What will it take to limit the role of money in politics?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig about his new book, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It. Between 1974 and 2008 the average amount it took to run for reelection in the House and Senate went from $56,000 dollars to more than $1.3 million. How did we get here? What will it take to remove money from politics? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Lawrence Lessing is a professor at Harvard Law School and author of Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress.

Click to Listen: What will it take to limit the role of money in politics?

How has the 'Citizens United' decision affected our politics?

On the next Your Call we'll talk about the Citizens United case. January 21 is the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that allowed unfettered election campaign contributions by corporations and unions. Did it make an impact on last year's political campaigns? And how will it continue to alter the future of American politics? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Does the new law give corporations too much power in politics? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Peter Stone, journalist for the Center for Public Integrity

John Bonifaz, co-founder and director of Free Speech for People

Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer, writer, social critic

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Who are the billionaire Koch brothers?

Who are the billionaire Koch brothers and how much are they spending on the tea party, right-wing causes, and California's Prop 23? On the next Your Call, as the election season kicks into high gear, we'll talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to influence state and national races. Join us at 11 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. Spending by outside groups has exploded since the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. How transparent is this and what does this mean for the future of campaign finance reform? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Jim Hightower, a radio commentator, writer, and author

Peter Stone, who covers a wide array of lobbying and campaign finance issues in Washington for Center for Public Integrity

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Is Prop. 15 good campaign finance reform?

Does Proposition 15 offer a good model for campaign finance reform in California? On the next Your Call, we'll examine Proposition 15 on the June 8th ballot. The proposition would publicly fund just a small part of California's elections: the race for Secretary of State. Does it provide a good model for a broader public funding scheme? Are there better examples outside California?

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does the resistance to Prop. 15 say about the political hurdles for the introduction of any public funding to state campaigns? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Trent Lange, campaign chair for Yes on 15, The California Fair Elections Act
Richard Wiebe, spokesperson for StopProp15.com

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Your Call 100809 What's a Blue-Dog Democrat anyway?

What's a Blue-Dog Democrat anyway? Democrats call them the biggest impediment to Obama's agenda, but many might support a public healthcare option. So who are the Blue Dogs? How much influence do they have? Are they responding to their constituents or is it about reelection alone? And why are they Democrats?

We'll be joined by Josh Israel and Aaron Metha, political reporters for the Center for Public Integrity, and U.C. Berkeley political science professor David Karol, author of the forthcoming book Party Position Change in American Politics: Coalition Management.

Guests:
Aaron Metha, Political Reporter, Center for Public Integrity.

Josh Israel, Political Reporter, Center for Public Integrity.

David Karol, Professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley and author of the forthcoming book Party Position Change in American Politics: Coalition Management.

Click to Listen: What's a Blue-Dog Democrat anyway?

Your Call 082008 Following the Money- Where does your campaign contribution go?

When you give $100 to a political candidate what do they spend it on? On the next Your Call break down the expected $1 billion dollars candidates will have spent before November's election. The FEC is releasing the latest fundraising totals for the presidential race Tuesday. How much of it will go to advertising? Salaries? Mailers and signs? Who wins and who loses in the billion dollar run for the White House? It's your call, with me, Rose Aguilar and you, weekdays at 11.

Guests:
Evan L. Tracey in Washington DC
is the founder and chief operating officer of Campaign Media Analysis Group, a TNS Media Intelligence company. CMAG is the leading custom media-research company for politics and public affairs advertising expenditure data.

Julie Rajan in Sacramento
Executive Director of the California Clean Money Campaign, a coalition building organization building state-wide support for pubic financing of election campaigns.

Ira Teinowitz in Washington
Washington Bureau Chief for Advertising Age

Massie Ritsch in Washington
Communications Director for The Center for Responsive Politics, a national research group that tracks money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.

Click to Listen: Following the Money- Where does your campaign contribution go?

Your Call 021408 The FEC is AWOL

Who keeps our elections fair? On the next Your Call we look at the dismal state of the Federal Election Commission. The FEC assesses fines years late in the best of times but right now four of six seats on the FEC board are vacant. Candidates have already spent more than half a billion dollars and the election is still 9 months away. What don't we know about where that money comes from? What is at risk with no one watching and which non-profits are filling the void? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Paul S. Ryan in Washington DC
FEC program director and associate legal counsel with Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan non-profit organization working on campaign finance, elections and governmental ethics.

Massie Ritsch in Washington DC
Communications director for the The Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.

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