David Segal, former Rhode Island state representative and Congressional candidate, has an interesting project in the works.

He is organizing a Conference on the Constitutional Convention (ConConCon), starring liberal Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig and conservative Mark Meckler, co-founder and a national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, the largest grassroots tea party organization in the country.

Doom for the Democrats this fall. George Soros thinks so:

George Soros, the billionaire financier who was an energetic Democratic donor in the last several election cycles but is sitting this one out, is not feeling optimistic about Democratic prospects.

“I made an exception getting involved in 2004,” Mr. Soros, 80, said in a brief interview Friday at a forum sponsored by the Bretton Woods Committee, which promotes understanding of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Rhode Island politics is, in the end, an amateur affair. We've got a part-time legislature, after all - a not insignificant factor in our political malfunction. But there's an interesting little effort afoot to inject a little professionalism into Rhody campaigns: the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants is offering free help for candidates in filling out campaign finance reports.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has a piece in Politico today blasting the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case. That decision opened the door for unlimited corporate spending on campaigns and Whitehouse argues that it is part of a broader, pro-corporate agenda driving the court's "activist conservative bloc."

The Supreme Court's earth-shattering ruling on campaign finance, which allows corporations to spend freely in their bid to influence elections, will undoubtedly have a major impact on federal elections. And that is getting plenty of attention in the press. But it is less clear how it will effect state and local races.

When a group of Brown students helped introduce Clean Elections legislation in 2005, Phil West, then the local head of Common Cause, said it was a good thing they were freshman, since the effort to advance the reform would likely take at least the remainder of their college careers.

Those early proponents have moved on, including Te-Ping Chen, who went on to become a Phoenix intern and contributor, before leaving RI.

Kathy Gregg has the 4Q numbers:

In the three-month stretch between September 30 and December 31, Caprio's warchest increased from $866,519 to $1,017,333. After expenses, he had $1,001,061 left, which placed him far ahead of any of the other potential 2010 gubernatorial candidates.

By way of comparison, Providence Mayor David Cicilline had $684,570 left after raising $119,885 and spending $43,809.

From Rhode Islanders for Fair Elections:

State House Rally to Support the Re-Introduction of the “Rhode Island Public Financing of Elections Act”

Sponsors and supporters hopeful for positive votes in committee this year on legislation as public financing of elections gains momentum nationwide.

Mark Weiner, the prodigious Democratic fundraiser and Clinton confidante, and his wife have combined to donate $100,000, the maximum allowable, for Obama's inauguration. Steven Stycos reports in this week's Phoenix.

Obama set the strictest limits ever for a presidential inauguration, limiting individual donations to $50,000 and declining contributions from corporations, unions, lobbyists, or political action committees.

Regardless of who wins tonight, the primary importance of money in our political system remains well-entrenched.

Obama has succeeded in taking a page from the Republican playbook (remember W's Pioneers and Rangers?), outraising McCain by hundreds of millions. There are some differences in the overall tactics, but the results seem pretty much the same.

This question continues to hang in the air, with Frank Caprio and Patrick Lynch representing the most likely Democratic contenders for governor, IMHO, at this stage in the game.

Then again, it never hurts to replenish your war chest and to cultivate supporters, so that's why the mayor is having a fundraiser with young professionals at 5:30 next Wednesday, October 29, at Waterplace.

Here's the Cliff Notes' version of today's John Mulligan story about Senator Jack Reed and the big chunk of money he has taken from the fiscal sector, America's favorite new public enemy:

1. Jack Reed, RI's popular senator, accepts special interest money.

The financial sector accounts for more than $1 million of the $4.

One of the leading progressive members of the RI House, and a progressive vying to join the same chamber, are having fundraisers this week.

First up, David Segal, whose "times" are a bit different from your father's Oldsmobile:

As you may know, I am running for re-election as District Two's State Representative, having just completed my first term.

Via Halperin:

Getty/RNC/istockphoto.com

McCain topper Davis says the campaign raised more than $22 million in June.

And his campaign has nearly $27 million cash on hand, making it his best fundraising month yet.

Campaign manager Rick Davis discusses the financial outlook of the campaign on media conference call, says Republicans’ cash on hand is more than twice what Obama and the DNC have.

An interesting split in presidential support, via Halperin:

Wall St.:

Wall Street is investing heavily in Barack Obama.

Although the Democratic presidential hopeful has vowed to raise capital gains and corporate taxes, financial industry bigs have contributed almost twice as much to Obama as to GOP rival John McCain, a Daily News analysis of campaign records shows.