A Third Party

WASHINGTON — It may not get much done, but the first session of the 112th Congress, convening in January, will be fun to watch. The most interesting commentary on the 2010 midterm elections was from Republican partisans and their Tea Party cousins as they rhetorically, warily circled each other on the morning after. The man who managed Senator-elect Rand Paul's primary campaign in Kentucky, David Adams, had this to say: "I'm hoping for a lot of fireworks in Washington over who takes control of who. If Republican leaders think for a minute they're going to suck us in and continue……

Glickman in Variety

"It is going to be a changed world, regardless of what happens," said Senior Fellow Dan Glickman regarding the midterm elections on November 2. Glickman, the former chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, was interviewed by Variety about what the outcome of the election results means for the country at large…….

Waiting for Another Watergate

What is the most powerful political operation in the country in this 21st century? It's the United States Supreme Court. The men and women in black are on their way to deciding their second national election in just the first decade of the century. In the year 2000, the justices stopped the counting of votes in the presidential election. This year they tilted (or mutilated) congressional elections by ruling – in the case called Citizens United – that corporations are people, only more so. What they ruled was that corporations (and unions) or groups they sponsor have the right to……

Reeves new article in Metro West Daily

Senior Fellow Richard Reeves published a new op-ed piece about the midterm election results entitled "President Mau Mau in the White House". In his article, Reeves discusses how the GOP dominated the House elections and what this could mean for the Democrats once the elections are over. The article can be read in full at MetroWest Daily…….

Cowan testifies at FPPC meeting on paid political ads on the Internet

A subcommittee of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), the state's independent watchdog for politics and campaigns, conducted a hearing at USC's Gould School of Law on March 24 to discuss the current trends of paid political activity on the Internet, email and social networking sites. CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan testified at the session, discussing the 2003 report of the Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices–which he chaired–and the developments in the area since the report was issued. Read Cowan's testimony at the proceedings. Or read the 2003 Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices report …….