Bloomberg – Super PAC ads dominate Republican race in Alabama, Mississippi – Television advertisements in Alabama and Mississippi promoting rival Republican presidential contenders have been paid for almost entirely by independent political action committees instead of the candidates’ campaigns. So-called Super-PACs supplied 91 percent of the 5,592 campaign ads that aired on broadcast television stations in the two states in the past month, according to data from New York- based Kantar Media’s CMAG, which tracks advertising. READ MORE
Washington Post – Poll: Voters want super PACs to be illegal – Nearly seven in 10 registered voters would like super PACs to be illegal, including more than half who feel that way strongly, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Sixty-nine percent of all Americans and voters alike say super PACs, a fundraising vehicle that allows wealthy donors to make unlimited donations in support of a particular candidate or party, should be banned. Just 25 percent said they should remain legal. Those numbers were even more startling among political independents, 78 percent (!) of whom say super PACs should be illegal. READ MORE
Roll Call – Coalition trying to drive corporations out of political spending – A coalition of more than a dozen progressive groups announced plans today for an aggressive campaign to pressure corporations and big donors to stay out of politics. “We are saying to corporate America: Enough is enough,” said New York Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at a press conference at the Service Employees International Union headquarters that brought together a broad range of good-government, consumer and civil rights groups. Organizers said they will use consumer boycotts, shareholder resolutions, legal actions and public pressure to target both big individual and corporate donors. The campaign will focus on contributors to super PACs as well as to nonprofits and trade associations that are not subject to disclosure rules. READ MORE
The New York Times – Bank officials cited in churn of foreclosures – Managers at major banks ignored widespread errors in the foreclosure process, in some cases instructing employees to adopt make-believe titles and speed documents through the system despite internal objections, according to a wide-ranging review by federal investigators. The banks have largely focused the blame for mistakes on low-level employees, attributing many of the problems to the surge in the volume of foreclosures after the housing market collapsed and the economy weakened in 2008. But the report concludes that managers were aware of the problems and did nothing to correct them. READ MORE
U.S. News – Obama’s super, super PAC – The uncharted waters of Super PACs just became a bit murkier. President Barack Obama's Priorities USA Action, along with the Democratic Senate's Super PAC, Majority PAC, and the Democratic House Majority PAC are combining to form the country's first-ever joint fundraising Super PAC — Unity 2012. An FEC official told Whispers that there aren't any regulations prohibiting this kind of fundraising, but confirmed this is unprecedented; it's the first time any Super PAC has tried to form a committee of this magnitude. READ MORE