Seattle Times editorial columnist Joni Balter defends her newspaper’s biased and crappy reporting on WA-08:
Not only do Northwesterners have a built-in disdain for people who name-drog [sic] fancy colleges, she should not have gotten twisted up in a dispute about a great degree.
Uh-huh. First of all, that’s the sort of attitude one might expect from somebody who would have gone to a “fancy college,” had she been gifted enough to get in. But more importantly… talk about blame the victim. Darcy was totally fucked by the Times over the trivial, front page parsing of a college degree, and Joni’s defense is, well, she shouldn’t have flaunted that sexy education.
I mean, really, Joni? Darcy deserved to have her political career destroyed over this? That’s your analysis of the race? This from the women who argued to my face that it was totally irresponsible for the press to report, just weeks before an election, that David Irons hit his mother? I’m sensing a double-standard here.
To put this all in perspective, here’s a question for you Joni, and the rest our local media, which I’m guessing neither you nor colleagues have the balls to even acknowledge, let alone answer: Did Dave Reichert catch the Green River Killer?
Come on… did he? He sure as hell has taken credit for catching the Green River Killer… over and over and over and over and over again. In fact, it is fair to say that he has built his entire political career on what is no doubt a shamelessly self-serving exaggeration, if not an out and out lie.
So really, how dare you attack Darcy’s credibility when you and your colleagues not only refuse to debunk the biggest lie in Washington state politics, but were actually complicit in creating and promoting this myth in the first place?
I’m just sayin’…
I don’t believe the degree ruckus affected the election outcome, because Burner and Reichert got the same percentage of the vote in 2008 that they got in 2006. But that’s not really the issue.
The issue is the bad news judgment displayed by Times editors in thinking this was a “story” worthy of publication. The issue is the Times trying to manipulate news coverage to aid a candidate. That’s not objective journalism. I’m not sure what to call it, but don’t kid yourselves, Times writers and editors, that this is journalism — because it’s not. You work for a tabloid.
Good God Goldy get a grip,
Darcy mishandled the entire degree flap and made things worse with her radio interview. If she really has a degree in economics as she claims she does, why didn’t she list that degree in her voters statement two years ago?
Darcy had nothing to offer and lost a rematch as is typical of rematches (see Dino Rossi). Her petulant attitude only made matters worse.
Darcy failed to ride the democrat wave in 06 and couldn’t get pushed over in a democrat tsunami in 08. She is not a good candidate.
There are plenty of Dems the Seattle Times did not support who did well this year and prevailed in their races despite the Times being against them. The biggest difference between those candidates and Darcy is they knew what they were doing and she sucks as a candidate.
Glad to hear you believe her political career is destroyed. My question is don’t you have to have something before you can destroy it?
I’m just sayin’…..
Goldy–
Did you get laid yet??
You cannot possibly be doing this ongoing excruciating rehashing for any other reason than trying to get laid.
Balter’s two statements are true.
1) We Northwesterners (Goldy is not a Northwesterner) do have a distain for people who frequently remind others that they went to an ivy league school.
2) Darcy Burner should not have gotten herself into Degreegate. If she would have just been honest and said she had a computer science degree, she would have won.
@4
Give Goldy this. It’s all he has. Now that Obama and Gregoire have won, the only topics he has left are: The Seattle Times sucks; Dave Reichert sucks; and The Seattle Time screwed over Darcy Burner.
Goldy:
I make no excuses for Joni Balter or the Seattle Times, and you are quite right to call them out on their “coverage,” which was a disgrace to journalism.
But “destroyed Darcy Burner’s political career” is every bit as preposterous. Just shut the fuck up with that. Darcy is just getting started. Just because *you* might feel crushed does not indicate that Darcy feels that way.
I predict boldly that Darcy Burner will eventually stuff all her detractors’ shit right back up their asses, and that they will regret the day they doubted her resolve, her character, and her capability. That could happen sooner than anyone thinks.
Troll @ 4
Please don’t purport to speak for Northwesterners. You are thoroughly out of touch with the Northwest’s political and cultural ethos, and couldn’t possibly speak for the region on any topic. Indeed, your posts are so disingenuous, if not confused, that you can’t even speak for yourself.
Cynical, Troll et al…
So, looks like nobody is willing to answer my question: did Dave Reichert really catch the Green River Killer?
Cowards.
Ivan @6,
I didn’t mean to imply that Darcy’s political career has been destroyed by degree flap, merely that Joni and her colleagues think that it should have been. I don’t doubt that Darcy will come back in some capacity.
Shh… Nobody tell Joni that state senator Lisa Brown has a PHD in economics.
We might want to keep State Senator Derek Kilmer’s PhD in Comparative Social Policy with a focus on on economic development from Oxford under wraps too.
2006 was the first blow against the Republican political empire. The Seattle Times is behind the curve just as much as McCain was in his belated use of Rovian tactics. Even Fareed Zakaria has recently described Republican concepts as irrelevant to the present and, “…weirdly unrealistic.” (Strong emphasis on the word ‘weirdly’.) It’s fun to watch George Will pursing his lips like the Church Lady when he is confronted with that sort of thing. At least David Brooks has the good sense to just sit there (looking like a sweaty, nervous rodent) and keep his mouth shut.
Over the next two years, whenever someone refers to Reichert as the man who captured the Green River Killer, I am going to inject the word ‘purportedly’.
Fuck the Times.
Blethen is a senile git and the suckup he hires over there trip over each other to stay in his good graces.
Christ sake Goldy, is that apple an orange?
Wether you like it or not Reichert has been credited with “catching” the Green River Killer. I can promise you he spent a whole hell of lot more time on that case than Darcy did studying economics.
Your question is ridculous. If it is an exaggeration that R caught the Green River Killer it is an exaggeration that was created by the Media, the King County Police, The King County Council, The King County Prosecutors Office, and a host of others who gave the credit for catching the Green River Killer to Reichert.
You are as illogical and petulant as Darcy.
Take a long deep sip from the reality cup and realize that Darcy is not and was not a good enough candidate to defeat Reichert. It is likely another individual with a stronger resume would have defeated Reichert.
Darcy had a nothing resume and regurgitated the Party line on almost every issue. She had nothing compelling to offer that would make the people of the district turn out the incumbent.
She will loose by a wider margin than she did last time. Pathetic
“Darcy deserved to have her political career destroyed over this?”
Goldy answer this…What career? You can’t destroy what you aint got.
Darcy Burners’ political career is the same as her economics degree…non existent.
HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
re 14: “realitycheck” …really?
Republicans are: “…weirdly unrealistic.” Fareed Zakaria.
re 14: “Darcy had a nothing resume and regurgitated the Party line on almost every issue.”
Don’t you think anyone can tell when you are just covering your ass? What about when Darcy Burner declared herself to be against the bailout?
“…regurgitated the Party line….” I think not — almost .
re 14: You and your party are LOSERS. You won’t live long enough to see that reality reversed.
Isn’t it about time to start calling yourself a ‘libertarian.’ Republican or Libertarian. Doesn’t matter. By the time we are done with the likes of you, you’d sound more sane if you said you were in contact with aliens.
Resume Smezumay,
What, exaclty is it about a resume, anyway?
Did Reichert’s long years chasing down crooks qualify him to be in Congress? I think Darcy’s resume stacked up pretty well, myself. Microsoft: Too hoity-toity for N’Westerners? I’ve heard most resumes get rejected there…but c’mon, it’s a Northwest icon.
Did Dave Reichert Catch the Green River Killer?
Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: Yes. The Green River Killer Taskforce, led by Reichert, caught the Green River Killer.
Repeating the Big Lie, over and over, that Reichert did not apprehend Ridgeway does not make your belief true. And it is honestly a quite mentally ill belief to begin with.
It is a belief that your chosen candidate, Darcy Burner, by all appearances, disagrees with. And it hurts your side politically. Especially in the 8th CD. As I’ve told you time and again before.
@19
Thanks for your concern!
I find it amazing that I am labeled a Republican just because I like many others find Darcy to be a crappy candidate.
When I said almost that is accurate. Darcy did come out against the bailout, going against party line. On practicly every other issue she walked the party line. Hence almost.
Darcy sucked, Rodney Tom or a host of other candidates would have been better than the rehash of do nothing Darcy. Thanks to Darcy, Reichert has now held office through two tough election cycles for Dems and that will make him tougher to remove in the future.
Hopefully she will run for something she is qualified for…Ames lake Homeowners association president….oops having an arsonist in the house might hurt her chances for that one.
18 – You aren’t seriously saying a low level management position at Microsoft is some sort of qualification for being a Congress critter, are you? There are thousands of current and former Microsofties living in D8 who hold or held positions of more responsibility than Darcy. There are also thousands of Microsofties with similar or better degrees than Darcy has, and there are many thousands of Microsofties who are better Computer Scientists than her. Hint for the non-softies: the real pros at MS are developers… the ones who aren’t as smart and qualified at CS become program managers… ask anyone who works there.
Darcy would have lost degree flap or not. She isn’t qualified to be in Congress. Maybe she should get a job that shows some real accomplishment and then run in 2014 or so???
Balter and Egan never miss a chance to namedrop their daughter’s fancy college or complain about the tuition in their columns.
It was a Democratic year. A better candidate — specifically, one with a longer resume — would have defeated Reichert.
I also believe Burner’s Microsoft connections were also an issue. She was perceived another spoiled Microsoft brat out to buy another shiny new toy: a seat in Congress.
She followed the same path as Laura Ruderman with the same result
Goldy:
We all know how you’d answer the question, so let’s stick with “no”.
That said, you ONCE AGAIN are missing the whole point. The issue isn’t Reichert’s weakness(es) as a candidate/Congressperson, it is, has been, and will be (in the short term) Burner’s weakness, period. As has been mentioned in this thread, a stronger Democrat would have HANDILY won this race, given all the other favorable factors for Democrats this year. However, when when this was pointed out to you and the others in the “Burner or Bust” camp by knowledgeable Democrats in the 8th (Rodney Tom anyone? Chris Hurst anyone?) you dismissed them as morons.
Stop blaming the Times for their crappy reporting as the cause for Burner’s defeat. The 8th is easy pickings for the right Democratic candidate. Burner wasn’t it.
@2 Given the work that Darcy did on the “Responsible Plan,” which pulled together the top policy and military brains in the country, your comment that “Darcy had nothing to offer” destroys what little remains of any credibility that you ever had. Darcy accomplished more as a losing candidate than most congressmen accomplish in their entire careers.
re 19: “And it is honestly a quite mentally ill belief to begin with.”
Do you mean that the belief is mentally ill or the person holding the belief?
Don: It shouldn’t take 18 years to catch a serial killer with an IQ of 80. Your pride in the sheriff’s acumen may be misplaced.
Maybe your belief is mentally ill.
@3 I have too much class to ask if you get laid, Cynical. My only question is, do you give your goat the 15-minute breaks the labor laws require?
re 21: “…practicly (sic)” ???? That brought a smile (almost).
@4 “We Northwesterners (Goldy is not a Northwesterner) do have a distain for people who frequently remind others that they went to an ivy league school.”
Speak for yourself and your like-minded idiot friends. Only rednecks like you think an AA degree from a community college is better than a double major from Harvard. Those of us in the literate class realize that Ivy League graduates are smart and well-educated folks.
BTW, your attitude toward education isn’t a regional thing, it’s an underclass thing.
re 25: No. You are missing the point. The point is that the S.Times made Burner look like a liar and a liar look like a hero.
Do we need a local newspaper with such low standards? If it were purchased by Rupert Murdoch, there would be little that he could do to lower their standards.
@14 You can’t see the forest for the trees. Goldy already knows Reichert’s purported accomplishment of catching the GRK is a media construct. That’s his point, dummy! The question he asked, and which you (like the other trolls) haven’t answerd, is did he in fact catch the GRK? (Hint: Plenty of investigation insiders say no, he was more hindrance than help.)
P.S., I’m pretty sure that if we laid your resume alongside Darcy’s, you’d get laughed out of any interviewer’s office.
Yeah, right. Um, what the fuck was she supposed to to, pretend that her degree didn’t come from Harvard?
I was born and grew up in Oregon. In my opinion, there is a place where stupid redneck morons resent fancy Eastern schoolin’.
The Seattle and Bellevue metroplolitan areas are high up among the best-educated areas in our entire nation. I work daily with people who have degrees from Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Carnegie-Mellon, and so on.
Your opinion is your own, Cynical. Yes, we get it that you have an inferiority complex regarding people whose educational opportunities and achievements eclipse your own. But don’t try to hang it on the district.
@19 Well at least you have the honesty to call it a belief instead of a fact, Ward. Good for you.
@21 If it walks like a Republican, talks like a Republican, and shits Republican shit, it probably is a Republican.
@19
You can’t have a “mentally ill belief.”
@22 “You aren’t seriously saying a low level management position at Microsoft is some sort of qualification for being a Congress critter, are you?”
Yes. Actually, we are. Would you rather have another lawyer? Many congress critters are lawyers, you know. Would you like to argue that we lawyers are intellectually superior to, say, people with degrees from Harvard in computer science and economics?
You do have somewhat of a point, though. To wit, a fancy degree does not ensure that a congress critter knows his ass from a hole in the ground. I offer as Exhibit A one Paul Broun, M.D. If you need additional examples, I can supply them.
Don @19,
Check your facts. Reichert was not heading up the task force at the time somebody bothered to finally check the DNA evidence, years after the technology had become available.
And for how many years was Reichert one of the lead investigators, focusing on the wrong suspect, as Ridgway continued to kill? How many women’s deaths is Reichert’s shoddy police work at least partially responsible for?
Reichert did not catch the Green River Killer… unless, of course, your primary source is his bullshit, ghost written autobiography.
@24 “She was perceived another spoiled Microsoft brat out to buy another shiny new toy: a seat in Congress.”
By whom? If anyone bought a seat in Congress it’s Reichert’s corporate sponsors. Burner didn’t self-fund her two campaigns, and couldn’t if she wanted to, dumbass. Her campaign money came from thousands of individual contributors. In fact, she’s one of the top beneficiaries of the fundraising power of the netroots.
And Reichert? He’s a wholly-owned subsidiary of Corporate America.
Once again you have demonstrated yourself to be completed uninformed and totally full of shit.
If by catch, you mean arrest, and if by Dave Reichert, you mean the King County Sheriff’s Department, then the answer is yes.
I certainly hope the 8th CD voters who voted for Reichert are happy with being represented by a minority-party congressman whose effectiveness and influence in Congress are close to zero, because in his case, what they see is what they get.
@40 By your reasoning, Gregoire deserves personal credit for everything done by each and every one of state government’s 100,000+ employees.
Roger Rabbit, do you believe if Darcy Burner had only mentioned that she had a computer science degree, and never mentioned having any sort of economics degree or specialization, that she would have won?
@32 Roger…
I have a masters degree, and I have been elected to public office. In that capacity I was elected to chair the committee with over 24 members.
I have served and worked for my community on a variety of issues for over 25 years as a volunteer and in an elected capacity.
I am secure in my resume. Unlike Do nothing Darcy who continually inflates and lies about her own.
Oh, I also raised my children with the common sense not to set our home on fire and kill the family cat.
Goldy–
We know…it’s all about Darcy’s “program” you lecherous bastard.
And trying to pick fly-shit outta pepper about who actually caught the Green River Killer ain’t gonna make Darcy any less of a SERIAL LIAR! She lied about Microsoft, her degree and even the f*cking Ames Lake Homeowners Association.
SERIAL LIAR==Political career kaput!
headless lucy @ 31:
…and you’re WAY overestimating the Times and its influence. If they’re that powerful, why is circulation going down the tubes? Besides, the story itself wasn’t the issue. It was Burner’s complete mishandling of her response that was more telling. Again, I point out Eli Sander’s post on this on SLOG:
Sorry for re-re-posting this quote, but Sanders isn’t so hyper-partisan that he can be honest about his own side. You and Goldy are sounding just like the folks over at SP that scream “My Party, Wrong or Right” no matter what the reality is.
Mr. Rabbit @ 41:
No, Roger, I am not happy. However, I’m especially not happy with Democrats nominating someone who couldn’t win in TWO overwhelming Democratic waves.
@42
Well she does by you and all the other koolaid drinkers here…
@1 You complaining about press coverage of a Dem when on a national level the bias towards democrats was overwhelming is just rich…
Goldy. Someone stated this before, but I’m sure that Darcy did not list her degree as econ when applying to Microsoft. 100%.
The fact that she lost in the “Blue Wave” of 2006, and lost again after overwhelming Democrat victories in 2008, highlights how weak a candidate she is/was. She has been running for this seat full time since Sept. 2005. Move on.
@ 48
You complaining about press coverage of a Dem when on a national level the bias towards democrats was overwhelming is just rich
Not particularly. We’re complaining about news coverage that fails to provide an accurate portrayal of the facts. And, while you folks have pointed to a number of resources that have said that the coverage of the Obama campaign was “more favorable” than the coverage of the McCain campaign, none of you have shown how the national coverage actually distorted the facts.
If the facts have a rather liberal bias, then one would expect the coverage to have a liberal bias–yet another bit of reality to which you guys seem particularly immune.
Burner’s “responsible plan” was done earlier and better by McGovern and Polk.
Also as mentioned above, why didn’t Burner mention her economics degree before the economy tanked? Burner studied programming and was admitted to law school, she should be able to clearly state her degree. Speaking at a debate requires precise, formal language; not some sort of verbal shorthand.
Why the tone deaf trotting out of Pelosi, the house speaker who refused to obey her oath of office by taking impeachment off the table?
Why say your role model is Murray, who waited a whole week before bashing the bailout bill that she voted for?
Hopefully Ross Hunter will run next election.
Don Joe @ 49
The Rs, to our great benefit, are blind to reality’s liberal slant. They don’t appear likely to change in the foreseeable future, either. I’m guessing they’ll continue to pursue a strategy of trying to dig up Reagan’s rotting corpse for at least the next couple of campaigns. After all, why fuck with a sure-bet strategy like that?
Goldy,
Burner’s defeat is indeed a disappointment, but I point out to you that traditionally, election to Congress is preceeded by some other kinds of public service or holding elective office at a state level.
Look at our current crop:
Served in Legislature prior to Congressional ascendancy: Rogers, Hastings, Inslee, Smith, McDermott.
Other prior elective offices: Reichert (King County Sheriff); Larsen (Snohomish County Council).
The outliers are Baird who got there on his 2nd try, and Dicks who was apparently bequeathed his office by Magnuson (well no. He served Maggie for years, and was a well known pol). We won’t mention the Husky football stuff.
Burner needs ‘seasoning’. She did her best and ran with what she had, but the lack of political officeholder experience just didn’t fly, and I think that’s what held her back more than anything.
Sorry. That’s just the way it is.
The Times is a pathetic money eating loser that the Blethens desparately want to unload on somebody. The sale would kick in a big tax liability and what’s left would be subject to estate tax when he passes his last gas. Frank is a real dumb shit when it comes to estate planning.
@48 avers: “…when on a national level the bias towards democrats was overwhelming..”
Which, of course, is an absolute lie.
Thank you for playing though.
What irks me is the reference to “Northwesterners.” First, Balter makes us sound like a bunch of Ma and Pa Kettles, or something — “we don’t take t’that roun’ these parts…” And WTF is a “Nortwesterner” anyway? What natural similarity or affinity or any -ty does someone from say Bow, WA have with someone from Ballard or Bend or Boise? Yakima probably has more in common with Yuma than it does with Bellevue (sorry, couldn’t think of a place name beginning with Y that is like Bellevue.) Is Northwest Afternoon still on the air? If so, you still can’t see it as close by as Longview, can you? Let’s leave “Northwest” to the marketers and advertisers.
Yup, we Northwesterners don’t like dem fancy deegree peeple from de East cost. Dem peeples is ways too smart for us gits here in the great PNW.
Gee, I want idiots like Reichert who had the Green River killer identified for years but was tooo stupid or lazy to check up on him becaws he didn’t fit his pet theory.
Yup- Sheeriff airhead is guy for me – dumb, loyal republican for Bush and with no original ideeees.
don’t like dem fancy degree people – like no one from here ever goes to dem Ivy leeeger schools…..thanks cynical for pointing that out.
@52 “… Burner needs ’seasoning’. She did her best and ran with what she had, but the lack of political officeholder experience just didn’t fly, and I think that’s what held her back more than anything.”
The “no-experience” line was once again an effective bludgeon. Same as the last time.
Seems to me the Obama administration is looking for bright people who, like Darcy, have an obvious desire to serve her country. I nominate her for one of the new energy posts or high tech initiatives they are looking towards.
Did Dave Reichert catch the Green River Killer?
yes, and saved his life by letting him live. reichert’s efforts effectively eliminated the death penalty in WA. my political ad in the next reichert race would feature the most gruesome murderers convicted but not executed since the ridgway sentence and end: “why did dave reichert destroy the justice of the death penalty for all the victims of these horrible crimes? time for a change.”
31st District Voter spews: No, Roger, I am not happy. However, I’m especially not happy with Democrats nominating someone who couldn’t win in TWO overwhelming Democratic waves.
but you;’re not 8th cd voter, are you?
notaboomer @ 58: Uh, the 31st Legislative District is in the 8th Congressional…
GOLGY
DARCY HUSBAND SAID SHE NEVER COMES
Hi all,
Man, I’m so impressed with HA, I think I’ll come over from SoundPolitics for a while…if nobody objects!!!
The great thing about Goldy’s post here is not that it defends Darcy, but that it attacks Reichert’s past. If 8th District Democrats don’t start playing offense–i.e. don’t attack Reichert for his magnificent botching of the Green River case, then the focus will always be on their own, in this case Darcy’s, background and the issues will become vanishingly trivial like this degree thing. Trivial, at least compared with letting a guy you know the identity of kill 50 women.
But remember, just as Kerry’s own error led to his own swiftboating (“Reporting for duty..”) Burner’s error, in not making this an issue, came home to roost in the Times shocking pro-Republican partisanship that it, except for this site, got away with.
Best wishes all,
New Left Conservative #1
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Enough, Goldy. Move on… Get a life…