Whispers: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Might Get Stabbed in the Back By Her Own Side Before the Convention

By Shane Ryan  |  May 25, 2016 | 2:55pm
Politics News

Watch this Game of Thrones scene (only if you’re caught or don’t care about spoilers!), and imagine that instead of saying “for the watch!”, everyone with a knife mutters “for the party!” before getting all stabby. And imagine that instead of that one character, the victim is Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. And then imagine that the culprits surrounding her are the fellow centrists she used to call friends.

Once you’ve conjured up that fantasy, you’re getting close to the betrayal that might befall Wasserman Schultz before the Democratic convention this summer. (A purely metaphorical betrayal…I think.) Politico reports that there’s “chatter” about a so-called coup brewing against her, and the really surprising part is that it’s coming from Hillary Clinton backers. That seems strange, when you consider that Wasserman Schultz is despised by Bernie Sanders supporters precisely because she’s been functioning as Clinton’s henchwoman since the primary campaign began, but as it turns out, this hatred is exactly why her own people might be turning on her. This news was first reported by The Hill, and here’s what they had to say:

Democrats backing likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton worry Wasserman Schultz has become too divisive a figure to unify the party in 2016, which they say is crucial to defeating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump in November.

Wasserman Schultz has had an increasingly acrimonious relationship with the party’s other presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters, who argue she has tilted the scales in Clinton’s favor.
“There have been a lot of meetings over the past 48 hours about what color plate do we deliver Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s head on,” said one pro-Clinton Democratic senator.

The lawmaker said senators huddled on the chamber floor last week to talk about Wasserman Schultz’s future and estimated that about a dozen have weighed in during private conversations.

“I don’t see how she can continue to the election. How can she open the convention? Sanders supporters would go nuts,” said the lawmaker, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

That’s actually…pretty smart. And although there’s been a small show of support since the rumors became public, more and more “big-name” politicians are staying mum. Politico reached out to Democrat leaders like Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, and Harry Reid, and all of them gave hilariously vague non-answers.

“That’s not up to me,” said Reid, while both Schumer and Murray declined to comment, saying they were focused on other matters.

What a stunning show of support for someone who essentially sacrificed herself for the presumptive nominee, right? I bet all the abuse and allegations Wasserman Schultz has absorbed over the last year now seems totally worthwhile—she has a primary challenger in her district, and her friends might betray her.

None of this may come to pass, of course, but the fact that it’s being discussed and seriously considered just proves that in politics, there’s no such thing as loyalty.

 
Join the discussion...