Debbie Wasserman Schultz, IF YOU VOTE For Fast Track, You Must RESIGN As DNC Chair

[Segami]

"...This is simple: the chair of the party cannot continue to serve when s/he cannot, and does not, represent the majority of the interests of its members. And, especially, when s/he is in direct opposition to the vast majority of its members on a crucial, defining issue...."

The gloves have to come off when it comes to individual members of Congress who vote for "fast track" and the Trans Pacific Partnership. I'm talking seriously funded primaries in 2016. I'm going to start laying out the case for specific challenges (and a little plan is percolating in my brain) and I know there will be a debate about this.


BUT...a no-brainer has to be this: Debbie Wasserman Schultz cannot vote in favor of "fast track"--which she has declared her support for--and remain head of the Democratic National Committee. Impossible. This is pretty simple. Yes, when Democrats control the White House, the president is usually the person who decides who the head of the DNC is. And, of course, the president is pushing for "fast track". BUT: the head of the DNC is supposed to represent all members of the party and its interests. Not just the president:

As chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, she strongly backs Obama but faces intense pressure from fellow Democrats who fear the results of behind-the-scenes trade negotiations.

Members of the Communications Workers of America made it clear to Wasserman Schultz that her position on fast track was unacceptable during this demonstration at her office: We know that from the most recent cloture vote in the Senate in which 31 out of the 44 Democrats voted NO (for the purposes of the discussion of the DNC chair, I am omitting the two independents--Bernie Sanders and Angus King--who caucus with the Democrats and also were NO votes). In the House, it's pretty clear that only a handful--right now probably no more than 20 or so--of the 188 Democrats support "fast track". Most leading Democrats in the House oppose "fast track", including senior Democratic leaders like Rosa DeLauro and virtually all the other House Florida Democrats (Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings, Alan Grayson, Kathy Castor, Corrine Brown and Patrick Murphy have all declared opposition).

The entire labor movement is opposed to "fast track"--and the labor movement supplies tens of millions of dollars to the party, in hard cash and resources (boots on the ground). AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has already made it clear, along with other unions, that no money is coming to candidates and the partyuntil it's clear where members of Congress end up on fast track and TPP. Trumka would be entirely correct to write to Wasserman Schultz, if she votes for "Fast track" to express no-confidence in her leadership and ask for her resignation and refuse to give money to the party until she does.




cont'

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/15/1385008/-Debbie-Wasserman-Schultz-If-You-Vote-For-Fast-Track-You-Must-RESIGN-As-DNC-Chair

[randys1]

1. ...wait while I hold my........

[MohRokTah]

2. It doesn't work that way. eom

[Segami]

4. What exactly.

[MohRokTah]

8. She could vote with the GOP 100% of the time.

She still could not be forced to resign.

DNC rules.

[rhett o rick]

5. You are correct. She represents the Corporate-Wing of the Party and not Unions

and American workers. Fast Tracking the TPP right up American worker's errr.... noses, is the defining issue to emphasize the difference between the Progressive Wing and the Corporate Wing of the DEmocratic Party. Funny how the non-progressives still insist that there are not two wings of the party and that Sen Sanders and Clinton are not that far apart on issues. Can you spell denial?

[billhicks76]

14. Like Hillary

Hijacking the ethics of the Democratic Party

[rhett o rick]

19. Corporations and their expensive Think Tanks (Conspiracy Tanks) are not stupid.

They know that the Republicon Party is off the rails and unpredictable, so they are buying into the Democratic Party. And they ain't buying the Progressive Wing. Clinton/Goldman-Sachs will be the ticket if HRC gets the nomination. Goldman and friends are willing to spend billions to insure that they are well represented in the control of our government.

[billhicks76]

20. Good Analysis

I do believe you made an excellent point.

[rhett o rick]

21. Thanks, but I think Spock would agree that it's only logical. nm

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Miss Third Way USA.

It's all about me.

[bvar22]

6. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz should have been kicked to the curb long ago.

The fact that she wasn't raises alot of nasty questions about the Party Leadership.

In 2008 Debbie Wasserman Schultz refused to endorse these 3 Democrats
who had won their Primaries and had a chance to win Republican seats:

Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chair Joe Garcia

Former Hialeah Democratic Mayor Raul Martinez

Democratic businesswoman Annette Taddeo

All three had won their local Democratic Primaries, and were challenging Hard Core Republican incumbents with whom Wasserman-Schultz had become cozy.
Not only did the head of the DCCC Red to Blue Program REFUSE to endorse these Democratic challengers,
but she appeared in person at at least one (possibly more) Campaign/Fundraiser for their Republican opponents.



FL-18, FL-21, FL-25: Wasserman Schultz Wants Dem Challengers to Lose
by: James L.
Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 7:15 PM EDT
<snip>

Sensing a shift in the political climate of the traditionally solid-GOP turf of the Miami area, Democrats have lined up three strong challengers -- Miami-Dade Democratic Party chair Joe Garcia, former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, and businesswoman Annette Taddeo to take on Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, respectively.

While there is an enormous sense of excitement and optimism surrounding these candidacies, some Democratic lawmakers, including Florida Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Kendrick Meek, are all too eager to kneecap these Democratic challengers right out of the starting gate in the spirit of "comity" and "bipartisan cooperation" with their Republican colleagues:

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.

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.

Now, you'd expect this kind of bullshit from a backbencher like Alcee Hastings, but you wouldn't expect this kind of behavior from the co-chair of the DCCC's Red to Blue program, which is the position that Wasserman Schultz currently holds. Apparently, Debbie did not get Rahm's memo about doing whatever it takes to win:

The national party, enthusiastic about the three Democratic challengers, has not yet selected Red to Blue participants. But Wasserman Schultz has already told the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that if any of the three make the cut, another Democrat should be assigned to the race.

http://www.swingstateproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1537

The bloggers also are furious with Rep. Kendrick B. Meek (D-Fla.), who similarly refuses to endorse the Democratic challengers to the three Cuban American Republicans.

They are calling for Wasserman Schultz to step down from her leadership role at the DCCC. And they're not letting up, even after one Florida liberal blogger reported that the congresswoman seemed "frustrated" by the blogs and had asked to "please help get them off my back."

This prompted even harsher reaction from perhaps the most influential of the progressive political bloggers, Markos Moulitsas, a.k.a. Kos, founder of Daily Kos, who wrote on his blog Wednesday: "On so many fronts, the Republicans are standing in the way of progress, on Iraq, SCHIP, health care, fiscal responsibility, corruption, civil liberties, and so on. Those three south Florida Republicans are part of that problem. And she's (Wasserman-Schultz) going to be 'frustrated' that people demand she do her job?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR2008031903410_3.html

Here are Kos comments on the Wasserman-Schultz betrayal of the Democratic Party:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/03/20/480511/-DCCC-Says-Uproar-Over-DWS-Recusal-Much-Ado-About-Nothing




A lot of time has passed since 2008, but I don't take these kinds of betrayals lightly.

bvar22
Cursed with a memory

"I want to thank Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for being an outstanding chair of our party. (Applause.) She is a great partner."--President Obama

With "partners" like this, we don't need Republicans!

[cui bono]

9. +1

That's horrible.

[daleanime]

15. +1

[Triana]

7. She needs to go anyway.

She's totally ineffective.

[Gore1FL]

10. She should resign in either case.

She isn't good at the job.

[99Forever]

11. Time to flush ...

... that DINO. Think of it as a "courtesy flush."

[tritsofme]

12. Yes, how dare our party chair support a major Obama admnistration initiative!?! The nerve!

[rhett o rick]

22. You are right. Why would anyone be surprised that she, a tool of the Corporate Wing of

our Party should act as such. The populist wing needs to gain control of the DNC and kick her to the curb.

[Punx]

13. Bwaahahahah!

No chance that this Corporatist will vote against TPP or resign.

Best friend the Republican party has, at least in Florida. Years ago she got in to a spat with Ed Schultz on his radio show. Pre MSNBC, very testy and frankly totally exposed her hypocrisy. I've heard almost nothing good about her since.

[bigwillq]

16. She should have been gone as chair a long time ago

I think she's terrible.

[turbinetree]

17. I THINK

and examination of her position's at the site below, says it all and quite well-----Time Warner is a small amount but it says a lot in my book


http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00026106&type=I&newmem=N

[Oilwellian]

18. I remember thinking when DWS was appointed to the DNC...

the DLC would then dissolve. And it did shortly thereafter. We really need to wrest control of our party back from the Third Way, corporate lovin' posers in control now. I would love to see the unions endorse Bernie.