The DCCC announced today its first round of “Red to Blue” challengers, and not surprisingly, Darcy Burner has made the cut:
Kay Barnes (MO-06)
Anne Barth (WV-02)
Darcy Burner (WA-08)
Robert Daskas (NV-03)
Steve Driehaus (OH-01)
Jim Himes (CT-04)
Christine Jennings (FL-13)
Larry Kissell (NC-08)
Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24)
Eric Massa (NY-29)
Gary Peters (MI-09)
Mark Schauer (MI-07)
Dan Seals (IL-10)
During the 2006 cycle the Red to Blue program raised nearly $22.6 million for 56 House challengers — an average of $404,000 per campaign — three times the total raised in 2004. There’s no reason to expect those numbers not to continue to trend up, depositing a hefty chuck of change in Burner’s campaign coffers.
Our local media prefers to mostly ignore her, but Burner has quietly become one of the most talked about Democratic challengers in the nation, both within the national netroots and the Democratic Party establishment. Expect big things to come.
UPDATE:
Red to Blue candidate Larry Kissell has a diary up on Daily Kos, which gives a great explanation about what this race is really about.
I will renew my challenge to anyone who points out Burner’s lack of experience in elected office: please explain precisely what skills Burner would acquire through such experience that she has not already demonstrated during her tenure as a Microsoft Group Program Manager.
@1…DJ…
You presume she developed skills during her tenure as a Microsoft Group Program Manager.
As far as I can tell, she’s just another far-left netroot type clinging to an ideological POV that is out of sync with the 8th CD.
Is The Darcy a centrist? Who will eschew rabid partisan positions for the good of her district? Does she have a track record of supporting low taxes and a business friendly environment, something voters in the 8th want?
Somehow I think not…And I know Democrats in the 8th who won’t vote for her because she scares them to death.
The Piper
Who cares what sort of skills Darcy has or doesn’t? Big Hair Dave has already demonstrated in a way that can’t be controverted – that he’s utterly useless in each and every way. She can’t be any worse than Davie – you know – the guy who took seven years to catch the Green River killer?
Darcy has out fundraised him – the GOP is running behind the Dems in most reliable polls – Big Hair is tied to GW AWOL Bush and we know he has the lowest approvals of any recent President – this is a cakewalk for Darcy – whether or not she has the experience.
You presume she developed skills during her tenure as a Microsoft Group Program Manager.
No. I presume she demonstrated skills, and that presumption is based on first-hand knowledge I have regarding Microsoft’s review and promotion practices. It doesn’t matter one iota where she developed those skills. The question is whether or not she has them.
[Will Burner] eschew rabid partisan positions for the good of her district?
First, it would that the experience issue is a non-issue; that we’re really talking about political views.
Second, are you saying that Reichert’s admitted stance of simply voting the way the Republican Leadership tells him to vote, somehow, better serves the voters in his district? Name a single vote where a) Reichert eschewed a rabid partisan position and b) his vote actually made a difference in the outcome.
Third, exactly how many Democrats in the 8th are scared by Burner? 3?
Lastly, how, on earth, does a supposedly “empty skirt” scare anyone to death?
re2: I bet you say the same thing to all the Democratic gals. You charmer!
Would Reichert be anything but a “rabid partisan” when it comes to a Congressional response to this?
Goldy:
Thanks for the reminder. I am now caught up on my contributions. (For now.)
At my place of employment there are a few remaining Bush/Hair 22%-ers and when I hear something reeeeallly stoopud I mentally check off that it’s time for another contribution.
s/
The Pianist
(Never to be confused with a bagpipe operator.)
This is actually the second round of DCCC Red to Blue. The first round was released in January and focused on seven open seats, plus the three special elections that were pending at the time (two of which we’ve since won).
@4…DJ…
Two seperate issues: (1) public experience, and (2) ideological fitness for office.
On both, The Darcy fails.
Democrats in the 8th CD who don’t care for her extreme leftist POV? One Hell of a lot more than three. Remember, I live on the Eastside, write a newspaper column here, and am active politically. I have friends on all sides of the aisle, and I have yet to hear a Democratic elected official wax elequently in her favor.
Oh, they’ll give her the obligatory – this from Aladdin – “Jaffar, Jaffar he’s our man; if he can’t do it…GREAT!” But they do that because they have to, not because they feel the love!
I’m not here to defend Dave Reichert. Demanding that I show you how he’s made a difference doesn’t make The Darcy anything other than The Darcy…a modest woman with much to be modest about (apologies to WSC).
Spend some time on the Eastside, get to know some of the Dems around here…then you’ll get the point.
As an aside…Her cozy corner cuteness with HA doesn’t sit well with centrists since it’s seen as indicative of her political beliefs. The best thing Goldy could do for her is never mention her name again…or better yet, attack her like he does Mark Ericks, whose approvals probably went through the roof because of today’s HA Happy HooliHysteria over his relationship with the BIAW.
As another aside…if The Darcy was so competent, why doesn’t she go ahead and release details of her MS career? Performance appraisals, job evaluations, etc.? Would make interesting reading.
The Piper
Piper @ 9
If pressed, I suspect you might acknowledge that Reichert is not the most qualified candidate for Congress you’ve ever encountered, and even that the 8th District Republicans could probably come up with a stronger, more impressive candidate right now. If pressed, I might acknowledge the same about Darcy Burner and 8th District Democrats. That said, however, I would venture that Davey’s done all the growing into his office that might be expected of a man of his limited intellectual gifts and age, whereas Darcy holds more promise. Beyond that, as far as I’m concerned, given the contemporary difference between the two parties, in this election I truly would vote for a yellow dog so long as the cur had a D following his name. Go Darcy.
@9 What utter bullshit. First – there’s not a fucking chance in Hell that “centrist” Democrats care one bit about HA supporting Darcy. Most Dems don’t even know about this blog.
And while Piper you’re good at repeating GOP talking points (make sure you say the word leftist once in a while) you make no sense. The “Eastside” is a large district that runs far beyond the boundary of Bellevue – it includes a wide variety of people. And if they’re like MOST people in Washington and the US, they are sick and tired of the Bush regime.
I repeat – there’s no need for Darcy to do anything other than show up and she should win. Her fundraising is far outpacing Big Hair’s and that alone is a portent of things to come.
You can stick your head (and your ass) in the sand and HOPE for a different outcome – but Big Hair is done. And your side will have to face the fact that yet ANOTHER GOP stronghold has gone Dem.
Who do you write for? The KKK Daily?
Piper Scott @ 9:
hmmmmph. . . you’re a columnist for an Eastside paper; I’ll buy that. You’re politically active; OK sounds good. You have friends on all sides of political aisle; that’s believable.
Here’s where I a hard time with your point: “Democrats in the 8th CD who don’t care for her extreme leftist POV? One Hell of a lot more than three. Remember, I live on the Eastside”
From your comment you are inferring that Democrats in the Bellevue, Issaquah, and Kirkland area are centrist. While this may be true to some degree, I think what you are missing in your own backyard is the shifting demographics of the 8th CD. Particularly over the last decade. Look up the 41st WA LD of Bellevue New Castle and Mercer Island, 45th WA LD Redmond, Carnation, Duvall, 48th WA LD Bellevue, Clyde Hill and Media all now have Democrats in every state senate and legislative seat. Hardly a bastion of Liberalism. When you examine the 47th WA LD you’ll see an area that just 6-8 years ago all 3 seats were Republican held, now they’re all held by Democrats.
While I’ll agree with you there are many centrist Democrats on the “Eastside” that will split their ticket, there’s been an ever growing presence of Democrats in the southern portion of Dave’s district who are completely dissatisfied with his performance and that of the Republicans in general.
Bush had held negative ratings for so long he will hurt the Republican down ticket this fall. Dave Reichert’s seat is in play and there is no longer a large enough population of conservatives and centrist Democrats on the Eastside to secure the 8th CD for Republicans.
I was more than a little surprised that a politically active columnist wouldn’t have picked up on that. Or you did, and you are intentionally misleading everyone.
Two seperate issues: (1) public experience, and (2) ideological fitness for office.
Issue 1 is bullshit, unless you’re willing to respond to my challenge regarding skills.
Issue 2 is bullshit on two counts. First, the Democratic Party has never been quite so tied to ideology as the Republican part has. There is no ideological litmus test. Second, when you use the phrase “extreme leftist,” it has no meaning. One would be hard-pressed to identify any one of Burner’s views, and come up with some way to objectively describe that view as “extreme” in any sense.
Does Burner cause a bit of concern among some members of the Democratic Party establishment? Quite likely, but why would that be a bad thing for her candidacy?
I, too, live on the east side. I spend some time with a few east side Democrats. I’ve not heard one peep from any of them expressing concern over Burner’s views. Hence, my question about numbers. That you don’t give even a reasonable estimate very strongly suggests that you’re just plain talking out of your ass (oh, but you never do that, do you?).
If [Burner] was so competent, why doesn’t she go ahead and release details of her MS career? Performance appraisals, job evaluations, etc.?
Performance reviews would both require the permission of Microsoft (which has a vested interest in preserving some details in the review process) and violate the confidentiality of the people who wrote her reviews. Of course, you know this, which is why you ask for something Burner can’t deliver all the while relying in innuendo to suggest that she has something to hide.
We can, however, be rather well assured of a rather simple fact: if Burner were the least bit incompetent, she’d have never been promoted to the level of Group Program Manager within Microsoft.
Don Joe @ 13:
Are you sure about this comment? “if Burner were the least bit incompetent, she’d have never been promoted to the level of Group Program Manager within Microsoft.”
I mean, if we were to understand you correctly, you’re implying that Microsoft knocked off IBM with, with, with . . . extraordinarily talented and competent people who have topnotch management skills and see the big picture and can manage multi-million, perhaps multi-billion dollar budgets that deliver billions of dollars of Microsoft Crop and made many shareholders of MSFT millionaires. You know “Microsoft Millionaires” and made Bill Gates the richest man in the world!!
Is that what you’re implying? I think I read an article by some “Eastside” columnist that Microsoft was some micro-cap company without much chance of surviving.
Go figure.
Maybe she’ll finally be able to beat Bush in twenty years or so. The lights are on, but no one’s home. Ditzy Darcy is more qualified to pick out the aluminum from the plastics at a recycling plant, seeing her expertise and affinity for simple shiny things and all.
Piper just bails anytime there are facts to challenge his position.
byebye @16 suck your daily dick and go your room.
BWAI you seem to have a very strong interest in my dick – as does your wife by the way.
I’m stoked that 5 of the 13 names appear to be women.