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Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Limit on Campaign Contributions

Just days after 2016 GOP hopefuls traveled to Las Vegas to kowtow to billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, the Supreme Court has made it even easier for the ultra-rich to control elections. In McCutcheon v. FEC, the five conservative Justices ruled that aggregate limits in campaign contributions are unconstitutional. [...]

In the media
CAP Action War Room

Bigger Homes for Wealthy People, Thanks to the Home Mortgage Tax Break

I've been complaining about the deduction for home mortgage interest for years, so it's hard to say to something bad about this tax break that I haven't said myself.
Blog
David Callahan

A Huge Step Backward: New York State Fails to Pass Public Financing

Talk about a missed opportunity. Last night, the New York State legislature passed a $137.9 billion budget for the upcoming year. Senate Deputy Republican Leader Thomas Libous lauded the effort and said, “We, at least, have done our job and the budget is complete." Not quite. The budget may be complete, but legislators certainly did not do their job.

Blog
J. Mijin Cha

Affluent Voters and the Democratic Conundrum

 
Today's Republican Party does a great job of sticking up for rich people, which is ironic given that most wealthy Americans live in states and congressional districts that are represented by Democratic lawmakers -- which, of course, helps explain why Democrats also do such a good job of sticking up for rich people. 
 
Think of it this way: The GOP is ideologically committed to defending the rich, even as it increasingly speaks for white voters of modest means, while the Democratic Party -- which represents much of affluent Ame
Blog
David Callahan

Demos Denounces Budget Agreement Without Public Financing

Governor Cuomo and state leaders announced a budget agreement that left out the full public financing of elections.

Press release/statement

Danger Zone: America's Retirement System Is Breaking Down

Roughly half of all U.S. families have no money set aside for retirement, Federal Reserve data show. Not a cent. But even that alarming savings deficit doesn't fully capture the emerging socioeconomic crisis facing what is, after all, a rapidly graying nation. [...]

In the media
Alain Sherter

If We Don't Punish Past Financial Crimes, Future Ones Are Inevitable

Did you hear that one of the biggest banks in America just agreed to one of the biggest penalties ever for committing one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history? It happened just the other day and, no, chances are you didn't hear because the story was buried in the business section.
 
The bank is Bank of America. The penalty is $6.3 billion.
Blog
David Callahan

Politics by Subpoena: How Darrell Issa Abuses His Power, and Why

Remember when the Democrats won both houses on Congress in 2006, and everyone predicted that committee chairs like Henry Waxman would launch far-reaching investigations of the Bush Administration? It never happened, and not because of a lack of potential scandals to dig into. Democrats apparently didn't see much point in burying an already unpopular administration in subpoenas. Instead, they stayed relatively positive and won the presidency in 2008 by a healthy margin.

Blog
David Callahan

So, IS Paul Ryan a Racist?

Our political class is feuding about whether Rep. Paul Ryan is a racist. Rather than fearing that this donnybrook degrades political discourse, we should welcome it.

Ryan sparked the controversy when he blamed poverty on “a tailspin of culture” in our “inner cities,” while  invoking for support Charles Murray, notorious for postulating the genetic inferiority of blacks. Within hours, Rep. Barbara Lee rebuked Ryan for launching “a thinly veiled racial attack.”

In the media
Ian Haney López