public financing

Telecom immunity. Public financing. Faith-based initiatives. NAFTA. Just words?

None of the King County Council members have announced which new tax will be directed toward funding political campaigns, nor have they addressed the problems that have accompanied public financing in other places; and there have been no news stories yet about the Town Meeting to discuss the King County Council’s proposal to have taxpayers pay for political campaigns.

John BurbankSeattle's 36th Legislative District is one of the most reliably blue districts in the state, a place where constituents rarely disagree over the core issues, and if anything they will have differences over what constitutes the best form of democracy. That idea came about again recently when, at a Democratic debate in the 36th District Thursday night, candidates John Burbank and Reuven Carlyle differed on the implementation of spending caps for their state House race where State Party Chair Dwight Pelz recently named Burbank the official nominee when the District decided not to endorse any single nominee.

After a question was asked about public election financing where both candidates affirmed their support of the idea, Burbank turned to Carlyle and asked if he would agree to spending limits in this year's race. Carlye declined at the time, and later called the question nothing but a debate gimmick and an attempt at a "gotcha" moment.