Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

Key Dem: 'Wrong' To Say GOP Waging A War On Women

Sahil Kapur | April 8, 2012, 11:05AM

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)

Democrats didn't have their message straight on Sunday.

In separate segments on CNN's State of the Union, two top Democrats differed on whether Republicans are waging a "war on women," a central line of attack that Democrats have reaped big political gains for amid the GOP's recent push to limit access to contraception.

DNC chair and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, pressed on whether it's fair to accuse Republicans of waging a war on women, didn't concede an inch.

"The focus of the Republican Party on turning back the clock for women really is something that's unacceptable and shows how callous and insensitive they are towards women's priorities," she said.

Since 2011, Republicans have pushed various bills that would restrict access to abortion and women's health services. The DNC chairwoman cited those efforts as well as the GOP's opposition to legislation establishing equal pay for women as evidence that the party's policies are antithetical to women's interests.

Later on the same show, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and an influential African-American voice, strongly pushed back on his own party's line of attack.

When Clever, a United Methodist pastor, lit into the GOP's claim that President Obama is anti-religion, social conservative Ralph Reed retorted, "Congressman, is it similarly wrong, then, for Democrats to say that the Republican Party is engaged in a war on women? Is that wrong?"

"Yes, that is wrong. And I've never said it, not one time," Cleaver responded. "I condemn it. If it's a Democrat, if it's my cousin, it's wrong."

"We have got to quit exaggerating our political differences," he said.

Dems, including Obama, have enjoyed a significant boost among women voters in recent polls while hammering the message that Republicans are waging a "war on women." Democrats have so far been able to press that attack without dissent from within, but remarks like Cleaver's could give the GOP an opening to push back.

Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords Resigns From Congress: 'I Will Recover And Will Return' (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 25, 2012, 11:42AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords submits her resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords bid farewell to the House of Representatives Wednesday morning receiving an emotional standing ovation from her colleagues.

The Arizona congresswoman submitted her resignation to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) just over a year after a horrific shooting in Tucson that left six people dead and Giffords critically wounded. Since that time, Giffords has made incredible progress, but she is resigning to continue focusing on her recovery. The House met Wednesday morning to take up Giffords final piece of legislation, designed to give stiffer sentences to smugglers who use small, ultralight aircraft to bring drugs into the U.S. from Mexico.

House leaders paid tribute to Giffords' public service ahead of her resignation. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Giffords is "the brightest start this Congress has ever seen," adding that Giffords will be missed.

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Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

Dems Pounce On 'The Town' Clip: 'Who Are They Planning To Hurt?'

Igor Bobic | July 27, 2011, 2:58PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) strongly chided the GOP today for using a movie clip from the film "The Town," in which two criminals agree to a revenge attack, in order to rally lawmaker support for Speaker Boehner's new debt bill currently being rewritten in the House.

The playing of the clip, organized by members of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) staff, happened in a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday. It features Ben Affleck's character asking for a friend's aid in order to "hurt some people."

"Who are they planning to hurt?" demanded Wasserman Schultz, adding: "Unfortunately that short clip from 'The Town' tells you everything you need to know about their approach to the negotiations over the debt ceiling," she said, after showing the clip to the attending media.

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2012

Democrats Look To Protect Latino Vote From GOP Outreach

Benjy Sarlin | July 22, 2011, 1:34PM

DNC TV Ad "En quien confiar"

Democrats are looking to put the kibosh on conservative outreach efforts to Latino voters before they start.

The DNC's first major ad buy of the season is a Spanish-language ad running in areas with high concentrations of Latino voters around the country. The new spot comes just two days after the Republican National Committee and Karl Rove's Super PAC, American Crossroads, launched their own ad campaigns aimed at the key Democratic voting bloc in battleground states like Florida and Colorado.

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Allen West

West: Wasserman Schultz And Dems Attack Me Because I'm A Black Conservative (AUDIO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 21, 2011, 9:56AM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) is now making the rounds of the right-wing talk radio circuit, in the wake of his e-mail to DNC Chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), in which he declared that she has supposedly "proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!" His message for the GOP base: Liberals hate African-American conservatives like him for leaving their "21st-century plantation."

West appeared Wednesday evening on the Mark Levin radio show, and criticized Wasserman Schultz for, among other things, her remarks against his vote on the House Republicans' budget proposal (for which he sent the e-mail), and for having organized a protest outside his campaign headquarters during the 2010 campaign in which he was accused of sexism. No mention was made during the interview about the conflicting reports that he claimed to have apologized, though both his own office and Wasserman Schultz say he has not.

"The thing that really most aggravates me is that there is this double standard, in that the people on the hard left can continue to attack conservatives and especially minority conservatives, and female conservatives," said West. "But yet when all of a sudden you stand up and you say that you will not tolerate this anymore, then they claim to be a victim -- which I find just absolutely laughable."

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Allen West

West: I Apologized! Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Huh?

Igor Bobic | July 20, 2011, 6:07PM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Following Rep. Allen West's (R-FL) Tuesday email to DNC chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in which he attacked her as "vile, despicable, and unprofessional," and "not a Lady," West claimed he apologized. However, now both Wasserman Schultz and West's own spokesperson are saying he didn't.

Roll Call reported the apology earlier in the day, however, DNC aide Brad Woodhouse responded by calling the claim "a complete falsehood." Wasserman Schultz also told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that she in fact did not receive an apology.

Then, to complicate this escalating 'he said/ she said' fiasco, Angela Sachitano, a spokesperson for West also came out claiming the apology is "absolutely false." She said that actually, West is waiting for an apology from Wasserman Schultz. Indeed, the signs are that West is actually using the incident for fundraising purposes.

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Allen West

Wasserman Schultz: Not Surprising That Allen West Would 'Crack Under The Pressure' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 20, 2011, 2:45PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

DNC Chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) is responding to Rep. Allen West's (R-FL) Tuesday e-mail, in which he attacked her for her criticism of his vote on the House Republicans' budget proposals. West declared that she has supposedly "proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!" Appearing Wednesday afternoon on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell, Wasserman Schultz said that with West's position on Medicare, he clearly isn't able to deal with her response. Also, she noted, West is in fact one of her constituents, rather than living in his own district.

Indeed, considering West's having built his political career on his time in the military -- which ended due to an incident involving the torture of an Iraqi policeman -- Wasserman Schultz's response could possibly be viewed as questioning West's own vigor and stability.

"Well, I have to tell you I was unfazed by his e-mail. It's not surprising that given the pressure that the Republicans are facing," said Wasserman Schultz. "I mean, they're defending ending Medicare as we know it. Congressman West represents thousands of senior citizens, which is what I was pointing out, and they would face significant increased costs due to the Republicans' Medicare plan and the Cut, Cap and Balance Bill.

"So it's not really surprising that he would crack under the pressure of having to defend that."

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Allen West

Allen West Calls DNC Chair 'Vile,' 'Despicable' And 'Not A Lady'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 19, 2011, 6:43PM

Rep. Allen West (R-FL)

Maybe it's the stress of the debt ceiling debate or maybe it's his well-documented short fuse, but Rep. Allen West (R-FL) appeared to cross any number of lines in an email sent to DNC chair and fellow Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Tuesday.

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Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton: GOP Voting Crackdown Worst Since Jim Crow

Benjy Sarlin | July 6, 2011, 6:04PM

Former President Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton weighed in on Republican efforts in several states to pass new restrictions on voting, comparing the measures to the Jim Crow laws of the past.

"There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today," Clinton said in a speech at a Campus Progress conference in Washington.

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Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

DNC Chair: Sorry Russ, Dems Are All-In On Anonymous Campaign Funds

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 17, 2011, 3:20PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) laid out a passionate case for Democrats to stay away from so-called Super PACs in his keynote address at the Netroots Nation conference Thursday night. On Friday afternoon, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz made it clear members of her party will not be heeding his advice.

"Progressives shouldn't be unilaterally disarming," she told TPM.

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DNC

New DNC Chair Showers Howard Dean With Praise, Says She'll Ask Him For Ideas

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 17, 2011, 12:54PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who was named chair of the Democratic National Committee in April, praised Howard Dean for his tenure leading the party and told progressives gathered here at Netroots Nation on Friday that she intends to turn to him for ideas.

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Anthony Weiner

DNC Chair Explains Why Clinton Got To Stay But Weiner Has To Go

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 15, 2011, 10:07AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the newly-crowned chair of the DNC, explained to a Washington audience Wednesday why she's called for embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to resign after he lied about sex while Bill Clinton and other politicians have been allowed to keep their jobs for doing the same thing.

The answer, Wasserman Schultz said, comes down to effectiveness.

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Anthony Weiner

Et Tu, Obama? White House Labels Anthony Weiner A 'Distraction'

Benjy Sarlin | June 13, 2011, 11:58AM

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) ongoing scandal has finally drawn the White House into the fray, with President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney decrying the lawmaker's "dishonesty" on Monday.

The presidential spokesman told reporters on Air Force One that Weiner's antics had become a "distraction from important business."

"The President feels, we feel at the White House, this is a distraction," Carney said. "As Congressman Weiner has said himself, his behavior was inappropriate, dishonesty was inappropriate. But the President is focused on his job which is getting this economy continuing to grow, creating jobs and ensuring the safety and security of the American people."

An array of top Democratic officials called for Weiner's resignation in recent days, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), and DCCC chair Steve Israel (D-NY). Carney declined to offer a response either way on the question of whether the embattled lawmaker should step down in light of the ongoing sexting scandal.

"I answered that question," he said in response to a query on what Weiner should do. "We think it's a distraction from the important business that this President needs to conduct and Congress needs to conduct. Beyond that I don't have any comment."

Weiner announced over the weekend that he will seek professional treatment while taking a leave of absence from the House. But the White House's biting comments on his "dishonesty" and "inappropriate" behavior is a clear sign that they're growing concerned about his impact on the party's image and messaging.

Anthony Weiner

Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz And Israel Call On Weiner To Resign

Eric Kleefeld | June 11, 2011, 2:19PM

The House Democratic leadership went public today with their unequivocal desire for Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to resign his office as a result of a scandal involving sexual conversations and explicit photos sent over the Internet. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), DNC Chair and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and DCCC Chair and fellow New York Congressman Steve Israel simultaneously released statements calling on Weiner to resign.

Pelosi and Israel had both previously called for an Ethics Committee investigation.

This new move comes in the wake of Weiner's refusal to resign, after multiple Democratic representatives had called for his resignation, with Weiner having been buoyed by polling data showing that his constituents back home did not think he should resign.

These statements also come on the heels of reports which emerged Friday night about a teenaged girl in Delaware who was questioned by police over a past online exchange with Weiner. There is as yet no evidence that the communications were of a sexual nature. The girl's lawyer has said there were no inappropriate conversations, and Weiner's office has also denied that any sexual discussions took place.

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2012 elections

DNC Chair On Top 2012 GOPers: 'I'm Concerned About Their Commitment To American Exceptionalism'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 26, 2011, 10:42AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Speaking to reporters today, DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz took a page from the Republican playbook when talking about three of President Obama's top potential rivals in 2012.

Speaking of former governors Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Tim Pawlenty, Wasserman Schultz said, "I'm concerned about their commitment to American exceptionalism."

It's a line you hear often from Republicans on the trail when they're speaking about Obama, and it's usually read as a thinly-veiled attack on the president's patriotism or his respect for "traditional American values" and the like. Responding to a followup question from TPM, Wasserman Shultz said that's not exactly what she meant.

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Abortion

Democratic Reps. Unimpressed With New House Abortion Bill

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 3, 2011, 2:30PM

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Pro-choice activists and politicians may have scored a victory with the news that the House abortion bill won't contain a redefinition of rape, but that hasn't made several prominent House Democrats any happier about the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.

"Look, my reaction is this is not really changing things that much," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) told TPM in an interview today. "This exposed them for what their true intentions are. Now that they're exposed they're trying to put the genie back in the bottle, and it's not going to work."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) wasn't interested in giving the sponsors of H.R.3 much credit for altering their bill under pressure from pro-choice groups.

"It's still a totally flawed bill," Maloney told TPM. "I would call it the deepest attack on a woman's right to choose in my lifetime."

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Abortion

Wasserman Schultz: House Abortion Bill 'Violent Act Against Women'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 1, 2011, 4:50PM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) is not happy with the controversial new abortion bill her Republican colleagues are hoping to push through the House. In an interview with Raw Story, Wasserman Schultz -- not known for biting her tongue -- called the new bill "absolutely outrageous."

"I consider the proposal of this bill a violent act against women," she told the website.

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Online privacy

Republicans Push Internet Service Providers To Retain Data For Child Porn Prosecutions

Kase Wickman | January 25, 2011, 4:11PM

It's a question privacy advocates and law enforcement have been grappling with for years: Does the protection of Little Sister justify Big Brother's prying eyes?

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security met Tuesday morning to try to answer that question, with help from the Department of Justice, the United States Internet Service Provider Association and others. At issue is how long internet service providers should be required to keep massive amounts of user data for law enforcement to potentially sort through later.

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Health Care

Now Is Our Health Care Moment, House Democrats Say

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 20, 2011, 8:39AM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

In the basement of the Capitol Wednesday, House Democrats gathered to do something that would have been almost unheard of in, say, October of 2010: openly discuss the health care law they passed last March. But he House vote to repeal the law, which came courtesy of the newly-crowned Republican majority Wednesday, has turned the minority Democratic caucus into a lean, mean, health care bill-defending machine.

It was quite a change from the party of election 2010, which seemed more interested in discussing just about anything else than the landmark law that was at the center of President Obama's domestic policy agenda and dominated political discussion for more than a year.

Reporters in the room Wednesday afternoon -- part of a "bloggers row" set up by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to set the stage for the Republican-led repeal vote -- noticed the change in tone on the health care law, and we asked the Democrats to explain what happened.

The simple answer, from multiple Democrats today: The law that was just a vague plan to improve the nation's health care delivery system for much of 2010 is now beginning to go into effect, meaning that Democrats now have something tangible to defend. And thanks to the voters in November, most of the Democrats who were really wary of reform (and voted against it when it came up) are now gone.

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Health Care

Dem Rep: Tucson Hero Wants Health Care Bill Kept In Place

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 19, 2011, 10:49AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

As Democrats ramp up their day-long press tour to criticize the House Republican plan to vote on a repeal of the landmark health care reform bill today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is using this month's tragedy in Tucson to take on the GOP.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Wasserman Schultz -- who was joined by several other Democratic members of Congress as well as several Obama administration officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- said that one of the heroes of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital is opposed to the House legislative action today.

"Normally I would step to a microphone like this and tell a story about the impact that decision might have on a constituent in my district," Wasserman Schultz said. "Instead what I'm going to do is share with you what Pat Maisch -- who was the hero who dropped the second magazine out of the gunman's hand during the tragedy in Tucson -- what she planned to say to Gabby Giffords when she was waiting on line to talk to her."

Wasserman Schultz said Maisch wanted the health care reforms signed into law by President Obama in March kept in place, and that the Arizona grandmother bemoaned the tone of the repeal debate led by the new Republican House majority.

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Face The Nation

Bachmann And Weiner Spar Over Debt Ceiling (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | January 3, 2011, 9:49AM

Face The Nation yesterday featured some, er, spirited debate from Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), and Rep.-Elect Mike Kelly (R-PA) over the debt ceiling.

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Bush Tax Cuts

House Dems Identify Key Objection To Obama Tax Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2010, 10:45PM

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer with other House Democrats

Angry House Democrats identified their key objection to President Obama's tax cut compromise Tuesday night, after they were briefed on the deal in a private meeting by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders.

Several members are withholding their support for the legislation unless the details of an estate tax agreement between the White House and Senate Republicans become more progressives.

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Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

Midterms Leave Top Democratic Surrogate Debbie Wasserman Schultz In The Lurch

Brian Beutler | November 24, 2010, 8:37AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

The 2010 midterm elections were kind of a bummer, if you're a Democrat. Among Democrats who survived the bloodbath, it's a really big bummer for Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL) -- an appropriator and prolific fundraiser whose role in the 2012 cycle is now unclear.

With over 60 seats lost and the party relegated to minority status, the party has fewer perks -- leadership positions, plum committee assignments, etc. -- to offer its most influential members. As you might expect, it's created visible tension within the party. It's also added some bumps to Wasserman Schultz's once-clear path to party leadership.

When the Republicans take over next year, the ratios on House committees will practically flip. For a lot of Democrats -- particularly senior members -- this won't matter much. There's frequently some correspondence between the number of spots the losing party loses on a committee, and the number of members of that committee who are defeated or retire.

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Steve Israel

Blue Dogged: Meet Steve Israel, The Incoming Chair Of The DCCC

Brian Beutler | November 23, 2010, 9:23AM

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY)

Long Island Democrat Steve Israel, the incoming DCCC chairman isn't a typical Nancy Pelosi ally. Among other things, he's a former Blue Dog who voted for the Iraq war and the 2001 Bush tax cuts. But last week, after urging his fellow Democrats to support Pelosi's continued leadership of their party, Pelosi nominated him to head the election committee over the perceived favorite, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

Wasserman-Schultz and Pelosi have clashed in the past, but the former's fundraising acumen is unquestioned and, in a challenging environment for Democrats, she was seen as a natural choice.

But Israel didn't come out of nowhere.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | August 27, 2010, 4:41PM

Republican candidate for US Senate in Alaska Joe Miller

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Senate candidate Joe Miller (R-AK), Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL), Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL).

• Fox News Sunday: Glenn Beck.

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D), Brad Pitt.

MA-SEN

The Democrats Begin The Blame Game

Laura Colarusso | January 19, 2010, 11:34PM

MA Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) and Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

It didn't take long for the Dems to start the finger pointing in the wake of Martha Coakley's loss in the Massachusetts special Senate election.

As the election night returns came pouring in so did the blame. Coakley, a Democrat and the Massachusetts Attorney General, was ahead of Republican State Senator Scott Brown by double digit margins well into December. But, her lead faded in early January and her campaign was never able to recover.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 2:18PM

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and RNC Chairman Michael Steele

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: RNC chairman Michael Steele, DNC chairman Tim Kaine

• CBS, Face The Nation: Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), Republican political consultant Ed Rollins, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell (R-VA).

• Fox News Sunday: Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell (R-VA), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA).

FL-20

GOP Candidate Shoots At Target With Wasserman Schultz's Initials

Eric Kleefeld | October 9, 2009, 2:09PM

FL-20 Candidate Robert Lowry (R)

Here's a sign that some conservative activism really has gotten out of hand: A Republican candidate for Congress went campaigning by shooting a gun at a target with the incumbent Dem Congresswoman's initials written next to it.

Robert Lowry, a businessman running against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), stopped by a local Republican event that was held at a shooting range. Lowry stepped up to show his marksmanship, and fired at a human silhouette target -- with the letters "DWS" written next to the head.

Lowry later told the Sun-Sentinel that he did not know who wrote the letters next to the target, but that he did know they were there when he started shooting. After further questioning, he admitted it "was a mistake" to shoot at the target.

Florida's 20th District is a safe Democratic seat, which voted for Barack Obama by a margin of 63%-36%, and re-elected Wasserman Schultz by 76%-23% in 2008.

Late Update: It should also be noted that human-style targets were common at this event: "Though most of the targets of gunfire were standard gun-range fare -- large silhouettes of a human figure -- a few shooters used large color posters instead. They depicted a menacing figure, adorned in a kaffiyeh, the kind of headdress worn by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The person in the picture was holding a rocket-propelled grenade."

(Via Political Wire.)

Sexism

Dem Women: Kyl, McDonnell, Christie Are 'Backward'

Rachel Slajda | October 7, 2009, 5:02PM

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL)

In a DNC conference call this afternoon, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and State Del. Margaret Vanderhye (D-VA) accused members of the Republican party of being "backward" and "out of touch" on women's issues.

The call targeted Republican gubernatorial candidates Chris Christie in New Jersey and Bob McDonnell in Viriginia, as well as Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Republicans in general.

"I think we have an outdated view, an extreme view, a lack of understanding of what women's lives are like today and the role of women in America," Stabenow said. She wouldn't, however, use the word "sexist."

The lawmakers cited Republicans' opposition to health care reform as evidence, since women are usually in charge of their families' health care, and are disproportionately hurt by current health insurance policy.

But they also called out the NRCC's statement yesterday about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, specifically that Gen. Stanley McChrystal "should put her in her place." That, said Wasserman-Schultz, is evidence of "a total lack of respect for women."

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