News Dec 4, 2008 at 4:00 am

A Veteran Campaign Manager Explains How

Comments

1
Finally someone brings up the sacred cow.....thanks, and right on.
2
I'm ready to put on my Adidas and knock on some doors to get this haircut out of Congress!
3
Good analysis. Echoes of Tip O'Neill -- "all politics is local" and Karl Rove "attack your opponent's strength."

4
I'm so ready to see this guy go - thanks for the roadmap!
5
Never gunna happen! Sorry folks, you guys haven't been able to prove that he is a lockstep Republican (and he's not) in a district that votes for Democrats up-and-down the ticket. It must just eat away at you guys...
6
What he is saying makes sense. With the right candidiate, the D's can defeat Dave. The author even suggests some good candidates who could do it.
7
Solid analysis Marco - thanks!
8
It just bugs me to see that guy in congress still. Will someone take him out!
9
Well, I have a different view. First, Burner was not a good candidate and second she did not run a good campaign. I know, it's not P.C. to say that kind of thing but until we face the facts we will never get away from them.
About Reichert: in his heart he is a Democrat. His tie to the R's is only based on culture war issues. On the environment, on labor, on healthcare and on most other matters he is much closer to us than to them. With the new administration and Congress I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he began to vote even more Democratic. There will be far less pressure on him to stick with his caucus. If we are to beat him we will have to do it like we would take on any incumbent Democrat. We'll have to run to the left of him, and given that we can expect that all of our politics will be moving to the left we'll be giving him a lot of room to add conservative Dems to his Republican base. And Lieberman proved that in that situation our chances are deminished to the vanishing point.
10
I'm glad you spent time talking about the Pierce Co. portion of the district, but let's not forget southeast King County, either. Yes, this is the "eastside" district, but it is also Kent, Maple Valley, Auburn, and Covington's district. These areas are truly swing. You can sip all the wine with the eastside tech moguls that you want, but if you don't come down and chug some whiskey with the Boeing machinists, they won't vote for you.
11
Lt. Drebin, (I did not know the Stranger was read by so many celebs!)

Good points. That SE area of King Co. is still fairly working class, and obviously the communities are not totally opposite once you cross the county line to Pierce. Having been in SE King a fair amount, I would say it is more of a blend of Bellevue and Orting...so call them Suburbal or Rurban.
12
Nail 'em up!
13
Reichert is a Republican puppet. He votes D when the big guys in the R Party let him so he has something to campaign on back home. Reichert said as much in a speech to the Yakima R base a few years back.
He was an okay deputy, lousy sheriff, and is an ineffective congressman. Past time to vote him out.
14
I have to agree with jeffsmith. Burner was not a good candidate. I worked on the Ross campaign. I sent him money the day he announced. I sat in Mrco's office and talked politics with him.
Dave could speak intelligently about anything. Darcy, not so much. I was very disappointed when folks like Goldie, who doesn't live in the district. made it almost impossible for anyone to challenge Burner in the primary. The people in the 8th should decide their candidates, not the bloggers in Seattle.
The 8th is a funny place. Many of us have felt the boot of democratic Seattle on land use issues. We have the only active land fill in King County [it was suppose to close in 1989]. All of the fill material for the third runway came down our roads and we have the cracked windshields to show for it. Most of us couldn't get to Seattle on a bus unless we wanted to spend half the day getting there and the other half of the day getting back. In many ways, we feel [and I'm not talking about Bellevue here] as if we are the county's dumping ground.
Marco is right about east Pierce county but he neglects Maple Valley, east Renton, Enumclaw and the rest of us living in the forgotten hinderlands of King County.
15
Interesting article, though I'm not sure why The Stranger needed to add another over-educated under-talented writer to their mess that was put out this week. Enough about Marco and onto the piece. I think that the point about Burner not being a good candidate is a good one (other than the great fundraising - never to be underestimated). The district really doesn't change at the county line. Enumclaw is a lot more like Bonney Lake and Eatonville than Bellevue. If Chris Hurst (someone who will doorbell and no one would accuse of being an effete wine snob) is the Dem candidate, we win the district hands down. State Sen Rodney Tom would be a really great candidate. Incredible doorbeller, fundraiser, and solid moderate credentials - though in truth he is pretty darn liberal. Not a lot to complain about with the other points in the article. Let's hit Reichert right in his nut sack and put our best foot(s) forward.
16
Interesting article, though I'm not sure why The Stranger needed to add another over-educated under-talented writer to their mess that was put out this week. Enough about Marco and onto the piece. I think that the point about Burner not being a good candidate is a good one (other than the great fundraising - never to be underestimated). The district really doesn't change at the county line. Enumclaw is a lot more like Bonney Lake and Eatonville than Bellevue. If Chris Hurst (someone who will doorbell and no one would accuse of being an effete wine snob) is the Dem candidate, we win the district hands down. State Sen Rodney Tom would be a really great candidate. Incredible doorbeller, fundraiser, and solid moderate credentials - though in truth he is pretty darn liberal. Not a lot to complain about with the other points in the article. Let's hit Reichert right in his nut sack and put our best foot(s) forward.
17
Interesting article, though I'm not sure why The Stranger needed to add another over-educated under-talented writer to their mess that was put out this week. Enough about Marco and onto the piece. I think that the point about Burner not being a good candidate is a good one (other than the great fundraising - never to be underestimated). The district really doesn't change at the county line. Enumclaw is a lot more like Bonney Lake and Eatonville than Bellevue. If Chris Hurst (someone who will doorbell and no one would accuse of being an effete wine snob) is the Dem candidate, we win the district hands down. State Sen Rodney Tom would be a really great candidate. Incredible doorbeller, fundraiser, and solid moderate credentials - though in truth he is pretty darn liberal. Not a lot to complain about with the other points in the article. Let's hit Reichert right in his nut sack and put our best foot(s) forward.
18
Ok, but last I heard Reichert wasn't running for a 3rd term. The R would mostly likely be Reagan Dunn.
19
"Hizzoner"? Nice try Mom but I can spot your writing a mile away.
20
Darcy was a great candidate in many ways, but you're definitely right that someone with more experience will have a better shot. Let's hope one of the great Ds in the state legislature from the 8th will run.
21
I don't know if Burner was a good candidate or a bad one, but this time she was the wrong candidate. One of the hardest things to do in elections is to convince voters that they made a mistake the last time out. I'm sure Rossi would now agree. If the energy and resources given to Burner had been spent on a different candidate, they might have broken through voters' natural apathy and resulted in a Democratic win.
22
hey - hot air is cheap - and I never thought Darcy could beat anyone.

her campaign was horrid. She was running against Bush, didn't work. Looking for house fire sympathy, didn't work. Pumped her credentials up - bad bad media in the storm, didn't work. Darcy has the spark of a dishwasher going to community college.

1. ... Better candidate by 10 - male - handsome - telegenic and VERY energetic to appeal to younger voters who might sway.

Never mention or involve Darcy, the loss lady.

2.... get some sounding about the three issues the district really cares cares cares about. That is your platform. Be prepared, one will be roads. Throttle and block all the off the wall greens, rads, big mouths and other small time Seattle players from your campaign. Sorry the eastside has total contempt for that sector in ALL political matters.... hate is a better word. Eastside people only, others no profile or very low. Take their money only.

3...I do not agree with the Sheriff record attack. It all breaks in his favor, all all all. I do not know if there were betters way to do anything back then. Neither does anyone else who votes. Just sounds so thin thin thin. He is a hero of sorts, local hero of sorts, and by attacking that part of his record without REAL scandal, you say the voters who like him are stupid, nothing else. And you are on HIS message, even in the attempted negative. Each time you say Green River, his message, his message. The killer is in prison, the pain is over, Credit goes to the Sheriff, sorry, that is the way it breaks.

4. MUST have extensive political record - sort of better expert theme - in an area that likes experts. Darcy did not even improve his area in the two years between campaigns - she must be stubborn, cause it was so needed, better political resume.

6 ...Hire better media people. She got sacked on the two degree thing by her own media voice. Had she at the FIRST chance reconsidered her remarks to a degree and many extra classes, describe here, in econ she would have built her quasi expert status. As it played - she made her self seem like a liar. That cost here dearly in Bellevue and Kirkland, the real eastside, who value education above life.

5 ... Good luck, he is now entrenched.

6. The comments on N. Pierce and South King are right on ... hire Marco do do field. Not sexy and real work - Bruner botched that as well.

7 ... Her ads were flat, she is flat, pablum tastes better. Video buzz needed with top over the lake stuff, action, energy, drama, BETTER ads are key, this is not 1985. Someone made a ton of money with little skill... far from the brilliance needed to take him out. The kid is a one time nothing - kids abound over there - fertitity is a one time issue. handsome husband would have helped, nice couple on the rise, not baby boy. Felt a bit like a child prop.... and the kid is ordinary. Boy wonder didn't seem to be the attempted appeal. We all love our own kids, few look or act like a Shirley Temple. Not Darcy's kid for sure.

23
The 2010 census will lead to new district lines in 2012. There is also speculation that Reichert will run for US senator in 2010 or 2012.
24
I thought that DNA solved the Green River Case.

I never quite understood how people let Reichert take credit for a case where he overlooked the real killer for decades until DNA saved his butt.

Hey but that's just a Canadian's POV...
25
WTF? The Stranger, giving a shit about the Eastside? Fuck off.
26
I thought Darcy Burner was a loon, but Marco Lowe give dimwittery a new slant.

The first sentence shows that he needs to go back to 1st grade and watch some more Warner Brother cartoons.

"Reichert (R-8) is starting to look like the Wile E. Coyote of Eastside politics. Every two years, a challenger drops an Acme safe on the congressman in a brutal campaign to unseat him. But when the dust settles, there he is—still standing"

WHAT? It's the Coyote who would drop the safe on the unsuspecting Roadrunner who minds his own business and simply escapes.

If this guy can't get his cartoons straight, how is he going to run a campaign?!?
27
After the 2010 census when Congressional redistricting again occurs, the SE King County and Pierce County portions of the 8th should be sliced off and put in Doc Hastings Eastern Washington District. Stick all the bubbas together and we can forget about them.
28
Hi all,

Thanks for the well done post, Marco.

And it's right on track about bringing up the Green River case, except that it's way too understated.

Rather than using words like "mismanaged," a more accurate way to put it is that through either incompetence or corruption, Reichert allowed scores of women to be brutally murdered. These women suffered horrible deaths even though Ridgeway's identity was known from early on (the 7th victim's boyfriend let Reichert know the license plate of the killer).

In all other ways Reichert is an appealing guy and an adequate congressman, and the dems are going to be wasting everybody's time and money unless they spend one whole election cycle addressing this problem and other problems of Reichert's past, which I find is not known even to Seattle liberals.

Thanks all,

New Left Conservative #1




29
Burner is a bad candidate for the eastside and is more suited to a Seattle audience. Not too surprising that she lost even in a big Dem turnout. When Bagdad Jim retires, maybe she can take his place.
30
For better advice, talk to Tim Ceis.
31
Darcy was weak an ineffective. Having Microsoft as a middle name is not a plus.
32
I think that these were pretty good points. I heard Reichert speak on a few occasions thanks to a High School politics group, and I think I have a few more things to add. Whoever is picked as candidate must have a presence. Reichert walks into a room and owns it, he captivates audiences, almost like a republican version of Obama. The local hero description is a true one as well. Reichert has the strength of being attached to personal safety in the minds of many in Washington who remember the days of the Green River killings (say what you will about the handling of the case). The dems need to get serious if they want the seat, and seriously need to find a candidate who can captivate the public in the manner that Reichert can.

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