Well, isn't this an interesting twist. Tim Mahoney, the Democrat who replaced Mark Foley after he dropped off the ballot two years ago because of a sex scandal, himself is embroiled in a bit of a sex scandal himself. And like his predecessor, Mahoney is now apparently considering dropping out of the race.

From Politico:

Embattled Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney may not seek reelection in Florida next month after ABC News broke a story earlier this week that the congressman had paid a former aide to keep quiet about their alleged affair, according to a Democratic leadership aide with ties to his campaign.

Mahoney, first elected to the House in 2006, is facing allegations that he paid $121,000 to a former aide, Patricia Allen, that he had allegedly had an affair with. Allen threatned to sue Mahoney for sexual harassment after she was fired, and Mahoney has admitted to using personal funds to cover a settlement with Allen and her lawyers. The allegations about Mahoney were first reported by ABC News.

The network has also reported Mahoney allegedly had a second affair with an official in Martin County, Florida.

Mahoney's re-election campaign did not have a comment on his possible retirement at press time.

Were Mahoney to drop out, it would be no real loss, he's been nothing more than an extra D in the House anyway and not a great one at that, but it sure would be nice not to lose the seat. SSP ponders what would happen in the event Mahoney does drop out:

Well, if this indeed happens, then it seems like we're looking at a virtual repeat of 2006, where GOP candidate Mark Foley bailed out shortly before the election, and substitute candidate Joe Negron was handicapped by being referred to as "Mark Foley" on the ballot. (And yet Negron barely lost: one more tribute to Mahoney's political skills.) So this opens up the question: what FL-16 Democrat would get to play the role of "Tim Mahoney" on this year's ballot? Despite this district's R+2 lean, it doesn't seem like we have much of a bench in this district (which is what led to previously-unelected ex-GOPer Mahoney running for us in the first place).

I'll be curious to see polling to get a sense of how much of a drag on Mahoney this scandal has been. Are we better off with someone else replacing him this close to election day or just leaving him on the ballot? Either way, though, you gotta think this guy is smiling.

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Breaking news from ABC.  Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney, who ousted child predator Mark Foley in 2006, is mired in a scandal.

From  ABC:

West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL), whose predecessor resigned in the wake of a sex scandal, agreed to a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him, according to current and former members of his staff who have been briefed on the settlement, which involved Mahoney and his campaign committee.

The affair between Congressman Tim Mahoney and Patricia Allen began, according to current and former staffers, in 2006 when Mahoney was campaigning for Congress against Foley, promising "a world that is safer, more moral."
(ABC News)

Mahoney, who is married, also promised the woman, Patricia Allen, a $50,000 a year job for two years at the agency that handles his campaign advertising, the staffers said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5 997043&page=1

Mahoney was already in a tough race, and his campaign was heavily focused on "faith and family." This will all but certainly hand the election to his opponent.

I'm tired of Democratic politicians putting their libido ahead of their party.  They should know the consequences of their actions, and if they decide that an affair is more important than the Democratic Party, they need to leave politics.

Fuck you, Tim Mahoney.

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Once again, here's the list of the Blue Dogs (plus Sestak) who are against the supplemental because of the conditions it imposes. I removed Kirsten Gillibrand, because she signaled she'd vote for the bill after internal deliberations and public pressure from her supporters.

Here's the list, with three new members (Lincoln Davis (TN-04), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), and Bob Ethridge (NC-02)). Lots of Indiana reps on the list, which is nice because it's Evan Bayh whose wavering in the Senate (along with the Nelsons, of course).

Michael Arcuri (NY-24)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Melissa Bean (IL-08)
Dan Boren (OK-02)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Bud Cramer (AL-02)
Lincoln Davis (TN-04)
Joe Donnelly (IN-02)
Brad Ellsworth (IN-08)
Bob Ethridge (NC-02)
Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20) ???
Baron Hill (IN-09)
Tim Mahoney (FL-16)
Jim Marshall (GA-08)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
John Salazar (CO-03)
Joe Sestak (PA-07)
Heath Shuler (NC-11)
Gene Taylor (MS-04)

Today's big win in the Appropriations Committee is good for momentum. Win or lose, Pelosi is an amazing Speaker.

From a source close to the House Democratic caucus, here's a list of Blue Dogs that don't want to vote for this bill because it has a certain date for withdrawal.  

Michael Arcuri (NY-24)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Melissa Bean (IL-08)
Dan Boren (OK-02)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Bud Cramer (AL-02)
Brad Ellsworth (IN-08)
Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20)
Baron Hill (IN-09)
Tim Mahoney (FL-16)
Jim Marshall (GA-08)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
John Salazar (CO-03)
Joe Sestak (PA-07)
Heath Shuler (NC-11)
Gene Taylor (MS-04)

It's sad to see some freshmen we supported on the list.  Joe Sestak, Kirsten Gillibrand and Michael Arcuri had some online support from the progressive netroots.  Tim Mahoney, Heath Shuler, Brad Ellsworth, and Baron Hill were mostly to nearly all Rahm recruits.

These people are the Democrats that held Pelosi and the progressive hostage on the language for a firm withdrawal.  They are keeping the war going.  They need to be brought over.

UPDATE: Sestak isn't a Blue Dog, and I'm told that Kirsten Gillibrand just wants to see the bill first. Mmmkay. Color me skeptical. A simple public statement would do wonders.

UPDATE AGAIN: Kirsten Gillibrand has publicly stated she will vote for the supplemental.

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David Lutrin is on Firedoglake right now talking about his experience running for Congress in Florida's 16th district.  Lutrin didn't get the nomination, that went to now freshman Congressman Tim Mahoney.  Here's Howie Klein on what happened:

Early on in the process- in mid-2005- Dave contacted 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.

Suddenly there was a new DCCC point person, John Vogel, and he had no idea who Dave was. Rushing called and suggested Dave talk to someone named... Tim Mahoney. Dave did. And Mahoney offered him an intricate bribe to drop out of the race and run against Republican Bill Young in FL-10 instead. Dave Lutrin never had a single conversation with Rahm Emanuel. But Emanuel's paw prints are all over this operation. It's the way he worked in district after district, everywhere in the country, seeking to find business-friendly, quasi-Republicans who would soft-peddle their opposition to the war in Iraq and never mention "impeachment." Many of us have experienced first hand Emanuel's tactics in CA-11, FL-13, and IL-06 to name a few. Scared of career-ending retribution, virtually no Democrats have been willing to go on the record about DCCC practices that are at variance with internal party rules.

I would add that in NC-08 the DCCC backed anti-choice and pro-war veteran Tim Dunn (disliked by the grassroots) over eventual nominee Larry Kissell, who narrowly lost in the general to Robin Hayes.  I know that Emanuel is kicking himself for that one, since he didn't put resources into that race (one of his assistants at the DCCC, Ali Wade, is reported in the latest issue of GQ to have said on a targeting conference call that 'NC-08 is for suckers').

Democrats have traditionally recruited millionaires, conservatives and/or former Republicans to run for the House and Senate.  There are a variety of reasons for this, all dressed up as 'we are just trying to win and we're willing to overlook ideology to do it'.  Of course, the idea that conservatives, millionaires, and former Republicans are the best candidates is itself ideological and not particularly pragmatic.  

Anyway, there is no evil conspiracy in which someone gives the order to undermine liberals in these races.  It's just sort of understood that progressives can't win and so should be pushed out of viable districts.  As a result, it's much harder to raise money and get to the magic 'viability' threshold if you are a grassroots progressive - politicians badmouth you to donors, unions and PACs, and your lifeblood is cut before you know it.  It's part of the culture, sort of like people with mid-Atlantic accents who think that they have no accent.  

Within the political class there's this set of illiberal values wired into our cultural norms, a kind of Broderism and Gergenism and Iraq Study Groupism.  This culture is changing within at least the Democratic Party itself, declining rapidly from 2002-2006.  I felt a very different environment in Congress a few days ago, a genuine sense of mutual respect.  Staffers are no longer reflexively snotty and members are no longer all skeptical.  It's even gone Presidential - John Edwards is overtly calling himself a progressive, and the press isn't going with stories about that crazy John Edwards and his uppity wife.  I would trace this shift within the party to the netroots - we have been able to explain the general public mainstream anger to the our party elites, and they are beginning to listen.  

Anyway, head over to FDL and chat with Lutrin.  He's spilling the beans on what happened.  

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