Dinner with Darcy
Submitted by LSophia on September 15, 2006 - 6:39pm.
Firsthand Accounts
(cross-posted from Kos)
Okay, it wasn’t dinner. It was appetizers – fruit, crackers and cheese, to be precise, plus free coffee and tea – but last night I attended a fundraiser for Darcy Burner, who is running for Washington’s Eighth Congressional District, against former sheriff, first-time congressman, Dave Reichert.
The fundraiser was at the Marriott Inn in Redmond, Washington, about fifteen miles from downtown Seattle. After signing in, we had our first surprise. The person who invited both of us is a member of the Democratic Women’s Leadership Forum, so we found ourselves seated directly in front of the podium - literally, the best seats in the house. A second, nice, surprise was that the room was just about full to capacity – 300 or so concerned Democrats from the Eighth or surrounding area tucked neatly into a hotel ballroom.
Darcy herself welcomed everyone to the event, thanked us for attending and introduced Governor Christine Gregoire, who opened her remarks with an emotional tribute to Governor Ann Richards. After a few remarks, she said, “For anyone else, we would have a moment of silence, but Ann would never stand for that. So, let’s send her rousing cheer!”
We gave Governor Richards a five minute standing ovation.
Governor Gregoire proceeded to tear the current administration, and Congressman Reichert, into small pieces – politely. She talked about the issues of health care, national security, Iraq, eroding wages and homeland security, every time pointing out how the Republicans were wrong and listing how Darcy would do better. I hope she brings this much passion to her re-election campaign in two years! She wound up her presentation with a live auction for dinner at the Governor’s mansion and two lucky couples will get to have dinner with her and the First Gentleman for the small sum of only $3500 per couple!
Sadly, the governor had to leave, but several other women spoke, including a union organizer, Trudy Inslee, the wife of Congressman Jay Inslee, and the president of Washington State’s NARAL. Each of them emphasized a different election issue, talked about Darcy’s strengths and pointed out the huge need for Democrats to retake Congress.
Another real highlight – although a difficult one – was when a women’s advocate reminded us of how much the suffragettes went through to get all women the right to vote. It was incredibly moving. She pointed out that over half the voters now are women and a man in the audience yelled out, “Thank GOD!” which really broke the ice. Everyone laughed.
Darcy herself continued to serve as host for the event and gave a few brief remarks at the end. She seems very poised, intelligent, well-spoken and would make a far superior Congressperson to Dave Reichert. She is a former software executive from Microsoft, a Harvard graduate, and the sister and daughter of veterans, which gives her extra credibility on the Iraq war. She is also within a few percentage points of Dave Reichert and is on par, or close to him, in fundraising.
She has a strong chance of capturing the Eighth. If you have time, please check her out at
There's a major political upset in the making here in Washington state - one that could tilt the balance of power in Congress to the Democrats. Today, Karl Rove is here to stop that from happening.
In our 8th Congressional District, Darcy Burner is on the verge of defeating her Republican incumbent in one of the most hotly contested races in the country. Darcy has been surging in the polls and has the Republicans scrambling. They know they can't afford to lose this seat and they are pulling out all the stops: George Bush has been here, Dick Cheney has been here, and now it's Karl Rove's turn.
Today, Rove is headlining a huge high-dollar fundraiser for Darcy's opponent. This is a big moment for the Republicans and they will raise a lot of money today. But, if we act right now, we can turn this into a big moment for Darcy.
Contribute to Darcy Burner now
You know that I am currently in a tough battle for my own reelection and that my race has also been targeted by the national Republican Party and the White House. Given my situation, I hope the fact that I'm asking you to help Darcy serves as an indicator of how important this race is to our country. Today, with Karl Rove here working for her opponent, I don't think there is anything more important than helping my friend fight back against what is coming her way.
Contribute to Darcy Burner now
Darcy is going to be an outstanding Congresswoman. She is smart, experienced, and courageous. She will stand up to the Bush Administration, the Republicans in Congress, big oil companies, and special interests. She will stand up for us and for our values. We not only need to win back Congress, but we need to win it back with people like Darcy Burner.
When Dick Cheney came to town you came through for me. When Bill Frist came to town you came through for me. Today, with Karl Rove in town and control of Congress hanging in the balance, we need to come through for Darcy.
Thank you,
Thanks for sharing this!
I envy many of you with your interesting and happy campaign events. :)
What an inspiring evening! Love the firsthand accounts of these events!! :D
GO DARCY!!!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
Wonderful report, LSophia.
Sounds like a very interesting evening indeed! I didn't know Jay Inslee's wife was the head of WA's NARAL. Huh. Good to hear Christine Gregoire is putting it to the repubs. She is tough as nails.
WA-08 is an awfully diverse district....and our best hope up here to do our part in taking back the House. Darcy is a good candidate and I think she can do it. It's gonna be tough....but I think she can do it.
Thanks for sharing your evening, LSophia.
Trudy Inslee isn't the head of Naral. I may have missed a comma in there. Trudy, the head of Naral, a woman's advocate and a union director all spoke.
Details are here, pretty amusing.
http://horsesass.org/
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"Those who cavalierly reject the Theory of Evolution, as not adequately supported by facts, seem quite to forget that their own theory is supported by no facts at all."
--Herbert Spencer: Nineteenth-century English social scientist
State governmental facilities should not be used
Tell that to Bush and Rove.
Great account, LSophia. But then I always knew that you were a magnificent writer.
In the Clark campaign, someone had said that Clark was Dean version 2.0. On January 13, 2004 she wrote (with a litle help from me:
The newest version in a distinguished line of Democratic Presidential Candidate (DPC) releases is now available. Originally marketed as Dean 1.0, this heartware has been upgraded, modified, and rebranded as Clark 2.0.
"This newest version is much more user-friendly, and has much wider functionality," said expert consultant, Stan Davis. "Besides, it works, and is guranteed to be up-to-date without further upgrade for eight years. It will improve your life and that of the entire country, especially if enough people upgrade to 2.0. It's the first synergetic piece of heartware (is this original?) ever."
Clark 2.0 is slated for a much wider release than the original Dean 1.0 heartware. Dean 1.0, although sparking a great deal of initial interest, has raised concerns with potential customers as to its reliability, workability and integration on a wider platform.
"I stood in line to purchase Dean 1.0," a user said, speaking only on condition of anonymity, "but I am going to download Clark 2.0. It's better integrated, has a wider appeal and does more. Dean 1.0 is unpredictable and prone to meltdown."
"And don't forget the improved security!" added another expert consultant, who gave the first name "Pat."
Clark 2.0 is doing far better than predicted, with rising sales in New Hampshire, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, and surprising inroads in Oregon and Washington State.
This newest version is expected to compete effectively against Repub2004, a re-release of Repub2000, which, some experts say has the misleading sub-branding of CompConserve. It is financed by NeoCon, Inc.
Although a spokesperson from NeoCon scoffed at the initial buzz surrounding Clark 2.0 as "another version that predicts what it can't deliver and bleeds constantly from the heart," it is interesting to note that NeoCon's competitive strategy has focused on Dean 1.0 is its main competitor, ignoring the very real threat that Clark 2.0 poses to its largely uninterrupted three-year national dominance.
I still laugh about it.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us WHO? If not now, WHEN?
Did you blog this at DailyKos.com or any other place?