DC Democrats Campaigning Against Progressive Dem Annette Taddeo

Posted by Matt Stoller, Open Left at 5:40 AM on July 24, 2008.

Here's something to note.

Anxious Miami Beach officials huddled Tuesday with Florida Department of Transportation representatives, summoned by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who met with the group, along with representatives of Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

So that's three Republicans and a top Democratic leader meeting, and that Democratic leader has pretty much endorsed these three Republicans. Odd, but on local issues, there's a logic to it we can accept. When you combine it with a whisper campaign against Ros-Lehtinen's opponent, though, this begins to really smell.

So let's look closer at a subtle campaign against Ros-Lehtinen's progressive Democratic opponent, Annette Taddeo. This campaign is designed to get two memes out there, that Taddeo can't win and that Ros-Lehtinen is 'moderate'. The first meme is designed to lock out institutional support from Taddeo, the second to help Ros-Lehtinen portray herself as moderate to voters. The notable thing about this campaign against a progressive Democrat is that it's coming from Democrats in the local establishment and parts of the DC establishment. The rumors of Ros-Lehtinen's strength are allowing groups like EMILY's List to not come in to the race, citing viability questions. To his credit Chris Van Hollen at the DCCC has reserved airtime in FL-18, so there is recognition she can pull this off. And I will have stats soon on EMILY's List support of candidates of color to show why the group should come in for Taddeo.

But anyway, here are five clear quotes that illustrate how the meme spreads. Take the following quote in the New York Times magazine.

They point out that the third Cuban-American member of the House delegation, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, has constituent services second to none and is far more flexible on social questions than the Diaz-Balarts.(Her district now includes the heavily gay Florida Keys, and she has garnered considerable support there as well.) This, they say, rather than her views about Cuba, is what makes her own re-election such a virtual certainty.

Here's Fernand Amandi, executive at Democratic polling firm Bendixen and Associates.

In an off year for the GOP, it's a testament to the constituent work Ros-Lehtinen has done,'' Amandi said.`She's done a ton of outreach and it's paid off.''

And here's Bendixen himself.

"The lead of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a very Democratic year is impressive," Bendixen said. "She not only leads among Cuban Hispanics but among non Cuban Hispanics, a group that traditionally votes for Democratic candidates."

And here's an anonymous Democratic operative.

The third election, which pits businesswoman Annette Taddeo, a newcomer to politics, against Ros-Lehtinen, made it to the DNC list of "emerging races." The district is only 30 percent Cuban, which might favor the Democrat (who happens to be Colombian-American). But one Democratic operative said Republican Ros-Lehtinen has the advantage of political skills that the Díaz-Balart brothers have not mastered. "The perception is that Ileana is a little more moderate, a nicer person," he said. "When she calls you hijo de puta, she does it with a smile."

Finally, local Democratic consultant Freddy Balsera puts out the meme.

"I think Ileana, to her credit, has done a better job of maintaining a presence in her district," says Democrat Balsera.

In a wave year, we can get Taddeo in Congress. There are two important polls out on the race, one is from Bendixen and Associates, which shows Ileana leading by double digits. That is the poll the whisper campaigners are pushing out, and it is basically a test of name ID; Taddeo, like most new challengers has little, but this will change as election day nears and the race tightens. The other one is from Lake and Associates, which tells respondents about both candidates, and it shows Taddeo up by 44-42.

It's not an easy race, but I believe Lake's polling more than Bendixen's. This district contains South Beach and the Keys, and went only 54% for Bush in 2004. Taddeo is endorsed by a bunch of progressive groups, but she is not well-known to the old boys club of Democrats in Miami, so they don't like her (she's also a woman, which doesn't help in terms of being accepted by the establishment). And they are trying to damage her. It's important for progressive to recognize these kinds of campaigns and rebut them, especially with such talented politicians as Taddeo running for office.

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Matt Stoller is a political activist/blogger in DC, and was an editor at MyDD from November 2005 until June 2007. He also consults for the Sunlight Foundation, FreePress.net, and Working Assets as well as proactively networking other progressive bloggers/internet activists and progressive professionals.