WashPost reports: "The Republican National Committee plans to ask the Federal Election Commission today to ban the raising of $300 million or more in 'soft money' by pro-Democratic groups seeking to pay for voter mobilization and TV ads in this year's elections. The request marks a reversal of traditional Republican opposition to regulating political money. Democrats say the shift is motivated by the GOP's recognition that tougher regulation might work to Democrats' disadvantage. The Republican request would restrict most political spending to 'hard money' contributions, which are limited to $2,000 per individual to a federal candidate. The Republican Party and President Bush hold a substantial advantage over Democrats in raising such money." This is especially due to Bush's bundling pyramids -- under the 'Pioneers' and the 'Rangers'. 'Rangers' and 'Pioneers' collect bundles of individual contributions from friends, family members, employees and fellow members of organizations.

"Campaign money -- not votes -- is now the currency of our democracy... The candidate who raises the most campaign cash, more often than not, goes on to win the election. Where does that money come from? The great amounts of cash come from neighborhoods where wealthy, non-Hispanic white populations dominate. Neighborhoods where African Americans and Latinos live are particularly underrepresented in terms of campaign dollars. The Color of Money Project is devoted to illustrating this unfortunate fact--how a tiny elite group of privileged donors is more equal than others, and how there are direct consequences for people's lives, from the wages they earn and the taxes they pay, to the quality of the schools their children attend and the air they breathe. We will demonstrate how Clean Money/Clean Elections campaign finance reform restores the American ideal of one person, one vote, and helps knock down barriers to participation in our democracy."

AP reports: "Bush helped raise at least $17 million for Republican Senate and House candidates on Wednesday in... a reflection of the GOP's prowess at collecting cash despite the new campaign finance law's restrictions... Under the campaign finance law that went into effect last November, the national parties can raise only 'hard money,' donations of up to $25,000 per year from individuals and political action committees... A lower court earlier this month struck down part of the soft-money ban on national party committees as an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights. It decided this week to block its ruling from taking effect pending a Supreme Court review, which is expected to take several months."

MoveOn has raised over $900,000 in 48 hours for the four it initially supported: Senator Wellstone and three Congressmen who voted against Bush's war plan and who are in re-election races. The purpose is to demonstrate that elected representatives who behave responsibly can be rewarded for their good work. MoveOn tonight is backing an additional Congressmember who voted against the Bush war plan and who is in a tight election race. He's listed as trailing the Republican but the race is close. If you've donated to the others, you might want to consider contributing to Jim Maloney of Connecticut, as well. He's at the top of the list when you go to the MoveOnPac website.

Move On.org writes: "In the wake of Thursday's vote on Iraq, the Bush Administration and the Republican far right are going on the offensive.... (They) would like nothing more than to demonstrate that when Democrats speak out against...endless war, they lose....(Bush's) political allies will do everything they can to take revenge on the dissenters. If he can demonstrate that Representatives and Senators who ask the hard questions don't get re-elected, Congress will be even more equivocal when faced with hard choices in the future....Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Jay Inslee (D-WA), Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) are in extremely tight races. A little more money could easily put them over the top....Give whatever you can. In these tight races, every dollar makes a difference." The MoveOn website is easy to use, and the money goes directly to the campaigns. No muss, no fuss. Today, October 16th, is the last day of the reporting period before the election: please act TODAY!