One of the most amazing candidates running for Congress this is year is Darcy Burner in Washington state’s 8th congressional district. She was the one who (with the help of retired generals and national security experts) put together “A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq” which has been endorsed by over 50 Democratic congressional candidates, including Jill Derby. She has been on the forefront on all the important fights, including FISA. She’s just such a wonderful candidate that I’d be writing about her daily were she running in Nevada.
However, yesterday Darcy received a deep personal blow when her family’s home was destroyed in a fire and she, her husband, and her son were lucky to escape alive. Firefighters also managed to rescue their puppy but their cat died in the fire.
Now, I told you above what a wonderful candidate she is and naturally, a lot of candidates are all talk and of little substance. This is the t-shirt Darcy wore when she escaped the fire:
The text on the shirt is XML for “end war”.
Now, as Markos points out, Darcy faces a huge problem. Running a campaign is a time consuming effort. When your house has been destroyed through a fire your life has been uprooted and you simply can’t campaign and raise money as before. He (and other bloggers) has made a pretty good suggestion. We can’t help much with the personal side of this being so far away. But everyone of us can help her continue her campaign. Markos estimated that she would need to raise $150,000 in the month of July to keep her campaign competitive. So, the goal is to have the netroots raise that money for her so that she can focus the saved time on putting her life back together.
You can give to Darcy’s campaign here. And whether it’s $5 or $50, every bit helps.
In the meantime Darcy has put out a statement on her website. In it she asks not for contributions for her campaign but rather:
For those who would like to do something to express their support, let me suggest making a contribution to your local humane society or animal shelter in memory of Charlotte, or to the Washington State Council of Firefighters Benevolent Fund.
It’d be great if you show your support to Darcy in any way you like. Thanks!
Here’s a news report:
Cross posted from My Silver State