Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Live from Redmond: Gregoire leads auction for Darcy Burner

I'm blogging live right now from the Redmond Town Center Marriott, at a special event for Darcy Burner - a benefit advertised as Women in Leadership, Addressing the Challenges of a Changing World.

It's a great feeling to be here at this event with some of my favorite people, including of course Governor Christine Gregoire and Darcy Burner. It's especially cool that it's being held here in the Bicycle Capital of the Northwest - the City of Redmond, where NPI is headquartered.

Darcy kicked off the event by acknowledging several of the most important guests:
"I want to start by saying thank you to many of the people who are here, who have built the ladder, rung by rung, that I'm climbing."
After a brief greeting, Darcy welcomed the Governor of Washington State, Christine Gregoire, to the podium. The following are excerpts from the Governor's speech.
"For some people you give a minute of silence. Ann Richards would never accept that. So let's give a cheer for Ann Richards!"

"Darcy has a lot in common with my husband. She grew up in a family of veterans. My husband is a veteran. She and my husband send the exact same message across the State of Washington: No matter how you feel about the war, it is up to each and every one of us to support our men and women in uniform. It's time we had a voice in Washington D.C. that says that."

"She also comes from a family of educators. She understands that every one of our children deserves an opportunity to succeed. We need to have early childhood education so that every child has a chance to learn before they hit kindegarten."

"Darcy understands the biggest crisis facing the people of this district: healthcare."

"It's amazing path that we're on. It isn't about Democrats and Republicans. Every Republican governor in the country will tell you that. Every week we get another letter [from the federal government] saying, 'we're cutting welfare funding' or 'we're cutting homeland security'."

"That's what Darcy Burner takes to Washington D.C. - a fight for the working families of this district."
The Governor ended her remarks by announcing a surprise, instant auction to raise money for Darcy Burner. She offered a dinner for two at the Governor's Mansion in December and kicked off the bidding at $100. The winning bid ended up being nearly $4,000.

The Governor is just now departing, and we'll be hearing next from a panel of speakers, including Jay Inslee's wife Trudy, Pam Eakes, Karen Cooper, and Diane McDaniel.

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