WSJ: Obama Advisers Have Had to Tell Debbie Wasserman Schultz to 'Tone It Down

The Wall Street Journal published a fascinating profile on DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Thursday, the fiery Florida Rep. known for her strict adherence to Democratic talking points and dismissive attitude. Among the fascinating nuggets in the article is the revelation that some from Obama's camp have had to tell her to "tone it down."

(Related: Fox host has actual eye-rolling interview with Debbie Wasserman Schultz)

Here are some of the snippets (courtesy of the blog Cracker Squire):

While she revs up the Democratic base, she enrages the Republican opposition. She once suggested Republicans pushing voter-ID measures "literally want to drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws." At a New Hampshire forum last month, she raised the issue of her close friend Rep. Gabby Giffords' shooting by a deranged man in the context of the changing "discourse in America" based on the "precipitous turn towards edginess and lack of civility with the growth of the Tea Party movement."

[...]

Ms. Wasserman Schultz often goes to hyperbolic extremes to make her points. In one of her first appearances in May after becoming DNC chairwoman, she said the Republicans' record is "anti-women" and "a war on women." She called last year's GOP budget and Medicare plan "literally a death trap for seniors" and a burden on young people by allowing insurance companies to "throw you to the wolves."

Some Democrats worry that the tone she exemplifies is making the political process more polarizing and governing harder.

"She has to drop the class warfare soon," says Jim Kessler, co-founder of Third Way, a think tank promoting centrist Democratic views. "In the battle for moderates and independents, the message from her and the president has to be more uplifting."

[...]

After Mr. Obama chose her for the job that will last at least through this election, Ms. Wasserman Schultz got off to a rocky start, causing some discomfort in the administration. At a "Meet the Press" appearance in the first faceoff with her GOP counterpart in June, some Obama advisers worried about her confrontational style. "She was so tough that she almost looked ready to physically attack him," said one adviser.

Obama advisers have occasionally told her to "tone it down" and "back off a smidgen," Ms. Wasserman Schultz says. She agreed with them to enlist two seasoned Democratic female pros, Anita Dunn and Hilary Rosen, to begin giving her occasional political advice and media training, advisers say. "I'm glad to get constructive criticism," Ms. Wasserman Schultz says.

Very interesting.

To read the rest of the article, visit the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

(H/T: Hot Air)