The New York Times/Editorial – The Court and Citizens United II – The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reconsider its disastrous Citizens United decision. The justices should take it. The damaging effects of unlimited spending by corporations and unions on elections — honestly examined — should cause the court to overturn or, at the very least, limit that ruling. READ MORE
Politico – Super PACs: 2012’s campaign Godzillas – Republican super PACs are routinely raising or spending more money than the presidential candidates they are supporting, new filings show — a situation that just four years ago would have been equally bizarre and improbable. READ MORE
Washington Post – Super PAC donors revealed: who are the power players in the GOP primary? – Harold C. Simmons, a billionaire corporate raider from Texas, pulled out his checkbook on Jan. 13 and gave $100,000 to a super PAC backing Mitt Romney, then donated $5 million more to another PAC stacked with Romney confidants. But 11 days later, Simmons doled out $500,000 to a super PAC devoted to Newt Gingrich, who had just trounced Romney in the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina. Simmons is part of a rarefied group of millionaires and billionaires acting as kingmakers in the GOP contest, often helping to decide, with a simple transfer of money, which candidate might survive another day. READ MORE
USA Today – 25% of super PAC money coming from just 5 rich donors – Five wealthy people, led by Dallas industrialist Harold Simmons and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, have donated nearly $1 of every $4 flowing to the super PACs raising unlimited money in this year's presidential race, a USA TODAY analysis shows. READ MORE
NPR – Who bankrolls Romney? Big donors, not small ones – Mitt Romney had the strongest fundraising among the Republican presidential contenders last month. But a deeper look raises questions about just how strong it is in the long run. The Romney campaign is unusually reliant on big donors — and weak on small donors. In one sense, big donors are great. It's a lot quicker and cheaper to raise $2,500 from one person than to get $10 from 250 people. But there's a catch: $2,500 is the legal limit for donations to a candidate's campaign. Once that donor maxes out, you need to find another donor. And that's how the Romney campaign has been raising money. READ MORE