Is Wasserman Schultz Changing Her Tune?

Darcy Burner and Annette Taddeo, Democratic netroots heroines

First Florida's corrupt mini-Party Boss, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, announced that although she is co-chair of the DCCC's flawed and distrusted Red to Blue program, she would continue supporting her right-wing Republican buddies in Miami-Dade, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balart Brothers. She even dragged Kendrick Meek into her mess, persuading him to help her stab the 3 viable Democrats, Annette Taddeo, Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez, in the back. The reaction from grassroots and netroots Democrats was immediate... and scared the crap out of Wasserman Schultz. Meek, telling her she's on her own, publicly embraced all three Democrats, donated to their campaigns and has been helping them with their campaigns. Wasserman Schultz, under pressure from the DCCC and from Democratic activists, gave in on the Diaz-Balarts and endorsed Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez.

But in the most Democratic-leaning of the three Miami-Dade districts, DWS dug in. She declared she was sticking with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, even though Ros-Lehtinen is one of the most extremist opponents of women's choice in Congress-- no rape, no incest, no life of the mother; if your grandfather rapes you when you're 12 and you're going to die in childbirth, Ros-Lehtinen (and, by extension, her ally DWS) says grin and bear it and trust in God and a good time in Heaven.

Apparently Wasserman Schultz has taken a look at some of the recent polling in south Florida and has also seen the gigantic strides the Democratic Party registration drives have made there. Suddenly it's looking like Annette Taddeo, who Wasserman Schultz has kept off the lucrative Red to Blue list, is going to win her race with the help of grassroots activists, labor unions and Emily's List. While even Steny Hoyer's PAC has donated generously and enthusiastically to Taddeo, DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen is looking more and more like a doofus by the day. Has he and Hoyer and Meek tried to remind Wasserman Schultz she's a Democrat and no matter what kind of dubious financial arrangements she has with the corrupt Ros-Lehtinen, her job at the Red to Blue program mandates that she help elect Annette Taddeo, not protect a repulsive anti-family Bush rubber stamp? Maybe.

Although Wasserman Schultz succeeded in keeping Annette off the stage at the Denver convention when other challengers were spotlighted, she was unable to keep Annette's exuberance and energy from winning over Florida Democrats at the convention. I was shocked to see Wasserman Schultz finally take a baby step away from her unflinching support of Ros-Lehtinen today in the Miami Herald.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who earned the ire of the netroots for saying earlier this year she wouldn't get involved in the three South Florida congressional races, just gave the 3 candidates an enthusiastic go-get-em from the stage.

Rallying the faithful from the stage at the Florida delegation's breakfast, Wasserman Schultz proclaimed big wins for the Democrats. "Raul Martinez is going to beat Lincoln Diaz-Balart," she said to cheers. "Joe Garcia is going to beat Mario Diaz-Balart and Annette Taddeo is going to beat Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

"We have 66 days left," Wasserman Schultz said. "Let's work our butts off."

Yes, we do and yes we should. And we'll be watching how hard Wasserman-Schultz works on behalf of Democrats. If she doesn't, she's going to need all that right-wing Cuban money she normally hands out to other Democrats for herself in 2010. Or maybe she just enjoys the prospect of being the female version of Joe Lieberman.