The Seattle Times has a front page article on Darcy Burner and her ties to “liberal bloggers” like me, and while I have no argument with the piece itself, I wish reporter Emily Heffter had managed to get a hold of me. (We played telephone tag last week, but never connected.)
One of the main points I would have emphasized to Hefter is that this popular notion that the netroots represent some sort of radical-left fringe, is nothing more than a Republican meme that has been eagerly embraced by old media stalwarts who understandably fear the very real threat we bloggers pose to the media and political establishment.
Sure, there’s a fringe element to the netroots, but then everything (except perhaps, a black hole) includes a fringe, and as inclusive as we try to be there are often times when pragmatists like me roll our eyes or pull out our hair at the counterproductive and shortsighted antics of our own wacky left. (And yes, personally, I am nothing if not a political pragmatist, a self-described “1970’s centrist” who, while occasionally radical in my methods and my writing style, is far from revolutionary when it comes to policy.) Reichert would point toward Darcy’s mere attendance at Netroots Nation as evidence that she’ll do our “bidding” instead of that of 8th CD voters, but in embracing this classic Rovian divide and conquer strategy, who exactly is Reichert branding as “the other”? As I reported from Austin back in July, we’re not exactly the “dirty fucking hippies” we’ve been made out to be:
I had planned to get to bed relatively early last night, but somehow found myself at 1:30 AM, sitting in an IHOP with Darcy Burner and a bunch of veterans. Vote Vets co-founder and chairman Jon Soltz sat across the table, passionately detailing the Veteran Administration’s many bureaucratic nightmares as he relentlessly made his way through an enormous, whipped cream topped stack of chocolate chip pancakes. On his own unexpected politicization Soltz described heading to Iraq a true believer, only to have reality—political, military and otherwise—rip the veil from his eyes. “It was like learning that your parents are not really your parents,” Soltz explained as he tried to relate the sense of betrayal that accompanied his own disillusionment.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for those who don’t know squat about the liberal blogosphere might be that while 20-year-old slackers in bathrobes are in short supply here at Netroots Nation, veterans and military personnel are out in full force. At last night’s keynote, Gen. Wes Clark called out various groups one by one to stand up and be acknowledged… teachers, medical professionals, candidates, first responders, social workers, etc…. but by far the largest group in attendance were the veterans, and it was for them that the crowd reserved its loudest and longest round of applause.
It is an inside netroots joke that we sometimes refer to ourselves as “dirty fucking hippies,” the inherent punchline being that this description couldn’t be further from the truth. If we are radicals, we are the radicalized middle, a segment of the population historically loathe to forsake economic security for the sake of a mere cause, yet somehow provoked into producing a populist uprising. That veterans like Soltz and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga provide two of our most outspoken voices should come as no surprise from a broad movement that draws support from nearly every corner of American life.
For those who hope or imagine that Darcy’s close connections with the netroots will ultimately prove to hurt her standing with her district’s suburban voters, well, you should have been at IHOP last night, where Darcy was literally embraced by veterans who trust that she will deliver the kind of leadership, respect and support that they deserve. Yet more evidence that we are in fact a netroots nation.
I’ve watched Darcy hugged by bleary-eyed veterans at 2AM, not because they believe she will do their “bidding,” but because they know that as a congresswoman she will always be there to listen to their concerns, and then do the right thing. If that’s the sort of embrace that’s supposed to alienate Darcy from 8th CD voters, then I guess our critics are right, and “liberal” bloggers like me really don’t know the district.
And many in the netroots are from the 8th CD, as I am.
And Daniel, I should note that while I don’t live in the 8th CD, my daughter sleeps half her nights there, and goes to school there, and that I spend an awful lot of time in district.
Read the article. It emphasized the close ties between extreme left-wing bloggers and Burner. So close they consider each other “family.”
My worry is since extreme left-wing bloggers have undeniable contempt and distain for much of the eastern part of the 8th district, is this how Darcy feels about them, as well?
I wish these folks or Burner were at all left-wing. A 70’s centrist was Nixon.
She has a cool t-shirt though.
Hey, can’t you guys just shut up, drink your kool-aid, and join in the overthrow of democracy!
Troll @3,
That’s not what the article said, that’s what Reichert’s campaign says, and I thought that the article itself was pretty fair, over all.
You know, you guys can continue to call Darcy “ditzy,” but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she is a Harvard grad and one of the smartest politicians I’ve met. And you can call her radical, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that on issue after issue, it is Darcy who is in step with the values of 8th CD voters, not Reichert.
I know you hope to defeat Darcy by convincing voters that Reichert is a moderate and Darcy is a dirty lefty, but if you do, you will have defeated her with a lie. Sure, that’s politics. But that doesn’t make it right.
As a matter of fact, black holes do have fringes. Hawking proved that back in the eighties, in fact the microscopic ones that may have been created in the Big Bang may have evaporated by now. (It’s less true of the massive ones at the centers of galaxies like the Milky Way.)
What we really, really, need is another local TV show like “Almost Live”. Rossi and Reichart are just crying out for a parady skit.
She can’t get a majority even in King County. No way she can overcome the nutroots deficit in Pierce, so she will lose again. Heidi II I guess. Too bad she doesn’t have a reason to run that is actually resonating with the 8th. Doesn’t matter how smart, it matters how relevant and broad the appeal, which is precisely why Reichert is here to stay.
@9
Like you I’m a big fan of Reichert. When he was Sheriff he took only, how mant years was it and how many murdered women, before he caught the Green River Killer? And that is his claim t fame. And now he has to run away from his record as a rubber stamp Republican wingnut because the Republican brand is tarnished.
@6
excellent point.
@6
I know you hope to defeat Darcy by convincing voters that Reichert is a moderate and Darcy is a dirty lefty, but if you do, you will have defeated her with a lie. Sure, that’s politics. But that doesn’t make it right.
You’re awfully selective with your scruples, Goldy. Particularly considering your penchant for out of context misdirection when it comes to your ideological opponents.
Ouch, the worse kind of slang.
Why are liberals so embarrassed of what they stand for?
Today’s liberals only stand for getting elected. If they stood for more they wouldn’t have helped tear down the New Deal protections in 1999 (among other times) and we wouldn’t be in this financial mess.
By the way, I’m looking for a cheap goat. A used one is ok. Anyone have one? Troll? Puddy?
Darcy is the WRONG person to upset incumbent Riechert.
At some point, getting elected is the only issue.
It is painful to hear her speak. My life is populated by strong feminist women, all of whom make her look like an overextended geek.
Political leader, no way. Policy wonk, maybe.
Sorry. Goldy, you need better political instincts about how can win, not just who went to Harvard or was a mico manager at a macro empire.
“I’ve watched Darcy hugged by bleary-eyed veterans at 2AM, not because they believe she will do their “bidding,” but…”
There is some mysterious pheromone that attracts nutroots to one another. I’ve seen them milling around in crowds, sniffing one another’s crotch.
/s/ Republican voter in the 8th CD, happily voting again for Dave Reichert.
Got a flyer in the mail for Darcy Burner and
saw the pictures of her family. Somebodys been
fucking a cousin somewhere. Steve? Bueller?
Bake sale, Darcy, Obama, and Gregoire.
Gauranteed they would fuck it up.
18 Trigg
Dude, you seem to forget the blithering idiot who’s CURRENTLY sitting in the 8th CD Congressional seat.
You also seem to forget that she came within 1.5 points of doing just that: upsetting Hairspray in the 8th. And in an election year that was worse for Democrats than this one.
Darcy is on the right side of the issues and she can bring this district (my district) a representative who is a strong voice in the Congressional majority (replacing our current bumbling, ineffective back-bencher).
Burner’s big advantage last time was as an outsider running against Bush. She didn’t have a clear and concise anti-war message though because she was listening to the DCCC folks.
Now she’s a professional campaigner with the same thin resume.
#21
Hey, support your lady. All cool. She is not a winner.
George Bush is not on the ballot, most people think he is already out of office. He is so passe.
Many years ago there was a comic character called Mighty Mouse. Voila, incarnate Mighty Mouse Darcy.
She ain’t got it. My take on things. She should have gone to a council position and graduated, so to speak. But, you know, I wish her the best, glad to hear the house was fully insured and no body hurt.
Two weeks ago, I found a former co-worker where I had just arrived, to walk precincts for the Democrats.
This man is the perfect potential Republican. He’s worked over 20 years at Boeing. He’s served in both the Air Force and Air National Guard, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and he is as clean-living and speaking as they come. You can’t help but look at him and hear the words “ramrod straight” in your head.
And he, of all people, looks me straight in the eye and tells me, “I’ve been radicalized.”
And he’s walking for Darcy in the 8th CD.
It’s not the first time in the last nearly eight years, but I sincerely didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The Times piece was clearly anti-Darcy.