Now that Wisconsin’s summer bout of recall madness has ended, let’s run the numbers.
Category: Money & Politics Column
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Unions’ lobbying expenses skyrocket
Twenty-five labor unions reported spending a total of $7.2 million on lobbying in Wisconsin between Jan. 1 and June 30. That’s more than the $5.2 million the same unions spent lobbying in all of 2009-10.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Campaign cash comes out as commercials
Negative messages have been a feature of political campaigns since Oorg challenged Grok: “His fault fire die.” But the ads in the current recall elections are extraordinary for several reasons.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Lawmaker puts positive spin on campaign cash
Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee and has vast license to shape Wisconsin’s priorities. Some say Vos’ position makes him especially susceptible to special interests seeking to influence the process through campaign contributions. But Vos insists that’s not happening.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Out-of-state money flows quietly in
Wisconsin’s recall elections, spurred by the turmoil over changes that undercut public employee unions, are seen as nationally significant. It’s no surprise they have drawn contributions from across the nation, in amounts large and small.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Candidate spending hits new highs in recalls
It’s still several weeks before the general elections, with big bucks yet to flow, but already Wisconsin’s recall-o-rama is awash in campaign cash — and at least one record will surely fall.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Disclosure statements part of public’s right to know
Recently the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee inserted language into the state budget bill that would have restricted public access to the statements of economic interest that public officials in Wisconsin must file. But the negative reaction from open government advocates, myself included, state media, members of the public and a conservative think tank forced lawmakers to back down.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Is money to blame for Supreme Court dysfunction?
News of a physical altercation between two state Supreme Court justices has, ironically, brought the people of Wisconsin together. Everyone, it seems, agrees there is something terribly wrong with our state Supreme Court.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
A timely topic, a search for the truth
Editor’s note: The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is debuting a column called Money & Politics. Written by Bill Lueders, the Center’s Money and Politics Project director, the column will cover a wide range of topics related to money and politics, tied into contemporary events. And it will invite readers into a process of discovery, […]