Hullabaloo

Saturday, June 28, 2008

 
End Of The Quarter

by digby

We are coming to the end of the fund raising quarter and it's important for these congressional candidates we all support to be able to tell the press they have raised enough money to make a good run to the fall. If you have some extra change from your rebate check or any other spare change, you might want to put it toward your favorite candidate or a little bit across the board to all of our Blue America field.

I'm going to be sending money today to Darcy Burner. I support her because she is an extremely smart, truly progressive politician who will be a leader for our side in the congress. She's already done great work in this campaign. As Steve Clemons wrote about her:

One of the best pieces of policy work out there that I have seen done thus far was Darcy Burner's "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq..."

This "Responsible Plan" is a big deal. Read it -- I think that this is perhaps a more important fundamental playbook for thinking through an Iraq withdrawal than what we are getting from either of the two (well, barely two) Democratic presidential candidates.

Ifthis is any guide as to where the Democratic establishment is going then we need as many people in congress like Darcy as we can get.

But as much as I like her I also want to support her because of the first class ass she is running against. Here's his ad from 2006:

It's fine to run on experience. It's not fine to portray your opponent as being a blithering bimbo in an advertisment.

Matt Stoller wrote:

Darcy Burner is a Harvard educated former Microsoft group program manager who oversaw a staff of about 40 people with a budget of $17 million, and this year, she authored a Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq. She is brilliant, accomplished, and a hell of a candidate, but Reichert in 2006 successfully portrayed her as a dumb ditzy blond who would do whatever Democrats told her, in contrast to the wise older experienced man.

A few days ago, Reichert joked about Hillary Clinton dying in a plane crash, a joke he's been telling since last February. He used a grossly sexist and nasty campaign in 2006 to keep his seat in Congress and vote against women's rights. And just watch him interrupt Darcy Burner during a debate, in order to argue in favor of denying birth control to women.

Needless to say, there are many positive reasons to support Burner and many substantive reasons to get that reactionary jerk Reichert out of congress. But I've reached the limits of my tolerance for this sexist crap in politics and I want to see it stopped.

Women don't run for office as often as men largely because they know they are going to face not only the usual horror show of diminished private life, constantly dialing for dollars, having their words and deeds twisted by their opponents and facing a stupid and juvenile press corps. But they have this whole other layer of bullshit and anyone would have to ask herself if it's worth it.

I admire people like Darcy and all the other women who put themselves out there to do this thing and face sexist, privileged creeps like Dave Reichert. I couldn't do it. But I can stand up for them and try to help make this kind of campaigning go the way of the minstrel show. Enough.

You can donate to all the Blue America candidates here.


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digby 6/28/2008 01:00:00 PM