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3-5-09 Lawmakers
ponder high cost of high court elections Elections watchdog
groups say it's a disturbing national trend: special interest groups
are spending more and more money in judicial elections, attempting
to stack state judiciaries with candidates of their liking. KOMOnews.com
2-8-09
Money makes D.C. go round "Obama might want to change
the system, but it won’t be easy. Washington is broken: Lobbyists
and special interests have turned our government into a game that
only they can afford to play. They write the checks, and the citizenry
gets stuck with the bill. Politics is no longer a mission; it’s
a business..." Tacoma News-Tribune
12-22-08
Sutherland's deal sure smelled like a payoff "...in
response to the guest column by Rep. Sharon Nelson (Sutherland's
sweetheart deal hurts us all)...it would be naive to think
that Glacier Northwest had nothing but good citizenship in mind
when it gave $50,000 to a group working to re-elect Doug Sutherland
as State Lands Commissioner....letter by Terry Sullivan, Seattle
P-I
8-5-08 Top
donor gives big all along political spectrum "...People
like the Nierenbergs are particularly important in Washington politics
because of an unusual twist in state law..." Seattle
Times
4-30-08
A
plan for voter-owned elections
Bob Ferguson "
For many citizens who contemplate running
for office,the challenge of fundraising is an insurmountable obstacle..."
Seattle Times
4-30-08
What Does Brown Bear Want From City Council? "The
list of the top contributors to City Council candidates is mostly
made up of
real-estate moguls, unions, and public-affairs
consultants...But there's one guy on this list who doesn't fit."
Seattle Times
2/27/08 Barrier
to Entry "For
a concept that makes good sense, public financing of campaigns has
a rocky history here in Washington State..." The Stranger
12-18-07 Lawmakers
play favorites; local merchant loses out "Doug Hoschek
sells the Army's elite Special Forces a T-shirt that resists burning
...Another company snagged the contracts without having to compete."
Seattle Times
7-07 Lobbying
is big business in WA State Washington is sixth in U.S.
for spending by special interest groups to influence lawmakers.
Seattle P-I
5-16-07 Colby
Underwood and Me Crosscut gives us a glimpse of the inside
story of Seattle political fundraising.
3-12-07 UW
law professor examines judicial public financing William
Anderson discusses the need for fair judicial elections. Seattle
Times Op-Ed.
7-11-07 Voter-owned
elections better for all "The demographic of the election-owning
class...is a white male of the business community..."
Seattle P-I
OPINION
10-20-08 Another
example of special-interest influence by Craig Salins
"It's time to buy back our democracy.
We need to publicly finance these campaigns, so that lawmakers are
not beholden to special interest campaign financiers and lobbyists,
and instead can vote the people's interest..." ~
8-29-08
Support
public funding of election campaigns by
Ken Dammand "If elected officials
of any stripe are ever going to be free to remove the insurance
industry and pharmaceutical industry monkey from our backs, we the
people must become the source of campaign funds
" Seattle
P-I
1-4-08 Gridlock
caused by moneybags by Marcee Stone "Gridlock
is not because of partisanship but because of who rules the parties,
and that would be the big contributors..." Seattle P-I
7-11-07
Campaign for candidates who vow to run 'clean'
by Sarajane Siegfriedt
"...health care providers, insurers and Big Pharma are collectively
the biggest gorilla in Olympia..."
Seattle P-I
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2-17-09 Case
may alter judge elections across the country
"The question of whether Justice Benjamin should have disqualified
himself is now before the United States Supreme Court. The
case
has the potential to change the way judicial elections
are conducted and the way cases are heard in 39 states."
New York Times
12-6-08 Nasty
judicial races renew complaints Michigan’s
bruising contest was an 'orgy of negativity,' according to the Justice
At Stake Campaign. Stateline
10-16-08 Program
returns elections to voters Two opposing candidates explain
why they both support publicly funded elections. Fayetteville
Observer Op-Ed
7-16-08
Fannie, Freddie spent $200M to buy influence Over the
past decade, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have spent nearly $200 million
on lobbying and campaign contributions. The two government-chartered
companies run a highly sophisticated lobbying operation. Politico.com
7-27-08
Industry
Gushed Money After Reversal on Drilling Campaign
contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rose
dramatically after the senator from Arizona reversed his opposition
to the federal ban on offshore drilling. Washington Post
10/15/08 Campaign
finance reform needed for state Supreme Court races "For
the past two years, Wisconsin has had state Supreme Court races
dominated by third-party special-interest ads..." LaCrosse
Tribune
9-7-08 State
Supreme Court Decision Under the Influence? The controversy
over the West Virginia Supreme Court and Massey Energy. NY
Times
4-15-08 The
Selling of the Judiciary: Campaign Cash ‘in the Courtroom’ "Since
retiring in 2006, Justice O’Connor has devoted herself to spreading
the word about assaults on judicial independence..." New
York Times
2-28-08
Bills Would Create Public Funding of Legislative Campaigns
"In an attempt to limit the influence of money
in state politics, legislation before the Maryland General Assembly
would give candidates the option of publicly financed campaigns..."
Hometown Annapolis
1-1-08 Independent
Groups plow millions into Iowa races "...independent
political groups are using their financial muscle and organizational
clout as never before to influence the presidential race..."
Seattle Times
12-10-07
Five Reasons for Public Financing "The election year
hasn't even begun, but the nation's political system is already
awash in record amounts of money, much of it spent to buy influence..."
USA Today
8-19-07
Alan
Simpson keeps high profile "...all
donors are 'giving for one singular purpose: access... Everyone
was involved with it'..." Jackson
Hole Star Tribune
8-26-07
Public financing would mean cheaper elections We
can either pay for election campaigns directly, or pay for them
indirectly... CommonDreams.org
8-15-07 My
View: Time to clean up elections Opinion from New York,
supporting public campaign funding.
Metro NY
8-14-07
Clearing
the Air Editorial supports public campaign proposals in
New Jersey. NJ.com (may contain ads)
8-2-07
NC lawmakers
approve expanding public campaign financing Lawmakers agreed
to expand the state's voluntary public campaign financing program
to cover three more statewide races next year.
Charlotte Observer
7-20-07
Public
financing OK'd for Chapel Hill elections A bill passed
by the North Carolina state Senate 35-9. News &
Observer
7-12-07
League
of Women Voters urges public campaigns for Portland city races
Democracy Reform OR
7-07
Full Public Financing in the Age of the Roberts Supreme Court
How the June 25th ruling against campaign reform affects
the present state & local laws...Public
Campaigns.org
6-25-07
Court
opens door for wealthy interest groups...Should corporations,
unions and others with deep pockets be able to spend millions to
influence elections? USA Today
3-19-07
Judge
comments on judicial public financing system
Judge Bryant discusses Washington's recent effort and examines
the North Carolina system. Seattle P-I Op-Ed
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