Politico reports today that Speaker-elect John Boehner (R-Ohio) has hired the medical device industry’s chief lobbyist as his policy director. The new hire, Brett Loper, was a major player in opposing health care reform. 

The Hill has a story today on newly elected Republican lawmakers hiring lobbyists to head their staff's. At least nine soon-to-be members of Congress are embracing the revolving door that has become a staple on Capitol Hill.

The Washington Post reports on how many incoming Republicans, despite running anti-Washington D.C. campaigns, are embracing the fundraising culture inside the beltway. And Roll Call has a story on "outsider" Sen.-elect Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and how he's already courting big bucks from the very "insiders" he ran against.   

From the Washington Post story:

The Huffington Post has a story today highlighting how newly elected lawmakers are quickly learning what's important in Congress--fundraising.   

For partisans and pundits, last night's election results weren't unexpected. The more troubling story, though, is the very real impact record-breaking fundraising and spending will have on the next Congress.

Our political system is more squarely in the hands of big donors and special interests than ever before. 

In a memo released last night, we provided some of the key trends from this cycle:

American business leaders are concerned about our current campaign financing system, the pressure they face to donate to political campaigns, and the onslaught of large undisclosed donations, according to a new poll released last week by the Committee on Economic Development (CED), one of the nation's premiere business public policy organizations.

Yesterday, Public Campaign Action Fund released a report projecting that House candidates, collectively, will raise and spend more than one billion dollars this election cycle--a record breaking statistic. With so much time raising money, the report asks, how much time is left for candidates to actually spend time talking with voters.

Black Star News has an op-ed by David Brodwin, co-founder of the American Sustainable Business Council, who decries the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and urges passage of the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752, H.R. 6116/1826).

The Christian Science Monitor has an op-ed today by former member of Congress, Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.). In it, former Rep. Boehlert discusses our deeply flawed campaign finance system and calls for the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752, H.R.6116/1826).

A recent Lake Research Partners survey among 700 likely voters in key battleground congressional districts shows broad and strong bipartisan support for the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752, H.R. 6116/1826).

The survey reached 700 likely voters in battleground congressional districts (identified as “toss up” districts in the Cook Political Report rankings. Here are some of the key findings: