File Under: You Can't Make This Stuff Up (FL-16 Again)

Florida's 16th congressional district is famous for roughly the same reason I started treating the DCCC as the bad player it has proven itself to be. Start with a longtime incumbent, whose alcoholism and closeted homosexuality-- both widely known Inside-the-Beltway-- had combined to create a very sick yen for being caught molesting underage boys. And he was. But congressional leadership, primarily Republican congressional leadership, covered up for him. Rahm Emanuel, then head of the DCCC saw Mark Foley's crumbling world as an opportunity to pick up a House seat in a relatively red district. So he kept his mouth shut too-- complicit in allowing Foley to have his way with young congressional pages (primarily the sons of big GOP donors). Long story, short: Emanuel with Steny Hoyer, froze the legitimate Democratic candidate running against Foley-- Dave Lutrin-- out of the race and enticed a wealthy lifelong Republican, Tim Mahoney, into the race (delivering on their promise of an uncontested primary and a "special circumstance" for the general). The special circumstance was how the media exploded into an orgy of Mark Foley Caught With His Pants Down (in a boys dorm).

Although Foley resigned and checked into a posh clinic for naughty Republicans, it was conveniently too late to get his toxic name off the ballot and Mahoney was elected-- though just barely (49-48%). Mahoney went on to revert to voting with his fellow-Republicans and to chase women all over town. His one term ended in scandal, amid sexual escapades, payoffs, hush money and all sorts of things normally associated with Republicans (which, of course, he was, despite the deceptive blue jersey) and now extremely entitled son of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney has taken possession of the seat. Old news, right? Certainly... but whatever is old...

A few weeks ago David Lutrin called and asked if Doug Kahn and I would help him run against Rooney. We agreed and were especially excited because there was already a raving teabagger, Republican Jim Horn, in the race which would surely split the Republican base allowing a Democrat to win. (Obama only took 47% of the district, about the same as Gore and Kerry.) Horn is a kook who went to the same college-- SUNY, Stony Brook-- as I did and he was a typical Republican climber, devoted in all ways to the whole Greed and Selfishness ethos that so afflicts right-wingers.

Anyway, a week later Lutrin decided his family wasn't prepared for him to run and he withdrew, leaving a retired airline pilot, Stan Smilan, as the Democrat in the race. Problem was Smilan didn't want a primary so when the teabagger decided to pull off his red jersey and don a blue one, declaring himself a candidate for the Democratic nomination, Smilan withdrew, leaving FL-16 voters with a choice between two Republicans... again!

I wonder how long it will take Debbie Wasserman Schultz to embrace Horn, despite this public record of political contributions:

Jim Horn, a Palm City businessman, on Monday changed his voter registration from Republican to Democrat at the Martin County Supervisor of Elections Office, and also amended his ballot designation for the Congressional District 16 race from no party affiliation to Democrat... Horn, calling himself a “Traditional Values Democrat,” noted that he comes from a family of Democrats from New York.

“I was talking to my uncle the other day about my candidacy, he’s still in Manhatattan, he said, “Bring your values to the Democratic Party like we did when we were younger,” Horn said. “You don’t have to accept what everyone is saying.”

“Unfortunately, I believe he will be an embarrassment to the Democrats,” Smilan stated. “In my opinion his presence on the ballot will be very divisive. He will reflect very poorly on the Democratic Party and drag down the ticket.”

Friday's the last day for filing... and, believe it or not, Mahoney wants to give it another shot.