Cantwell not at her fundraiser with Feingold, crowd cheers Darcy Burner...

[madfloridian]

for her anti-war speech. This is a most interesting article. Apparently Maria Cantwell, who still totally stands by her vote for the war...is having trouble getting volunteers. It is implied here that she did not show up for her fundraiser because of the anti-war protestors, but the reporter admits that is speculation.



Curt Doughty
DARCY BURNER Appealing to Seattle liberals.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=37069

These paragraphs just about say it all.

Certainly a first-time congressional challenger like Burner has different volunteer needs than a well-funded incumbent senator like Cantwell. But here's another piece of the volunteer equation that should give Cantwell pause: About 100 of Burner's volunteers are from the Seattle area. While Cantwell is being pressed to show that she has a strong volunteer corps, political newbie Burner, who benefits from not having a long record of statements on Iraq, is sucking volunteers across Lake Washington, into the district she wants to represent and right out of a region that should be a pro-Cantwell stronghold.

This phenomenon was highlighted last weekend at a strange Cantwell event held in North Seattle. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold showed up to hype Cantwell's reelection bid, and Cantwell's usual antiwar hecklers also showed up outside the venue. But Cantwell herself didn't show, perhaps to avoid another confrontation with angry activists. Burner, however, was there. She drew loud cheers by giving the crowd the Iraq war criticism it was looking for—and made a subtle play for volunteers.

Now back to the beginning of the article, which shows an increasing tendency on the anti-war folks not to volunteer for those who still stand for the war as being the right thing. It is happening in our area, people won't donate or work for someone who won't stand up for them. They make it clear their vote will be there in the general election, but that is about all.

How did we get so far down this road where our Democrats just automatically go along?

Dwight Pelz, the chair of the Washington State Democrats, last month complained to Howard Dean that the party's wishy-washy stance on the Iraq war was "not helping" volunteer recruitment, and earlier this month Pelz singled out U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's reelection effort as suffering from volunteer disillusionment because of the junior senator's vote for the Iraq invasion in 2002 (a vote she has since refused to disavow).

"There are a lot of activists who are not signing up to work on her campaign," Pelz told the Seattle Times on May 5. "That's very clear."

Great article by The Stranger. (Edited for link)

[MadMaddie]

1. I liked Cantwell...but she has blown it....

I will be voting for Burner....it's really too bad Cantwell had the potential to be great but instead she won't admit she made a mistake...

[pnwmom]

2. Burner is running against Repub Dave Reichert, not Maria Cantwell

edit for spelling

[madfloridian]

3. So odd not to show up for Feingold.

But Darcy appeared to save the day.

[pnwmom]

5. yeah, I wonder what that was about.

[MadMaddie]

10. Thanks for the clarification....

[ribrepin]

4. I'll be voting for Cantwell's opponent in the primary

but will vote for the democrat nominee, whoever that might be.

[MadMaddie]

11. Same here.....

Welcome to DU!!:hi:

[keopeli]

6. Cantwell is a mixed bag.

Here are three major considerations about Cantwell:

Voting to go to war in Iraq, which she defends to this day.

Voting to end the Alito filibuster, though she proudly says she voted against his appointment.

Defending ANWR. She has been a good defender of ANWR.

Most people I ask know nothing, other than that she's a democrat.

Though her record is solidly democratic, when faced with a tough vote (see above), she tends to cave. In Washington, we have a lot of conservatives. Cantwell won the 2000 election by only 1200 votes.

The problem she is having is that all of the potential volunteers are serious political activists here, and they are all liberal.

I had several long discussions with a prominent local activist/volunteer. Six months ago, she was psyched about supporting Cantwell. She has now chosen to refrain from volunteering for Cantwell during the primary, as have I.

Everyone should be confident that I will help and support the Democratic nominee this Fall. But, Maria does not deserve my help to become the nominee. Why? Because, when the going gets tough, she caves. A minority party can not afford this weakness...especially now.

Peace.

[DELUSIONAL]

7. I will NOT vote for Cantwell

due to her vote and continued BLIND support for the invasion of Iraq.

If she wins the primary I'll leave a blank in the US Senator choices.


I just can't make myself vote for her -- I can't do it. I don't vote GOP and I don't vote DINO.

[fujiyama]

8. Do you want a repuke to remain

the Senate majority leader?

She may not be a great senator, but if you can suggest a REALISTIC alternative that will keep the seat in D hands, then I'm sure people are all ears.

[pdxmike]

12. hold your nose and vote DINO- please

I would also have problems voting for Cantwell, as well as other some other Dems. But never forget, at the end of the day you aren't voting for or against Cantwell. You're voting for a Democratic Senate. If I lived In Connecticut, and holy Joe was the nominee, I'd vote for him. We don't have the luxury of voting our conscience.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Looks like the grass roots is getting revved up in more than just CT

This is a good thing.

It is also good to see incumbents getting the message that they won't get support simply by virtue of the D after their names. There has to be a modicum of earned suppport.

Avoiding Finegold (if that's actually the case) is harder to understand.

[Zorra]

13. Cantwell defeated Slade Gorton, one of the slimiest politicians

in US history, by a narrow margin in 2000. A large part of her district is Central and Eastern Washington - some serious redneck country.

We need every possible Dem voter to support whoever wins the primary, or the fascists will take back that Senate seat, and believe me, that would be a tragedy.

[leftstreet]

14. "serious redneck country" Are you nuts?

Central/Eastern WA is "serious" fiscally conservative liberal territory.

They don't give a shit about gay marriage or abortion. They want out of Iraq, and they'd rather spend the money on national health care.

CantDoWell is completely out of touch with her constituents.