This is what you get when your party leaders hightail it down to South Florida to pick a millionaire Republican to run as a Democrat while kicking good Democrats out of the race. Rahm Emanuel and Karen Thurman did just that when they recruited millionaire Republican businessman, Tim Mahoney, to run for Mark Foley's seat.
Here is more of what Tim Mahoney said:
Rep. Mahoney bites the hand that fed him''I don't owe the party anything,'' said Mahoney, whose election helped the Democrats take control of Congress. ``If anybody owes anybody anything, it's Nancy Pelosi who owes a debt to me.''
Mahoney partly blames the dispute over Florida's convention delegates for his commitment problem, but it's clear the real reason he's distancing himself from a liberal Democrat is concern for his own survival. The GOP spent roughly $2 million against him in 2006; he faces three Republican challengers in 2008.
Mahoney is terribly afraid to be a Democrat, instead he will cower and make believe to be all things to all people.
Mahoney is terrified. This is not about an endorsement of Obama, it is about fear of angering the GOP.
Which segues nicely into the following point: One of Mahoney's centerpiece bills, quite dear to his insurance-weary constituents, would create a national pool to serve as a backstop in a devastating hurricane. Obama supports it. McCain does not.
But when the Obama campaign slammed McCain on the bill this week, only co-sponsor Ron Klein of Boca Raton got on the horn with reporters. Mahoney -- and the voice of his constituents -- was missing.
Mahoney insists that he has more leverage to push both Obama and McCain to act if he remains independent.
''The moment they perceive me as being partisan, I lose my ability to do the job,'' he said.
Shame on him and shame on those who handpicked him over a good Democrat called Dave Lutrin.
Democratic leaders hand-picked a Republican to run in Foley's districtDavid 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
How's that working out for you and the party now, Rahm and Karen?