Politics

Sunrise (2/9/11)

By Paul Blumenthal

PARTYTIME FOR CPAC

--Sunlight: "During the first two days of the three-day conference, Republicans have planned at least three dozen campaign fundraisers in D.C., according to Party Time?s data. ... And many of the conference?s featured senators and House members, including freshman Tea Party senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, will be fundraising as the event rolls on (Here is the CPAC agenda). ... Lee, whose candidacy was bolstered with Tea Party support, is a featured speaker at the conference on Friday. But he still has election debt from his upset primary victory over former Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah. On Thursday, to retire that debt (and his general election debt), the Online Lenders Alliance, along with one of its lobbyists, Bryan Cunningham, is hosting an event for him. Cunningham lobbies for three of the companies that spent the most on lobbying last year (Southern Co., Verizon and AT&T), hails from Utah, and actually began his Capitol Hill career as a Bennett aide. ... Freshmen Republicans will continue their early-term fundraising as CPAC unfolds. Upstart fundraising patron Jeff Denham, R-Calif, has an event Thursday. Rookie congressman Sean Duffy, R-Wisc., who won with Tea Party support, is introducing headliner Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, at CPAC on Friday and is fundraising for his campaign on the Hill the day before."

KOCH CONTRIBUTES TO ENERGY PANEL

--LA Times: "Wichita-based Koch Industries and its employees formed the largest single oil and gas donor to members of the panel, ahead of giants like Exxon Mobil, contributing $279,500 to 22 of the committee's 31 Republicans, and $32,000 to five Democrats. ... Nine of the 12 new Republicans on the panel signed a pledge distributed by a Koch-founded advocacy group ? Americans for Prosperity ? to oppose the Obama administration's proposal to regulate greenhouse gases. Of the six GOP freshman lawmakers on the panel, five benefited from the group's separate advertising and grass-roots activity during the 2010 campaign. ... Claiming an electoral mandate, Republicans on the committee have launched an agenda of the sort long backed by the Koch brothers. A top early goal: restricting the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the Kochs' core energy businesses."

REVOLVING DOOR FOR EX-KANJORSKI AIDE

--Credit Union Times: "Todd Harper, who was a top aide to credit union supporter Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.) has been named director of the NCUA's Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, the agency announced today. ... Harper, who worked both for Kanjorski and as staff director for a House subcommittee, has been involved in every major piece of legislation impacting credit unions during his 14-year career on Capitol Hill."

FUNDRAISING PARTIES TODAY

--Too many to list today. Check them all out here.

YESTERDAY

--Day in Transparency (2/8/11)

--Day in Sunlight (2/8/11)

Full post as published by Sunlight Foundation on February 09, 2011 (boomark / email).