Stephen Colbert

Nancy Pelosi And Colbert Discuss DISCLOSE Act, Contraception

David Taintor | February 23, 2012, 10:22AM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Stephen Colbert

After vowing she would never be a guest on his show, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stopped by the Colbert Report on Wednesday to discuss the DISCLOSE Act and the brouhaha over the Obama administration's contraception rule.

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Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi Games Out The Long Fight Over Medicare And The Rest Of The Safety Net

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2011, 4:45AM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

Eight months is a long time in politics, but it will be eight months ago next week that House Republicans voted overwhelmingly for a budget that envisioned a massively scaled-down social safety net -- a smaller, privatized health care system for old people, to replace traditional Medicare; Medicaid financially constrained, and handed over to state governments; cuts to various other support programs that benefit the poor, the young, and the elderly.

That didn't sit well with voters. And in the months that followed, Republicans tried to contain the fallout by making federal deficits a central political issue while forcing Democrats to agree to real cuts to these programs -- all while refusing themselves to raise taxes, even on the very wealthiest Americans.

This too didn't go according to plan. The GOP upheld its vow not to raise taxes; Democrats insisted new tax revenue was a criterion for cutting benefits; and Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security avoided the scalpel.

At least for now.

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Citizens United

Republicans Push Back On Obama Plan To Force Disclosure Of Political Contributions

Susan Crabtree | May 6, 2011, 1:56AM

GOP Leaders

Republicans are predictably pushing back against President Obama's proposed executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose their political donations to third-party groups.

House GOP leaders and 19 other Republicans sent a letter to Obama Friday urging him not to issue the executive order, arguing it would introduce politics into the federal-government contracting practice and stifle political speech.

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DISCLOSE Act

Trumka: DISCLOSE Act Would Be Better For Electoral System

Brian Beutler | October 12, 2010, 12:30PM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

In the wake of a flood of independent expenditure ads attacking Democratic candidates around the country -- and a series of recent stories suggesting that the Chamber of Commerce may be financing its political activities with foreign money -- AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka now says the country would be better off if the DISCLOSE Act had become law.

A partial reversal from his previous position, Trumka today admitted that the DISCLOSE Act -- which the AFL opposed, and which failed in the Senate because of a GOP filibuster -- would be an improvement over the status quo.

"That'd be good for the system, I think," Trumka said at a breakfast meeting with reporters, in response to a question from TPM. "Because the system is awash -- there's more money in the system than there was oil in the Gulf, quite frankly. It's from people that you don't know. You eventually find out I guess, but it's this mysterious money coming in and targeting at three, four, five times what either of the candidates are doing."

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Americans for Prosperity

Dems Press Republicans To Reject Support From Pro-Outsourcing Group's Ad Campaign

Brian Beutler | August 18, 2010, 8:00AM

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

In response to a giant new anti-stimulus ad campaign by the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, Democratic organizations and candidates will press their Republican opponents to "refudiate" the group, implying that acceptance of support from AfP amounts to support for outsourcing and other unpopular business practices. Although the ads would likely have been allowable before the Citizens United decision, Democrats warn that it's just part of the new, unregulated campaign finance future.

"Republican congressional candidates owe it to voters to denounce these shadowy Right Wing front groups like Americans for Prosperity and demand they stay out of their districts unless they disclose their donor list," reads a statement to TPM from DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer, "If they refuse to do so, they are sending a message to voters loud and clear - they stand firmly on the side of these shady Washington front groups and their Right Wing agenda of outsourcing American jobs overseas and allowing foreign corporations like British Petroleum or Huge Chavez's Citgo to influence American elections."

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NV-SEN

Sharron Angle: The DISCLOSE Act Is Already Law (No, It Isn't)

Eric Kleefeld | July 28, 2010, 4:40PM

Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle has made some new pronouncements in the Nevada Senate race, this time on campaign finance regulations. She first approved of the failure of the DISCLOSE Act to pass through the Senate -- and then later said that we already have the DISCLOSE Act in place and on the books. Here's the only problem: The DISCLOSE Act, which Senate Dems were attempting to pass but failed to overcome a Republican filibuster, is, in fact, not yet a law.

As Jon Ralston reports, Angle was asked her position during an appearance on the Heidi Harris talk radio show today.

"Well I think that the Supreme Court has really made their decision on this, they found that we have a First Amendment right across the board that was violated by the McCain-Feingold Act. And that's what they threw out, was those violations," said Angle, referring to the Citizens United case. "The McCain-Feingold Act is still in place. The DISCLOSE Act is still in place. It's just that certain provisions within that they found to be definitely violating the First Amendment. If we didn't have the DISCLOSE Act there would be a lot of different things that people wouldn't be able to find out. And certainly you can go to FEC.gov and see where Harry Reid is getting most of his money from special interests."

The TPM Poll Average currently has Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ahead of Angle by 44.5%-42.8%.