A Better Agenda for Darcy

Darcy Burner was cheated. All true. Reichert raised illegal campaign bucks and the times deserves the anti matter Pulitzer for its smear piece on her education.

Darcy may well have won w/o dirty campaigning. She should have won anyway because she is a better person for the job.

BUT

With apologies to Sandip and others in the campaign, Darcy should have listened when I and others urged her to go local.

The election in the 8th was not for the Presidency or the cabinet. The elction was fora representative OF the eighth. Darcy has creds she should have used a lot better. She is a techie in a District where the dominant product is bits and bytes. She is a professional woman and a mom. She is a lover, one assumes, of the NW heritage of trees, forests, and schools. None of this came through in the campaign.

OK, I have MY agenda. I wanted her to seek out local supporters from tech and academics. Maybe the war was a better issue? Even so, then why did she choose to paint herself as the head of some team of national experts rather than seeking and showing the counsel of local experts. The UW alone has one of the world's strongest programs in national security but as far as I could find out, Darcy never involved herself with any of these people.

Other issues where she could have claimed a local perch are transportation and energy. Our energy situation, because of Bonneville, is unique and very much a federal issue. BC with its huge hydro resources is also relevant. As for transportation, why did she not take a stand on light rail? I would Sarah Palin Betcha that Pierce Co. is very supportive because LR means JOBS.

While we are at energy, there are also huge openings to discuss in re our relations with BC. The Province has vast natural resources .. from hydro to wonds and tides. We need a common development policy and common trade policy to move the focus of commerce from LA/SF to Vanc-Seatac. This raises many issues that would be great meat for a campaign, including the need for high speed rail from Vancouver to Portland.

I know that these are far too many issues for one campaign, but they are all LOCAL: issues. If Darcy still wants a political future in the NW, she needs to refocus her efforts on the 'hood.