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I'm too distraught to write about this.

So go read Jesse Wendel. He pretty much sums it up: This was a media hit job.

It wasn't just the Seattle Times, incidentally, though they led the charge. Local talk radio -- particularly two very well-known jagoffs on the two biggest stations in town -- played a big role too.

I don't know if there will be a "next time" for Darcy. I do know that the Times' karmic bitch will be biting them in the ass for this in a big way.

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I went to Darcy Burner's post-election party in Bellevue last night, and chatted with her as we watched the results come trickling in.

At the time, Darcy had a nice early lead, thanks to the early ballots. But we knew even then it wouldn't last, and sure enough, by the time I went home, the race was essentially tied.

We won't know the outcome of her race for a few days: Right now, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert has a a 900-vote lead, but only 41 percent of the vote has been counted.

Gauging from count trends we've seen so far, if Darcy is within shouting distance going into the final laps of counting, she has a very good shot at pulling out the win, since early-cast ballots went strongly for her.

Darcy was badly hurt in the last week or so of the campaign by the GOP's smear machine in claiming Burner "lied" about her Harvard degree, and especially by the disgraceful credulousness of the local press in picking up the story.

The leading disgrace was the Seattle Times, which managed even last night to smear Burner at the tail end. As we were hanging out in the comm room, HorsesAss blogger David Goldstein noticed that the Times was reporting that Darcy had gone home for the night and left her supporters behind. As it happened, Darcy was sitting next to us at the time. Here's Goldy's post, and a folo by McJoan.

You can see it all on the video.

And there's a special message to C&L readers from Darcy at the end.

UPDATE: Goldy find even more Times stupidity.

We've been busy trying to get our Blue America candidates elected with your help and add more and better Democrats to Congress.

Digby:

Howie is doing all the heavy lifting, gathering information and putting together the pre-election round up over at his place. If you're a Blue America donor this cycle and want to know how it's going for our candidates, be sure to check in with him over the next couple of days and after the election for the full round up.

Yesterday, he wrote about Blue America's media work in this cycle

{snip}

Stay tuned for more at Howie's place. We are poised to bring some better Democrats to congress this time and all of you who donated to Blue America and our candidates over the past year or so can take a look in the mirror and be proud that you helped elect some real progressives to Washington. It's not as sexy s Obamamania, but it's important.

Howie's been doing a series of progress reports and since so many of you have donated, please check them out as Tuesday is almost here.

The Daily Blue America Report-- #10

The Daily Blue America Report-- #9

I don't know how to tell you this, Jean, but craven Republicans desperate to hold on to their seats cut and run from their word, patriots never do. Don't look now, but I think your knickers are on fire.

Just one week after making this pledge(.pdf), Schmidt releases an ad attacking rival (and Blue America candidate) Victoria Wulsin as a physician. Way to stay on the issues, Jean. In the interest of disclosure about the charges in the ad, I received this from the Wulsin campaign:

(I)n 2006, the Ohio Elections Commission ruled that Jean Schmidt displayed a “reckless disregard for the truth” during her 2005 campaign for Congress.

In 2004, Dr. Wulsin was hired as a consultant by the Cincinnati-based Heimlich institute to review existing research on a controversial treatment for AIDS and other diseases. Dr. Wulsin determined that the experiments failed and her consultancy was promptly terminated.

In April, after a “thorough review,” the State Medical Board of Ohio determined these false charges had no merit. Steve Black, who originally raised this issue in the Democratic Primary Election, endorsed Dr. Wulsin and said he accepted the State Medical Board of Ohio’s decision that these charges had no merit. [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer “Politics Extra Blog”, 8/7/08]

Though the ad attacks Dr. Wulsin’s record as a physician, she is supported by the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association as well as 10 other medical and health groups. Over 350 individual physicians have supported Dr. Wulsin’s campaign.

The false charges in Schmidt’s new ad are identical to charges made by the Congresswoman in fundraising letters earlier this year. After analyzing one such letter, the Cincinnati Enquirer characterized Schmidt’s attacks as “stretching the truth.” [Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6/15/08]

Well, turnabout is fair play, so Wulsin is putting out this ad in response:

Continue reading »

Darcy Burner is fighting back against Dave Reichert's last-minute smear campaign accusing Darcy of fluffing her academic record -- even though Reichert is guilty of exactly that himself.

The video above is a powerful response to Reichert's own smear ads, but that hasn't stopped the right-wing Wurlitzer cogs. On KOMO-AM today, the right-wing talkers were once again smearing Burner as a liar.

You know what to do. Go help Darcy now.

It stands to reason that Darcy Burner's opponent, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington's 8th District, would be getting desperate about now. After all, the most recent polling consistently shows him trailing Burner by about four points.

So of course, he's been trying to smear her with a cheap falsehood about her Harvard degree. And in the process, he appears to have really stepped in it. From Goldy at HA:

Let’s see if this, Rep. Dave Reichert’s official Congressional biography, makes the front page of the Seattle Times:

REICHERT, David G., .a Representative from Washington; born in Detroit Lakes, Becker County, Minn., August 29, 1950; graduated, Kent Meridian High School, Renton, Wash., 1968; B.A., Concordia Lutheran College, Portland, Oreg., 1970; U.S. Air Force Reserve, 1971-1976; U.S. Air Force, 1976; police officer, King County, Wash., 1972-1977; sheriff, King County, Wash., 1997- 2004; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Ninth Congress and to the succeeding Congress (January 3, 2005-present).

Problem is, Reichert never earned a B.A. from Concordia in 1970, because they didn’t even grant their first bachelors degree until 1980. In fact, the year Reichert started was Concordia’s first year as a Junior College; before then, it was merely a Lutheran high school.
What Reichert has is a two-year Associates degree from a small, Christian, Junior College. (And possibly, not even that; has Heffter bothered to ask Concordia’s registrar for Reichert’s records?) Thus Reichert’s official bio, which he has allowed to go uncorrected for four years, and which has been picked up by numerous news organizations and other web sites, is an undisputed lie.

You see, Reichert has been spreading the story that Burner fluffed up her resume by claiming to have a degree in economics from Harvard. And sure enough, the Seattle Times -- which has a long track record of explicit animus toward Burner -- bit on the story.

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Alan Grayson is one of the sharpest and most progressive Democrats running for Congress in any district. He was the very first Blue America endorsement in this cycle and he's been consistently beating the corrupt, Bush rubber stamp incumbent, Ric Keller, in every poll since the primary.

You probably remember that John and I were big advocates of John Cusack's film War, Inc but what you might not know is that we sent an early screening copy to Grayson's campaign and he used it in Orlando to help contextualize the Bush Regime's war in Iraq and profiteering by GOP corporate supporters. Tomorrow, Grayson will be launching his newest TV ad and Crooks & Liars just got a hold of an advance copy.

Take a look and if you like it, please donate to Alan Grayson's campaign through our Act Blue page. The first ten C&L donors today-- of at least $30-- will also get a free DVD of War, Inc compliments of John Cusack.

This weekend Blue America, along with our partners at SaysMe.TV, launched an innovative new way for grassroots activists to participate in the political process without going through mercenary middlemen (primarily political consultants). Basically the new application, which you can see at this C&L page allows you to pick a candidate, an ad, a TV network, a time of day, pay for it online and run it-- with your name on screen as the purchaser.

Today we expanded our application to include 3 more districts, two in southern California (for Debbie Cook and Russ Warner) and one in North Carolina (for Larry Kissell). Please give it a test drive and let us know what you think. I just bought 7 ads for Debbie Cook in Orange County on MSNBC!

Alan Grayson, the progressive Democrat running against a desperate Bush rubber stamp in Orlando, Ric Keller, has had some of the best press of anyone running for Congress this year. The Vanity Fair feature about his work fighting for taxpayers against Iraq war profiteers is powerful and the article Harper's did on Keller's hypocrisy and corruption probably has had a great deal to do with why Grayson is ahead of Keller in all the polling-- ahead and widening the gap.

But as much as I want to believe that Orlando voters are responding to the two feature stories-- and there is even some plausibility to the effectiveness of the racy Harper's piece since yesterday's Orlando Sentinel covered it prominently-- TV spots seem to have a much greater impact. I look at congressional candidates' TV spots all day and Grayson's have been among the best and most effective. I have a feeling that's why he's ahead. So ahead that the RNC actually sent out an e-mail calling him the "perhaps the most liberal candidate in America." Alan wears that badge proudly and tomorrow he'll start running a new TV ad that will probably elicit more desperate e-mails from the RNC. It's an ad about what really supporting our troops and vets is all about-- not about wearing ribbons or flag pins or making puffed-up jingoistic speeches but about being there when our fighting men and women need you, no matter how boneheaded you think the Commander-in-chief's decisions are. Keller's voting record on assisting military vets is nothing short of abysmal and disgraceful. When I asked Alan about it he didn't hold back: "Keller is one of those fake patriots who loves to send our troops to war, but won't lift a finger to help them when they get back. He says that he's 'pro-life,' too, but he couldn't care less about you after you're born." You can read all the bills he opposed at the link or you can watch this 30 second TV spot that will start running in Orlando tomorrow:

If you'd like to help make sure lots of people see that ad, you can donate to Alan Gayson's campaign on his Blue America ActBlue page.

I hope you've noticed the new Blue America box up top-- and I hope you'll click on it and get to know the Blue America candidates and help them get into Congress so they can work for the actual change that Obama talks about and that Republicans and conservative Democrats are determined to thwart. Today, though, I want to ask you to dig for someone else's efforts. John and I have become close with the folks at one of the DC organizations really worth trusting: People For the American Way. PFAW's Voters Alliance has endorsed a healthy batch of progressives for the House and, as you can see, there are more similarities than differences with the Blue America list.

They're running a competition similar to the one Blue America did a couple weeks ago. Our Senate and House contests raised over $100,000 for our candidates. We want PFAW to double that. Right now Judy Feder (D-VA), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Russ Warner (D-CA) are ahead, but Dennis Shulman (D-NJ), Doug Tudor (D-FL) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are catching up. Please take a look at their list and see if there's someone you want to "vote" for. And sure $50 is grand but if we've learned one thing at Blue America, it's that we can beat the Republicans and their corporate allies with lots and lots of $5 and $10 contributions.

We didn't make a big fuss about raising money "at the end of the quarter" like everybody else did. You were probably inundated with requests from every politician you ever pass on the street talking about yesterday's midnight deadline. We just tend to not get into the hysteria. Happily, though, more than a few generous donors decided to make their contributions through our Blue America page and our total for the year is over $405,000.

Today's the first day of the new "quarter" and Crooks & Liars has a gorgeous pair of tickets (4th row, center) for a Jackson Browne concert this Saturday, October 4, at L.A.'s historic and intimate Orpheum Theater. Jackson gave the tickets to Debbie Cook's campaign when he endorsed her and she passed them along to us so that a Blue America donor would get an opportunity to be able to go to the sold out show– other than by going on eBay and paying $500 to a scalper... When you donate to our ActBlue page-- any amount-- and your name gets put in a hat and, if luck is with you, you'll win the pair of tickets. If we were a Republican PAC we'd just say the pair goes to the highest bidder-- or maybe we'd scalp 'em on eBay ourselves-- but we like this idea more because even people who can only afford to donate $1 get a chance to win the tickets. The contest ends tomorrow at 2pm, PT. One rule: one chance to get into the drawing per screen name.

Debbie is one of Blue America's priority candidates for November, not just because she is running against one of the worst rubber stamp Republican goons in Congress, the execrable Dana Rohrabacher, but because from the first day she gets there she will be the best informed voice on Capitol Hill on progressive public energy policy. Whether you win the Jackson Browne tickets or not, a donation for Debbie Cook is a win for a better vision of our country.

Rick Noriega is the Democratic nominee to replace Bush rubber stamp John Cornyn in Texas' U.S. Senate seat. This weekend Rick was the winner of the Blue America Senate contest, having inspired 947 donors (who contributed $20,500). We asked Rick to come by today, not just to congratulate him, but also to ask him how he would have approached the Paulson bailout had he been in Washington DC. Please join us in the comments section to speak with Rick.

Even though the contest is over, Rick needs donations so he can compete with Cornyn's huge corporate money machine. You can donate at the Blue America page.

Since we announced our Blue America Senate contest last Saturday, we've had almost 1,700 donors voting for our 5 Senate candidates, Rick Noriega (D-TX), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Andrew Rice (D-OK), Tom Allen (D-ME) and Mark Begich (D-AK), and we've raised over $45,000. If you haven't voted yet, please do; you've got 'til noon, PT. And we'll announce a winner at 1 pm. Since Rick Noriega is way out ahead, here's a clip of him making a campaign pitch that will give you an idea about why he's so admired and respected in Texas and why he'll make such an extraordinary U.S. Senator.

Two of the most beloved political figures in Oregon, former Governor Barbara Roberts and progressive icon Earl Blumenauer each wrote to Blue America this week asking us to pass along their messages of support for Jeff Merkley in our Blue America Pick-A-Senator Competition, in which you vote and we donate $5,000 to the winner. Gov. Roberts' and Rep. Blumenauer's enthusiasm for Jeff seems to be borne out by our community since Jeff is way out front, at leats for now. Rep. Blumenauer:

"I'm Congressman Earl Blumenauer from Oregon and I wanted to take a moment to tell you about our race for U.S. Senate. Jeff Merkley might not be as funny as Al Franken or a member of the Udall family, but he's been a real progressive leader in Oregon and has the record to show he will be in the U.S. Senate. I've known Jeff for over two decades and watching him in the subsequent years, I know what kind of leader he will be. As Oregon's Speaker of the House, Jeff led one of the most effective, efficient and progressive legislative sessions in Oregon's history. He will continue the fight to end the war, pass universal health care and combat climate change in the U.S. Senate. Even more pressing is that Jeff has a real chance to defeat a Senator who supports the same people and policies that have gotten our country so far off course. Gordon Smith has done everything he can to hide and confuse the public about his record and recently has taken part in one of the most despicable attack ads I have ever seen in my 35 years in public service. Please help us put an end to failed policies and the politics of obfuscation and help send Jeff Merkley, a real progressive, to the U.S. Senate by casting your vote today!”

Governor Roberts:

Hello Blue America! My name is Barbara Roberts and I’m the former Governor of the great state of Oregon. I’m here today to ask you to join me and show your support for Oregon Senate candidate Jeff Merkley. House Speaker Jeff Merkley has always fought for Oregon families and has never backed down to the powerful special interests. I’ve seen him take on the drug companies and the insurance companies and win. That’s the kind of leader he’s been in Oregon and that’s the kind of leader he’ll be in Washington. Here in Oregon, we’ve been lucky to have a great Senator in Ron Wyden, but we have a problem. That problem is Republican Gordon Smith! Gordon Smith has supported every failed, disastrous policy of the Bush Administration. Smith supports the Iraq War, tax breaks for big oil, warrantless wiretapping, and voted to confirm extreme rightwing judges. It’s time for Bush rubberstamp Republican Gordon Smith to be sent packing and you can help make that happen by casting your vote for Jeff Merkley today!

Here's Jeff explaining the bailout/corporate giveaway to Oregon voters:

   In 2006 one of the victories Blue America was most proud of was our early and unstinting support for John Tester. Chuck Schumer and the DC Insiders were ruthless in their attempts to ram a corporate hack down Montana Democrats throats. We helped beat that back and then went on to help Tester beat corrupt Republican rubber stamp Conrad Burns in November. Senator Tester saw our Blue America Senate contest and decided to chime in on behalf of Alaska's Mark Begich in this letter he sent us:

I'm a huge supporter of Mark Begich and I think you should be too. He is one of the best and brightest candidates we have running for office this campaign season. In May, Mark invited me up to Alaska to show me around the Last Frontier. It was an incredible opportunity to see and learn more about Alaska and the issues of the state. Together, Mark and I held veterans listening sessions in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Wasilla where we had very insightful and interesting conversations with the veterans about the challenges they are facing today.

I've been impressed with Mark's drive to public service since I first met him, and have found him to be one of the more remarkable political figures I've ever met. And in my visit with Mark this spring, his words and actions again impressed upon me how important it is that he be elected to the US Senate this November.

His style of producing solutions to tough problems as Mayor of Anchorage will be well suited to overcoming obstacles in the Senate. I look forward to having the perspective of another Democrat from a Western, rural state. And Alaska deserves a Senator who's putting Alaska families first. I'm supporting Mark because he's fighting for lower energy prices, affordable health care, and the support our men and women in uniform deserve. It's about time Alaska had representation Alaskans could be proud of. And Mark's drive for full disclosure as a candidate represents a great model for the Senate itself.

There are a lot of similarities between my race in Montana in 2006 and Mark's race in Alaska today. Like me, Mark is running against a powerful, long-time Republican incumbent tainted by clouds of corruption. Mark's in a close race and it's going to stay tight through election day. Another big similarity is that just as I was carried to victory with the support of the Netroots, Mark needs help from committed activists across the country to win. So please, take a moment to make a contribution to Mark Begich's campaign and help ensure that he and I are working together next January in Washington.

Sincerely,

Jon Tester