Two Florida Democratic congress folks prefer their Republican incumbents to their own party.

madfloridian

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Sat Mar-15-08 10:58 PM
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Two Florida Democratic congress folks prefer their Republican incumbents to their own party.

In case you are wondering why there is always so much weird stuff going on in this state, it could be I was right. I have often said that many Florida Democrats are basically Republicans at heart, and vice versa. It has happened over the years. They switched back and forth so much, they forgot who they were.

Heck, many of of the Florida Democrats, we call them Blue Dogs, supported Jeb Bush for governor

It is like that here. It is sometimes hard to tell the difference.

This is a shocking case in South Florida. It involves two Florida congress people who are actually refusing to support the three Democrats running against their Republican opponents. They use the excuse of being too close to the families and respecting the Republican candidates too much. Even more shocking is who the two Republicans are that they respect so much. They are Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

This is Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

This is Kendrick Meek.

Here is what they said this week.

Democrats torn between party, GOP allegiances

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.

''At the end of the day, we need a member who isn't going to pull any punches, who isn't going to be hesitant,'' Wasserman Schultz said.

The decision comes as Democrats believe they have their best shot in years to defeat at least one of the Cuban-American incumbents with a roster of Democrats that include former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, opposing Lincoln Diaz-Balart; outgoing Miami-Dade Democratic party chair Joe Garcia, opposing Mario Diaz-Balart; and businesswoman Annette Taddeo, opposing Ros-Lehtinen.

But Wasserman Schultz and Meek say their ties to the three Republicans are personal as well as professional: Both served in the state Legislature with Mario Diaz-Balart and say they work in concert with all three on South Florida issues.

The Democrats have a former mayor and former county chair willing to run against powerful opponents, and these two sit on their butts and say no we won't help.

I read today the DCCC will support them. But that misses the important point. The DCCC is NOT going after these two Democrats for standing up for their Republican opponents.

Wasserman Schultz is a co-chair of the DCCC's Red to Blue campaign. This is outrageous behavior on her part.

And Wasserman Schultz, for the second election cycle in a row, co-chairs the campaign committee's Red to Blue program, which raises money for and provides strategic advice to top Democratic House candidates.

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.

''It needs to be somebody who can roll up their sleeves,'' Wasserman Schultz said. ``I'm just not that person; it's just too sensitive for me.''

She can not roll up her sleeves for a fellow Democrat for fear of offending her Republican friends. And the DCCC does nothing about it.

Is anyone surprised at the terrible mess they have made of the primary in Florida? I'm not. This is why they feel no guilt at throwing a monkey wrench into the state primary system. They don't seem to feel any kind of loyalty to their own party.