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Speculation growing for Hillary in 2016

2013-04-04T13:52:29Z

(LIN) — It only took 12 minutes.

In that time, Hillary Rodham Clinton riled up her fans, excited for a potential 2016 run for the former first lady, senator and secretary of state. On April 2, Clinton made her first appearance since ending her stint as secretary of state by speaking at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards.

Her speech came just hours after ReadyForHillary.com was started by the Friends of Hillary PAC to support a future candidacy and start raising money.

At this time, Clinton has publicly announced that she has no plans to run for president again, but it is an option she’s not ruling out.

“My advice to everyone is to chill out,” Mo Elleithee, a top spokesman for Clinton's 2008 campaign, tells The Associated Press. “There's no need for all this breathless anticipation at this point.”

Either way, her support is growing online from the “I’m Ready” testimonials on ReadyForHillary.com, as well as an exponential influx of likes on the Ready for Hillary Facebook Page.

Clinton will also be traveling across the country after her new memoir is launched in June 2014. Many speculate that this book tour is a nice built-in campaign strategy for a potential 2016 run. The memoir, which has not been titled yet, will focus on her years as secretary of state.

In the meantime, Clinton is not slowing down for speaking engagements at fundraisers and advocacy groups for now. She is scheduled to speak Friday at the Women in the World Summit in New York.

Social Status: Harlem Shake campaigns

2013-02-27T15:10:13Z

(LIN) — It’s not uncommon to see YouTube trends come and go (Remember the “Call Me Maybe” air punches?), but it’s always fun to watch politicians get involved.

So, if you haven’t spent 30 seconds of your life watching a Harlem shake video on YouTube, you might be missing out.

It’s annoying yet mesmerizing at the same time.

It all starts when an unknown dancer enters the picture wearing a mask of some sort, gyrating out of control. When the beat drops, everyone in the room flails around to the beat.

Bad dancer? No problem. Just grab a prop and shake uncontrollably. The more awkward the dance moves, the better.

The beauty of the Harlem Shake is that anyone can participate. Just be sure the camera’s rolling and there’s someone who can upload it to YouTube. You are practically guaranteed millions of video views. The University of Georgia swim team did the dance underwater, and the Norwegian army danced in the snow.

Running for political office? Have your campaign staff join the Harlem shake party like Sandy Stimpson, who is running for mayor in Mobile, Ala. In one week, the video has received more than 18,000 views.

And the political buy-in seems to have spread across the country. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez posted his own Harlem Shake, inviting people to join his “innovative, energetic, and fresh campaign.”

So, is politicians doing the Harlem Shake a slick strategy that can attract a different demographic or a desperate cry for attention?

Maybe it’s both.

One thing that is painfully obvious, Harlem Shake videos popping up everywhere, and tend to go viral much quicker than basic local attack ads. It’s simple math – campaigns are expensive, and posting videos on YouTube is cheap.

And sometimes, like it or not, sometimes you just have to dance.

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Social Status is biweekly feature following politicians on social media sites and across the Internet. Follow @onPolitix on Twitter or like onPolitix on Facebook.

Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty in campaign fund scheme

2013-02-20T16:58:24Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., holding back tears, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces 46 to 57 months in prison, and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000, under a plea deal with prosecutors.

A few hours later, his wife, Sandra Jackson, pleaded guilty to filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received. She faces one to two years in prison and a fine of $3,000 to $40,000.

Before entering the plea to a conspiracy charge, Jesse Jackson told U.S. District Judge Robert L. Wilkins, "I've never been more clear in my life" in his decision to plead guilty.

Later, when Wilkins asked if Jackson committed the acts outlined in court papers, the former congressman replied, "I did these things." He added later, "Sir, for years I lived in my campaign," and used money from the campaign for personal use.

Jackson dabbed his face with tissues, and at point a court employee brought some tissues to Jackson's lawyer, who gave them to the ex-congressman. Jackson told the judge he was waiving his right to trial.

"In perfect candor, your honor, I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers' time or money," he said.

Jackson had been a Democratic congressman from Illinois from 1995 until he resigned last November. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 28, and his wife on July 1. Wilkins, who presided over both guilty pleas, is not bound by the terms of the plea agreements. Both Jacksons are free until sentencing.

Since last June, Jesse Jackson has been hospitalized twice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues, and he stayed out of the public eye for months, even during the November elections. His attorney said after the court appearance that Jackson's health is "not an excuse" for his actions, "just a fact."

Jackson entered the courtroom holding hands with his wife and looking a bit dazzled as he surveyed the packed room. He kissed his wife and headed to the defense table.

Jackson's father, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, sat in the front row. Before the hearing started, he wrote notes on a small piece of paper. When the proceedings started, he sat expressionless and virtually motionless, hands folded. As he made his way back to the courtroom for Sandra Jackson's hearing, he took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. Several other family members also attended.

Jesse Jackson Jr., wearing a blue shirt and blue-patterned tie and gray suit, answered a series of questions from the judge, mostly in a muffled tone. When the judge asked if he had consumed any drugs or alcohol in the previous 24 hours, Jackson said he had a beer Tuesday night.

As the proceedings wound up, Jackson sat at the defense table, furrowed his brow and shook his head, in what looked like an expression of disbelief. After the hearing was adjourned, he walked over to his wife, grabbed her hand, and then was greeted by his father. Jackson Jr. patted his father on the back a few times.

"Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let them down, OK?" Jackson told Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet, according to her Tweet from the scene.

Sandra Jackson, 49, wearing a black pantsuit, sobbed visibly during her court hearing, as her husband watched from the row behind the defense table. Sandi, as she's known, was a Chicago alderman before she resigned last month during the federal investigation.

Jesse Jackson Jr., 47, used campaign money to buy items including a $43,350 gold-plated men's Rolex watch and $9,587.64 worth of children's furniture, according to court papers filed in the case. His wife spent $5,150 on fur capes and parkas, the court documents said. Under the plea deal, Jackson must forfeit $750,000, plus tens of thousands of dollars' worth of memorabilia items and furs.

More details emerged in a 22-page statement compiled by prosecutors, filed Wednesday, in which Jackson admitted that he and his wife used campaign credit cards to buy 3,100 personal items worth $582,772.58 from 2005 through April of last year. Personal expenditures at restaurants, nightclubs and lounges cost $60,857.04. Personal expenditures at sports clubs and lounges cost $16,058.91, including maintaining a family membership at a gym. Personal spending for alcohol cost $5,814.43. Personal spending for dry cleaning cost $14,513.42.

Among the individual purchases made with campaign credit cards:

—A $466 dinner for two of "a personal nature" at Mandarin Oriental's CityZen restaurant.

—A washer, a dryer, a range and a refrigerator for the Jacksons' Chicago home.

—Multiple flat-screen televisions, multiple Blu-Ray DVD players and numerous DVDs for their Washington, D.C., home.

—A five-day health retreat for one of Mrs. Jackson's relatives.

—Stuffed animals and accessories for them.

—Goods at Costco, from video games to toilet paper.

According to the prosecution's court papers, Jackson even arranged for the use of campaign money to buy two mounted elk heads for his congressional office. Last summer, as the FBI closed in, a Jackson staffer identified only as "Person A" tried to arrange for the sale of the elk heads, but the FBI was one step ahead. The bureau had an undercover FBI employee contact the staffer, claiming to be an interior designer who had received the person's name from a taxidermist and inquiring whether there were elk heads for sale. They agreed on a price of $5,300.

Jackson's wife, knowing that the elk heads had been purchased with campaign funds, directed the staffer to move the elk heads from Washington to Chicago and to instruct the sale contact to wire the proceeds to her husband's personal account.

Over the years, the unidentified "Person A" provided significant help to the Jacksons in carrying out the scheme. Jackson used the aide for many different bill-paying activities, including paying construction contractors for work on Jackson's Washington home.

From 2008 through last March, Jackson's re-election campaign issued $76,150.39 in checks to the staff member, who was entitled to only $11,400 for work done for the campaign. The aide spent the remainder of the funds from the campaign for the Jacksons.

One of Jesse Jackson Jr.'s lawyers, Reid H. Weingarten, told reporters after the hearing that there's reason for optimism.

"A man that talented, a man that devoted to public service, a man who's done so much for so many, has another day. There will be another chapter in Jesse Jackson's life," he said.

Weingarten said that his client has "serious health issues. And those health issues are directly related to his present predicament. That's not an excuse, that's just a fact. And Jesse's turned the corner there as well. There's reason for optimism here too. Jesse's gotten great treatment, he's has great doctors, and I think he's gotten his arms around his problem."

As the hearing for Jackson got under way Wednesday, newly filed court papers disclosed that the judge had offered to disqualify himself from handling the cases against Jackson and his wife.

As a Harvard Law School student, Wilkins said he had supported the presidential campaign of Jackson's father and that as an attorney in 1999, Wilkins had been a guest on a show hosted by Jackson's father.

Prosecutors and lawyers for the couple said they were willing to proceed with the cases with Wilkins presiding. Judicial ethics require that a judge disqualify himself if his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

DC Download: A GOP identity crisis

2013-02-15T14:37:59Z

(LIN) — Very sneaky, Republican Party.

We see what you did there with the GOP response to the State of the Union address, putting Florida Sen. Marco Rubio front of America.

He made it very clear early on in his response two things: He’s an outspoken minority and he can relate with the middle class.

He told the story of his parents immigrating to America, working multiple jobs to give their children an opportunity to accomplish their dreams.

“I still live in the same working class neighborhood I grew up in,” Rubio explained. He also said he’s only recently paid off his student loan debt of $100,000.

It’s a valiant effort, really. Rubio is much more relatable as someone who faces middle-class issues. And Rubio is a fresh look to the Republican Party, much like President Barack Obama was when he emerged as a rising star for the Democrats.

The last time a GOP heavy-hitter tried to relate to working class Americans was the case Ann Romney made for her husband’s Costco shirt collection.

Rubio doesn’t look or sound anything like Romney, former President George W. Bush or Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

But is this attempt at reconnecting with Americans good enough?

The Republican Party is suffering for a sad case of identity crisis at the moment and seems to be trying all of the “quick fix” solutions without rebuilding a strong foundation.

Although he was immortalized on the cover of Time Magazine as “The Republican Savior,” Rubio has a long way to go to put swagger back in the party.

Who else is there to look to, though?

Outspoken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie? He’s certainly a fresh voice within the party, and has fantastic approval ratings, but he may not be willing to leave his post as governor to fill a national role.

Or maybe Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who’s the same age as Rubio and whose parents are also immigrants? Jindal had a chance to set himself apart in 2009 in the same GOP response, but fell flat with an uninspiring speech.

House Speaker John Boehner, who couldn’t bring himself to stand or applaud during much of the president’s State of the Union address?

In recent history, some Republicans have been known for comments like “legitimate rape,” demanding a birth certificate from Obama, needing to reference binders of women for hiring purposes and claims that 47 percent of Americans feel entitled for the government to take care of them.

Election 2012 was not a graceful or eloquent moment in time for the GOP, and a lot of damage control needs to done to address the party’s tone, platform and strategy.

As long as the Republican Party is remembered for gaffes and blunders, every new approach to relate to Americans will look like its throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

The GOP doesn’t need a savior, it needs an overhaul.

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DC Download is a week-in-review featuring the latest news from Capitol Hill published every Friday. Get the latest political news at onPolitix.com, and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Gen Y: Age matters in Election 2016

2013-01-31T14:56:59Z

LIN) — Flash back to that time in your youth when your mom or dad tried to use words like “cool” or “the bomb,” or whatever the slang was at the time.

Or that time when an aunt, uncle or grandparent did a dance in front of your best friends.

Embarrassing, right?

Sometimes, older generations just don’t connect with their younger counterparts, and it’s not because they aren’t trying. They just don’t get it.

As you grow older, you learn to laugh a lot of things off, and understand intentions (yes, even bad family dancing) more. But in some ways, factors like age are something that will always be a lingering issue.

The next presidential election is a great example.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make her exit after four years as America’s top diplomat, social media and news organizations are all a buzz about her possible 2016 presidential run.

A Twitter account, @ReadyForHillary, is rapidly gaining traction, boasting more than 51,000 followers in just two months. And just last week, a team of President Barack Obama’s donors raised $250,000 to give to Clinton as a parting gift – the amount of debt left from her 2008 presidential campaign.

But in 2016, Clinton will be 69 years old, putting her at 73 years old at the end of her first term, if elected. If you want to play the “age is just a number” card here, keep in mind she’s spent four years as secretary of state, one of the most stressful jobs in the cabinet. Before that, she served two terms as U.S. Senator and first lady for eight years. She’s had a long run.

And then there are the Vice President Joe Biden rumors. While some argue he will have right of first refusal for the Democratic ticket in 2016, he still hasn’t given any indication of his plans to run, or not run.

Biden’s no stranger to running for president, having unsuccessful runs in both 1998 and 2008. If he were elected, he would be 74 on Inauguration Day 2017, which would make him the oldest president ever elected and inaugurated.

On the other side of the fence, the GOP is still struggling to find its image. After years of cookie-cutter candidates, the tired, older, male presidential nominee will just add more noise to what will be an already exciting 2016.

What both sides need is a young face – someone who can relate to the fastest-growing workforce population in America. While it’s arguable that a 30-something may not have the experience to be Commander in Chief, having a president who grew up with the Internet and has a kaleidoscope of friends from all walks of life wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Sure, he or she would have to have a strong cabinet and set of advisers that could guide the presidency, but that is the case with everyone who’s ever held the position.

At a time when our economy, industrial health and future warfare depend on our country’s success in the digital age, wouldn’t you feel a little more comfortable hearing someone who has lived more of his or her life with the Internet than, say, Joe Biden?

President Obama was 47 when he took office, and it’s easy to see what four years in the Oval Office can do to a “young” president. But the Democratic Party knew when they stood behind him in 2008 that he was a face of change.

In 2016, both the Dems and the GOP need to continue to bring diversity to the ballot. Younger candidates like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker and Rep. Joaqu n Castro, D-Texas, come to mind as rising stars of their parties.

Sure, their resumes may be lacking in some areas, but they can make up for it in office when they can appeal to an increasingly younger population.

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, colors and ages. Let’s not be too close-minded in thinking that the older you are, the more qualified you will be.

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Gen Y is a weekly opinion piece covering issues that matter most to young, influential Americans through their late 30s. Jessica O. Swink, a 20-something, is the digital political producer for LIN Media and contributing editor to onPolitix.

Electoral College set to affirm Obama re-election

2012-12-17T18:08:07Z

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tradition trumped suspense Monday as members of the Electoral College cast the official, final votes in an exhausting 2012 presidential election, a constitutional formality on President Barack Obama's march to a second term.

The rite playing in state capitols involved party luminaries and tireless activists carrying out the will of each state's voters. The popular vote from state-to-state dictates whether Democratic or Republican electors get the honor, but the outcome is not in doubt.

Obama is on course to get 332 votes to Romney's 206, barring defectors.

In New Hampshire, electors supporting Obama signed their four ballots and sealed the envelopes with wax that has been in the secretary of state's office for more than 70 years.

"It's been a long haul for all of us," said state Secretary of State Bill Gardner, alluding to New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary that sparked intense campaigning there for more than a year.

In Mississippi, which Republican Mitt Romney carried comfortably, six men chosen earlier as electors met in a small committee room in the state Capitol and cast their votes for Romney. Well aware they were doing so in a lost cause, they opted for humor. The state's Republican governor, Phil Bryant, joked that Billy Mounger, an 86-year-old elector, probably wished to vote for Calvin Coolidge, a renowned small-government conservative president in the 1920s.

"I'd like to have Coolidge back," said Mounger, a wealthy Jackson businessman.

The ballots are on their way to Washington, where Congress will officially count them on Jan. 6.

The 12th Amendment directs the electors chosen by the states to meet and vote for president and vice president. Each state gets its equivalent in the 435-member House and the 100-member Senate. The District of Columbia gets the other three electors.

With the Electoral College in focus, advocates for revamping the current system seized on the chance to argue for a change guaranteeing the national popular vote winner is elected president. The compact among states would award future electoral votes to the national vote leader regardless of how candidates perform in a particular state. The shift has been approved in nine places and is pending in many others, but it won't take effect unless states possessing a majority of electoral votes ratify it.

Minnesota Rep. Pat Garofalo, a Republican, said an increasingly shrinking electoral college map has lavished candidate attention on a select few states while most are mere spectators.

"The rest of the country gets hosed," he said, adding, "The most important principle here is the candidate who gets the most votes should win and every vote should be equal."

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Contributing to this reporter were Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss.

Secretary of state faints, sustains concussion

2012-12-15T17:49:26Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who skipped an overseas trip this past week because of a stomach virus, sustained a concussion after fainting, the State Department said Saturday.

The 65-year-old Clinton, who's expected to leave her job soon after serving as America's top diplomat during President Barack Obama's first term, is recovering at home and being monitored by doctors, according to a statement by aide Philippe Reines.

No further details were immediately available.

The statement said Clinton was dehydrated because of the virus and that she fainted and sustained a concussion. She will continue to work from home in the week ahead and looks forward to being back in the office "soon," the statement said.

Congressional aides do not expect her to testify as scheduled at congressional hearings on Thursday into the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss Clinton's status.

Clinton backed out of a trip to North Africa and the Persian Gulf on Monday because she was sick. She caught the virus during a recent visit to Europe.

She's known for her grueling travel schedule and is the most traveled secretary of state, having visited 112 countries while in the job.

Voter disdain spreads as 'fiscal cliff' looms

2012-12-11T14:49:23Z

HOOKSETT, N.H. (AP) — Fear and frustration course through the lunch crowd at Robie's Country Store and Deli, a popular outpost 500 miles from where Washington is again locked in tense negotiations over taxes and spending as a critical deadline looms.

"I'm worried," Lorraine Cadren of nearby Manchester says between bites of her chicken sandwich. Her doubt in the nation's elected leaders is palpable: "I'm not sure what's going to come out of Washington next." Not that she has the time to pay much attention; the 64-year-old is unemployed and preoccupied with finding a new job as Christmas approaches.

A few tables away, John Pfeifle shares Cadren's angst while trying to enjoy his $6.99 chicken parmesan special.

"Somebody's gotta have some smarts," says the 63-year-old business owner, complaining that both President Barack Obama and House Republicans seem willing to allow the nation to go over the "fiscal cliff," triggering broad tax increases and massive spending cuts that economists warn could lead to another recession.

"I have no faith at all they'll do the right thing," Pfeifle said of Congress.

And why would these voters have confidence in Washington?

The scene playing out on Capitol Hill is a familiar one as lawmakers with competing ideologies wage an 11th-hour battle to avert a predictable crisis. This one comes just a year after an equally divided Washington nearly let the country default on its loan obligations — a debt-ceiling debate that contributed to the electorate's deep lack of faith in their elected leaders and a drop in the nation's credit rating.

Evidence of Congress' plummeting popularity is everywhere.

From New Hampshire diners to Colorado coffee shops, weary residents report widespread concern. They relate the debate in Washington over their tax dollars with their own lives: average Americans who are struggling every day to make ends meet. And already distracted by the holidays and tired of politics after a bitter presidential campaign, they are calling on Washington to get its act together.

"It's pathetic. Nobody's doing their job," said Laura Hager, a retiree from Lancaster, Pa. "The rest of the country is being held hostage to this entire situation."

She said the uncertainty makes it difficult to shape a personal financial plan; she can't imagine what business leaders must be going through. "Nobody can plan. Nobody knows what they'll do," she said.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., warned that the public's disgust with Congress would reach new heights if lawmakers and the White House fail to reach an accord before the year-end deadline.

"Ninety percent disapproval rating is going to go up to 99 percent disapproval," the senator said at a panel discussion last week in Washington on the fiscal cliff's impact on businesses.

Warner overstated Congress' unpopularity, although not by much.

A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that 74 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job; just 23 percent approve. The figures are virtually unchanged from June and slightly above Congress' recent low point of 12 percent approval during the debt ceiling debate in August 2011.

Some voters are trying to ignore the debate altogether, although near-constant news coverage is making that difficult, especially as Obama and his Republican opponents work to rally their supporters.

In a campaign-style event Monday in Michigan, the heart of industrial America, Obama warned that he "won't compromise" on his demand that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. Polls find that most voters agree with the president's deficit-cutting plan to raise tax rates on income over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples, although House Republicans are reluctant to agree.

The conservative group Crossroads GPS is running television ads across the country describing Obama's solution as "a huge tax increase" with "no real spending reforms." ''Call President Obama and tell him it's time to show us a balanced plan," the ad says.

Most voters interviewed in recent days are calling for an immediate compromise and seem willing to raise taxes on the wealthy so long as the middle class is protected.

There is a vague sense that the "fiscal cliff" is more serious than other recent Capitol Hill clashes. But barely a month after the presidential contest ended, most people say they're not following the daily developments that consume Washington.

In a Denver coffee shop, interior designer Roxann Lloyd, 42, is mystified by the sound and fury out of Washington over the cliff.

"I don't think they have any idea what a big deal is to an average person," she said. "I'm just ignoring it."

Lloyd said she isn't surprised by the partisan bickering over the issue. "I don't feel like they are really looking out for us," she said of Congress.

John Baker, 65, a Denver psychologist, said he had little faith in Congress' ability to fix the problem: "I don't think Congress can fix a flat tire."

"It's a typical Washington, 'Let's hit the panic button and keep people scared so they will let us do what we want to do,'" Baker said in a downtown Denver Starbucks. "Ultimately, it will be fixed but not until a lot of pockets are lined."

It's unclear whether members of Congress are hearing the message.

Rep. Charlie Bass, a New Hampshire Republican who lost his re-election bid last month, says it's unclear whether his GOP colleagues will "face the reality that the president, at least at this point, is not going to accept anything other than a tax rate increase."

A stalemate would result in "painful uncertainty," Bass said, offering his caucus a bit of advice: "We best get on with it — get it done."

Back at Robie's, store owner Debbie Chouinard says she's burned out from election season and "tired of all the bull."

"I honestly haven't been paying attention," she said while feeding her 2-year-old granddaughter lunch during a brief lull. "People should be working together to get this country going."

___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Election hits $2B mark amid last-minute donations

2012-12-07T12:16:25Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — Remarkable for its last-minute surge of contributions, the U.S. presidential election witnessed unprecedented sums of cash boosting two men in their quest for the White House. It was a cost that surpassed $2 billion and sometimes came with the cloak of anonymity for billionaire donors.

The election was the first in which "super" political action committees spent hundreds of millions on television ads, especially those supporting GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Super PACs, like those helping President Barack Obama, benefited from deep wells of money from wealthy donors and corporations.

A handful of mega donors stood out. The most prominent were Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, who together contributed nearly $100 million — as promised — to help Republican candidates. On the left, celebrities like Jeffrey Katzenberg poured millions of dollars into efforts helping Obama win a second term.

More than $230 million in super PAC money bolstered Romney's candidacy, adding to the massive haul by the Republican Party for the former Massachusetts governor. The pro-Romney super PACs were able to hammer the president in swing states with meticulously designed ads highlighting a woeful economy and what they portrayed as Obama's failed record.

A sizable chunk of that cash flowed in just weeks before Election Day. Because Federal Election Commission rules don't require groups to report until late November the money they've raised since mid-October, many top donors escaped scrutiny until after the Nov. 6 voting. The Adelsons' $33 million gift to two pro-Romney super PACs, as well as $3 million from Larry Ellison, head of software giant Oracle Corp., were not divulged until Thursday.

The pro-Obama Priorities USA Action raked in nearly 20 percent of the money it raised this election during the final weeks of the campaign. Much of that $15 million haul, records show, came from repeat million-dollar donors like Fred Eychaner, the founder of Chicago-based Newsweb Corp., and from the ranks of Renaissance Technologies, whose investors donated $4 million in the campaign's final weeks.

Those pots of money, in turn, enabled super PACs to dole out millions of dollars on pricey television ads in important swing states, including some where razor-thin ballot margins had been forecast for Election Day.

"The super PACs helped Romney run a more competitive race," said R. Donahue Peebles, an Obama fundraiser from New York. "But, in the end, money can take a candidate only so far."

Surpassing the $2 billion record was long expected after an election season dominated by the supercharged competitive pressures that both campaigns faced in mounting massive fundraising blitzes to stoke expensive media ad battles and ground wars. The Obama and Romney campaigns mobilized competing squads of ultra-wealthy fundraisers, sought aid from free-spending allied super PACS and deployed multimillion-dollar media broadsides and armies of organizers.

Romney and the GOP reported raising more than $920 million by election's end, compared with Obama and the Democrats' $960 million. Obama had been largely outspent by Romney and allied groups during the summer, but the president's campaign began to close that gap as Election Day approached.

Campaigns and outside groups brought in more than $1 billion to help each candidate, an Associated Press review of financial records showed. In 2008, Obama shattered records by raising more than $750 million in donations. Romney's campaign, for its part, said it stretched its dollar competing against an incumbent.

"Every dollar we raised was put to use in the effort to elect Mitt Romney," said finance chair Spencer Zwick, citing strong fundraising during the final weeks leading up to Nov. 6. Romney's election effort brought in $85.9 million since mid-October, compared with Obama's $111 million during the same period.

After a series of high-profile federal court rulings, the nation's relaxed campaign-finance system allowed for unlimited contributions from corporations, labor groups and others; television advertisements from nonprofit groups that concealed who paid for them and the proliferation of more than 1,000 super PACs. Those groups can't coordinate with the candidates they support, but groups on both sides of the political aisle were staffed with former campaign advisers who were deft political fundraisers.

But the election was known just as much for its sources of so-called dark money as it was for its hefty price tag.

Nonprofit "social welfare" organizations spent hundreds of millions more on so-called issue ads, and those groups don't have to disclose their donors because they're governed by tax law. Open-government groups have pushed Congress, to no avail, for a law that would require politically active groups to reveal their finances.

As well, federal rules require timely disclosure for super PACs, but determining who's behind big donations isn't always easy. In summer 2011, a fledgling company dissolved shortly after making a $1 million contribution to a super PAC supporting Romney; records showed that the company, established and closed over a four-month period, was formed by a Romney supporter who once worked with him at the private equity firm Bain Capital.

Other super PACs active this election season benefited from opaque, eleventh-hour contributions. FreedomWorks for America, a prominent tea party group, reported more than $5.2 million in donations during the first half of October — about 90 percent of the group's fundraising haul — from an apparent shell company in Knoxville, Tenn., called Specialty Group that advertises no product or service.

The company's owner, William Rose, said in a statement he was under no obligation to reveal where his money — ultimately used to boost high-profile congressional races — came from.

Gen Y: Listen up, GOP

2012-12-06T14:08:38Z

(LIN) — It’s time for the GOP to get to work.

This election was embarrassing for the Republican Party, and the biggest group of people pointing and laughing came from one of the largest voting blocs: Those under age 30.

It’s not that President Barack Obama was funnier, more attractive or just all around more cool than Mitt Romney. What lost it for the Republicans was the overall image of the party.

According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, young voters continue to identify more with the Democratic Party and express more liberal opinions on social issues.

According to the study, not only were young voters more likely to back Obama, but they were more likely than any of their older counterparts to identify themselves as Democrats (44 percent).

This shouldn’t be too surprising, as younger generations always tend to march to the beat of their own drums.

But the GOP shouldn’t throw its hands in the air and give up on the liberal, free-spirited future of America. Young voters (aged 30 and younger) made up 19 percent of the electorate in the 2012 election, and that number is increasing with each presidential election.

If the GOP wants to reach young voters, it needs a new face and a new approach to social issues.

It needs to stop being the party of old, rich white guys who make jaw-dropping statements about rape and abortion. (Seriously. Can we stop doing that please?)

Instead, meet us on our level.

Maybe not so much like former Sen. Alan K. Simpson, but even that is a start.

Sure, it’s difficult – if not impossible – to change people’s views on gun control, marijuana or abortion. That shouldn’t be part of the game plan. Instead, Republican candidates should treat young voters like adults and start the conversation.

Focus on proven results and how the Republican Party is truly looking after our future. Present new ideas, and instead of being focused on differing opinions of young voters on social issues, find other ways to relate to us.

I’m not sure that the young (ish) faces of Sen. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will be enough to change the image of the entire party. Instead, we need to see leaders that are off the beaten path, but are forward-thinking.

“Republican” doesn’t have to continue to be a taboo word for Gen Y.

The time to begin campaigning for 2016 is now.

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