Isn’t it at least a little ironic that while Dave Reichert may have won a third term in Congress, Darcy Burner is actually having a greater impact on the all important health care reform debate?
An organizer for liberal House Democrats says the bloc “isn’t bluffing” as it prepares to take a reputation-defining stand to protect a public insurance option in the health care overhaul.
Darcy Burner, executive director of the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation, said the health care debate has rallied traditionally disparate Congressional liberals to hang together, while galvanizing support for their position from an array of left-leaning outside groups. The result, she said, is that Democratic leaders will not be able to clear a package through the House if it does not include the public plan.
“We have never had the Progressive Caucus organized the way it is right now,” Burner said during a Friday roundtable with Roll Call. “This is not the normal scenario. And Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] knows it.”
Not that you’re likely to read anything about Darcy’s efforts in a local press that made up its mind about her early on, and is about as likely to reevaluate her as it is to admit the truth that Reichert did not really catch the Green River Killer.
Dave Reichert continues his stellar record of being as useful as a sea cucumber.
And Goldy was way ahead of the curve on this one.
You can hear Darcy and Goldy discussing these very issues here.
Reichart’s congressional power ranking; 401
Interestingly, his power ranking went up substantially after the ’08 elections – he used to be 432 as I recall.
Burner’s power ranking would be much higher, of course. The lowest WA Dem is Smith, ranked at 258 – pretty poor showing to be sure, yet for Reichart, a lofty, unattainable aerie of respectability.
Loyalty ,,, semper fi for liberals?
“Burner Helping House Liberals Hold Firm?” Oh yeah? Well Ditzy Dave 401 is getting assistance from Vitalis to help his hair hold firm.
That’s pretty good too.
Darcy Burner…like a zit that won’t go away.
We all know Goldy is kind of sweet on ol’ Darcy but this one is ridiculous!
Now Darcy is a Big Government LOBBYIST???
Isn’t she LOBBYING Goldy??
I don’t see the dreaded “L”-word in your post.
Perhaps if you a leader of the Fringe Lunatic Left, you are merely an Executive Director…even though you are LOBBYING Congress.
Is Darcy is registered LOBBYIST Goldy???
@4 SJ, it’s not loyalty for loyalty’s sake; it’s to achieve strength-in-numbers by standing firmly together — in the same manner that union members do … or soldiers arrayed shoulder-to-shoulder in a firing line. “Semper fi” for liberals? I think yes, in the finest sense of what phrase implies. In other words, it’s time for Democrats in Congress to act like Marines facing a hostile landing beach. They know what the mission is …
Holy cow, this is amazing work. Which other major groups are involved? To what extent is Darcy driving the effort to preserve the public option?
I assume by “local press” you mean a $150 million printing plant in Bothell that churns out increasingly irrelevant partisan handbills that advertisers shun and fewer and fewer people read.
@6 Go back out to the goat shed and fuck your goats. They get lonely when you’re away too long.
I querried the Federal Lobbyist database here and could not find Darcy Burner.
http://soprweb.senate.gov/inde.....lectfields
Can anyone help find that she is registered appropriately to Lobby Congress??
I read somewhere that during the WTO scuffle, Reichert leaped out of his limousine (probably in his full Sheriff regalia) to personally arrest a WTO protester.
That moron at one time would run right through you and cut you in half if you stood between him and a tv camera.
Now he runs as fast as he can when the camera is sniffing out the truth about Auburn’s finest fool. Look at how he ran from Mike Stark!
In the end, people get the kind of government they deserve. The 8th district got Dave Reichert.
worf, Reichert’s rank improved almost entirely because of the House Republicans who are even less experienced than he is.
The rankings from Congress.org aren’t particularly up to date, as they don’t include the Reps elected last November. They’re derived on the basis of the House in 2006, and a lot of Democrats have been added since then.
That said, in his own class of 2004, 32 of 40 rank above him, and the ones below him include Mean Jean Schmidt, “Judge” Louie Gohmert, crazy Thelma Drake, and the non-voting member from Puerto Rico. Not only that — 13 of the ’04s ahead of Dave were Republicans.
Looking at the (then-freshman) class of 2006, only 17 of the 57 were below Sheriff Hairspray; not only that — three of the 40 yjen-freshman ranked above Dave were Republicans (Roskam, Bachmann, Jordan of OH). Oh, and a couple of those ultra-low ’06ers (Sali, Walberg) lost the next time.
Very few Representatives with more seniority than Reichert ranked below him — three from 2002 (Rogers of AL, Miller of MI, Renzi … replaced by a Dem in 2008) and three more from 2000 (Miller of FL, Akin, Johnson of IL).
Bottom line — the longer Reichert stays in the House, the higher (less low, really) his ranking, based solely on seniority. GOP freshman will almost always fall in line behind him, but there won’t be too many others way down there.
Cynical, you pond-scum, Darcy isn’t a lobbyist. She runs a foundation. As stated in her hiring announcement (emphasis added):
Not that someone as assholic as you would be able to comprehend the concept of “education” or “foundation”. Talking to members of Congress isn’t necessarily lobbying.
N @ 13: Also, don’t forget that quite a few Republicans who were senior to Reichart either retired or were defeated in 2008. House rules require that SOMEBODY from the minority party keep those seats warm in each committee.
In other words, Reichert is a small fish in an increasingly smaller poind (if the pond is measured as available Republicans still in office). He’s not getting any bigger, it’s just that the pond is drying up.
If he continues to get re-elected in 2010 and 2012, and the Republican Party continues to lose seats like they did in 2008, he may find himself being the ONLY Republican in Congress.
Can’t wait for the next year to pass and watch the democrat party implode and we can once again slow down the utter nonsense that is the democrat party.
I’m looking for the Republicans to mount a credible candidate in the 8th in 2010. As much as I like Darcy, I don’t think she’s the one. It’s awfully hard to unseat a sitting Congressman, and although she came very close twice, twice is about as many chances as she is going to get.
What’s going to be very interesting is what will happen when Reichert goes back to the Republican National Committee and cries that he needs more national money to keep his office. A three-term Congressman is supposed to carry his own weight. He/She is supposed to have a solid base of votes and contributions from within their own district to not only win elections easily, but to discourage any serious challengers. Not only that, but a three-term Congressman is supposed to be out on the stump, using their influence to raise money and bring in votes for other Republican candidates on a national level. He’s supposed to be bringing money INTO the Republican coffers, not draining it out every election cycle.
As it is, Reichert is a bit of the neer’ do well of the Republican Congress. He perpetually needs to be proped up to keep his seat. The minority whip has to repeatedly allow him to vote against the party in final votes (where the outcome is not in doubt) so he can prove his “independence” – whether he agrees with the vote or not. Reichert has to drain money from the national coffers every election cycle. Although is district has been a relatively conservative island in a sea of blue, even within his district he doesn’t command enough respect to bring over voters from the other side, and Republican dignataries (including the former President) have been forced to slip in and out of private fundraising functions within his district to avoid protesters.
Darcy Burner, the future Mary Jo Kopechne of WA state.
re 16: Mark can’t wait to get on with the important business of ‘slowing down’ the Democratic Party.
I’m proud of ya, boy. You are getting a more realistic self-assessment of your capabilities. You can slow us down, but you can’t stop us.
A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby.
Goldy is the one talking about Darcy’s IMPACT.
Sounds like lobbying to me.
19. Emily Littela spews:
Actually mark, these KLOWNS have done a fine job of slowing themselves down without much of our help. The CirKus called the Obama Administration is self-slowing.
@ 17:
I think you mean “Democrat”.
Darcy is not running in 2010. That has been well established, and isn’t a possibility. At all!
Suzan DelBene is running, and she won’t be primaried, at least by a credible threat.
The assumption is that Reichert will seek re-election in 2010. That isn’t a sure thing.
We might see DelBene vs. Dunn.
I give that about a 25% probability.
Sarge @ 22: Dang, did I do that???? Yep, I meant Democrats, I don’t know why in the world I typed Republicans. I meant one thing, but said the exact opposite. I’m guessing that I was thinking about the next paragraph while I was still typing the first one.
But come to think of it, I WOULD like to see the Republicans mount a “credible candidate” in the 8th. Reichart’s not doing anybody any favors there, and the citizens of the 8th deserve better than somehone who’s doing little more than keeping the chair warm. It would be nice to see some really good candidates from both sides, debating the issues honestly and forcing each other to step up to a better game.
Sigh. I guess I’m coming off a high from hearing too many quotes from J.F.K, Bobby Kennedy, Teddy Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, where all things are possible.
re 21: There is some truth in what you say. But that makes my comment all the more relevant.
re 20: “A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby.”
That would make Dave Reichert and all other Republican officeholders lobbyists.
@!22 WTF is “Suzan Delbene”
Here is an utterly uninformative web site.
Health care
WADR ….
This sounds an awful lot like a Demo. version of Reichert. If she is to win, she needs to show leadership by recognizing issues that are LOCAL, issues like the UW (sic), transportation, skilled immigration, Boeing —> South Carolina.
@23: I do it all the time. I actually typed “pro-life” when I meant “pro-choice”, but I caught it in time.
I agree. I think Reagan would be a better representative, although from my liberal perspective, I think we could do a whole lot worse than Reichert. If, for example, Eric Cantor or Michelle Bachmann were rated more effective that Reichert, I’m much happier with the ineffective one.
Dunn is a budget hawk, but also pro-choice and sympathetic to environmental issues. He would create some problems for DelBene by neutralizing some of her arguments against Reichert. And if we are going to have a Republican represent us, I’d rather it was someone who is pro-choice.
Local vs Msoft
My worry is that Delbene will run yet another campaign from on high. That is a losing idea, esp vs Reagan Dunn.
She need to become identified QUICKLY with local issues. Some thoughts:
1. Identify strongly with Dow. The Republican brand ia drag and being seen as opposed to Hutchinson will build local loyalty.
2. Speak out on the issue of states bidding for Boeing in the age of outsourcing to China.
3. Speak out on immigration reform at the UPPER END .. that is to support the UW, MS, Amazon, etc.
4. Speak out on internet taxation.
5. Build support from amongst non-political East siders … UW faculty, sports figures, ….
6. Healthcare … build her position around LOCAL issues .. Group Health and why our healthcare costs are so much lower than other states?
Propose that WAstate’s “Uniform” heathcare eb considered as national model.
Propose the Childrens and the CCA be considered as national models.
7. Port development … WA state needs infrastructure for Puget Sound to compete better with LA/Long Beach/San Fran. We are closer to China!
Ross Hunter
@29:
Yeah, a lot of people would like Ross to get in, and for good reason. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. Ross has made it crystal clear that until his kids are grown up and off to college or at least out of the house, he’s not going to seek national office.
He doesn’t even like the commute to Olympia, which was part of the motivation for running for KCE.
He came very close to death a while back, and there are no guarantees. He wants to be there for his family.
I like Darcy Burner quite a bit.
She gave me face time and great advice. Very generous.
I’m pretty happy that Burner is now fighting for healthcare reform.
I’m pretty happy that Burner is now fighting for healthcare reform.
—————-
Hopefully it will work out better than her “Responsible Plan” for Iraq. Speaking of which, Obama will be faced with new troop requests for Afghanistan and his base is becoming increasingly more restless as the war’s costs, troop levels and casualties continue to rise. All, except, that is, on HA where you wouldn’t know there was a war . . .
Is another Responsible Plan quietly in the works?
I like darcy too.
She lost.
Ross Hunter, he has the virtue of being local, bur I sure would like to see someone wiht mnore then the usual pol’s intellectual ability.
I would be concerned that a Ross v Reagan race might be won on the basis of name familiarity. .. l;ike the East siders di when they elected the sheriff. ross hunter v REAGAN DUNN????
Intellect is what made Darcy attractive … not to diss Ross, but I really like the idea of folks wit more skills in Congress.
@31 I like Darcy because she hugs rabbits!
@33. I’m sure there are reasons to not get behind Hunter, but lack of intellect isn’t one of them.
And someone who writes this:
and this
and this
in three consecutive sentences, really doesn’t have standing to challenge Ross Hunter’s intellect.
@32 I hate to tell you this, boy, but we liberals never opposed military action in Afghanistan. Unlike you Republican idiots, we knew where the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 had their training camps and were hiding out.
I’ll post the same question I did the last time a PR notice for Darcy was posted here.
How in the world is it ‘progressive’ to NOT mention “single payer”, “medicare for all” and so on? If Darcy had been around during the 1820s she would have spearheaded a project to make sure abolitionists didn’t mention ‘slavery’, ‘abolition’, ‘freedom’ or ‘Negroes’.
And speaking of ineffectual Congress folk how is it that McDermott isn’t back of the pack?
#36
In fact, this issue will increasingly split Dems, you dope, as more troops are shipped over and casualties increase, all the while we shoulder the lion’s share of this “necessary” war. In fact, the public – and many progressives in particular – are growing restive. But it’s good to know you’re a staunch supporter of this war.
Sarge
First, I assume you understand the difference between typing skills and intellect?
Second, I was careful to describe Ross as a politician. He may be a genius, but nothing in his record suggests that and his appearance at DL was pretty typical of pols … not bad but not any more impressive in person than Reichert, to use one example.
Of course if we were talking about Hutchinson .. well she is a … since I seem to becoming afflicted with use of stereotypes, as well qualified for politics as anyone else who reads the news on TV.
Third, I do try to use a spell checker but this is a new copy of Ffox and Google tool bar is not plugged in. FWIW, I never did think the best evidence for Quayle’s stupidity was his spellign of potatoe.
@39: I agree Quayle’s spelling wasn’t the best measure, but it didn’t help his cause.
I’ve had conversations with Reichert and Hunter, I don’t think there is any comparison on the intellect scale, and I happen to think Ross was pretty impressive at DL.
“John” @ 32
Have you ever run for office?
@40
I have spoken with all these folks too. I think liberals who diss the sheriff for his blow jopb hair are in danger of missing the point.
Reichert is not an exceptionally bright person but .. by definition .. few folks are.
OTOH, I know a number of awesomely bright people who would make lousy politicians.
The confluence of intellect and political talent is very rare. Adlai Stevenson and Jimmy Carter failed to make the cut. Reagan was a lot dumber than most but had political chops. …and then there was GWB.
@36 but we liberals never opposed military action in Afghanistan.
Well, just eight months later, well before Obama has time to turn around the “necessary” war, they’re running away from it in droves. With supporters like these . . .
White House fears liberal war pressure
“White House officials are increasingly worried liberal, anti-war Democrats will demand a premature end to the Afghanistan war before President Barack Obama can show signs of progress in the eight-year conflict, according to senior administration sources.”
http://www.politico.com/news/s.....z0PrxFFMVB
Good News for the Left.
Eliot Spitzer is back!!
From today’s NY Post–