Category Archives: Plutocrats United

Albert Alschuler and Larry Tribe Think Gov’t Should Try to Rein in Super PACs and Overturn SpeechNow

December 11, 2015, 7:25 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

See this Newsweek piece. I think it is pure fantasy to suggest anyone in the Citizens United majority would vote differently on a challenge to the SpeechNow decision, which relied on Citizens United to find a right of individuals to… Continue reading

Second Brennan Center Event on Plutocrats United

December 11, 2015, 7:00 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

This Jan 21 lunch workshop (by invitation) may interest academics, law students, and policy folks, and it will feature Yasmin Dawood, Janai Nelson, Nick Stephanopoulos and me: Plutocrats United A Brennan Center Workshop Thursday, January 21, 2016 12:00 p.m. –… Continue reading

Get a Free Look at the Introduction to Plutocrats United

December 9, 2015, 1:28 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Amazon has just put the Kindle version of my new book, Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, on sale for preorder. If you click on the Kindle version of the book, and… Continue reading

“What Will the Presidential Elections Cost Us?”

December 7, 2015, 8:12 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

My kickoff event for the Plutocrats United book tour and talks will be the day the book is released, January 12, in my hometown of Los Angeles with Zocalo Public Square: TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016 7:30 PM… Continue reading

#PlutocratsUnited is “Heroin for Political Addicts”

December 1, 2015, 7:34 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

So tweets Tom Edsall: Heroin for political addicts: "Plutocrats United" @rickhasen https://t.co/uoIa3RkCs6 buy advance: https://t.co/w0SjJbVCDP — Thomas Edsall (@Edsall) November 30, 2015 Thanks Tom!

Must-Read Nick Confessore on Money in Illinois Politics in the Citizens United Era

November 29, 2015, 3:48 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Deep dive in the New York Times on the rise of our emerging plutocracy and the lack of capacity of campaign finance laws to deal with it: The families remaking Illinois are among a small group around the country who… Continue reading

“Seattle liking ‘democracy vouchers’; An initiative to make Seattle the first place in the country to try taxpayer-funded ‘democracy vouchers’ is leading.”

November 3, 2015, 8:45 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Winning by 20 points. Wow. I’ve been advocating campaign finance vouchers for 20 years. It will be exciting to watch this in practice.

Interested in Assigning “Plutocrats United” to Your Spring Course?

October 26, 2015, 8:38 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

In response to an inquiry about using my new book in a Spring campaign finance course, I see that Yale University Press has now posted the table of contents for Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Decline… Continue reading

“Late Night With Seth Meyers A Closer Look: Wealthy Families Dominate Campaign Contributions”

October 17, 2015, 12:46 pmcampaign finance, election law "humor", Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Video. (with a Trevor cameo!) Quoting Charles Koch: “It’s hard to save the world when the world doesn’t want to be saved.”

“US turning into plutocracy as small number of donors buy into power”

October 17, 2015, 12:23 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Irish Times: The PAC figures are mind-boggling. Right to Rise USA, the Super PAC supporting Bush, raised $103 million in the first half of the year at a time when he wasn’t a candidate – a move campaign finance observers… Continue reading

“American Democracy Under Siege”

October 14, 2015, 9:28 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Quite a lineup at Harvard Oct. 29—part of the Scholars Strategy network. Wish I could be there. Perhaps there will be a webcast.

Nick Confessore’s Deep Dive into America’s Plutocracy

October 10, 2015, 11:50 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Drop everything and read this (online, because the graphics are fantastic): Just 158 families have provided nearly half of the early money for efforts to capture the White House…. They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male, in a nation… Continue reading

Giving “Democracy Studies” Lecture Today at Ohio State

October 8, 2015, 6:10 amPlutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Very much looking forward to this event, which will preview my upcoming Plutocrats United book (out Jan. 12). Excited that Professor Chris Walker of OSU (who clerked for Justice Kennedy (2008-09)) will offer a response.