About Rahm and Tim Mahoney...from the swamp we call Florida.

[madfloridian]

I was just reading the post by Babylon Sister in GD forum.

Blue Dog Democrats, Staunch Bush Allies

There were some comments about and by Florida's Tim Mahoney, Republican turned Democrat. (Recruited by Rahm and Thurman as Republican.)

Tim Mahoney, who became the Representative for the 16th district of Florida after disgraced Republican Mark Foley dropped out of the 2006 election, recently became a member of the Blue Dogs. When he joined up, Mahoney described the coalition as a select group with an agenda. "We're hawks on national defense, we're pro-business, especially small business, and we believe in balancing the budget," Mahoney said. According to Mahoney, he faced a thorough vetting process before being accepted into the group. "You have to be interviewed and accepted by the group. You have to be able to demonstrate that you're ideologically supportive of being fiscally conservative. You show them speeches and statements you've made in the past," Mahoney told the Charlotte Sun, a local paper from his district.

The Blue Dogs have apparently informed the Democratic leadership in the House that they support the ongoing occupation of Iraq. According to Mahoney, he met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and told her "The president should be free to maintain troops in Iraq, if the purpose is to thwart terrorism."

Not a word there though about how Tim was a Republican.

I posted about Tim Mahoney before, how he was recruited. There was a very good Democrat running in the race....but that Democrat was urged out by Florida Democratic chairman, Karen Thurman, and Rahm Emanuel. They paid visits to Mahoney to urge him to run.

Howie Klein and the Democrat, Dave Lutrin, who was pretty much forced out of the race...had a blog discussion at Fire Dog Lake a few months ago. Some alarming things were said.

Time to recall.

Democratic leaders hand-picked a Republican to run in Foley's district



David Lutrin has been a good friend to Blue America and has always been available and candid with us. He kept in great contact with us when he was running for Congress in FL-16 last summer, made several announcements about his campaign at Down With Tyranny and, after he withdrew from the race, he sent a note back to every single Blue America contributor– along with a check for the amount they had donated to his campaign. Today Dave is joining us here at Firedoglake to talk about the nuts and bolts of the primary race he started but never finished in south Florida.

Democratic Party organizations throughout the district, as well as the state party and the DCCC in Washington. Everyone was enthusiastic and encouraging. Glen Rushing, the DCCC point person for the region, told Dave he was "just the type of candidate we're looking for." He offered to introduce him to Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, the DCCC-appointed mentor for Democratic candidates in the region, who following their first phone conversation offered to help him with his race. Rushing then promised to get him in touch with Florida DCCC chief, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Emanuel's lieutenant for the Southeast.

Then something happened, something very dark and secretive, something people are just uncovering now. DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel found out something that could– and did– change the dynamics of the race in FL-16 dramatically. Emanuel became aware that Mark Foley– well-known for years Inside-The-Beltway, albeit not among his church-going constituents, as a very active (and very hypocritical) homosexual– was molesting the underage male congressional pages, and that he had been for many years. Did Emanuel call the police? Did he even call the staffers who are charged by Congress with looking out for the welfare of the pages? Doesn't look that way. What it does look like is that he called a fast-and-loose Republican businessman he knew, someone, like Emanuel, with elastic values and an even more elastic code of personal ethics. He offered him a congressional seat and all he'd have to do was switch party registration and become a Democrat. That man is freshman Congressman Tim Mahoney.

Suddenly there was a new DCCC point person, John Vogel, and he had no idea who Dave was. Rushing called and suggested Dave talk to someone named… Tim Mahoney. Dave did. And Mahoney offered him an intricate bribe to drop out of the race and run against Republican Bill Young in FL-10 instead. Dave Lutrin never had a single conversation with Rahm Emanuel. But Emanuel's paw finger prints are all over this operation. It's the way he worked in district after district, everywhere in the country, seeking to find business-friendly, quasi-Republicans who would soft-peddle their opposition to the war in Iraq and never mention "impeachment." Many of us have experienced first hand Emanuel's tactics in CA-11, FL-13, and IL-06 to name a few. Scared of career-ending retribution, virtually no Democrats have been willing to go on the record about DCCC practices that are at variance with internal party rules. Dave has no such fears. Please help me welcome Dave Lutrin as our first Blue America guest of 2007.

The words above are from the interview, not mine. I just think we need to consider what went on or might have gone on, whether speculation or fact.

That interview is from January 6, 2007. I have not heard or read anymore on this subject. But those words from the mouth of Tim Mahoney made me think it was not the time to forget that stuff happens, did happen, and will happen. Keeping an eye out for David Lutrin in the future.

Mahoney did not change party affiliation until after he was recruited to run as a Democrat.

I don't think he was a "yes" vote on the FISA bill, so thank goodness for little things. But it does show we are not about to get out of Iraq with the current crop of Blue Dogs caucusing apart from the party.

[madfloridian]

1. Great comments from the FDL blog post.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/01/06/blue-america-from-the-swamps-of-florida-politics-please-welcome-a-true-believer-david-lutrin

Interesting stuff.

[madfloridian]

2. One comment from the blog about FL 13....

From Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny:

"I wish Jan would let me talk freely about what went on in that district. Emanuel was as vicious to her as he was to anyone whose campaign he tried to derail. But she asked me not to publish the specifics. (I confronted Hoyer on the phone with his role in this and it was the only time during our conversation where he kind of lost it. He was key, along with Rahm, in a series of dirty tricks employed against Jan on behalf of Jennings.)"

He is speaking of Jan Schneider whom we supported in 04. The same ones put Jennings in to run against her though she beat Jennings last time.

The party ignored Jan, her name was never mentioned. It was just like the Cegelis thing in IL. It was like she never existed to the party at all.