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President Barack Obama promised during his campaign that he will fight the lobbying firms and special interest groups in the K Street. Obama's health care and energy proposals however, have benefited these organizations. It was also found that former practitioners from the firms were also appointed in key positions in his administration.

Barack Obama's volunteers are registering first time voters around the U.S. but whether these names will figure on the rolls due to the short time span is debated These voters are expected to bring in votes that could send him to the White House.

Many changes are taking place in the hypercompetitive, constantly changing world of campaign fund-raising. A round-up of ten different methods adopted for fundraising and the political money trends including collecting through Internet, rounding up small checks to contribute in a large stack, called bundling, contributions from non-profit organizations, small donations of less than $200 dollars or unitemized contributions, and other sources is provided.

The lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Rep. Duke Cunningham, Rep. Alan Mollohan and former Rep. Tom Delay are suspected of manipulating so-called charities for political gains, as the tax exempt group require few disclosures and no restrictions on the size or source of contributions. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) started a 'Political Activities Compliance Initiative' for strict enforcement and increased efforts to educate the nonprofits about the law and are also investigating the matter and setting right standards before it grows and becomes incontrollable.

Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and tax-evasion charges, which came about a month after former Rep. Randy Cunningham, R-Calif., pleaded guilty to taking bribes from a defense contractor who had lobbied him for business, resulting in a sinister image for a lobbyist. Lobbying is big business in Washington, and with key factors of lobbying being competition, time, complexity, gridlock and money, the vast K Street community of lobbyists are looked at with suspicion.

Issues related to abortion and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act that was signed into a law is presented. Issues include the right to terminate the pregnancy in the early stages. The law is opposed by many organizations and may lead to a decrease in the number of votes for President Bush.

Stephen Moore, a writer and political operative, began the political action committee Club for Growth to support fiscally conservative Republican candidates. The club spent approximately $3 mil during the 2000 election cycle and expects to double that amount in 2002.

This article examines the political influence and internal struggles within the US Congressional Black Caucus. Topics addressed include their support for campaign finance reform, their relationship to the Democratic party, their challenges in representing the needs of African Americans, and the article profiles several key members in the caucus.

The reasons that earmarks are required and popular among lawmakers are discussed. Lawmakers earmark projects that lead to development, reform and economic development.

The Real ID Act of 2005, which was set up to provide American citizens with fraud-resistant identity cards to help prevent terror attacks, post 9/11 has been fraught with controversy. Some of the reasons why many are opposing these identity cards are discussed.

The manner in which gaps in lobbying disclosure rules allow lobbyists to engage in lucrative political advocacy activities aimed to influence public policy, without necessitating their disclosure is discussed.

A controversy over the appointment of four Federal Election Commissioners due to differences of opinion among lawmakers is presented. The controversy renders the commissions as incapable of enforcing and interpreting election laws.

The exceptional generosity of Larry and Helen O'Brien to the Democratic Party for the election campaign far above the income of an average American family is discussed.

A new ethics law, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, which will have far-reaching implications for the behavior of lobbyists on K Street and Capitol Hill, is discussed.

The legislation passed by House and Senate on the lobbying and ethics reform is presented.

The redundancy of public financing in the 2008 presidential elections is presented. Private donations are directing the candidates' campaigns.

Democrats promised clear ethics reforms regarding the interactions between lawmakers and lobbyists, after the lobbying industry was involved in a corruption and bribery scandal. However, the revised ethics rules adopted by the House are impractical and contradictory, thereby confusing lobbyists on the correct directions of the rules.

The ethics scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abram off revealed an ingrained system of relationships between lobbyists and US lawmakers, oiled with money that flows through multiple channels like campaign accounts, leadership political action committees, receptions at political conventions, even lawmakersE favorite charities. To tackle all of that would require reforming myriad campaign finance, ethics and lobbying, and tax laws, which appears unlikely to happen.

Representative Tom DeLay, Republican-Texas, has assembled a top-flight team to wage a legal, public-relations and political offensive, which has all the hallmarks of a high-dollar election campaign, to fight the felony charges pending against him. Steve Brittain, Dick DeGuerin and Bill White are a team of high-profile Texas lawyers who are fighting to fend-off the campaign finance charges against DeLay.

The backers of abortion-rights probably fear the nomination of Harriet Miers to the US Supreme Court more than opponents of abortion since the question arises on whether the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade case in 1973 would be overturned. Miers' views on abortion rights are not clear, while her stand on the already-limited right to abortion would be public knowledge if she is confirmed and hears the Ayotte parental notification case.

Tom DeLay was indicted by a grand jury on charges of conspiring to funnel corporate money to GOP candidates in violation of state law. Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle has evidence that the state-based political action committee at issue, The Texans for Republican Majority (TRMPAC), send corporate money to state legislative candidates.

The debate over '527' groups, the political organizations that spent hundreds of millions in unregulated money during the election in 2004, has annoyed the Federal Election Commission, prompted lawsuits, and created conflicting views in the House. Republican leaders are expected to bring up two competing 527 bills for floor debate immediately after the July 2005 recess.

Many Democrats argued that it was high time for progressives to invest in think tanks, media outlets, and other party-building institutions before the 2004 election. Democrats such as Simon Rosenberg, who heads the New Democrat Network and Washington lawyer Rob Stein have been urging progressive donors to move beyond campaign contributions.

The House Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics) Committee reprimanded Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, in October 2004 for his fundraising practices and for misuse of his office. A third, more controversial charge has been discussed, which involves the alleged misuse of corporate funds by his Texas-based political action committee (PAC).

Campaign reform advocates on Capitol Hill introduced legislation against politically active interest groups that claim tax-exempt status as political organizations under 527 of the Internal Revenue Code but fail to follow Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules. The 527 Reform Act would require all such groups to register as political committees with the FEC, thus forcing them to raise and spend regulated money and to follow FEC disclosure rules.

The United States voting system is facing deep troubles wherein the Congress has enacted a sweeping election reform law called The Help America Vote Act, which will set aside $3.9 billion over three years to help states buy new equipment, clean up vote-registration databases and ease ballot access. The State Department has invited the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the United States election as the OSCE, which is a 55-nation regional security group that includes the United States occasionally, observe one another's elections.

Computer studies have revealed that the new paperless voting machines called the direct-recording electronics (DREs) adopted by a few states are facing serious security problems and technical breakdowns. The basic fault of the DREs is that the results cannot be verified, as there is no paper record due to which, thousands of votes are, tampered or lost.

Teresa Heinz Kerry has gained attention and controversies by highlighting her wealth, her cosmopolitan upbringing, her environmental activism, and her blunt remarks. Heinz Kerry has campaigned in 27 states making multiple campaign stops per day.

The Supreme Court's ruling regarding the ban on unregulated soft money has lead to a reduction in charity, decrease in the transparency process and increase in the obscure means to raise funds. The ruling has lead politicians to focus on voter registrations, identification and face-to-face contact with voters. List of groups involved in soft money fundraising for the Democrats and Republicans is mentioned.

This article examines the political appeal and power of Hillary Clinton. The author discusses Clinton's ability to raise money for the Democratic Party, maintaining she is a money-making machine in which she has been able to raise $47 million for Democratic campaign accounts since 2000.

Reform advocates have long predicted that the high court would uphold the law, which bans the unregulated soft money raised and spent by the political parties, and limits issue ads by outside interest groups at election time. Jan Witold Baran representing Senator Mitch McConnell said that the most surprising development was chief justice's apparent disavowal of the Austin case.

This article discusses the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on campaign finance reform law. The author maintains the Supreme Court's decision is not only unpredictable, but may not even be made before the 2004 elections.

IN THE WAKE OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS, MEMBERSOF CONGRESS WITH EXPERTISE IN HOW TO RESPOND FIND THEIR PHONES ARE SUDDENLY RINGING OFF THE HOOK. Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., has been [...]

Lobbyists and public relations practitioners such as Pat Cleary are using social networking in their advocacy. Sites like 'Facebook' and 'Twitter' offer advantages such as their ability to create buzz, spread messages easily, and is cheap to set up. The trend is seen as an emulation of President Barack Obama's successful use of social networking in his campaign.

The public declaration of Democratic efforts towards urgent lobbying and ethics reforms is quite different from the private debate on the issue. The practical difficulties in implementing the reforms have also led to the suggestion of forming a bipartisan commission to examine the concept, thus presenting a challenge for incoming Democratic leaders to reconcile their public promises with lawmakers' private complaints and suggestions on the reforms.

Senate Finanace Political Committee Chairman Charles Grassley has won the panel's unanimous approval for a bill that would crack down on tax-exempt organizations that engage in illegal political activity by doubling the existing fines and penalties on overly political nonprofits. The Bill was considered as a follow-up action to a Senate report detailing the use of multiple tax-exempt organizations by non-profit groups connected to Jack Abramoff as conduits to finance his illegal political activists.

The House and Senate GOP leaders have won the approval for lobbying and ethics changes, but the legislation is still in trouble as it is heading towards the conference committee. Pro-reform activist groups have dismissed the legislation as weak and ineffectual and several controversial provisions that have angered both Democrats and Republicans could derail the package.

A controversy was presented before the Federal Election Commission(FEC) regarding the infringement of campaign finance laws by spending illegal money by supporting, nonparty organizations called 527 groups. The FEC was under pressure from various fronts to produce a draft, advisory opinion or rules for nonparty groups at the February 18 2003 meeting.

An overview is presented on the dispute between the Federal Election Commission and legislators sponsoring campaign finance reform over rules to implement the reforms. Legislators are wary that the FEC rules have been written in such a way that they will continue to allow national parties to raise soft money.

Congressional aide Jedd Moskowitz has bounced between several unconventional work stations lately, including a card table on the plaza outside the Capitol building, a rented minivan, and a carpeted cubicle [...]

The Cincinnati Enquirer has been around for 152 years, but its image has changed dramatically in the past 18 months. It's not just the paper's sparkling new offices, or its […]

Members of Congress face much laxer ethics rules than many of their counterparts in state legislatures, mainly due to the allowed self-policing practices on Capitol Hill. Several states are far ahead of Congress in this issue, since they have assigned the job of enforcing ethics laws to an independent commission, board or office, which avoids the possibilities of compromise and confusion that are likely in Congress.

The lobbyists have greatest influence on the money-in-politics process derived from hosting fundraisers and bundling the checks they collect from their clients, although these K Street firms also make their own direct political contributions to congressional candidates in a form of unscrutinized 'in house' bundling . The top firms in Washington act as mega-PACs, rounding up checks from every lobbyist on the payroll, and in the year 2003-04 election cycle, lobbyists donated more than $22 million to federal candidates.

The new campaign finance law requires the Internal Revenue Service to police nonprofit organizations that are politically active. Political activity by nonprofits is expected to increase because the new law bans raising and spending of soft money by the national political parties.

Looking for a good crime scene video, complete with pools of blood and murder victims in body bags. Don't expect it on Channel 13's 5:30 p.m. newscast in Albuquerque. KRQE [...]

Every time Yen Do writes about a touchy issue such as normalizing U.S. relations with Vietnam, he knows that he may have to lie low for a while. As editor […]