Reichert Comments on WA-08 Race

Jonathan Martin has an article on the outcome of the WA-08 race.

In it Reichert makes a backhanded compliment to his opponent, whom he once again refuses to mention by name:

"I am a little surprised it was as tough as it was, because of the inexperience of my opponent," Reichert said. "The national environment played significantly higher role, and had more of an impact, than I expected it to play."

Reichert had to be oblivious to not recognize the seriousness of the threat against him. His exasperation at even having to appear at candidate forums and debates was clearly displayed during the campaign. While he wished to paint Darcy Burner as inexperienced (as compared to his whopping 2 years as congressman), he almost got beat by a skilled, quick learner who out-raised him during the heat of the campaign. What Darcy Burner lacked in years in politics she made up with her intelligence, understanding of the issues and her would be constituents, as well as her empathy towards people, attributes Reichert still lacks despite the outcome of this election.

Martin states that Reichert made a compelling case for his independence from the GOP and his roots in the suburban 8th Congressional District. I don't believe that to be the case.

Reichert fooled voters into believing he was independent from the Republican leadership, but neither his voting record, or his track record showed that he was beyond one or two votes. He successfully obfuscated that voting record, from voters, and from the MSM, and that's why he won, not because he made a compelling case. As a representative of a 50-50 district he will be closely scrutinized, but I suspect that he will actually benefit from Democrats being in power in Congress, as he will have more opportunities to vote in favor of Democratic legislation. When he doesn't I'll be watching and reporting on it here.

Over at the Seattle PI, the following was written:

Reichert said Burner called Monday night to congratulate him on a second term, and the two shared their frustrations about the slow pace of Washington's largely vote-by-mail elections.

"Finally, something we agree on," Reichert told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Washington, D.C.

If Reichert really believes he is independent and represents his constituents then he should have agreed with many of Darcy Burner's positions on the issues, including those where he had no position because he was uneducated about the issue (media conglomoration and net neutrality to name just a couple).

Meanwhile, Reichert never fails to think highly of himself as when he makes the following statements:

"In the end, it's really what gave us the victory," said Reichert, who returned to Washington D.C. as Congress reconvened. "It finally did come down to the point of the voters in the 8th District being astute and attuned politically. They saw a person who had leadership qualities and independence."

So many of the people that have had to deal with Reichert would dispute his "leadership qualities". His hubris will be his eventual downfall.

As for Darcy Burner, her strong showing, coming from nowhere, earning the support of donors, local volunteers and the national party, was a significant achievement. I suspect however, the type of person that Darcy is, she will not be comforted much by doing so well, yet not winning. She was in this to win from the beginning, and despite the odds and the history of this district she almost did against a well known, and highly financed incumbent. Whatever she chooses to do, and I would hope she will run for office again, she is a shining example of what makes this nation great: if you put your mind to something, work hard, treat people fairly and with compassion, and never let up, you can do great things. She got into this race for all the right reasons, and proved that the district was winnable. There's no turning back now.