Despite 'unlikes' over Facebook, Morgan Stanley still has friends in high places By Lindsay Young May 24 2012 1:40 p.m. The disappointing debut of Facebook’s IPO and Morgan Stanley’s seemingly unequal treatment of its customers in providing inside last-minute cautions about the social network giant has investors and regulators upset, and lawyers readying for business. But when the nation's lawmakers start making the inevitable inquiries (key House and Senate committees already are making noises) about the deal and its chief underwriter, Morgan Stanley will not be defenseless. The financial services giant has plenty of political capital from campaign contributions and a veteran lobbying team. Morgan Stanley has heavily invested in lobbyists. In the last three quarters of 2011, Morgan Stanley spent more than $2 million ... Continue reading →

Facebook IPO Spurring a Raft of Legislative Efforts Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call Sens. Charles Schumer and Bob Casey introduced a bill penalizing Americans, such as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who renounce their citizenship and avoid taxes. Lawmakers relish the opportunity to latch on to current events in order to craft legislation or a political message — and the controversy surrounding Facebook’s initial public offering last week was no exception. Indeed, Facebook is getting the full Congress treatment, from bills and hearings to statements, press conferences and floor speeches. Last week, Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) introduced a bill penalizing Americans, such as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who renounce their citizenship and avoid taxes. That same day, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) renewed ... Continue reading →

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WASHINGTON — A lobbyist for Colorado-based Abound Solar, a recipient of a $400 million federal loan guarantee to expand solar panel production, is a large fundraiser for GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney. iWatch News reports that FaegreBD Consulting’s Cathy Tripodi who represents Abound is a Romney “bundler” and raised $27,000 for him in April. Abound Solar benefitted from the same Department of Energy program that helped the California-based Solyndra, which is now bankrupt. One of Solyndra’s investers in 2008 was a bundler for President Obama, iWatch reported. Abound officials told The Denver Post in February they were going to lay off 280 people and delay opening a plant in Indiana. Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, was involved with the Solyndra investigation. Abound is in his district. ... Continue reading →

“There was a kind of inflection point during the five-year period between 1997 and 2003 — the late Clinton and/or early Bush administration — when all the rules just went away. You went from a period, a regime, where people did have at least some concern about going to jail, to a point where everything is legal, and derivatives couldn’t be regulated at all and nobody went to jail for anything. And looking back I would say that this period definitely started under Clinton. You absolutely cannot blame this on George W. Bush.” – Charles Ferguson of Inside Job “I never had any money until I got out of the White House, you know, but I’ve done reasonably well since then.” Bill Clinton On December ... Continue reading →

K Street Files: Facebook Friends U.S. Chamber, NFIB In an effort to encourage small businesses to get on Facebook, the newly public social network is giving away up to $10 million in free advertising. Not a Subscriber? Sign In Continue reading →

They have one goal: uncovering an unguarded moment, a controversial position, a gaffe or flip-flop, anything that can be used to torpedo a political foe's campaign.Welcome to the "war room" of American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC that its founders tout as a key part of Democrats' arsenal in this year's presidential and congressional elections. Unlike other super PACs using most of their millions for attack ads, American Bridge is an opposition research hub for liberal groups determined to keep Mitt Romney out of the White House and the Senate in Democratic hands.Opposition research is not new, nor unique to this group. The Republican National Committee has developed a more-than-1,000-page opposition research handbook on President Obama, documenting campaign pledges that it intends to juxtapose ... Continue reading →

Federal Spending At Slowest Pace Since Eisenhower By Ryan Teague Beckwith May 22, 2012 – 4:18 p.m. Archives A hat with buttons supporting Dwight Eisenhower's campaign for president is part of the Smithsonian collection. To buy this photo, go to: http://roll.cl/cqrcpix MarketWatch: “Almost everyone believes that Obama has presided over a massive increase in federal spending … Even Democrats seem to think it’s true. But it didn’t happen. Although there was a big stimulus bill under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s.” Roll Call: “A bill that would extend the current student loan rate is just the latest legislation stuck in partisan limbo despite support from both parties for ... Continue reading →

(Credit: CBS) News AnalysisIt's a good time to be obsessed with presidential politics. There are a multitude of newspapers, television news outlets and websites (like this one) that one can turn to for coverage of every tiny development in the race for the presidency. Meanwhile, the Twitter-powered news cycle has become so compressed that it's impossible for even the most horserace-obsessed politics junkie to keep up with all the information and opinion at their fingertips. Yet while information abounds about both the serious (policy, fundraising) and unserious (tweets from comedians, ill-advised comments from talking heads) aspects of the presidential race, hundreds of state and local elections are going relatively ignored by both the national media and news consumers. It's created a situation in which it ... Continue reading →