Unions Taking Advantage of ‘Citizens United’, Nudists Descend on Capitol Hill and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 8

UNIONS DOING THE BULK OF ‘CITIZENS UNITED’ SPENDING: A new report by Mother Jones says labor unions, not corporations, are taking advantage of new spending opportunities in the wake of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission.

According to the report, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO — two groups with long records of investing hefty amounts in the political process — have recently begun running advertisements that promote their preferred candidates in contentious congressional contests this election cycle. In Arkansas, where Lt. Governor Bill Halter will today face off against incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln in a runoff to decide the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, AFSCME has weighed in with a hard-hitting advertisement that challenges Lincoln’s support for organized labor. The ad, which implores Arkansans to “send [Lincoln] packing” would have been illegal before the Supreme Court last January overturned a decades-long ban that prohibited independent groups from spending on advertising that explicitly endorsed or opposed a particular candidate.

The AFL-CIO joined the AFSCME in running similar “express advocacy” ads recently in Pennsylvania, where several candidates squared-off in a special election to succeed Democratic Rep. John Murtha, after his death last year. The AFL-CIO ran radio ads that told voters to “cast a vote for Pennsylvania jobs — Mark Critz for Congress. Critz ultimately prevailed in the contest.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS?: Google, Facebook, Microsoft: meet the American Association for Nude Recreation. To the untrained eye, it might seem like this group has little in common with Internet giants. But when members of the trade association for America’s nudists descend on Capitol Hill this week, they’ll likely discuss an issue familiar to those in the tech world: Internet security. The revelation was made public in a playful press statement released by the AANR, which stated the group’s intention to lobby on “well-meaning” legislation to regulate certain corners of the Internet. The group says such regulations could adversely affect its website. Google, Facebook and Microsoft have all filed lobbying reports during the last year that listed Internet or “cyber” security as targeted issues.

CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS, IN THE NEWS: As the oil spill in the Gulf continues to captivate much of the nation, members of the working press are using the Center’s data to mine the money-in-politics angle of the spill. Reporters quoting the Center over the weekend include Puneet Kollipara of The Hill and William E. Gibson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Steve Terrell of the New Mexican spoke with the Center’s communications director Dave Levinthal for his piece on BP’s contributions to politicians in New Mexico. Other major media outlets to cite the Center this week include the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News.