Since the beginning of the 2006 election cycle, I have generally been quite pleased, and impressed, by the performance of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. I think they've made some mistakes here and there-they're only human-but overall, I've been quite happy with the DCCC's performance. It's hard to argue with results, and we've gained 31 seats in that time, capped by an impressive victory in Saturday's IL-14 special election, which delivered the seat of a former Republican Speaker of the House to our Democratic Party.
That said, I find this unacceptable: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, co-chair of the DCCC's Red to Blue Program, apparently won
But as three Miami Democrats look to unseat three of her South Florida Republican colleagues, Wasserman Schultz is staying on the sidelines. So is Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat and loyal ally to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
That wasn't the case just two years ago when the pair flouted a long-standing Florida delegation agreement to not campaign against colleagues and vigorously backed Ron Klein in his winning bid to oust veteran Republican Rep. Clay Shaw.
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.
Yes, we do, Rep. Wasserman Schultz.
Look, at some level, I understand not wanting to campaign against your friends. I do. I also understand that the Florida delegation has long had a non-aggression pact, and that Wasserman Schultz broke tradition by campaigning against Clay Shaw in 2006.
But as co-chair of Red to Blue, Wasserman Schultz isn't an ordinary Rep. In her capacity at the DCCC, her chief responsibility, her highest priority, is to do whatever it takes to win, in every district we have a chance at winning.
If it makes you a jerk to campaign against your friends and neighbors, fine. You've got to be bloody ruthless if you're serious about maximizing Democratic gains. If you're not prepared to do that, that's OK, but maybe the DCCC job isn't for you. Surely it's not for everyone.
As James L. writes in a must-read piece at Swing State Project (seriously, go read it right now), I can't imagine Rahm Emanuel doing this. Whatever his faults, he is a partisan fighter who is willing to get his hands dirty.
I expect Wasserman Schultz to do the same, and given her prominence in South Florida, I think it really undermines the three fine Democratic candidates in FL-18, FL-21, and FL-25 (respectively, Annette Taddeo, Raul Martinez and Joe Garcia) for Wasserman Schultz to sit these races out.
This is the best opportunity we've had to take these seats in years, and it's her obligation to do everything she can to make that happen.