Peter Overby

FEC: DOMA limits political donations by gay married couples

Peter Overby — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:09:39 +0000

Maybe it's not your first thought after saying "I do," but federal election law gives married couples some advantages in making political contributions. The Federal Election Commission tried Thursday to make those same breaks available to couples in same-sex marriages — but commissioners said they're thwarted by the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

True, President Obama's Justice Department no longer defends DOMA, and the Supreme Court is weighing whether to get rid of it. But the FEC didn't want to get too far out in front.

Any Way You Describe It, 2012 Campaign Spending Is Historic

Peter Overby — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:38:21 +0000

As relentlessly as the candidates have courted voters, they've also shown their love to donors.

A report by the Center for Responsive Politics places the total cost of the 2012 elections at an estimated $6 billion, which would make it the most expensive election in U.S.

With Buses And Billboards, Small-Money Groups Try To Make A Mark

Peter Overby — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:28:57 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYPW-yoI9Cg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVDQTNv8H80

Mysterious anti-Obama spam texts linked to GOP group

Peter Overby — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:47:17 +0000

If you're using social media to follow the presidential campaign or even if you're related to someone else who's doing that, there's a good chance your cellphone got spammed Tuesday night with an anti-Obama text message.

The messages went out between 7:30 and 10 p.m. They were anonymous but quickly traced to a Republican consulting firm in Northern Virginia.

The messages appeared to be targeted mostly at cellphones from the Washington, D.C., 202 area code. But some were also sent to area codes outside the Beltway, including one to a St.

Words Wealthy Democratic Donors Should Get Used To: 'It's Me, Rahm'

Peter Overby — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 15:00:59 +0000

Now that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in charge of raising really big dollars for a superPAC that supports President Obama, wealthy Democrats all over the country may be eyeing their phones nervously.

Emanuel, the former Obama White House chief of staff, is known for not taking no for an answer and for aggressively going after what he wants.

Indeed, he's a ferocious fundraiser who gets to the point, often throwing in an epithet or two for emphasis, just the sort of rainmaker needed by Priorities USA Action, the pro-Obama superPAC that desperately needs cash.

The biggest Democratic donor

FCC renews effort to put political broadcast ad disclosures online

Peter Overby — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:49:33 +0000

An antiquated requirement for disclosing the financial source behind political ads may be getting an overhaul.

The Federal Communications Commission wants TV and radio stations to post information about their political advertisers online.

It's an obscure fact that candidates, political parties and advocacy groups have to reveal how much they're paying for ads, when the ads are running and which candidates are being promoted or attacked.

This transparency standard has been in place for decades. But it's obscure because those disclosures are made on paper at the broadcast stations.