Is Debbie Wasserman Schultz Even Worse Than A Corporate-Leaning "New Democrat?"

[FLAprogressive]

Short answer: you have to fish pretty deep down into the barrel to find anyone as bad as Wasserman Schultz. Even though she mostly rubber stamps what the Democratic leadership wants-- unless it comes into direct conflict with her financial backers, like Florida's loathsome sugar interests-- DWS is a self-serving ruthlessly ambitious gut-fighter. Few people outside of Florida had ever even heard of her until she sabotaged three Democratic congressional nominees-- Joe Garcia, Raul Martinez and Annette Taddeo-- who were running against 3 of her far right Republican allies, the notorious Diaz-Balart brothers and Ileana Ros-Letinen. Although she was entrusted by the Democratic caucus with a chairmanship of the Red to Blue program-- the body that is charged with defeating Republicans and electing Democratic challengers-- she dealt fatal body blows to the 3 South Florida Democrats and gratuitously insulted another Florida challenger, Doug Tudor, who might have won his race against Adam Putnam if the DCCC had backed him instead of following her negative and vindictive decision to ignore his race. The three races DWS sabotaged:

FL-12
Adam Putnam- 178,808 (58%)- $1,747,288
Doug Tudor- 127,477 (42%)- $88,985

FL-18
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen- 137,817 (58%)- $2,186,243
Annette Taddeo- 100,929 (42%)- $960,807

FL-21
Lincoln Diaz-Balart- 134,134 (58%)- $2,000,553
Raul Martinez- 97,928 (42%)- $1,073,913

FL-25
Mario Diaz-Balart- 127,059 (53%)- $1,516,763
Joe Garcia- 113,495 (47%)- $1,248,126

Instead Wasserman-Schultz poured energy and resources into Blue Dog hack Christine Jennings who managed to eke out 38% of the vote in FL-13, spending over $2,000,000.

So what brings this harridan up again today?

*snip*

I've been keeping my fingers crossed that she'd resign from Congress and run for Martinez' Senate seat against Jeb Bush, which would at least offer a wonderful silver lining to the inevitability of a Senator Bush. But that isn't today's DWS story. Today we have her trying to claw her way into the Democratic House leadership again. As it becomes likelier and likelier that Xavier Becerra will be leaving the House-- GO ERIC GARCETTI!!-- Wasserman Schultz is sniffing out an opportunity for self-promotion.

MORE: http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/12/is-debbie-wasserman-schultz-even-worse.html

[OKNancy]

1. I find her to be one of the best spokespersons for Democrats

when she does the news shows. She was a fierce supporter of Obama and put any Republican
talking head in their place.
Sorry, but I'm not getting on this particular hate-train.
Her involvement in those races wouldn't have mattered either...
And writing: "to find anyone as bad" - that is ridiculous hyperbole.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Freeper Disease is hitting the Left early -- and hard

Any day now, the "arch" comments comparing Obama to Hitler will start, and they won't be coming from the Right.

There isn't a dime's worth of difference between the Nader Left and the Palin Right.

--p!

[tom_paine]

29. Bullshit. Oversimplify much? Make blanket statements much?

Usually, I enjoy and respect you commentary, Pigwidgeon, I strongly disagree here and believe you have staggered into logical fallacy and lazy thinking on this one.

Though I am sure there are some on the "Nader Left" who are indeed mirror images of Freepers (it is a statistical certainty in a large group of people), to say that blanket statement is ludicrous on the face of it, particularly since I believe the number of "Lefty Limbaughs" is relatively small indeed.

And if you can believe that the fears of the Left during the last eight years, borne of witnessing Bushie ACTIONS, by and large felonious performed quite openly and shamelessly, with growing horror, as ANY relation to Freepers' lunatic fears which are fully in place before Obama has even gotten into office, then I think you're loopy.

Sorry to be so hash, but it burns my ass when people say shit like you did, considering that, other than occasional exceptions, it simply isn't true.

There isn't a dime's worth of difference between the Jewish Left and the Nazi Right.

Yeah...right.

Think about it, please.

Oh, and one more thing, where do people like me fit in? I am, if one considers my political beliefs strictly on the Left-Right scale, a Left-Centrist with many views which would be considered somehwat or strongly right-wing (not in the Bushie Way, but that of the almost vanished Principled Conservative), on guns, immigration, the death penalty, and affirmative action, to name a few. These counterbalance my Leftist views on environment, civil liberties, and several other issues.

So here I sit, on the Left-Right Scale alone I probably fall near or into the Blue Dog category. Yet I loathe and despise the Blue Dogs for their ideological myopia in times of crisis. Sometimes it's not about Left and Right but RIGHT and WRONG, and that is why I stand with the Democratic Liberals in this case, like Kucinich, even though I often disagree with them.

Because at this point, I am less concerned with ideology than with RIGHT and WRONG, with SPINE and PRINCIPLES (or in the case of the vast majority of Democratic Congressional Leadership, Nancy Pelosi Democrats all, LACK of spine and principles).

So, where does your comment leave me. A Center-Lefty who is quite disgusted, on an integrity level, with those Democratic Congresspeople who best represent my views on the Left-Right Scale. A Center-Lefty who stands with the Liberals because they are the last tiny minority in government, it seems to me, that gives even the tiniest shit about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. (I hold out hope for Obama and will not condemn him before he takes office...but I am concerned with his early maneuvers and hope they don't mean too much in terms of the timbre of his administration)

So, where does that leave people like me? Am I now an Honorary Nader Lefty because of my associations? And does this then also mean Obama IS an honorary bomb-throwing terrorist Weatherman because of his association with William Ayers?

I am interested in your reply.

[quickesst]

3. Some democrats can't help themselves.....

We won, which is their cue to attack. Must not be as much fun going after repugs since they're no longer in the driver's seat. Obama, Clinton, now Smith. True to many dems nature, the list will grow longer until the Democratic Party is put back in their place. Under the thumbs of the repugs. The goal? I'm not sure, unless liberals cannot function unless they are in the underdog role? :shrug: Thanks.
quickesst

[FLAprogressive]

24. Except when her Republican friends come in the way. n/t

[polichick]

4. She sides with big sugar??

[FLAprogressive]

23. One of her biggest contributors is Flo-Sun....a sugar company

http://www.flo-sun.com/

FLO-SUN HOLDINGS AT A GLANCE
$2.5 billion in revenues
400,000 acres
10 million tons of sugar cane
3.5 million tons of refined sugar
Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®

[polichick]

25. That's sad. I once met Marjory Stoneman Douglas, champion of...

...the Everglades and a personal hero!

[Saturday]

5. I like Debbie Wasserman Schultz . nt

[KharmaTrain]

6. One Person Did All That? I'm Impressed...

I was critical for Debbie for initially saying she wouldn't campaign against repugnicans in South Florida, but she wasn't the head of the DCCC nor could she have made a difference had she personally given these people 10 million. She also pissed off a lot of Obama supporters and methinks there is some revenge coming to the surface.

The bottom line was Senator Obama won the state...many didn't expect that to happen, and Debbie deserves a lot of credit in helping get out the vote in her district and in Broward and Dade in general that helped make this happen. The Democrats won...let's take a victory where we should and work toward future ones, not play blame games.

Sure looks like there's someone else other than Debbie looking for an "opportunity for self-promotion".

[FLAprogressive]

26. "Sure looks like there's someone else other than Debbie......

looking for an "opportunity for self-promotion"."

Who exactly.....I don't write for that blog......

[lamp_shade]

7. She campaigned tirelessly for Obama. She deserves a lot of credit for

helping turn Florida blue.

[FLAprogressive]

19. She also campaigned tirelessly for the three Cuban republicans -- think she deserves credit for that

[alarimer]

8. She sucks. Corporate money talks though.

My rep is a guy like that. Ortiz. Fortunately he only seems to be out for himself and doesn't sabotage people he thinks are too "left" or whatever. He's just an idiot. And I vote for whoever runs against him (even the Republicans) because he is loathsome. I would do the same with Wasserman-Shultz. No lockstep party bullshit for me.

[youthere]

9. I like her. I rather enjoyed her regular republican smackdown sessions during the campaign.

[camera obscura]

10. The "harridan"? Yeah, like I'm going to take this blogger seriously.

Why not just call her John McCain's favorite word and get it over with?

[Lex]

16. Yes, hard to believe that misogynist doesn't like her, eh?

Like I'm going to given that point of view any weight.

[immoderate]

11. She's my rep and she sucks.

Her support for the Diaz-Balart brothers and Ros-Lehtinen is inexcusable. (And why does every south Florida representative have to have two last names? :shrug:)

--IMM

[KaryninMiami]

18. She's my rep too and you are correct- inexcusable is right.

She also is one of the causes of the primary drama because of her alliance with Hillary and her insistance, along with the FL Dems, that we move our primary date up- completely ignoring the rules of the party thereby placing our votes in jeopordy. Then when her candidate lost, they demanded that they count our votes - even though many had not voted (knowing the votes would not be counted). It was a fiasco and her behavior was disgusting. Then the Red to Blue bullshit- not campaigning for the Democratic congressional candidates made it even worse.
Yes she speaks well for the part- yes she does a great job on talk shows but as far as I'm concerned, she's a complete disappointment.

[MasonJar]

12. She is a very powerful Congresswoman, who was supposed to be

in charge of increasing the numbers (or will be in that position next race..not sure which) of Democrats in the House, and yet she refused for a long time to back the dem nominees against her buddies (who were the incumbents GOPers.)

[FLAprogressive]

21. Don't tell the DWS lovers that.

They're DLC apologists who think EVERYONE in the the party (besides progressives of course) is a "good Democrat".

[DemoTex]

13. I'd love to have a Debbie Wasserman-Schultz here in SC.

My US Representative (Bob Ingles) and US Senators (Graham and Demint) are some of the worst in the nation (Saxby is worse). I'll trade you even .. Bob Inglis for Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

Be careful what you wish for. Remember Joni Mitchell's song: "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone."

[PCIntern]

14. I'd love to have Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. n/t

:evilgrin:

[jakefrep]

15. Uh, No.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz funneled quite a bit of money and a staffer or two up here to help with the special election in the Ohio 5th last year. There will be no complaint from me.

[FLAprogressive]

22. Yeah she's great for campaigning against Republicans when they're not her friends. n/t

[emulatorloo]

17. Blogs are like "opinions" - everybody has one n/t

[FLAprogressive]

20. Looks like the DWS Love Brigade is out. Let's orget that she basically campaigned for Republicans.

She's a loyal Democrat! :sarcasm:

[Pastiche423]

27. I believe it's the DLCer glee clubbers-and the Howling Blue Dogs

that you are hearing from. Most of which have no friggen idea what either group does or is.

Oh my how DU has changed....................... for the worse.

DWS is out for Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Period.

Disgusting comments on this thread!

[FLAprogressive]

28. Yup. Or the ones who just saw her on TV once or twice and don't know what she did to Doug Tudor.....

....and the 3 south florida candidates.

Or it's the "party unity" glee clubbers who think everyone with a "D" after their name is automatically good. They're delusional.

[tom_paine]

30. Those kind of people will always be with us, and yes, it's not just Bushies.

That is sad.

For myself, I don't know enough about DWS yet either way to fully decide if I share your feelings.

But your OP has opened my eyes in terms of doing some more digging to confirm the truth of what you are saying in terms of her campaigning for Diaz-Balart as Ros-Lehtinen.

If partially or completely true, with no mitigated omitted circumstances, then I must agree with your OP.

But then, after 8 years of watching the Democratic Congressional Delegation, whether in or out of power (at least up until now), it is easy to express contempt for most of them.

But I am holding out hope that they will find their spines and principles (if they have any left after all these years of disgusting toadying) in an Obama Adminstration with large majorities.

If the Democratic Congressional Leadership cannot find it's spine and principles under such conditions, then it has none and NEVER has had any of either.

[JackRiddler]

31. Florida Sun-Sentinel cartoon...

Interesting, I wasn't aware of a lot of this.

The genuine challenge to the three Cuban Republicans was a great source of hope in the past election. So much is at stake in ending the inhumane and insane 50-year blockade policy. It's disgusting that anyone supporting them would simultaneously call herself a Democrat & attach themselves to Obama.