According to a Truthout Special Report just posted, Rahm Emanuel actively recruited conservative Democrats, even former Republicans, for House races in 2006. In other words, the DCCC stepped into PRIMARIES to fight against progressives and liberals, especially ones who were against the Iraq war.
You need to read the entire report for yourself, but here are a few interesting clips:
According to Democratic candidates who ran for House of Representative seats in 2006, Rahm Emanuel, then head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, took sides during the Democratic primary elections, favoring conservative candidates, including former Republicans, and sidelining candidates who were running in favor of withdrawal from Iraq.
::snip::
According to his critics, Emanuel played kingmaker by financially supporting his favored candidates during primary contests with other Democrats. His critics say that this interference was in direct contradiction of a DCCC policy to "remain neutral" in party primaries.
::snip::
... According to Bendavid, Emanuel said to Dean, "You're nowhere, Howard. Your field plan is not a field plan. That's fucking bullshit ... I know your field plan - it doesn't exist. I've gone around the country with these races. I've seen your people. There is no plan, Howard."
I can understand, perhaps, Emanuel giving an opinion one way or another about the electability of a given candidate. I can even understand the DCCC making a decision to put money here and not there, based on their analysis of the race.
But to step into a primary, fight against local activists, and recruit conservatives, even former Republicans, is beyond the pale. If this report is even half true, Emanuel was selling the future in order to buy the present, and kicking local Democrats in the teeth as he did it.
And one more thing -- the reason there was not a complete field organization in place to support Dean's 50-State Strategy is because you, Emmanuel, and everyone else in Washington had spent twenty years destroying it with your "key state" strategy. With Dean we have a national party again. Without the 50-State Strategy, we have ... you. And apparently that means having Washington tell us who to support.
I'll take 50-State and local wisdom, pretty much every time.
Read the story.