Last Monday night, WA-08 Democratic candidate for Congress Suzan DelBene spoke to the Newport Hills (Bellevue, WA) Drinking Liberally chapter.
Joshua Adam Hicks grilled Suzan DelBene for a Bellevue Reporter article on the event.
Excerpts of Suzan quotes from the Bellevue Reporter piece
On Dave Reichert:
“We need someone who is proactive in bringing new ideas and solutions to the table,” she said. “You have to do more than just show up and vote.”
On Microsoft:
“You know, Microsoft was a great company to work for, but it’s not always a quiet, warm and fuzzy company.”
On qualifications:
“We need folks with real experience who know what it’s like to run large companies,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of that experience today.”
"I have a good perspective of what it's like to be at a very large company and what it's like to work from scratch begging for money to get a startup off the ground."
On gun control:
"I don't own a gun," she said. "I support and believe in the Second Amendment and that people should have their guns.
"I also believe that not all Americans need to carry AK-47s. I think...there is some line that we draw."
A bit of history.
In 2004, WA-08 Democrats fielded talk radio host Dave Ross against King County Sheriff Dave Reichert for the seat vacated by Republican Jennifer Dunn. Ross had never before run for political office. He would have been an awesome Congressman, but unfortunately, he proved to be a somewhat less than awesome candidate.
Then came Microsoft manager and future netroots star Darcy Burner in 2006. Like Ross, Darcy had never run for office. She lost to Reichert in 2006 and again in 2008.
The fact that they had never held public office is one of the things I liked most about Ross and Burner. The House is a two year term. It was intended to be a citizen run body, not a permanent home for career politicians. How are we going to elect more and better Democrats to national office if you have to already be a political hack to win? On the other hand, I'm getting tired of losing, and I keep hearing the voice of my high school band director in the back of my head saying: "if you are going to make mistakes, it is more to your credit to make a different one every time".
Along came Suzan DelBene
Suzan made a fortune with technology companies as a founding executive of Drugstore.com and as a Microsoft Corporate VP, among other endeavors. (Please, don't be ridiculous and hold that against her.)
Naturally, I expected to encounter a steely, intimidating business person in the mold of Maria Cantwell or Carly Fiorina. That wasn't the case.
She was in some respects true to form, attractive and well dressed (simply and casually, not at all flashy), and a confident public speaker, but there was an unexpectedly genuine quality – a warm underlying decency of character, something deeper and more sincere than mere charm, that would suggest that her ascension to the high ranks of high-tech did not produce a trail of bludgeoned, mangled bodies in her wake. She came across as straightforward and honest (albeit a bit careful), not at all shifty or shrewd.
My wife simply characterized her as "a go getter".
We have a choice in WA-08 between Democrat and no Democrat; "better Democrat" would be icing on the cake. We are up against a three term moderate Republican incumbent, and frankly, there doesn't appear to be a solidly progressive partisan Democrat on anybody's radar screen that might jump into this race and be competitive.
By "partisan Democrat", I mean a person that is committed to getting Democrats elected for the purpose of moving public policy in a more progressive direction, and equally committed to defeating Republicans, who invariably stand in the way of progressive legislation, save for occasional (typically throwaway, in Reichert's case) cross-over votes.
Last Monday, one of the first answers that came out of Suzan's mouth was "people should vote for the candidate, not the party" – a reasonable position, but also a red flag that she is probably more of a left-leaning, nuanced independent than a solid progressive. In other words, forget about single payer healthcare, or full-fledged gay marriage. To wit:
"I think all Americans should have access to quality healthcare, but I'm not sure single payer is the right way to get there"
To say Suzan hasn't demonstrated much commitment to the Democratic party is a British caliber understatement. An FEC search produced zero Suzan DelBene contributions to candidates over the last two election cycles (at least above the $200 threshold). The most recent contribution I can find for DelBene is $1000 to Maria Cantwell in April, 2003. Bear in mind this is a person that lives in a mansion in Medina, a town of about 3000 with an average home price of $1.6 million. Trust me on this, Suzan is way above average, even in Medina.
For someone like me, that like many of you, gave till it hurt, then gave some more, then some more, and more...the fact that Suzan sat on her hands is more than a bit troublesome. Nothing for Barack Obama, or Christine Gregoire, or Peter Goldmark, or Darcy Burner. Zip.
Following are excerpts from a press release I received via email from the DelBene Campaign (emphasis mine):
BIG 1ST QUARTER FUNDRAISING NUMBERS SHOW MOMENTUM FOR SUZAN DELBENE
Bellevue, Washington – Democratic Congressional Candidate Suzan DelBene reported raising over $314,000 in the 1st Quarter of 2009, to jumpstart her campaign to represent Washington State’s 8th Congressional District.
DelBene entered the race only six weeks ago. Total raised is $314,723.86, with cash on hand as of March 31, 2009 of $293,923.75. Both numbers are expected to place her among the top challengers in the nation.
1st Quarter numbers include $200,000 in seed money by DelBene to her own campaign. “I felt it was important that I show my own commitment to putting together a winning campaign before I asked others to support me,” DelBene said.
After stiffing Darcy for two consecutive election cycles, not to mention John Kerry, Christine Gregoire, etc., and just a few months after Darcy's narrow loss and Governor Gregoire's narrow victory, Suzan has $200,000 for her own campaign. It is no surprise she has money for her own campaign, given her considerable wealth, it is notable that she wasn't able to find a single other candidate worthy of even a $200 contribution in nearly six years.
“I felt it was important that I show my own commitment to putting together a winning campaign before I asked others to support me,” DelBene said.
Yet she apparently felt little need to show commitment to the Democratic party before asking for its support.
Perhaps even more troubling, my research indicates she has voted in only 9 of the past 22 elections in which she was eligible, therefore demonstrating a lack of zeal not only for electing Democrats, but perhaps even, one might argue (an opponent, for example), for democracy itself.
What vexes me most about this ambivalence to the Democratic party is the probability that at some point in the future I'm going to be donating money to her campaign, emailing my friends of limited means and hacking out Kos diaries encouraging the same, and walking my precinct to register Democrats - for the good of the Democratic party, precisely the type of grassroots effort she needs to have a chance at defeating Congressman Reichert.
To be fair, when Darcy appeared on the scene she was tagged with these very same shortcomings (spotty voting record and minimal history with the party), although to a somewhat lesser degree. At least Darcy had previously worked on the Dave Ross campaign. Still, she was treated cooly by a number of the 41st Legislative District Democratic officials throughout both of her campaigns. In a recent conversation with Darcy, who spoke highly of Suzan, she lamented the Democrats' "habit of eating their own", no doubt a reference to exactly the type of complaints I am now airing regarding Suzan, who may very well be our best hope in 2010.
There's the rub. I don't want to undermine the campaign of a viable candidate. I really do like this person. I also don't want to be a chump and automatically support anyone who materializes out of thin air and announces as a Democratic candidate.
Suzan will likely face a primary challenge by her 48th LD Senator, Rodney Tom, a former Republican that switched parties in 2006. Rodney briefly entered the 8th CD race last cycle, but it became quickly evident that he had no shot at winning a primary against Darcy Burner. None. Zilch. In short order, he graciously backed out and endorsed Darcy. To Suzan's credit, when she last donated to Maria Cantwell, and prior to that, Patty Murray ($1000 in 2002), Rodney Tom was serving the 48th District in the State House as a Republican.
I just "heard on the street", from a Republican source (so you know it has to be true), that the Democratic leadership discouraged Suzan from running, and prefers Rodney Tom. I didn't exactly get that vibe from party chair Dwight Pelz in a short email conversation, or Darcy Burner during a phone conversation. I think the Democratic leadership is going to get the most excited about the candidate that can raise a pile of money. Tom's ability to be financially viable in this race is in doubt, and he doesn't exactly have an extensive history with the Washington State Democrats (and he was no match for Darcy).
I ask you to put my comments about Suzan DelBene in perspective, remember that in WA-08 it is all about converting the independents and moderates, that a significant percentage of the electorate believe (and may very well be right) that partisan politics defines what is wrong with government, and consider supporting, should she win the primary, this intellectual, honest, tactful candidate who is an aggressive advocate for reproductive rights. Keep in mind that Dennis Kucinich would have no chance in WA-08, and that a highly educated, well-read, extremely accomplished and capable unapologetically pro-choice moderate represents a dramatic improvement over Republican Dave Reichert.
Suzan strikes me as a great spokesperson who, like President Obama will, despite her claim that "socially, I'm very progressive", occasionally disappoint the far left on policy, but will nevertheless conduct herself in a manner that will make her constituents proud.
I know Darcy enjoyed a lot of love from the netroots, and that the disappointment of her loss still lingers, but we can't have Darcy, so, I suggest we put that behind us and heed that wonderfully pragmatic lyrical advice from Stephen Stills: "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one your with!"