Party leaders have tapped Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to raise money and coach candidates in a high-stakes, aggressive bid to expand the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
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.
Ok, so Rep. Wasserman Schultz is leading a committee that is meant to help Democrats but in the one region where she could help out most she does nothing. Well actually only if it was doing nothing. Unfortunately she also has to praise the Republican rubberstamp incumbents and also brags about how she's learned to out-Republican the Republicans. Wasserman Schultz has also played a leading role in persuading the new Democratic majority to sustain the economic embargo against Cuba and has established close ties to the staunchly pro-embargo U.S.-Cuba Democracy political action committee, which has contributed thousands to Wasserman Schultz and Meek's campaigns.
Great that sounds really terrific, something to write home about for sure congresswoman. She worked last year, Ros-Lehtinen says, ''like a tiger'' to help quash a push to ease travel and trade restrictions, delivering pro-travel advocates a big loss.
''When she and [Rep. Albio Sires, a New Jersey Cuban-American Democrat] work within their party and get 65-66 votes to join us, that has made all the difference,'' Lincoln Diaz-Balart told a group of Cuban-American exiles at a recent press conference. Brother Mario introduced Wasserman Schultz as ``an incredible advocate who has taken the cause of a free Cuba as her own.'' A day later, Wasserman Schultz and Ros-Lehtinen lavished compliments on each other at a Washington luncheon with Miami-Dade commissioners. ''I can't say enough good things about Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; she has been my friend since I was first elected to office,'' Wasserman Schultz said, noting she relied on Ros-Lehtinen's advice to help balance the demands of elected office and motherhood.
Can't say enough good things about Ros-Lehtinen? How about saying one nice thing about our terrific candidate Annette Taddeo who worked tirelessly to help John Kerry in Florida in 2004? Last time I checked the Diaz-Balarts and Ros-Lehtinen were out campaigning with McCain. Unbelieveable. Both Martinez and Garcia respected the two representatives. Joe Garcia notes such nonaggression pacts are ``part of why progress is so difficult in Washington. The status quo is hard to move. But when all of this is said and done, we're going to be elected by people who live in the districts we're running in.''
I'm not as kind about this. She really did a disservice to our candidates. Giving opponents tv ad tools and newspaper articles like this is not the way to help Democrats get elected. And I have no problem with her being silent and not actively campaigning for our candidates. What's simply unacceptable is not shutting up about it and then going on to praise the Republican incumbents. That actually HURTS our candidates. It undermines their candidacy and as Rothenberg says: However, Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, which tracks political campaigns, said the lack of support from top Democrats could make donors leery.
I encourage you to write to the DCCC and ask them to remove Rep. Wasserman Schultz from her position. She has no business on a partisan committee meant to elect Democrats when in fact she's just made it so much more difficult for our challengers in South Florida to get elected. I mean it sounds like she just did the RNCC, not the DCCC a favor to me. This is the same Rep. Wasserman-Schultz who is fighting to stop a re-do in Florida that would allow us to build party infrastructure in our state. Tally writes about that below. Update: My letter to the DCCC I'm writing in concern about this article in today's Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/516/story/449806.html I find it very disturbing and I feel some of the comments from Rep. Wasserman Schultz undermine the candidacies of several Democrats running in South Florida. Particularly this commment: "A day later, Wasserman Schultz and Ros-Lehtinen lavished compliments on each other at a Washington luncheon with Miami-Dade commissioners. ''I can't say enough good things about Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; she has been my friend since I was first elected to office..." Rep. Wasserman Schultz is supposed to be leading a committee that helps Democrats get elected. These comments only make it much more difficult on our candidates. It helps the RNCC, not the DCCC and I'm sure her comments will be used in television ads now. I hope the DCCC will take action and make sure we have someone heading this committee that wants to see Democrats elected to Congress, not Republicans.
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