Highlights from We the People...: A Fundraiser Featuring Bill Clinton and Jim McDermott
On July 31, 2006, former president Bill Clinton and Congressman Jim McDermott welcomed a sold-out crowd at Benaroya Hall. Billed as "We the People...," the event raised funds for McDermott to help him continue his ongoing battle to protect the American people's right to know what their elected officials are doing. For future updates on Boehner vs. McDermott, be sure to sign up for McDermott's monthly e-newsletter, Get the Facts.
Many thanks to all the attendees, performers, sponsors, and, of course, Bill Clinton for making this such a successful event.
In addition to raising funds, the event spurred extensive coverage and discussions in the media and among bloggers. Here is a round-up of that coverage, plus links to photos, a program, and a podcast from the event.
, hosted by KPTK 1090 AM
-- Thom Hartmann, the evening's emcee
-- Stanley Jordan, guitarist
-- Children of the Revolution, a contemporary world music band
-- Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble
-- HOD Carriers and General Labor Union, Local 242
-- IAM District 751
-- IBEW, Local 46
-- NARAL, Pro-Choice Washington
-- SEIU
-- UFCW, Local 21
-- Washington Education Association
-- Washington Federation of State Employees AFSCME/AFL-CIO
-- Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
"Clinton spoke to about 2,400 people at Benaroya Hall to benefit U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, who is embroiled in a costly lawsuit with a Republican congressman. The event was expected to raise between $120,000 and $240,000 for McDermott."
The Seattle Times: August 1, 2006
"Former president Clinton gave Seattle an earful Monday evening at two fundraisers where he talked about priorities for Democrats and what he thinks is wrong with the Republican Party."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: August 1, 2006
"Before an intensely anti-war crowd at Benaroya, Clinton barely mentioned Iraq but managed to come away with a prolonged standing ovation. He earned it by doing something rarely seen among our contentious local liberals: Clinton lined up an agenda of issues on which Democrats can agree in the '06 campaign and work on if they retake Congress."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: August 2, 2006
"McDermott was ... scathing in his indictment of the Republicans. 'After ten years of Republican rule, America has empty pockets, empty gas tanks, and broken promises. They ignore the Constitution, toss aside the Geneva Convention, out an undercover agent, look over your shoulder at the library, tap the phones in your home, pick your pocket at the pump, and keep sending special interests on tax holidays paid for by the American people. Then, they go out for lunch and plot what they'll do to us in the afternoon!'"
Seattle Gay News: August 4, 2006
"After formal opening remarks from Thom Hartmann, Jim McDermott came onstage to what I can only describe as deafening applause and cheers. The auditorium felt incredibly alive as McDermott walked to the podium and began thanking the audience for showing up to take a stand for the First Amendment. 'After ten years of Republican rule America has empty pockets, empty gas tanks, and broken promises," Rep. McDermott said.'"
Northwest Progressive Institute: July 31, 2006
"I saw President Bill Clinton today. He spoke for about a half an hour about Jim, about Republicans, about politics, and much more. It's too bad that the Democratic Party's best messenger is the one guy who can't run in '08. "
Pike Place Politics: July 31, 2006
"Next on Clinton’s foray in Seattle was Benaroya Hall where he did a fundraiser to help Congressman Jim McDermott pay his legal bills. Ordinarily Clinton would not be doing fundraising for a Congressman who has no trouble getting 80% of the vote in his district. This fundraiser was to help McDermott with the climbing legal bills he has incurred defending himself from Republican lawsuits over revealing the details of a Republican plot to undermine the House Ethics Committee."
Homesteadbook.com: July 31, 2006
"I had only had a sketchy picture of McDermott’s legal difficulties before yesterday. Between the information provided in the program and Jim’s talking about it on stage, I understand the importance of what he has done on behalf of all of us."
Evergreen Politics: August 1, 2006
"I saw Bill Clinton last night at a fundraiser for my Congressman Jim McDermott. As always, he was charming, extemporaneous and the best partisan speaker the Democrats have. He knows how to rally the troops to the cause and refocus our attention on the broad strokes of the Party platform and the inherent differences between the philosophy of the Left and the ideology of the Right."
The (Liberal) Girl Next Door: August 1, 2006
Revision date: October 3, 2006
