Process begins to oust Ausman from Democratic State Committee

[Freddie Stubbs]

Democratic National Committeeman Jon Ausman, a fiercely combative campaign strategist known for partisan infighting, could lose the power base he has built over more than 40 years because of charges that he violated “an unwritten code of political ethics” by taking sides among Democrats in last year’s races.

Ausman endorsed newcomer Jeff Greene in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate last August while being paid $6,000 as an adviser to the Palm Beach County billionaire. In a non-partisan Leon County Commission race, he supported Commissioner Nick Maddox, who beat former Commissioner Cliff Thaell. Ausman also used rules maneuvers in an unsuccessful effort to keep former county party chairman Larry Simmons, who lost to Teri Cariota.

State party spokesman Eric Jotkoff said Sunday Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith will probably act in a few days on a party judicial panel’s recommendation to remove Ausman’s from the state Democratic Executive Committee.

Ausman is the longest-serving member of the DNC but his ouster from the state committee would probably trigger a move to replace him on the national committee, but Ausman said the state party has no authority to recommend that.

more: http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110501/CAPITOLNEWS/110501007/Process-begins-to-oust-Ausman-from-Democratic-State-Committee

[csziggy]

1. Ausman was the one behind the Cliff Thaell smear campaign?

So he managed to get a terrific county commissioner out of office - a man who has always supported progressive issues and has fought to keep developers from ruining our little county - and got elected a person who cared so little about politics that he never even registered to vote until he started his campaign. Although county commission races are technically non-partisan, that is only because candidates do not have to declare a party and do not run under the auspices of a party. Cliff Thaell is a solid Progressive Democratic. I had assumed that anyone who ran against him was a Republican, especially given the campaign tactics used against Thaell in this race.

Ausman has been a PITA for the Leon County Democrats for years. Damn, I hope they can throw his ass out.