House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., want the FCC to consider probing allegations of retaliation by AM and FM stations over pending bills that would require over-the-air radio to pay performers for songs they broadcast, CongressDaily reported Wednesday.
Read the story here:http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/07/radio-bill-prompts-advertising.php
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which seems poised to join the lobbying fight against the Obama administration proposal for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, hosted a meeting on Tuesday with about two-dozen large financial services groups to discuss a possible coalition effort.
The chamber meeting included lobbyists from such powerhouses as the American Bankers Association, the American Land Title Association, the Financial Services Roundtable and the American Financial Services Association. The AFSA presented new polling data on the proposed agency that suggested the kinds of messages that could be used against it. In the last few weeks, the AFSA has hosted a few meetings with some of the same trade group lobbyists to lay the groundwork for a lobbying blitz aimed at thwarting the proposed agency, which industry fears would have a very broad regulatory reach.
"Everybody's working towards the shared goal to slow this down," said one lobbyist familiar with the meeting. Right now, he added, everyone would "vote to kill it." Earlier on Tuesday, about a dozen financial services lobbyists from some of the same groups went to Capitol Hill for a meeting with key staff of Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, to talk about strategies.
A draft letter opposing the new agency is circulating among the different trade groups, says one lobbyist, who adds that it should be sent up to the Hill next week as a joint letter. Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass, who has championed the proposed new agency, has indicated he'd like to mark up a bill by the end of July.
At a committee hearing on Thursday the proposed legislation was endorsed by a number of consumer groups, including the Consumer Federation of America and U.S. PIRG. A new alliance, dubbed Americans for Financial Reform, has been cobbled together by almost 200 backers of the new agency and has been trying to build grassroots backing for the idea.
-- Peter H. Stone
The Campaign for Free Enterprise, the advocacy blitz that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently launched, is searching for a manager, has started fundraising, and is using focus groups to help shape its message, according to a chamber official involved in its development.
The fundraising for the campaign, which reportedly could cost as much as $100 million over two years, is being handled by Agnes Warfield, the chamber's long time chief fundraiser. Initially, the campaign is trying to tap new financial sources, such as "entrepreneurial types who have not been active in the chamber to date," said the official.
The campaign's focus on new financial angels is prompted by concerns that the chamber could face a "robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul problem," unless it attracts fresh donors. Senior chamber officials are slated to hold a brainstorming session about the free enterprise campaign - including potential outside candidates to manage it - a week from Sunday at the swank Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
The session will coincide with a separate two-and-a-half day semi-annual meeting that the chamber hosts for leaders of scores of major trade groups known as the Committee of 100.
The official said that chamber President Tom Donohue will probably discuss the free enterprise initiative at the larger meeting as well. Donohue unveiled the new campaign as a broad ideological drive to defend free markets in the face of mounting government regulations, financial bailouts, and other encroachments by Washington, including attacks on the business world.
"Supporters and critics alike agree that capitalism is at a crossroads," Donohue said in his June 10 statement announcing the campaign.
The campaign's arsenal is expected to include a large paid advertising budget, grassroots tactics, and an issue-advocacy and education program leading up to the 2010 elections.
-- Peter H. Stone
In anticipation of another court appeal by Norm Coleman to keep the fight for the Minnesota Senate seat alive, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is boosting fundraising efforts to stop him. PCCC is doubling down on its 'A Dollar A Day to Keep Norm Away Campaign', which has raised more than $148,000 to date. The group is hoping to discourage the National Republican Senatorial Committee from continuing to fund Coleman's battle.
-- Eliza Krigman
Change Congress launched an offensive today on Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., for opposing a public plan for health care reform while having accepted huge campaign donations from health insurance interests over the years.
"Will Ben Nelson sell out Nebraska for $2 million?" reads the campaign literature, which will be distributed to Nebraska residents and 3000 local Democratic donors. The government reform group is spending $10,000 in paid online ads and direct mail. One flier features Allen R. Schreiber, a Nebraska native who has become disillusioned with private health care after his small business collapsed in the face of astronomical costs. The second piece highlights the campaign contributions.
Change Congress, founded by Stanford Prof. Lawrence Lessig and campaign guru Joe Trippi, advocates for campaign finance reform. At the top of its legislative agenda is passing a bill that would bring public financing to congressional elections.
-- Eliza Krigman
The Judicial Confirmation Network pushed back today after White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, downplayed Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's comments in 2005 at Duke University about courts of appeal judges making policy from the bench. Gibbs said critics were taking Sotomayor's words "out of context."
At Duke, Sotomayor said: "...Court of Appeals is where policy is made. And I know ... I know this is on tape and I should never say that, because we don't make law, I know.... I'm not promoting it, and I'm not advocating it.... Having said that, the Court of Appeals is where, before the Supreme Court makes the final decision, the law is percolating."
See the videos of Sotomayor and Gibbs here.
Wendy Long, the network's legal counsel responded:
"An important controversy and debate continues to brew over Judge Sotomayor's comments at Duke University in which she said that appellate courts "make policy," and in her published words tucked away in law review articles. The White House continues to say that her words caught on tape were taken out of context. It appears that whenever the press or other critics point out troubling or radical statements made by Judge Sotomayor that clearly reveal her approach to judging, the White House spin machine is dizzying itself trying to figure out how best to communicate what it is that Judge Sotomayor really meant when she uttered the appellate "courts make policy" comment or her published writings saying a "Latina woman would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who has not lived that life."
"President Obama promised the American people a transparent presidency. Indeed, this White House's communications machine has been vigilant in posting the President's policy agenda online and keeping folks up to speed saying they want to create dialogue and discussion. In that spirit, we are calling on White House Press Secretary Gibbs to post the Duke University video on The White House web site and let the American people judge her comments... If Mr. Gibbs does not have time to post this video, he is welcome to link to it and other Sotomayor comments at www.aboutsoniasotomayor.com"
-- Robert Gettlin
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation launched a multi-million dollar TV, radio and grassroots campaign today against a larger role for government in health care. The centerpiece of the campaign is a television ad (see here) featuring Shona Holmes, a Canadian brain tumor survivor. "If I'd relied on my government, I'd be dead," says Holmes in the ad. She sought treatment in the United States after being told by her government that she would have to wait six months to see a specialist.
APFP is a conservative organization that advocates for limited government and free markets. Carrie Dann at Congress Daily reports that the group has spent $2 million on the media buy for this campaign. Read her story on the health care reform battle.
-- Eliza Krigman
The Judicial Confirmation Network launched a new ad on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The 70-second ad, titled "Equal Justice Under The Law?" includes a voice over of Sotomayor's statements on gender and race, including:
"Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences... our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."
The network is a conservative organization run by Executive Director Gary Marx, an organizer for the Bush-Cheney '04 national campaign and before that a lobbyist for The Family Foundation of Virginia. He is also president of the public policy and public affairs consulting firm of Principium Consulting. Wendy Long, the network's legal counsel, was a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis in New York and was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
-- Robert Gettlin
Abortion has re-emerged as a hot issue, and if history is any indication, it will get even hotter when President Obama makes his Supreme Court nomination. Groups on the right and the left are responding to the president's recent address at University of Notre Dame.
Read more on our blog The Ninth Justice at: http://ninthjustice.nationaljournal.com/2009/05/abortion-debate.php
Freedom Works, a grassroots conservative group that advocates for lower taxes and less government, has hit cyberspace with an email soliciting support for staving off a possible increase in the excise tax on soda.
Freedom Works Chairman Dick Armey, the former House Majority Leader, is a lobbyist for DLP Piper. In 2008, Armey represented Diageo, an international beverage business.
"They [liberals in Congress] think that a tax on soft drinks is better than any other type of tax," said Armey. "They are wrong, and need to understand this message loud and clear: No new taxes!"
Armey's ire is in response to a proposal which recommends increasing the tax on soda and alcoholic beverages as a way to generate revenue to pay for health care. The beverage tax, promoted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was one of many ideas presented to the Senate Finance Committee in a roundtable discussion.
The full testimony by the center Executive director Michael Jacobson can be read here.
-- Eliza Krigman
Duke Energy stirred controversy last week when the coal-burning utility parted ways with the National Association of Manufacturers over the trade group's stance on climate change issues. Now, Duke CEO Jim Rogers is taking things one step further: He is starring in a commercial backed by the Environmental Defense Action Fund advocating a cap on carbon emissions.
Watch the ad here.
Duke Energy is one of many companies to have joined the United States Climate Action Partnership, an alliance of business and environmental groups advocating for legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In the first quarter of 2009, Duke Energy spent $1.3 million on lobbying.
-- Eliza Krigman
Hoping to catch a key swing vote at a vulnerable moment, the labor group Americans Rights at Work is running a television ad in Pennsylvania calling on now-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter to support the Employee Free Choice Act. The ad notes Specter's prior support for the measure, as well as for President Obama's stimulus package, and wonders aloud if he'll stand with "Obama, Biden and the working families of Pennsylvania," or with "the greedy CEOs and Big Business lobbyists."
In a not-too-subtle reminder to Specter that the Senate's newest Democrat could use some friends, the ad urges viewers to tell Specter that Pennsylvania's for him.....as long as he's for the Employee Free Choice Act.
-- Julie Kosterlitz
Updated at 10:27 a.m. on May 13.
There was no shortage of suspects in the case of who killed the nomination yesterday of Chuck Hurley to be the new administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But environmental advocates - and not the carmakers or the alcohol industry - appear to be the culprit, sources tell National Journal.
Hurley, most recently the head of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, abruptly withdrew his name Tuesday, before the nomination had even been made official. While a wide array of stakeholders had expressed nervousness about aspects of Hurley's record since his appointment was announced in April, Hurley's sudden withdrawal caught insiders on all sides by surprise.
An administration official said he knew nothing beyond confirming that Hurley had withdrawn. But a source who spoke to Hurley said the former nominee cited environmentalists' concerns that he was too soft on raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards - the fuel efficiency requirements that NHTSA imposes on carmakers.
"He said he withdrew because he was getting opposition from the environmental community, who did not like his previous statements about the impact of raising the CAFE standards on safety," the source said.
Since his appointment, environmental advocates had expressed concern about statements made when Hurley worked for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Hurley had suggested that changes in car design in response to rising CAFE standards, such as making cars smaller and lighter, were dangerous for drivers and passengers who were involved in a crash.
Environmental groups reject the notion of a zero-sum tradeoff. "I was surprised to hear he had withdrawn, but it's good to know that people are listening on fuel economy and safety," said Lena Pons, a policy analyst at Public Citizen.
Health Care for America Now, a liberal advocacy group, hopes to use the health care background of Conservatives for Patients' Rights founder Rick Scott against him. Scott, a a founder and former CEO of Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America, has been bankrolling a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign against government-sponsored expansion of health care coverage.
Today, HCAN announced it would be running television ads in Washington and Scott's home town of Naples, Fla., spotlighting Columbia/HCA's $1.7 billion settlement in a fraud case in the late 1990s and Scott's ouster by the company's board. The group says the personal attack on Scott is warranted because he is underwriting the campaign with money made by defrauding the government and the public" and has made himself the face of the opposition to reform. See press release here.
-- Julie Kosterlitz
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers released a statement today touting automakers' support for a single national standard on carbon emissions. See Auto Alliance on CO2.pdf The Alliance represents 11 vehicle manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.
The federal government is due to make a decision on whether to grant California the authority to implement its own low-carbon emission standards.
The Auto Alliance opposes California's desire to set its own fuel economy rules. Having different standards, "creates complexity and inconsistency for manufacturers," said Charles Territo, director of communications for the Auto Alliance. "We believe that a single national standard would make granting California a waiver unnecessary."
In the first quarter of 2009, the Auto Alliance spent $1.3 million on lobbying.
-- Eliza Krigman
The Campaign for America's Future today named Darcy Burner as executive director of the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation. Burner, who worked for Microsoft before starting a political career, twice ran for Congress in Washington's 8th district, in 2006 and 2008, and lost narrowly both times to Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.
The foundation is a 501(c)(3), not a lobbying shop, but the mission is to advocate for progressive causes. "The country saw an unbelievable number of people participating in the political process in order to set the nation on a more progressive course," said Burner. "To the extent that we [the caucus] can do more to connect these people to what our Congress is doing, it will be very healthy for our democracy."
In that spirit, the organization held a seminar this week with experts on Afghanistan as part of its 'Re-thinking National Security' series. Video clips of the seminar are being distributed to individuals and organizations interested in becoming better informed on the issue.
Burner proved her fundraising prowess this past election cycle by putting more in her campaign chest than incumbent Reichert, $4.3 million versus $2.9 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Rainmaking skills that may be helpful in her new role, but Burner does not plan to run for office in 2010. She promised her husband she would sit out the next cycle.
-- Eliza Krigman
The League of Conservation Voters announced an ad campaign today against Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who is running for the U.S. Senate, for his alleged opposition to the American Clean Energy & Security Act. The green-minded organization advocates for environmental policies and campaigns for pro-environmental candidates who will adopt and implement their agenda as lawmakers.
The campaign features a pointed TV ad, "Believe," that labels Blunt as opposed to clean energy jobs and urges him to change his tune. Blunt is a member of the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, which will vote on the bill next week. In a statement released on April 2, the congressman expressed opposition to new energy taxes.
The ad airs across Missouri and specifically targets Springfield, the heart of Blunt's district. In addition to TV ads, LCV also launched online ads and a direct mail program with the message that Blunt opposes clean energy jobs. Nearly six figures will be spent on the campaign, said LCV spokespeson Josh McNeil.
Blunt's 2010 Senate campaign denies the LCV's charges and calls the ad 'false' and 'dishonest'. "Roy Blunt favors affordable, clean energy, especially from sources here at home, including renewable energy and more U.S. gas and oil production, but he opposes a $3,000 energy tax on Missouri families," according to a statement issued today by Rich Chrismer, spokesperson for Blunt's Senate campaign.
Passing the American Clean Energy & Security Act is a top priority for LCV, said Tiernan Sittenfeld, the group's legislative director. The bill, introduced by Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., promises to create jobs, end dependence on foreign oil, and combat global warming.
-- Eliza Krigman
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and 18 other House Democrats and Republicans attended a reception last night in the Rayburn Building hosted by the group United Jewish Communities, which represents 157 federations and 400 smaller communities throughout North America. Hoyer lauded the group for its philanthropic work and emphasized his long-standing relationship with the Jewish community. First elected to Congress in 1981, Hoyer says he has been to Israel every decade since the 1970s and claims he has brought 10 percent of the Congress with him on those visits.
William Daroff, head of the UJC's Washington office named the group's three top public policy issues: long-term health care reform, stopping the budget proposal to reduce the charitable contribution deduction, and promoting sanctions against Iran.
Unlike other lobbyists in town, Daroff isn't bothered by the Obama administration's new restrictions on registered lobbyists. "As someone who employs lobbyists, it's actually a good thing for me," he said. "Their options are more limited, so I don't have to worry as much about losing good people." Daroff also cited the distinction Obama has made between corporate and nonprofit lobbyists, the latter not being the real issue of concern to the administration. Here's the list of lawmakers who attended:
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD; Gary Ackerman, D-NY; John Boccieri, D-OH; Eliot Engel, D-NY; Bob Etheridge, D-NC; Virginia Foxx, R-NC; John Hall, D-NY; Rush Holt, D-NJ; Mary Jo Kilroy, D-OH; Ron Klein, D-FL; Robert Latta, R-OH; Nita Lowey, D-NY; Jerry Nadler, D-NY; Tim Ryan, D-OH; Betty Sutton, D-OH; Jan Schakowsky, D-IL; Allyson Schwartz, D-PA; Brad Sherman, D-CA; John Yarmuth, D-KY.
-- Eliza Krigman
Although many Jewish nonprofits and charities have faced cutbacks because of the recession and the collapse of Bernard Madoff's ponzi scheme, the Washington lobbying and advocacy operations of such groups are, in some cases, either expanding or holding steady, reports The Jewish Daily Forward in its March 27 issue.
A relative newcomer, the left-leaning J Street Project, is planning to double its staff by the end of next year and is poised to hire four new staff members; fundraising is going strong at Stand With Us, a more traditional pro-Israel group on American college campuses; and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is holding steady. Another article and an editorial in the publication examine the controversy over the role of the "Jewish lobby" in forcing the withdrawal of Charles Freeman as Obama's pick to head the National Intelligence Council.
Meanwhile, the Republican Jewish Coaltion just announced that new members to its board of directors include two prominent Washingtonians: Josh Bolten, former OMB director and chief of staff to President George W. Bush, and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, managing partner at the law firm Heideman Nudelman & Kalik.
-- Julie Kostertliz
