Debbie Wasserman Schultz still sandbagging Taddeo
By
David NYC Read Spanish Version
Taken
from a recent DailyKos
posting
I’m
sure you haven’t forgotten Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She’s the
co-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s
(DCCC) Red to Blue initiative who, a few months back, infamously
tried to recuse herself from helping fellow Democrats in
three top-tier races:
But as three Miami
Democrats look to unseat three of her South Florida Republican
colleagues, Wasserman Schultz is staying on the sidelines. So is Rep.
Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat and loyal ally to House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi.
This time around,
Wasserman Schultz and Meek say their relationships with the
Republican incumbents, Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother
Mario, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, leave them little choice but to
sit out the three races.
Of
course, just like there’s no crying in baseball, there
are no recusals in politics
— especially not if you’re in charge of the very program tasked with
electing more Democrats to Congress. Rahm Emanuel understood
this perfectly,
and he raised holy hell trying to get this message through his
thicker colleagues’ skulls.
It
clearly didn’t take with Debbie, though, a softie who
moaned
"it’s just too sensitive for me" when pressed on her
refusal to help Joe Garcia, Raul Martinez, and Annette Taddeo. But
after the blogosphere cranked into action — and after she heard it
from
local Democrats,
too — DWS (Schultz) started having second thoughts and decided to
lift a
pinky or two
on behalf of our South Florida trio at the end of March.
Months
later (at the end of June), Debbie finally put some of her money
where her mouth wasn’t: On the very same day, she gave $2,500 apiece
to Martinez and Garcia. But
not Taddeo.
While this might not seem like a huge amount in the scheme of things,
this particular $2,500 matters a lot. DWS (Schultz) is a very
high-profile member of Congress, and she’s the front-runner — if not
heir-apparent — to head the DCCC next cycle. When she helps a
candidate — that sends a signal to other members, PACs, labor
unions, and wealthy donors: this is a candidate you should get
behind.
Which
is why it’s up to us to stand up for a strong progressive like
Annette Taddeo and send that message if Debbie won’t. Taking on an
incumbent Republican in a red district is always an uphill battle,
and this race is no different. But if the progressive movement stands
for anything, it’s the principle that Democrats must never leave a
worthy fellow Democrat behind.
Debbie
Wasserman Schultz says,
"I can’t say enough good things about Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; she
has been my friend since I was first elected to office." The
netroots say, "Progressives will be lucky to have a friend like
Annette Taddeo in Congress."
Editor’s
Note:
Ms. Schultz is a U.S. representative from the South Florida area.
Annette Taddeo is a successful South Florida businesswoman who is
challenging incumbent
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in District 18.
