Turn South Florida Blue!
DCCC Executive Director Brian Wolff posted the following message on Huffington Post.
You can support our South Florida candidates at the DCCC South Florida ActBlue page.
If it's an election year, you can bet that both parties will be fighting hard to swing the battleground state of Florida in their direction. This election year, its clear that Floridians are tired of President Bush's failed policies and want big change. The environment is ripe for a big Democratic year and we have the top-tier candidates who can turn Florida "blue."
While there are competitive races throughout the state, much of the attention will be focused on the newly competitive South Florida region. Located on the southern tip of the state, South Florida has long been a Republican stronghold. This year, we have an outstanding opportunity to change the political landscape by taking on South Florida's entrenched Republican trio - Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25). In the past, these Bush rubberstamps have been able to skate past underfunded challengers to re-election victories.
Unfortunately for them, their out-of-touch voting records are catching up with them. Now, for the first time, all three Republican incumbents will be challenged by strong Democratic challengers fighting for change.
Democratic challengers Annette Taddeo (FL-18), Raul Martinez (FL-21), and Joe Garcia (FL-25) are forcing the South Florida Republicans to answer for their support of President Bush's disastrous agenda. Each is a tested candidate with strong ties to their local communities who will fight for change in Washington.
Our Democratic Leadership in the House of Representatives has taken notice of the promising opportunity we have in South Florida and the high caliber of our Democratic challengers. Last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip James Clyburn, Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel, and DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen wrote letters of support recognizing them for their great start to their campaigns. You can see one of the letters here [PDF].
They realize that if we band together to expose the records of Bush's South Florida rubberstamps and fight for change, we can bring South Florida the real representation in Congress it deserves.
The first quarter FEC filing deadline is fast approaching and our candidates need your support. Join the DCCC and our Democratic Leadership by supporting our South Florida candidates for change. You can pitch in at our DCCC South Florida ActBlue page to give them the momentum they need to turn Florida "blue" this November.
Have you been following DavidNYC’s diaries at Daily Kos?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/20/1110/33880/532/480511
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/22/144544/757/829/482264
I agree with him--Debbie Wasserman Schultz needs to get behind our challengers in Florida.
Also, I have an off-topic question. I noticed that Leonard Boswell (IA-03) is one of the DCCC’s frontline Democrats. Can someone at the DCCC confirm whether that means the DCCC will be putting resources into his primary campaign against Ed Fallon? Or does it only mean the DCCC will be supporting him against a Republican challenger?
Are you REALLY asking us South Florida Democrats to rally behind Howard Dean’s 50 state strategy? Haven’t you heard? Our votes DON’T COUNT!
I am extremely disappointed that Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who is on the famous “Red to Blue” committee is not actively campaigning for our Democratic candidates. Talk about hypocrisy!!
You can write letters to the editors of all the Florida newspapers in support of the candidates at publishaletter.com. Even if the the letter is not printed, the letters can be posted on the site for other people to see.
I love Ms. Schultz, however she cannot have it both ways.
Her position requires taking out Republicans, even friends and if she is not capable of supporting every candidate to her full capacity, then she needs to resign her position within the DCCC.
If she doesn’t want to campaign against friends, that’s fine but then she should give her position to someone who will fight the good fight.
If Debbie Wasserman Schultz cannot be as cutthroat in her position as her GOP counterparts, I implore DCCC to replace her.
Both Ms Schultz and the DCCC head have stated it is “customary” for members to remain neutral in races in their congressional district. Quite a load of bull, given that Ms Schultz herself was involved in defeating a GOP opponent way back in 2006, so Ms Schultz is fully aware she can campaign and support DEMOCRATIC candidates and has done so before. Anything less than what she did in 2006 is capitulation to the GOP—meaning failure to perform her job as head of the Red to Blue platform.
If Ms Schultz cannot perform her job, please find someone who can. It is up to the DCCC to win and to win big, and this type of ‘playing by [some unseen] gentlemen’s rules’ was thrown out of the window about 4000 soldier’s lives and our entire national economy ago…
What explanation does Debbie Wasserman Schultz give you for not being partisan in her partisan role? It looks weak of her and you putting up with her peculiar behavior. Don’t just ask us to support the Dem candidates in your state and then not ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz to support them, too. Democrats are getting a reputation for being weak - and this is why. If you are going to lead the team, you must fight for all team members - no excuses. You should be able to see how that works in a partisan position. Your letter above - asking for our support but not requiring it from Debbie Wasserman Schultz is insulting.
I received a snail mail plea for money to support our efforts to elect Democrats to Congress. I won’t respond except here.It is ludicrous to ask us to fund campaigns that include people like Debbie Wasserman Schultz who won’t actively campaign to elect Democrats to replace Republicans. It gives credence to Naders’ “not a dimes worth of difference between Democrats and Republicans” These “friends” of hers have not demonstrated an ounce of integrity in serving their constituents and the larger body of the people of the USA. I point out that we got our Democratic majority by in fact replacing one of the few Republicans of conscience Lincoln Chafee and a Jim Leach in Iowa.The “freinds of Debbie have voted in lockstep to support a corrupt administration that lied us into war and will be noted historically as even more corrupt then Warren G Harding. Her support of her “freinds” by sitting on her hands smacks of the cronyism for which the Republican party and this administration are noted foe. I do not regret those replacements since i believe the right thing for them to have done was switch parties.
Isnt there a “member of the tribe” factor here?? Klein is no problem but the other three there is some motive to not campaign against. Huh?
This just blows me away. Why are we Democrats ALL insisting on fighting with one hand tied behind our back? We got to fight the McCain friendly media, the fact-free Bush Administration, the rubberstamp Republicans, a hostile Supreme Court and now we appoint a co-chair for the wonderful Red to Blue that isn’t willing to get down in the mosh pit in every single race.
Unbelievable. Who picked Debbie Wasserman Schultz without checking out whether she was a fighter or not? Because they need to be kicked out the door along with Debbie.
Like, Dan Maceda, I won’t be responding to the snail mail money request with funds unless I know that those funds will be spent fighting to get any and all Republicans defeated. I’d rather contribute to a more aggressive organization such as Move On.
Stop with the “amiguismo” in South Florida.
I have been a Democrat for most of my life, but I am so angered about my primary vote not being recognized by the Democratic Party and by Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s refusal to support Democratic candidates because of relationships with her rubber stamp Republican friends that I cannot in good faith financially support the Democratic Party.
My enthusiasm for remaining a politically active Democrat has been destroyed!
I agree with all of the above and will add that someone who has spent hundreds and hundreds of hours canvassing and phone banking I feel insulted and demoralized by Ms. Wasserman-Schultz’ claim that she has spent hundreds and hundreds of hours to get Democrats elected. I ask her to publicly support our three fine candidates who, for once, represent a real chance of unseating the stranglehold that the three rubber stamp Republicans have had on our region and nation.
I respectfully ask the Congresswoman to stand up, just like so many of us ordinary citizens do every day, or sit down and let a real team player take her place.
Is anyone from the DCCC reading this blog? Will someone from the DCCC respond or is this considered too unimportant to bother with. As a member of Daily KOS I’m preparing to put this in a diary with links
I just received a plea for financial support for Dems in Congressional races to take red districts. Are you even aware that your own Co-Chair in Red to Blue, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, will not campaign for 3 promising Democrats challenging Republicans Ileana Ros Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balart brothers? She won’t help the Dem challengers because she is “friends” with Ileana, Mario and Lincoln. And then you ask me for money??? WTF? You need to get your own house and your own co-chair to be a leader before you seek those, like me, who are long suffering with Ileana Ros Lehtinen as their Rep., in order. I’m teetering on becoming an Independent when I see all the self destruction by Dems in this race which should be a cakewalk. I’m disgusted.
I will be happy to send my hard-earned money. I will be thrilled to spend hundreds of hours calling, canvassing, writing letters. I will be proud to vote for Democrats in November.
When and if you guys step up to the plate, get rid of Howard Dean, seat the Florida and Michigan delegates, and outlaw the stupid, undemocratic, easily-manipulated and non-representational caucus primary system.
Until then, I’ll keep my hands in my pocket, and stay home.
In response to above: The DNC is not the DCCC. The Democratic National Cmte. heads the state committees. The DNC has nothing to do with DCCC or the Senate committee to elect more Democratic senators. Go look at the DNC web page to see how it is organized. Or, you would be welcome at the neighborhood level at the monthly meetings where the committees start.
Debbie, why do you still support the Balart Brothers and Ileana? South Florida is infested with corruption.
Breaking news:
FL-25: Joe Garcia Statement on Breaking Bush Aide Resignation
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/28/18154/2724/785/486352
Really this is laughable. Make FL blue. Votes don;t count for you Florida.
Come join our discussions of this very topic.
http://hillaryisourchoice.com/simplemachinesforum/