A Brief History of Money in Politics
An introduction from the Center for Responsive Politics.
Abortion Law Homepage
Down-the-middle information on abortion legislation, judicial opinions and arguments.
Argus on Government & Law
Use the “Government & Law” link to find information about government, intellectual property, law and regulation, military, and politics and elections.
Assessing the New Federalism
From the Urban Institute, a research project “to analyze the devolution of responsibility for social programs from the federal government to the states, focusing primarily on health care, income security, job training, and social services.”
Assessing the New Federalism
A report of the Urban Institute on the devolution of power and responsibility to the states.
Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors
A new national organization of U.S. journalists covering state government. “The Association exists to advance public understanding of state government and the issues before state government, and to educate and share information with its members and the public on best practices, tools and techniques in state government reporting.” Holds an annual contest, makes awards for good journalism, shares information so reporters and editors don’t have to reinvent the wheel in their state.
Atlas of US Presidential Elections
Election results for years from 1789-2000, with detailed pages (maps, charts, voter turnout, etc) for each year between 1932-2000. State-by-state results available for years between 1892-2000, and county-by-county results between 1960-2000. Also has 2000 primary results and 2002 gubernatorial results, as well as information on election law and history.
Bloomberg
Business headlines and stock news. A free portal to part of what is available on the “Bloomberg terminals” used by financial players and journalists.
Bob Graham 2004
Campaign site for the former Florida senator.
British Politics
A comprehensive guide to British politics.
Buckley v. Valeo
Text of the 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down campaign spending limits. From FindLaw.
Campaign finance glossary
From Common Cause, definitions of Buckley v. Valeo, bundling, soft money and other terms of art.
Campaign Finance Information Center
Many starting points for journalists covering money and politics. Strong in state campaign finance data, which is searchable. From Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
Campaign finance links
A complete list from IRE’s Campaign Finance Information Center.
Center for Ethics in Government:
If you’re looking for registered lobbyists, contact the people listed here in order to get comprehensive, up-to-date information on who is doing what in any state. From the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Center for Public Integrity
This nonprofit organization offers original investigative reports, especially on campaign finance and public safety issues. Its 50 States project is examining the business activities and interests of lawmakers. Founded by executive director Charles Lewis.
Center for Responsive Politics
Political junkies and anyone looking into a regulatory issue will appreciate the alerts from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit with searchable databases of U.S. campaign contributions. It’s easy to look up campaign contributions here, with the usual limitation that there is a time lag between the contributions and reporting by the Federal Election Commission. Staff at CRP have the most useful publications and advice on covering campaign finance, and will provide data in a hurry, sliced the way you want, for a small fee.
Center for Responsive Politics on gun control
Gun Control vs. Gun Rights. Info from the leading chronicler of money in politics.
Center for the American Woman and Politics
Center on Budget Policies and Priorities
A think tank focusing on government policies affecting low- and moderate-income people.
Checkbook Democracy
A special section of The American Prospect on campaign finance reform.
Chilling Effects Clearinghouse
A joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and University of Maine law school clinics; provides background material and explanations of First Amendment and intellectual property-related laws; they are also compiling a database of people/sites that have received cease-and-desist notices. There are ongoing topics, news updates, and reports on the current “weather.”
CNN AllPolitics
The political junkie’s home, from CNN and CQ.
Combating Terrorism
On September 21, 2001, The Institute of Peace brought together leading experts in the field of terrorism and presented a special briefing: “Coping With Terrorism: Challenges and Responses��. The Institute has provided a summary of the briefing with the intended purpose of advancing public discussion on the U.S.�s national security policy while offering suggestions for combating the threat of terrorism. The page is accompanied with related online resources dealing with terrorism including detailed information on the Taliban and Afghanistan
Common Wealth
A rich collection of articles and studies on nonprofits from The American Prospect. Links to interesting recent reports on the ways and means of philanthropy.
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office, which is both nonpartisan and highly regarded, is making its reports available online.
Congressional E-mail Directory
E-mail for the U.S. Congress. Pick a state, or searchable by name.
Congressional Record Filter
Every newsroom can use this free tool to keep track of new mentions of the local Congressperson, or river, or city, or business, in the Congressional Record, the official proceedings of the U.S. Congress. Instead of searching anew at Thomas (what the Library of Congress calls its Web service, in honor of Thomas Jefferson), you can save your Thomas search queries, then check back periodically to see new items only. Allows a comprehensive search of items from 1993 to date. This is a personalized search extension of the Thomas service from the Library of Congress, provided by the University of North Carolina. The catch: You must fill out a questionnaire to play.
Congressional Research Service
Congressional research, and research by state research agencies, compiled by Gary Price.
Council for Excellence in Government
The Council works with innovators in and outside government to promote excellence in government. Great resource for information on e-government as well as government performance and management. Find polls and studies here on public opinion on government and prime time government perceptions.
Country Profiles from Eldis
This resource, under development, will include detailed country information on agriculture, environment, economics, education, gender, politics, health, and advice for visitors. The agriculture component is the first completed, though links connect to older Eldis resources. From the Electronic Development and
Environment Information System
Covering Media Politics
Links from Media Channel.
CQ’s Campaigns & Elections
Loads of political information from Congressional Quarterly.
DEBKAfile
Independent news source with focus on Middle East terrorism; has a distinctly hawkish, often pro-Israel bent (it was founded by 2 journalists in Israel) though it claims to have “no axe to grind.” Provides news and tips about terrorism and intelligence from around the world that aren’t necessarily reported widely.
Deficit Watch
A tool for reporters dealing with economic issues, Deficit Watch is a bi-monthly report on mounting government and private sector deficits. U.S. DEFICIT WATCH is the Authoritative Monitor of Government and Other Deficits compiled from public records and budget documents. Fairly new site, but the limited number of reports they have are excellent and cut research time drastically.
Democratic National Committee
Dennis Kucinich 2004
Campaign site for the congressman and former Cleveland mayor.
Dick Gephardt 2004
The official site for Dick Gephardt’s 2004 campaign.
Douglass
“Douglass is an electronic archive of American oratory and related documents. It is intended to serve general scholarship and courses in American rhetorical history at Northwestern University.”
Election 2004 Project
Includes a useful reference guide to records and positions of the 2004 candidates, indexed by political issue.
Electoral College calculator
A free calculator for the U.S. presidential election, in Microsoft Excel format. Plug in the votes or percentages in each state, and it calculates the electoral winner, the number of states won, and comparisons with 1996. From Power Reporting.
Electronic Policy Network
Research from a mostly liberal perspective on welfare reform, health care, foreign policy and many other topics. From American Prospect Magazine and an alliance of mostly liberal groups.
Ethics and Public Policy Center
Research and commentary on policy issues from the perspective of Judeo-Christian moral values. Led by Elliott Abrams, former assistant secretary of state.
FACSNET Reporter’s Cardfile
Addresses, phone numbers and Web addresses for think tanks, advocacy groups, and special interests. (Registration required.)
The Fair Labor Standards Act
Wages, Pay, and Benefits Q&A
FEC contributions and the law
Official rules and recommendations for candidates and donors, from the Federal Election Commission.
FEC Info
Loads of data and reports on campaign finance, lobbying and soft money in the U.S. Well organized and free. Created by Tony Raymond and Kent Cooper, both formerly of the Federal Election Commission.
FEC Information about Candidates and Parties
Official financial information from the Federal Election Commission: Presidential, Senate and House candidates, parties and PACs.
FEC primer
An official introduction from the FEC.
Federal Citizen Information Center Phone Contacts
Lists main number for and links to many government agencies and their directories, plus has a section with congressional phone numbers.
Federal Election Commission
Current (as current as it gets, anyway) info on U.S. campaign contributions. Some private sites offer easier electronic access.
Federal Register
Full-text access, up to date, to the Federal Register, the official daily publication of federal regulations: rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
FedWorld
A portal for U.S. government sites. Full text of Supreme Court decisions, Customs rulings, EPA Clean Air Act Database, a few others. And pointers to much more. Searchable.
First Amendment Center
Devoted to monitoring the state of the first amendment; has all the latest headlines pertaining to the subject, as well as a large topic database containing information on subjects ranging from school uniforms to cameras in the courtroom to abortion protests. Has a library of reports on the amendment, as well as court records that can be searched.
Freedom Forum Media Studies Center
The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The foundation focuses on three main priorities: the Newseum, First Amendment freedoms and newsroom diversity.
Gallup Polls
Online access to the venerable polling company. New stories on current polling data five days a week, along with searchable archives of polling content for the last two years. Coming soon: 65 years of public opinion research data.
George W. Bush (Republican National Committee)
Republican National Committee site for George W. Bush. Read press statements, Republican talking points, connect to the Republican networking apparatus, etc.
George W. Bush 2004 (Unofficial site)
Unofficial, grassroots site dedicated to the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004. Buy pins, caps, bumper stickers, read tributes to Bush, and find many links to pro-Bush web sites.
Global Beat experts list
List of international experts, maintained by New York University. Categorized by region and issue.
Howard Dean 2004
The official site for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign.
Human Rights Campaign
Gay and Lesbian political news.
Inside the Oval Office (Official)
Official White House web site. Search press briefings, executive orders, radio addresses, and policy statements on Iraq, homeland security, the economy, and other topics.
John Edwards 2004
The official site for the 2004 presidential campaign of John Edwards.
John Kerry 2004
John Kerry’s 2004 campaign site.
LA Times Election 2004
Coverage of the candidates and issues for the next national races.
League of Conservation Voters
Environmental votes of members of U.S. Congress.
Living Issues
A new UK company, proposing to offer impartial info, though sponsored by industry. “At this family of sites we present all sides of hot issues such as global warming, pharmaceutical patents, and pressure politics (the political and cultural role of non governmental organisations). Our mission: to help people understand tough issues. Our attitude: we have no opinions, just a passion to improve public understanding.”
Los Angeles Times polls
Archive of L.A. Times polls, political and otherwise.
Minimum Wage Debate from NCPA
Info on the “living wage” movement. From the National Center for Political Analysis. A quick overview and links to more sources.
Mission Critical Introduction to logic
Count the fallacies in your newspaper’s editorial today. Start with Mission: Critical, an “interactive tutorial for critical thinking, in which you will be introduced to basic concepts through sets of instructions and exercises.” Ignore the goofy graphics.
Money, Politics and the First Amendment
The Cato Institute, a Libertarian think tank, argues that political contributions are protected by the First Amendment as speech.
NAACP
Home of the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People, the mainline civil rights organization in the U.S. Includes event listings, press releases, information on local chapters, and program information.
NameBase
A quirky index of names cross-indexed. From book indexes primarily but also organization membership lists. A lot of foreign policy, spy, conspiracy, media, etc. Searching is restricted (not too many searches, not at peak times) unless you pay up. Started in the 1960s by New Left activist Daniel Brandt. Now done by his Public Information Research.
National Archives Electoral College
Contact information for state officials, frequently asked questions and teaching resources. The site also has a run down summary of the last election.
National Conference of State Legislatures
Policy briefings on issues that come before state governments. Not only essential for statehouse reporters, NCSL is a good source of expertise for stories doing issues stories.
National Organization for Women
The U.S. feminist organization. Contains chapter information, news and issue updates, legislative and PAC information, and contact information.
National Right to Life
News and information from the anti-abortion perspective.
Natural Resources Defense Council
News and information from the US environmental advocacy group. Searchable archive. Has a considerable resource and links page that includes a glossary of environmental terms.
New York Times Political Points
Political links used by news staff at The New York Times. By Rich Meislin.
Opinion-Pages Search
Search today’s op-editorial pages.
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
An opinion research group, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, studying public attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues.
Policy.com briefing
A briefing on money in politics from Policy.com, a Web site devoted to citizen participation in public policy.
Political Money Line
The latest news on money in politics. Track individual politicians or use their “Search Disbursements Made” tool.
Politics 1- Guide to the 2004 Presidential Race
A directory of 2004 Presidential candidates gives information on a wide range of candidates from Bush and the Democrats to the United Fascist Union and the Christian Falangist Party.
Politics.com
A new resource for political junkies: candidate bios, videos, campaign finance primers, and today’s political headlines.
Poll links from The Washington Post
U.S. national political polls; academic and nonprofit data archives; and state polling information. Links collected by The Washington Post.
Poll database for politics, the economy, world events, etc.
Project Vote Smart
Free background reports on members of Congress. A toll-free hotline for reporters and voters. Voting records. Free handbooks.
Public Agenda
Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization in New York City. It offers issue briefs on various topics, with easy access to positions of major candidates.
Public Campaign
A nonprofit devoted to reform of campaign finance.
RAND
Research from more than 600 professionals on national defense, education and training, health care, criminal and civil justice, labor and population, science and technology, community development, international relations and regional studies.
Roll Call
The Capitol Hill newspaper
School vouchers from EPN
A special report from the Electrnonic Policy Network. Links to interesting articles.
Sierra Club
“America’s oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.” Contains news updates, local event information, press releases, and information on political candidates.
Speak Out
Advice and “activism centers” for the public, to aid freedom of expression. Includes the former Policy.com daily issue briefing.
Speech and Transcript Center
Links to speeches by government and corporate executives, TV and radio programs, government transcripts, historical papers. By Gary Price.
State by state campaign finance links
Links to secretaries of state and others with information on campaign finance in the 50 states. From IRE’s Campaign Finance Information Center.
State Legislatures
Links from the National Conference of State Legislatures to official legislative sites, and sites of individual legislators.
Stateline.org
News on the states, from the Pew Center on the States. The site is designed to assist journalists who cover public policy issues at the state level. It covers such top issues as taxes, healthcare, education, with a staff of eight reporters and editors. It also publishes a daily round-up of state news from 140 newspapers. There is a page for each state listing political facts, governor’s bio, press contacts, information about the legislature and links to state pages.
Statistical Assessment Service
Journalists doing statistics? These folks are watching us. The Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) is a non-partisan, non-profit research organization in Washington, D.C. It receives more funding from conservative groups than liberal ones, but says it strives to hew to the accurate use of scientific and social research in public policy debate. “STATS serves as a resource for journalists by providing timely and well-researched analysis of current statistical and scientific disputes. Since STATS seeks to weed out bad data and research before it enters the media stream, we field queries from journalists on a regular basis.”
Taxpayers for Common Sense
An advocacy group opposing government waste, TCS publishes a “Weekly Bulletin on Wasteful Government Spending from Taxpayers.” To subscribe, send an E-mail to majordomo@lists.his.com with no subject line and this as the only line of your message: “subscribe waste_basket@taxpayer.net youraddress.” Fill in your E-mail address.
TechPolitics: Congress
Tracks census data and key votes for current Congress session; covers issues by providing tables and analyses of demographics. Up-to-date, comprehensive, user-friendly system.
The Brookings Institution
Research on the economy, government and social topics. Check out the policy briefs.
The Campaign Desk
Critique and analysis of 2004 campaign coverage, from Columbia Journalism Review. Also links to campaign finance, campaign schedules, other political sites.
The Coin-Operated Congress
From Mother Jones magazine, articles and a searchable database of 400 political donors.
The Urban Institute
Careful analysis of public policy issues, economic and social.
Thomas legislative information.
From the Library of Congress, full-text access to bills and resolutions under consideration in the current Congress and the two previous Congresses. Search bills and summaries, roll call votes, laws, the Congressional Record of statements in the Congress.
Town Hall
Conservative news and chat.
Vanderbilt Television News Archive
Since August 5, 1968, The Television News Archive has systematically recorded, abstracted, and indexed national television newscasts. The collection is strong in news broadcasts and specials. Individuals may make videotape requests.
Washington Post campaign finance
Articles, profiles and links.
Washington Post Elections 2004
Campaign coverage and links from Washington’s hometown newspaper.
White House coffee database
Lists of guests at coffees with President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and their wives. From the Washington Post.
White House overnight guest list
Names from an official list of overnight guests who stayed at the White House (including the Lincoln Bedroom guests) during President Clinton’s first term in office and were also listed as individual donors to the Democratic Party.
Women Leaders Online
AKA Women Organizing for Change. Publishes alerts on pending legislation affecting women.
Word Counter
Analyze speeches, corporate documents or a news article. This tool counts the frequency of words in a document.
World Directory of Think Tanks
Japan’s National Institute for Research Advancement has a massive list of major think tanks worldwide — 320 from 77 regions. This site provides contact information along with short descriptions of what the think tank’s focus is, lists of staff and publications, and brief background information.
Yahoo Presidential Archives
Lists a dozen presidential archives.
Yahoo! Campaign Finance
Links to articles and resources on campaign finance and reform efforts.