Roll Call says Debbie Wasserman Schultz might be next chairman of the DCCC. I have concerns.

[madfloridian]

Roll Call has an article up that says Debbie Wasserman Schultz might be the chairman of the DCCC next year. This blog presents part of it, no way to read the rest without a subscription. If this is truly a possibility, I have some concerns about it.

Wasserman Schultz called ‘Florida’s hurricane force’

Roll Call, a weekday newspaper that circulates on Capitol Hill, is calling U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz “Florida’s hurricane force in the House,” and notes she could be in line to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee next year.

The newspaper says Wasserman Schultz, 41, of Pembroke Pines, may wear “more hats than any other second-term” member of the House. She’s an Appropriations subcommittee chairman — a position so powerful that it carries the sobriquet “Cardinal” —is a chief deputy majority whip and is one of three co-chairs of the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, which tries to elect Democrats in formerly Republican districts and co-chairs the DCCC’s “Frontline” program that raises money to protect Democrats such as Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, who have been targeted by the GOP.

Roll Call calls Wasserman Schultz “a rising star in the (Democratic) party’s next generation of leadership.”

That is the Democratic committee in charge of electing Democrats to the House. I don't know how the chairman is chosen, but Rahm was in 2006, then Chris Van Hollen. Van Hollen from what I see has worked closely with the DNC to help build the party throughout the states.

Yet Wasserman Schultz is having a serious problem in her own state. Yes, she is chairman of the Red to Blue program...but she has declared loyalty to her Republican friends in South Florida.

The Democrats for the first time in years have three good candidates running in that area for congressional seats. Debbie WS is said to be working for them, BUT..refusing to take a stand against her Republican buddies against whom these Democrats are running.

New voter registration numbers show Democrats creeping up on the GOP in contested Republican- leaning congressional districts.

Democrats believe they have their best shot in years at defeating the Cuban-American Republican trio in a race that is likely to test their belief that voters in the largely Cuban-American districts are more worried about housing foreclosures and affordable healthcare than toppling the Castro dictatorship.

Martinez, former Miami Dade Democratic Party chairman Joe Garcia, who is challenging Mario Diaz-Balart, and Annette Taddeo, who is taking on Ros-Lehtinen, all collected more money than their rivals in the fundraising quarter that ended March 31, though they trail in cash on hand.

The Diaz-Balarts and Ros-Lehtinen are not the kind of Republicans that Democrats should be standing with. They are very right wing, extreme in their support of the Bush agenda.

Yet Wasserman Schultz will not speak up against them.

''Our view is that this is an interesting possibility for the Democrats, but we want to see more,'' Rothenberg said.

He noted that one factor in the races is the decision by Weston Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz not to actively campaign for the three Democrats because of her close relationships with the three Republican colleagues. Wasserman Schultz, who co-chairs a national party effort aimed at helping House candidates, and Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat, have said they plan to stay neutral because of ties to the three Republican incumbents.

Stay neutral when you have a chance for the first time in years? Stay neutral because of your family ties and working relationship with extreme Republicans?

The current DCCC executive director defended her on this issue.

DCCC director defends Wasserman Schultz...says bloggers make "much ado about nothing."

Brian Wolff, executive director of the DCCC, says the bloggers are making "much ado about nothing," noting that it's "customary" for members to remain neutral in races involving GOP members of their respective congressional delegations.

I wonder if that could have something to do with our not doing so much winning in certain states. I wonder if that is a red state strategy.

Debbie WS has blogger problems.

The political blog Swing State Project has even given the congresswoman a nickname to reflect that unholy allegiance: Debbie Dubya. The bloggers also are furious with Rep. Kendrick B. Meek (D-Fla.),who similarly refuses to endorse the Democratic challengers to the three Cuban American Republicans.

They are calling for Wasserman Schultz to step down from her leadership role at the DCCC. And they're not letting up, even after one Florida liberal blogger reported that the congresswoman seemed "frustrated" by the blogs and had asked to "please help get them off my back."

She also said that "the blogosphere sometimes turns into a game of telephone."

Did she just say that telephone calls to congressional leaders are unimportant? I think so.

She is also a co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign. She is one who voiced the fact that the campaign was going to use Jeremiah Wright as an issue.

From the NYT:

In Superdelegate Count, Tough Math

But Mr. Obama’s campaign, backed by recent opinion polls, argues that his speech rejecting those remarks while calling for dialogue on race relations has prevented fallout among superdelegates.

“Most people think he passed that test,” said Mr. Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand.

Some, in fact, said they were drawn to Mr. Obama precisely because of that speech.

Especially in some of the states that have yet to vote, the Wright affair “is a big vulnerability,” said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, a Clinton superdelegate. And “all of this delegate stuff is artificial,” she added, alongside the reality that the party’s nominee must be able to carry big states like hers, where Mrs. Clinton won a disputed victory; Ohio, where she triumphed last month; and Pennsylvania, where she leads in polls.

Sounds like a Wasserman Schultz chairmanship would take us back to the big state, 18 state strategy of only targeting certain states.

She also is an advocate of changing the party rules during the primary. She does not believe that delegates matter, only popular vote and electoral votes.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz reinvents the party rules for choosing a nominee

Here is a video of John Harwood interviewing her in her DC office.

She makes it clear that superdelegates will break for Hillary, that the campaign truly believes the Wright controversy is relevant and will use it, that there are many ways to choose a nominee...that we need to look not only at delegates....but get this:

She is using the meme that we must also look at the popular vote, but especially in the end...the electoral vote.

If she truly is in line for the DCCC chairmanship, I think she should take a different stance on several issues. It is a serious job.

She should not be so buddy buddy with right wing Republicans here even if they are old family friends.

She should read up on the party rules for choosing a nominee.

She should consider the consequences of using someone like Jeremiah Wright as a campaign wedge issue.

[olkaz]

1. Okay, so how do we keep this from happening?

This should be avoided at all costs.

[tishaLA]

4. that's just what I was going to ask.

we cannot let this happen. She has proved time and again that she is willing to place personal loyalty above the Party.

[madfloridian]

6. I don't think what we say matters in that choice.

She is powerful.

[newmajority]

9. Does she have a primary opponent?

Or was the illegal Presidential primary the only one they have this year?

Hopefully we can clean house after President Obama is elected, and get all these stealth 'Pukes out of key positions.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Primary day in August 26

Unless you are a clueless candidate like this guy, who thinks that the primary is August 7:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5866

So far, no Democrat or Republican has filed to run against her. The deadline is this Friday.

[truebrit71]

2. That would end ALL contributions from me then...I don't want a republican supporter in charge of the

DCCC....

We need to kick these DINO fuckers OUT, not put them in charge...WTF is happening?

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. Which Republicans is/has she supported?

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

16. Read the links in the OP

She will not criticize the worst Republicans in Florida.

Oh, wait, I am sure you will say that is always done.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. The links did not show her supporting any Republicans

Only declining to get involved in some races in her backyard.

Not actively opposing someone does not equal supporting them. That would be like saying that those who opposed the war in Iraq were all supporters of Saddam Hussein.

[madfloridian]

23. See, I said you would say whatever she did was ok.

No longer.

She has been divisive as hell here. She put her candidate ahead of the state and its people.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. So, you are ok with posting lies about Democrats?

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

26. That's it, Freddie. Back where you came from.

I do not lie, I never have. Good by

[Freddie Stubbs]

28. You called Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz a Repuiblican supporter when it was not true

Yet you have no evidence of her supporting any Republicans.

[truebrit71]

29. READ THE OP....It ain't that hard...she refuses to campaign against them

..because they are "friends"...

She is a fucking DINO and needs to be expelled from the party at the soonest opportunity...

[youngharry]

33. Wasserman supports Republicans

Sorry, Freddie, Wasserman may not support outright Republicans, but she refuses to support Democrats that run agains her friends that are Republicans. do your homework.
Also, she has taken the position that Florida Dems shpuld be seated with Hillary getting all her votes in direct opposoition to Party Rules. Waserman is like the Bush Republicans, she will only go by the rules she likes, regardless of whether they are for everyone. I'M SORRY, WE'VE HAD ALMOST 8 YEARS OF THAT KIND OF THINKING FROM THE BUSH CRIME FAMILY.
NO WAY ON WASSERMAN. SHE'S POISON.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

41. Links to "Debbie Dubya" article at Washington Post here:

Debbie Dubya?

Washington Post 3/19/08

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is getting brutally walloped in the liberal blogosphere for refusing to endorse the Democratic challengers to three potentially vulnerable GOP incumbents in Florida.

Liberal bloggers are irate that Wasserman Schultz, who co-chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red-to-Blue program, has declined to endorse the Democrats running to unseat Cuban American Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother, Mario Diaz-Balart.

Wasserman Schultz says she doesn't want to stab GOP members of her own delegation in the back. But liberal bloggers say she's killing her own while aiding and abetting the enemy.

The political blog Swing State Project has even given the congresswoman a nickname to reflect that unholy allegiance: Debbie Dubya.

She admits it. Are you going to say Debbie Wasserman Schultz would like when saying she supported these republicans?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

42. Washington Note 3/24 Wasserman Schultz supports "the worst" of the republican party

Venting About Debbie Wasserman Schultz

The Washington Note Monday, Mar 24 2008

...the Diaz-Balart brothers and Ros-Lehtinen are not moderate in any sense of the word, are embracers of Bush's wars, and have been responsible for sustaining a counter-productive embargo of Cuba by the United States that 183 nations of the world voted against us on this past year in the United Nations.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is helping to defend the political turf of not the best in the Republican Party -- but the worst.

I hope this clears up any charges of "lying".

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

43. Wasserman Schultz - member of "New Democrat Coalition" looks like a mini DLC

New Democrat Coalition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The New Democrat Coalition is an organization within the United States Congress. It is made up of 20 Democratic Senate members and 44 Democratic members of the House of Representatives who claim moderate and pro-business stances.

The group was founded in 1997 by Representatives Cal Dooley (California), Jim Moran (Virginia) and Tim Roemer (Indiana) as a congressional affiliate of the avowedly centrist Democratic Leadership Council, whose members, including former President Bill Clinton, call themselves "New Democrats." As of February 2005, the House New Democrats are chaired by Representative Ellen Tauscher (California), with Representatives Artur Davis (Alabama) and Ron Kind (Wisconsin) serving as co-chairs. Representative Adam Smith (Washington) serves as chair of the group's political action committee.

The Senate New Democrat Coalition was founded in the spring of 2000 by Senators Evan Bayh (Indiana), Bob Graham (Florida), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), Joe Lieberman (Connecticut), and Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas).<1>

The NDC has worked to craft and pass legislation, including Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for the People's Republic of China, fast track Trade Promotion Authority, digital signatures, and H-1B visa reform and continues to work on matters such as privacy, broadband, expanding e-learning opportunities and making government more accessible and efficient through the use of technology. Many in the party's left-wing criticize the group, however, for their alleged lack of focus on social justice and the poor, the party's traditional base.

The NDC is a member of the Alliance of Democrats international; the Democratic Party as a whole does not participate in any international on account of its political divisions, but does permit its affiliated organizations (in addition to the NDC's membership in the Alliance of Democrats, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs is linked to the Liberal International)....

[Dr.Phool]

49. Freddie, I know for a fact that she supports repukes.

First hand experience. I spent over a year working progressive Democrat John Russell's campaign in 2006. This BITCH came right out and endorsed "her friend", Republican Ginny Brown-Waite in the general election.

If I lived in her district, I'd vote for her republican opponent just to be rid of her. And I've never voted for a republican in my life. This is personal.

She doesn't deserve to hold an office higher than mosquito control.

She's going to get an earful this election.

[truebrit71]

27. She refuses to work against the republicans because they are "friends"...

...and that makes her a "good" Democrat?

On what planet?

By failing to endorse and work FOR the Dem, they are in effect endorsing the rethuglican candidate.

The fact that she won't go after that bat-shit crazy cuban woman Ros-Lehtinen is simply another nail in the coffin..

[DrDan]

53. Freddie - you hit a nerve with DF - a disagreement - no room for that

There is an agenda - support for HRC.

[Ken Burch]

47. Her three gusano friends from Miami.

Refusing to campaign against them is the same thing as supporting them. It will be her fault if we don't take those seats.

[spag68]

3. DWS

Please let me add my two cents worth, I HOPE NOT.

[Bigleaf]

5. They had better not come asking me for money. I'll fucking give them an earful.

[madfloridian]

7. Kickaroo for Debbie WS and her Jeremiah Wright issue.....it worked...

I guess.

If this be the path of the party, I am not so sure I want to go down it.

[Debi]

8. I wrote off the DCCC after they started engaging in funding Dems in primary fights

Really, paying $$ to help take out another Dem? Money raised to get Democrats elected?

:evilfrown:

[VolcanoJen]

10. Wasserman-Schultz in charge of the D-Trip??!????!???

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

This is going to call for a netroots revolution. Seriously. I'm talking pitchforks and torches.

[madfloridian]

11. I wish I could see the whole Roll Call article to find out why in hell

she would be considered. She is so damn divisive. I can not imagine.

[SteppingRazor]

12. I'm kinda conflicted. Yeah, she's not the biggest hero of the netroots these days...

because of her abysmal performance on the red-to-blue committee and her support of Sen. Clinton, but Wasserman-Schultz has been an EXCELLENT representative. Look at her voting record. Look at her ratings by interest groups (both those for and against our side). From day one, I've been impressed with Wasserman-Schultz's performance in the House. When she was a rookie nobody, she was the Democrats' best voice in Congress on the Schiavo fiasco, and her track record has been stellar ever since. Given all that, I'm hesitant to trash her simply because of her record during this campaign season.

[madfloridian]

15. I used to admire her as well. I did not trash her....I don't like that term

She has been on the attack here against the DNC, against Dean, against party rules, against activists....get the bloggers off my back she said.

I don't trash, I post facts.

She is powerful. She is standing with the Diaz Balarts and Ros Lehtinens of the world while she tells the bloggers to get off her back.

[SteppingRazor]

19. She's been, in other words, supporting Hillary.

And if you're a politico in Florida who supports Hillary, then your job is to make sure Florida gets counted. I agree with most of your posts on this subject (As a South Floridian myself, I'm a pretty avid reader of them), but I don't begrudge Wasserman-Schultz's working for her candidate.

As for the getting the bloggers off my back bit, that goes back to the Red-to-Blue bit, not the Clinton-support bit. And I don't excuse or justify her behavior there at all. Particularly with the solid slate of candidates the Democrats have to run against the Diaz-Balarts and Ros-Lehtinen this year, it makes very little sense not to support them wholeheartedly.

Wasserman-Schultz's behavior as a U.S. representative has been outstanding. Her behavior as a campaigner has been far less so. Given that, I think DCCC chair may not be the job for her. My mentioning "trashing" her was less about your OP than many of the subsequent posts. Given her track record, I don't consider Wasserman-Schultz to be a "DINO" or a "GOP plant," and I don't think we need to run anyone against her in district 20 -- in fact, I think that's a pretty bad idea.

[madfloridian]

21. Does it bother you she even reinvented rules for her candidate?

Sorry, I am just not that open-minded. She even had senior citizens rally with signs.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1992

[SteppingRazor]

22. Yeah, I know what she's done.

Like I said, I read your stuff. :)


As for the rallies and the rule changing ... it's politics. It's dirty, it's mean, it's totally unfair, and the good and the innocent are left to die on the side of the road like dogs. I hold my politicians very accountable for their actions as my representatives. However, I take a much broader view during campaign season. It's the nature of the Beast.

[madfloridian]

24. I used to do that. Now I don't. The Clintons pushed the FL thing too hard

and Debbie WS went along.

I used to take the broader view, now the Clinton campaign, if it succeeds, will make hubby and I rethink a lot of things.

[SteppingRazor]

31. I definitely understand that point of view.

I'm not saying one of us is necessarily wrong or right here. :hi:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

44. you're right, so what if we don't have a good majority in congress thanks to her, wars are fun!

Let the families of the dead soldiers and maimed soldiers appreciate your pork benefits
from her, while they grive thanks to her aiding and abetting the war mongers.

As long as you are comfortable what the hell, right?

[SteppingRazor]

51. I wasn't referring to "pork benefits"...

I was referring to her votes on things like her "No" vote on the Military Commissions Act, her "yes" vote on the Redeployment From Iraq Act, her "yes" vote on contempt charges against Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten ... things like that.

If you're going to be outraged, it helps to know what you're talking about.

[butterfly77]

17. Yes. I agree..

thats all you have to do is mention that Ros Lehtinen and my ears perk up. I do not like this woman I watched her all through the run up to war and how she ran around promoting it spouting all of their rightwing talking points...

[burythehatchet]

18. Debbie's made a bunch of ememies over the past few months.

[cascadiance]

30. DCCC is increasingly becoming like the DLC every day!

They are working against people interests and more toward the corporate and blue dog interests that the DLC wants put in place.

I made the mistake of donating to them a long time ago and getting on their mailing lists.

Now I make a habit of sending their self-addressed stamped envelopes back with nothing but a comment or two about impeachment or ending the war that's needed before they get any money.

Interesting that they have a comment now on their envelopes about adding postage stamps (even though it has self-addressed postage on it) to help them "defray their costs". Obviously the line item in their budget showing an increased cost of mailing without as much results is starting to show up more, now that more people like me are sending them back these "no donation" letters!

[DeanDem10]

37. You've got that right...

The Democratic Party is about to be hijacked by the DLC again. What can be done to prevent it?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

45. She's member of New Democrat Coalition (like the DLC but new name)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democrat_Coalition

[cascadiance]

48. It seems fitting they have a guy named "Moran" as a member!...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Moran

This is a group that needs to be pushed out for newer blood in the coming elections after 2008.

[SurfingAtWork]

54. I find it telling that they call it the New Democrat Coalation.. they left off the 'tic'

At the end of Democrat

[SurfingAtWork]

55. I find it telling that they call it the New Democrat Coalation.. they left off the 'tic'

At the end of Democrat

[madrchsod]

32. well that`s fucking great

rahm was bad enough now her......"where is the next thing comin` from...."

[cascadiance]

39. Steny Hoyer was lame the way he shut down DK and impeachment too..

That group is just chock full of jerks!

[barack the house]

34. Well basically there is no popular vote, small states would be overlooked if there was.

It's a delegate race, which he won and is financially competitive. So all we got to do is wait calmly and make a few calls to keep those numbrs high.

[Enrique]

35. game of telephone

you illustrated what she was talking about.

You wrote:

She also said that "the blogosphere sometimes turns into a game of telephone."

Did she just say that telephone calls to congressional leaders are unimportant? I think so.

[Bucky]

36. bookmarking

[DeeDeeNY]

38. K & R

[Politicalboi]

40. Well Rev Wright

Has been used by others from Hillary Rotten Clinton's campaign

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=eldl4

[skyounkin]

46. Kick'd and

Rec'd!!

The only good Dem organization is the DNC it seems.....

[catgirl]

50. K & R

[MessiahRp]

52. Why not? The DCCC and DSCC as headed by Emanuel and Shumer are DLC groups to elect corporate tools

-They decry the 50 state strategy because it takes money away from sure wins in easy districts
-They interfere with primaries to railroad liberals out of the race with endorsements and fundraisers
-They choose candidates that they can control once they get to Washington, ones weak on principle and excited to make policies for the DLC's corporate friends

Wasserman-Schultz is one of the them. She already doesn't want to campaign against Republicans and since the DLC is practically Republican and the DCCC/DSCC are arms of the DLC it totally would make sense for her to be next in line.

Progressives need to start leaning more on the DNC and groups like MoveOn and Blue America to find real Democratic candidates. This Republican-lite shit has seriously hurt our party and created that whole perception (a very real perception at that) that there is no difference between the parties and that these Democrats are spineless and willing to cave into Republicans every time. It's true because they're all on the same side.

We need to move to political spectrum back towards the left so that the Center is truly the Center not the moderate right.

To do this we need to work against the DLC, DCCC and DSCC and support real Democratic candidates who are not close to their Republican counterparts in any way.

Rp

[madfloridian]

56. Damn Debbie WS and Corinne Brown. They led the rally in front of the DNC

today.

Among the 250 from Florida, mostly Latinos, they say....they wore shirts with other candidates on it. Yet most are Hillary supporters. They did not wear shirts with her name, only one did.

Brown, a superdelegate pledged to Clinton, addressed a crowd of about 150 who had been bused up to D.C. from Florida this week under the auspices of LULAC, an Hispanic advocacy group. Though Brown and another super who spoke -- Rep. Hilda Solis -- are in the Clinton camp, organizers went out of their way to remove any hint that they favored one or the other Democrat in the race. Many in the crowd wore T-shirts with the name of each Democratic candidate, from Kucinich to Dodd to Richardson to Obama, printed across the back in the shape of a rainbow. There was but one Hillary '08 shirt or button to be seen.

"We're not supposed to talk about that," confided Harriet Meltzer, 83, a member in good standing of the Del Ray Democratic Club, though she allowed that she was, in fact, a Clinton supporter. "What's he going to do when he goes to the Middle East?" she asked of Obama, who she deems to be lacking in experience. "Charm them?"

Bastards...they tried to pretend they were not supporting Hillary.

Wasserman Schultz led the way.

http://www.mgwashington.com/index.php/news/article/floridia-latinos-others-protest-at-democratic-party-hqs/918/

"At the rally Wednesday, among those selected to speak behind a podium set at the entrance of DNC headquarters included Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, Fla., a national Clinton campaign co-chairwoman, and Kim Gandy, the National Organization for Women president who has endorsed Clinton. Speaking to the crowd, Wasserman Schultz suggested that disregarding the Jan. 29 primary ballot choices of 1.7 million Florida Democratic primary voters could alienate these voters in a key presidential swing-state.

“We can’t begin this general election with one hand tied behind our back,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Another speaker was Anita de Palma, 66, of Clearwater, Fla. She is a past Florida director of the League of United Latin American Citizens who is now running as a Democratic candidate for the congressional seat now held by Republican Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor."

As long as this crap continues, then quit asking me to stop telling about what they are doing.

Dean went to CT today. Good for him.

I am so disgusted.