A key leader of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, by her own admission, has a serious conflict-of-interest:
The national party, enthusiastic about the three Democratic challengers, has not yet selected Red to Blue participants. But Wasserman Schultz has already told the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that if any of the three make the cut, another Democrat should be assigned to the race.
Let's leave aside for a moment that the first part of this statement is incorrect - the first round of Red to Blue challengers has already been announced. It's the second sentence that troubles me.
Debbie Dubya co-chairs the Red to Blue program. She has a major say in who gets tapped for it. Yet here she is saying she couldn't help three awesome candidates - Joe Garcia, Raul Martinez, and Annette Taddeo - if they get picked for that program. But if she's already so hostile to the idea of them running, don't you think she might steer the D-Trip away from choosing any of these three for R-to-B status in the first place?
This is a major conflict of interest, one which threatens to hurt not just our South Florida trio, but the fortunes of the Democratic Party as well. I also think it undermines the DCCC, too - what other decisions might start to look suspect? Who else harbors a conflict like this? And which other potential recruits might shy away from running if they thought that the scales were tipped against them?
As James Hell said, there are no recusals in politics. Debbie Dubya has to buck up, heartily endorse all three candidates and throw fundraisers for each of them. If she can't do that, then she is hopelessly unqualified to perform her job at the DCCC.
An enraged Rahm Emanuel once thundered: "[W]e've got a [Republican] target and you're out there kissing his ass in the press?" Rahm didn't accept this kind of bullshit from Alcee Hastings, and Chris van Hollen shouldn't accept it from Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She needs to change her tune, or take a seat on the bench. |
