*Not to pile on the DNC chairwoman, but....

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's less-than-impressive performance on Doug McIntyre's KABC show (see Kevin's earlier post) won't change any votes, but it is a telling example of why the Democrats keep stumbling. Never mind her not having a fix on Mayor Villaraigosa's mediocre record or mistakenly calling the U.S. Conference of Mayors the "National Association of Mayors," or not realizing that the mayor has been in that position for almost a year. What struck me was the humorless, drone-like delivery that never went beyond standard-issue talking points (much like Villaraigosa handles similar situations, by the way). Listen to the clip - I've heard automatons that were more enticing. Can't she do better than cite "failed policies of the past," which might have worked in 2008 but not after a Democrat has been in the White House for more than three years. Don't these folks know how to improvise, how to lighten up the discourse? Please tell me that the party's brain trust can do better than this.

*If Wasserman Schultz wants to know what a great job Villaraigosa has done in dealing with chronic budget deficits, she might want to check in with the local Service Employees International Union. From the LAT:

Local 721 emailed City Hall members over the weekend, criticizing Villaraigosa for pushing City Hall layoffs and a hike in the retirement age for newly hired city workers. Titled "Mayor Two-Face is at it Again," the email offers a statement from city equipment mechanic Ray Rice, demanding to know whether Villaraigosa, who has traveled out of Southern California 11 times so far this year, views city employee unions as partners or as enemies. "I suspect the Mayor doesn't know. That's because while we've been working hard to serve the citizens of Los Angeles, he's been flying all over the country...," Rice wrote. "Maybe if he'd spend half as much time running the city as he does running the upcoming Democratic convention he'd know where he stands."

This is what happens when you pretend that the city's fiscal problems - and with it, long-standing commitments to unions - will magically disappear by moving around a few numbers.