On Wednesday’s episode of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz evaded questions on the prospects of Democrat success in next month’s midterm elections and the dynamic between candidates in that election and President Barack Obama.
On the prospects of Democrat gains, Wasserman Schultz was reluctant to give a prediction.
“I think we are still really in a neck-and-neck situation in terms of whether or not we see pickups for Democrats or pickup for Republicans,” Wasserman Schultz said. “This is an election where in every single competitive race it’s coming down to the wire. Just for example, four years ago in 2010, the DCCC had cut loose a whole bunch of incumbents and there is not a single incumbent Democrat that today you would predict would be losing.”
“You know, the best thing I could predict is we have an opportunity to pick up seats and beyond that, I wouldn’t make any other predictions,” she added.
Later in the segment, Wasserman Schultz was pressed by Scarborough and Brzezinski on why Democratic candidates were running from President Barack Obama and if a vote those candidates would be a vote for the “continuation” of Obama’s policies.
Partial transcript as follows:
BRZEZINSKI: Aren’t Democrats playing into exactly the negative antics the Republican Party has put on the silver platter for you all? Instead of looking at the president’s record and running on it – I mean, you just named three issues that he’s on the forefront of. I feel like you are all falling for the easiest trick in the book.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, not at all. I mean, look, we are running an environment where we’ve had 55 straight months of job growth in the private sector — the longest sustained period of job growth in American history. Americans have seen that under Democratic leadership, we have moved forward. We pulled ourselves out thanks to his leadership and Democrats’ leadership out of the worst economic since the Great Depression. We have a good economic story to tell. And that’s why our candidates are talking about the issues most important to their constituents, creating jobs, helping to make sure there are opportunities for young people to go to college. And the Republicans have thrown obstacles after obstacle in their way because they know their wrong on the issues that are important to most Americans. They’re trying to make it about anything but their terrible record.
BRZEZINSKI: You just said under Democratic leadership, under his leadership. How about President Obama’s leadership? Why can’t Democratic candidates say it? My 16-year-old daughter at dinner when I said what do you think President Obama will be remembered for? She said, ‘Well, health care and saving the auto industry.’ She said it very, I mean, it came out. It wasn’t that hard. I don’t understand that.
[CROSSTALK]
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Let me help you understand, what the Republicans are trying to do is distract from their record of putting issues that aren’t important to Americans that that oppose at the top of the agenda. They want to make it anything but that terrible reported. Democrats are focused on the issues when I travel the country are most important to Americans. Over the next 13 days, our voters will be asking temss win question, who has my back? Who is on my side?
SCARBOROUGH: So should voters know if they go out and vote for a Democratic candidate, they will be voting for a continuation of Barack Obama’s policies?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Voters should go out and vote when they go out and vote for a Democratic candidate, that they are voting for someone who has their back, who will focus on strengthening their economy.
SCARBOROUGH: I’m asking about Barack Obama. This is a question a lot of people are asked.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Joe, Barack Obama was on the ballot if 2012 and 2008. The candidates on the ballot are Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress, the U.S. Senate and governors across the country.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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