Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert demonstrated on Tuesday night's episode of The Daily Show just how absurd the coordination rules between candidates and super PACs really are. Not only is the video hilarious, it's also entirely true how much coordination is actually allowed to go on. This sort of flies in the face of Mitt Romney's, "I'd go to the big house," line about how he can't talk to his super PAC.
And, by the way, don't forget to check out the first three parts of HuffPost's five-part series on Stephen Colbert and how he explains campaign finance to America. Come back every day this week for more. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Newt Gingrich is walking a fine line when he criticizes super PACs that attack him, while relying almost entirely on a super PAC to maintain his relevance as a candidate. [Politico]
President Barack Obama recently came down on the side of the critics in the tech industry of controversial anti-piracy legislation that has been working its way through Congress. The battle pitted two equally matched donor communities in the Democratic Party: Silicon Valley and Hollywood. [HuffPost]
The Obama super PAC -- Priorities USA Action -- is not doing so great. Why? It doesn't look like the president, or his people, approve of the super PAC's existence. [Politico]
The Obama campaign, meanwhile, is said to be going up on air with advertisements starting tomorrow. [NYT]
In Salon, First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams attempts to explain how Citizens United did not lead to super PACs. Unfortunately, as Rick Hasen points out, he's wrong.
The Washington Post editorializes against Mitt Romney's proposal to legalize unlimited campaign contributions to candidates.
AEI's Norm Ornstein in Roll Call, "By giving corporations free rein to meddle in politics without any accountability required, just like in the robber baron days, and by defining money as speech, the court dealt a body blow to American democracy. Candidates no longer can focus simply on raising money for their campaigns against other candidates. Because corporations have almost unlimited sums they can put in with no notice, candidates have to raise protection money in advance just in case such a campaign is waged against them."
CAMPAIGN VIDEOS
Help us populate our list of campaign videos. Send any notable TV, radio or web ads that you see to Fundrace. Send your submissions to paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.
Committee: Mitt Romney for President
Candidate opposed: Newt Gingrich
Spot: "Unreliable Leader" -- Romney campaign surrogate and former Senator and congressman Jim Talent recounts the "chaotic" leadership of Newt Gingrich when they served together in the House. Talent describes a man who is "erratic," "outrageous," and "a political problem." Talent says, "This election needs to be about Barack Obama. And if the Speaker were the nominee, the election would be about him."
Link: [http://youtu.be/CFBPW6-AKR0]
Market: South Carolina.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: Mitt Romney for President
Candidate opposed: Newt Gingrich
Spot: "Undisciplined" -- Former congresswoman and current Romney surrogate Susan Molinari explains that Newt Gingrich's leadership style, "can only be described as leadership by chaos." He lacks "discipline," according to Molinari, and his controversial personality "helped to reelect a Democratic president."
Link: [http://youtu.be/DtYR_t6Yw-I]
Market: South Carolina.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: Restore Our Future
Candidate opposed: Rick Santorum
Spot: "Proud" -- The Romney super PAC is dropping ads on Rick Santorum as he continues to sit in third place in South Carolina and Florida. This one hits Santorum for being a Washington insider who voted to raise the debt ceiling five times and is "proud" of the millions in earmarks that he secured for his state.
Link: [http://youtu.be/miSGHevvyzs]
Market: South Carolina & Florida.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: American Action Network
Candidate opposed: Barack Obama
Spot: "Change the State of OUR Union" -- The conservative non-profit group drops a negative video on Obama calling him out for, what they call, "false promises."
Link: [http://youtu.be/ELgSbAmv-Rs]
Market: YouTube.
Buy: None. Just a web video.
Committee: Americans for Prosperity
Candidate opposed: Bob Kerrey
Spot: "Kerrey Brings Liberal Show To Nebraska" -- Conservative groups are trying to scare former Sen. Bob Kerrey from jumping into the open seat Senate race in Nebraska. This ad hits Kerrey as a liberal who "voted for government run health care" and supports the Affordable Care Act.
Link: [http://youtu.be/dKzDb_5vvMY]
Market: Nebraska.
Buy: Undisclosed.
Committee: National Republican Senatorial Committee
Candidate opposed: Bob Kerrey
Spot: "Big Apple Bob Kerrey: Perfect for New York" -- The NRSC gets in on the Kerrey scare-fest with a web video blasting the former Nebraska senator as being a cosmopolitan New Yorker now. The ad hits Kerrey for being a registered voter in New York, for opposing a balanced budget amendment, and for supporting the public option.
Link: [http://youtu.be/ZXIdQv9zXuo]
Market: YouTube.
Buy: None. Just a web video.
Committee: House Majority PAC
Candidate opposed: Rob Cornilles
Spot: "Six Employees" -- The Democratic super PAC blasts Rob Cornilles for repeatedly stating that he has helped to created 500 jobs. The super PAC ad claims, citing the local newspaper, that Cornilles only has six employees working for him.
Link: [http://youtu.be/KfTAd-5kENs]
Market: Oregon's First District.
Buy: Undisclosed.
TRACKING INDEPENDENT SPENDING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:
These numbers represent spending by independent groups, like super PACs and non-profits, to support or oppose a particular candidate for the presidency in 2012. Fundrace will update this spending daily to help show which candidates are gaining from the proliferation of independent groups in this coming election.
Newt Gingrich (R), $996,282 to support, $8,806,615 to oppose. (+$838,937)
Mitt Romney (R), $1,032,673 to support, $3,326,896 to oppose. (Support: +$1,136, Oppose: +$105,040)
Rick Perry (R), $3,964,824 to support, $0 to oppose.
Ron Paul (R), $3,250,831 to support, $165,339 to oppose. (+$27,599)
Jon Huntsman (R), $2,453,204 to support, $0 to oppose.
Rick Santorum (R), $1,712,631 to support, $361,084 to oppose. (Support: +$130,125, Oppose: +$145,373)
Barack Obama (D), $18,517 to support, $611,797 to oppose.
Herman Cain (R), $462,217 to support, $0 to oppose.
Gary Johnson (R), $518 to support, $0 to oppose.
RECENT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, $14,500 to oppose Mitt Romney for President in South Carolina.
Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, $14,500 to oppose Newt Gingrich for President in South Carolina.
Women Vote!, $89,900 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Strong America Now, $300 to oppose Mitt Romney for President in South Carolina.
Endorse Liberty, $27,599 to support Ron Paul for President.
Strong America Now, $31,240 to oppose Mitt Romney for President in South Carolina.
Strong America Now, $59,000 to oppose Mitt Romney for President in South Carolina.
Restore Our Future, $15,248 to oppose Rick Santorum for President in South Carolina.
Restore Our Future, $824,437 to oppose Newt Gingrich for President in South Carolina.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, $30,801 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, $6,160 to support Suzanne Bonamici for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Red White And Blue Fund, $130,125 to support Rick Santorum for President in South Carolina.
SEIU COPE, $33,685 to oppose Rob Cornilles for Congress in Oregon's First District.
Restore Our Future $83,271 to oppose Rick Santorum for President in Florida.
Restore Our Future $1,136 to support Mitt Romney for President in Florida.
RECENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS
American Sunrise, Orlando, Fla., Treasurer: Alberto Romero. (Super PAC)
Protecting Our Vote, Washington, D.C., Treasurer: Marcus Mason. (Super PAC)
Patriot Super PAC, Ashburn, Va., Treauser: Steve Elliot. (Super PAC)
Butler County Progressive PAC, Oxford, Ohio, Treasurer: Kathy Ellison.
Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia, Falls Church, Va., Treasurer: Rose Chu.
Connecticut Young Republicans, Hamden, Conn., Treasurer: Ryan Budd.
Texas Leadership Council, San Antonio, Texas, Treasurer: James Barnes.
Send tips, hints, submissions, rumors to HuffPost Fundrace at paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.