As was correctly pointed out on NPI’s blog, I was never a knee-jerk supporter of Darcy Burner. I first met her nearly a year ago at Camp Wellstone, and while I personally liked her, and always believed she would make an excellent congressperson, I had legitimate questions about the ability of a novice like her to run an effective congressional campaign.
There would be many important races and initiatives before voters this year, and I was not about to waste either my energy or my credibility aggressively promoting a candidate who could not win. Of course, Burner eventually earned my enthusiastic support, but it was a long time coming. Indeed, as recently as January — even as Burner was proving to be a surprisingly adept campaigner and fundraiser — I contacted a local politician whom I particularly admire, and asked if he/she might consider jumping into the race.
I didn’t hold much hope that Politician X would say yes, but I didn’t quite get the rejection I had expected.
“The truth is that I’m too old to run for Congress,” Politician X wrote me. “It would be a waste of the state’s time.”
Politician X went on to explain that the state needs to embrace a “seniority strategy” like that which has enabled Southern states to dominate our national legislative agenda. We needed somebody in their early to mid 30’s, forty-ish at most, who could eventually grow to be “Norm Dicks’ replacement.”
This very pragmatic strategy certainly made sense at the time — and in fact served to make my support for the 35-year-old Burner even stronger — but its full significance was brought home this week when Knowlegis, a firm serving lobbyists, published its list of congressional “Power Rankings” after months of sifting through legislative records, committee assignments, news articles and other documents.
As might be expected, many of the most powerful congressman and senators are Republican, as that is the party that controls both committee assignments and the legislative agenda, and thus that is party most courted by lobbyists. But not in the WA state house delegation, where, you guessed it… the long serving Rep. Norm Dicks is by far the most powerful congressman in the state.
Republicans Reichert, Hastings and McMorris are middling at best, their ranking pumped up by plumb committee assignments, but with little legislation or influence to show for their efforts. But Dicks, in the minority since 1994, is nonetheless ranked as one of the most powerful men in the other Washington, largely on the basis of his seniority.
There is no doubt that the demographic changes in Washington’s 8th Congressional District favor Democrats over the long run; in fact, it already has become nominally blue. Thus it’s hard to imagine the 50-somethingish Reichert as anything more than a temporary placeholder.
Now is the time to pursue our own “seniority strategy,” and Darcy Burner is the perfect place to start.
Thinking for the long term IS what it’s about! Unfortunately, WA voters chose a little different path in 1994 but tossing Tom Foley.
However, that ship started turning almost immediately, and we now have some fine congressmen, and candidates, with excellent long-term potential.
It is amazing how some states & voters understand the concept…and others don’t.
Arizona’s Carl Hayden and Barry Godwater are also good examples of how longevity in office confers power and influence.
True enough, it has taken a long time to begin to get back to the clout Washington had in “the other Washington” when Jackson and Magnuson held sway.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12825539/
After reading this poll, I am convinced Darcy and other Dems really have a lock on winning unless they screw up. If not now, when? We have to get behind Darcy and every other alternative to the republican culture of corruption and now. We probably won’t have this good a chance again.
LEFT TURD. YOUR A LOSER AND SO IS DARCY.GIVE IT UP.THE ONLY THING THATS GOING TO GET BEHIND DARCY IS HER HUSBANDS DICK.GOT IT.GOOD. NOW BACK TO YOUR BONG.
On the senority bit, I can tell you that is the only reason that Alaska’s favorite Republican senators – and Cantwell’s best friends – keep getting elected. Ted Stevens and Daddy’s girl only have senority in their favor and Alaskans vote on it heavily.
One quick question for any of you with long memories or a desire to research….
How were Republican’s polling on favorability in the Spring/Summer of 94?
I know they were roundly condemned as the party without any leadership and of having ‘no ideas’ – deja vue and all that.
But did they have high favorability ratings or was it just negatives on the Democratic side that drove the landslide?
Nice try Goldy but you just put down people like me and others my age by saying we are irrelevant. Age is not the issue. The problem is some Congressman have been there years and years and have little to show for it.They started when they were young. Youth does not equal wisdom. If it did then George Bush would be one of our best Presidents, which is a joke. In point of fact, you are promoting discrimination against older Americans.
A candidate the other day running for the 43rd L.D. open seat for the Legislature asked for my endorsement. When I said I was remaining neutral because I also knew another candidate very well, he did not repond by telling me how he was going to work harder on the issues I cared about or had more experience, instead he did the same discrimination trip by trying to tout his younger age and that he could be active for a longer time in the Legislature. He then tried to compare the person in 10 years to Senator Pat Thibadeau. I was offended and surprised to hear this argument.
And I am still offended because I am the same age as the person in question who was being put down. It really was age discrimination.
While the so-called younger candidate was younger, that in fact is hardly a significant reason to use to decide who I should support.
I would instead support someone who could work cooperatively with others, who could bridge differences and could make positive things happen. I would look to someone who could craft creative solutions to old problems and who understood what needed to be done to bring about change. I would help someone who was not afraid to question things as they are but who could also see ahead as to possible outcomes of their advocacy and change if their solutions proved wrong. And it seemed the so called younger person was judging people on their age, not their qualifications or experience. It made me wonder just how much he would listen to Seniors and their issues.
It is a big mistake if you make a campaign about age rather than issues and substance. Age is only a factor if one’s health is involved such that it limits the ability of an elected person to function. Dan Quayle was young, that didn’t make him a better Vice President.
There are many older people in the world who have been great candiates and many young people who have been terrible. I would prefer 10 years from a great older candidate than 30 years with a mediocre young one.
It is good to know that McMorris, Reichert and Hastings have “plumb”, or “perfectly vertical” committee assignments … or did you mean “plum” committee assignments?
Just teasing, Goldy, loveyalikeabrother.
Your losing party has to have something to offer besides “We’re not them”, we hate Bush, don’t you?” and “I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too!”
Right now, “the Democrats do not have a message for swing voters who are going to make the difference in this election,” pollster John Zogby told me last week. “There are not enough Democratic voters to give the Democrats a victory without swing voters.”
“There are not enough Democratic voters to give the Democrats a victory without swing voters.”
McMorris…middling at best
You are way too kind. She is nothing so much more than a reguritator of talking points stuck in her staff’s hands to use to prop up her textual materials. She is, quite literally, Pombo’s lackey, and sometimes i wonder when i think of her, how his boots stay so polished and clean (well he doesn’t really own a ranch, even less so than W). She is a disgrace to the concept representative, in that she fails across the board to vote along the lines of her own constituency, and not even considering of those composed of the competing parties and views. Middling?? No! Terrible, truly terrible.
Yes the polls are troubling to the right wing turd loving trolls. They are starting to realize that no amount of spin or rigging of voting machines in black districts in the south will save them now. Look for lots of mass suicides from the righties. Good news there is that we’ll loooooose some of these right wing loooooosers who waste our time here at HA!
Is it just an urban myth that George Nethercutt never corrected those who suggested in 1994 that the winner of the election in WA-5 would retain Tom Foley’s seniority, perhaps even his position as Speaker?
Tucson-Border Patrol agents discovered 91 illegal entrants who were smuggled into the country in the back of a box truck Thursday night southwest of Sonoita, an official said Friday. Around 10 p.m., the Border Patrol received a call from a concerned citizen about possible illegal activity, said Jesus Rodriguez, a spokesman for the agency’s Tucson sector. […………………………………………………………………..91 less Democrat votes, unless the illegals vote absentee from Mexico.]
Goldy–
I hate to break it to you, but that’s retarded. Wicked retarded. First off, we’ve already got people waiting in the wings in Inslee and probably Baird and Smith who’ll have more seniority. Second, does that mean we shouldn’t work to oust Doc? I mean at a decade’s worth of seniority, why bother replacing him? Third, shouldn’t the fact that she’ll make a better Congress Critter be a better argument? Also, it’s kinda stupid to use seniority as a reason to oust the incumbant!
I noticed you didn’t mention 7th District Representative For Life McDermott at 212 in the House…not great for nearly 20 years, dontcha think, especially in light of Dicks? Or maybe its not age, or even party, but the ability to get things done that makes a great representative?
P.S. rhp6033 @ 3…. If Jackson were around today, do you really think there would be room for him in the Democratic Party, or would he be ‘exiled’ like Joe Liberman? Given all the grief Cantwell is getting this year from the left in the state, I really don’t know.
Seniority strategy? Well, I suppose seniority has advantages, but all too many long-time politicos go “native.” Come on, Goldy, do you really want a bunch of Norm Dicks characters running the show? I don’t.
Perhaps you might want to go back and look at how dysfunction the House was before post-Watergate reforms took away at least some of the powers of seniority.
goldy,
thanks for outlining the perfect reason NOT to elect Darcy.
Just as Patty is a unqualified elector getting by cuz of power of incumbency, Darcy too would limp by for years. Damaging our country, embarrassing all of us.
Carl, my point is simply that Darcy’s youth is an advantage, not a detriment. It gives her more potential to powerfully represent WA’s interests than Reichert — nearly 20 years older — will ever have.
You know that Goldy is getting nervous when he posts a hit piece like this one.
I think the polls are proving that the re-election of Sen. Cantwell is not a given………..