commission Thursday to address the burgeoning national debt and make recommendations on how to balance the federal budget by 2015.

Leading this rather thankless venture are two former Washington players from both ends of the political spectrum. Democrat Erskine B. Bowles, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and a former U.S. Senate candidate, and Republican Alan K. Simpson, the outspoken former U.S. Senator from Wyoming, will lead a commission of 10 Democrats and eight Republicans toward finding a solution to an issue of growing importance to the voting public.

Bowles’ career saw a transition from the corporate sector to public service — a time where he acquired considerable finance expertise. His exit from government led him to the University of North Carolina, where he served as president before retiring this year.

Simpson benefited from the same mix of public service and private enterprise throughout his long career. Upon leaving the Senate, Simpson spent 10 years with the Tongour Simpson Group — a lobbying firm that represented a range of clients in fields as diverse as energy technology and urban development.

Bowles and Simpson begin their task with a current national debt of slightly more than $12 trillion, a number that is expected to hit $20 trillion by 2015.

CRP, IN THE NEWS: Executive Director Sheila Krumholz last night joined the Young Turks of Sirius XM Radio for a segment about campaign finance issues. View the video version of the broadcast here … a team of writers at the Contra Costa Times use CRP information about the Seeno family’s federal political campaign contributions in an article about how the family has become crosswise with the law … the Harvard Crimson cites our data about the campaign contributions of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in an editorial about boycotting Connecticut businesses … Scott Kraus of the (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call quotes us in this piece about potential campaign finance law violations.

Former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth has officially announced his intention to this year challenge U.S. Sen. John McCain in Arizona’s Republican primary.

Hayworth, a staunch conservative and occasionally controversial political figure, plans to mobilize a large, conservative element of the state’s population that has become disenchanted with McCain.

A challenge to the four-term senator and two-time presidential candidate will, however, be a difficult and expensive endeavor.

McCain benefits from a war chest of more than $27 million through December, as well as a host of Republicans both young — Sarah Palin, Scott Brown — and veteran — Dick Armey, Grover Norquist — ready to campaign on his behalf.

Hayworth has rounded up some notable endorsements of his own – among them is Chris Simcox, founder of the infamous Minutemen Civil Defense Corps who recently abandoned  his own ambitions to challenge McCain in the Republican primary. 

McCain’s political acumen has given him a broad and diversified network of campaign funding. His top industry contributors include retirees, lawyers and law Firms and the and real estate interests.He also attracts donors from across the nation, with metro areas such as Phoenix-Mesa, Washington D.C. and New York City having thus far provided a healthy chunk of early money.

Data compiled for the 2006 election cycle (Hayworth’s most recent congressional campaign) shows the bulk of his funding coming from leadership PACs, health professionals and casinos. Like his new opponent, Hayworth drew a majority of his individual donations from the Phoenix-Mesa metro area. But he also had a strong showing in the Washington D.C. and Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., areas.

On the issue of ethics, it appears that any mention of the subject could bring about mutually assured embarrassment for both candidates.

McCain’s past association with corrupt financier Charles Keating threatens to undermine his credibility in responsible governance should the topic arise.

Hayworth has his own ethics missteps: his political action committee, TEAM PAC, received more than $100,000 in donations from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff starting in 1999.

Though eventually cleared of any formal charges by the Justice Department, Hayworth took a publicity beating for the allegations of misconduct and spent considerable money in legal fees thereafter.