Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today on the results of the Arizona’s special election results:

“Congressman-elect Ron Barber’s victory last night against Tea Party candidate Jesse Kelly to succeed my dear friend Gabby Giffords is a tremendous victory for Ron, the people of Arizona, and Democrats across this country. Ron’s victory will help build momentum for Democrats gaining control of the House and provides clear evidence that independents are not shifting toward Republicans and their failed economic policies. Republicans should take note.

“Ron’s victory in a Republican-leaning district where GOP outside groups outspent Democratic outside groups by more than half a million dollars reveals how vulnerable Republicans are this November. Republicans have a 7-point voter registration advantage in the district and pulled out all the stops in this race, but middle-class Arizonans spoke loud and clear. This is a sign of things to come this November. Kelly and his Republican allies promised the same policies that Romney is promising now: more budget-busting tax breaks for the wealthy with fewer rules for Wall Street—the same formula that benefitted a few but crashed our economy and punished the middle class. But voters made it crystal clear that they don’t want any more tax breaks for large corporations and millionaires and billionaires paid for with cuts in their Social Security and Medicare.

“So Republicans take note: middle-class Americans aren’t buying the failed economic policies of the past that Republicans are selling, and it’s going to cost Republicans across the country this November. I look forward to working with Ron in the House, and know he will pick up where Gabby left off.”

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the results of the Indiana Republican primary:

“It’s official: the Republican Party is now indistinguishable from the Tea Party. Tonight in Indiana, the Tea Party drove Sen. Dick Lugar out of the United States Senate and nominated Tea Party candidate Richard Mourdock, a candidate who will fit in well with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Mourdock opposed the rescue of the iconic American auto industry, calling it ‘illegal.’ Because of President Obama’s decisive action, Chrysler would have been liquidated and thousands of Hoosiers would have lost their jobs – including the 4,500 workers at four Chrysler plants in Kokomo, Indiana.

“Unfortunately for Republicans, they seem to only have room for Tea Party candidates. That might explain why Mitt Romney has embraced so many far-right positions like endorsing a budget that would end Medicare as we know it to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, getting rid of federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and supporting the Blunt-Rubio Amendment and so-called ‘Personhood’ amendments. Mitt Romney called himself ‘the ideal Tea Party candidate,’ and his policies and positions back up the claim.

“The choice in this election could not be more clear. President Obama wants to move the country forward because America prospers when we're all in it together; when hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded; when everyone, from Main Street to Wall Street, does their fair share and plays by the same rules. Mitt Romney, Richard Mourdock and the rest of the Tea Party Republicans are offering an economic scheme that is familiar and troubling: more budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy; fewer rules for Wall Street--the same formula that benefitted a few, but crashed our economy and punished the middle class.”

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on RNC Chairman Reince Priebus comparing President Obama to the captain of the Italian cruise ship that wrecked earlier this month:

“Chairman Priebus should be ashamed of his comments comparing President Obama to the captain of the wrecked Italian cruise ship. That he would compare the President of the United States with a man now charged with manslaughter for his actions shows a lack of respect for the President that is beyond the bounds of appropriate political discourse. More importantly, it shows a galling lack of sensitivity for the victims of this tragedy and their families, as well as those still living in anguish because their loved-ones are still missing.

“Chairman Priebus crossed the line. People died, and he is exploiting and making light of a tragedy for political purposes. I call on Chairman Priebus to apologize for his comments and for the hurt he may have caused in making them."

Following the CNN/Tea Party Republican presidential debate tonight, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

"At a time when we need our country to come together to find real solutions that will create jobs and put our economy back on track, what we saw tonight was a GOP field once again pledging allegiance to the Tea Party and the extreme policies of Congressional Republicans. We didn't hear the Republican candidates propose a single idea to help middle-class families or give them economic security tonight - just more support for the extreme Tea Party economic philosophy.

“With Rick Perry and Mitt Romney at the head of the pack, all of the Republican candidates continue to demonstrate their loyalty to the Tea Party’s extreme ideology—one that advocates tax cuts for corporations, special interests and our nation’s wealthiest individuals while asking America’s struggling middle class to pick up the tab. The Republican candidates reiterated they would repeal protections put in place to avoid a repeat of the financial crisis—and they would allow Wall Street to write its own rules again.

“We saw tonight a Republican field from Rick Perry and Mitt Romney to Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain who would devastate Social Security through privatization or don't believe the program should exist in the first place.

“At the end of the day, all of the Republican candidates who participated in tonight’s debate support policies that would dismantle Social Security, end Medicare as we know it, and do it all on the backs of everyday Americans who need these programs to make ends meet. Rather than slashing benefits that millions of Americans earned through their own hard work, we need to come together as a country to create more jobs and strengthen our economy. We can start by passing the American Jobs Act, which incorporates sound policies supported by both Democrats and Republicans and makes targeted investments in our nation’s infrastructure, creating jobs and boosting our economic recovery. I invite my friends on both sides of the aisle to work with our President on achieving this goal and moving our country forward.”

Following the Republican presidential debate tonight, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

"If you're a middle-class family looking for opportunity the GOP field once again offered no solutions tonight. There was not a single serious proposal to create jobs, not a single plan to increase opportunity for the middle class and not a single new idea to get our economy moving again.

"What the American people saw tonight was all of the Republican candidates reaffirming their allegiance to the extreme ideology of the Tea Party.   On issue after issue, Tea Party beliefs are taking hold of the Republican Party as they continually put the well-being of corporations, big oil, and special interests ahead of middle class Americans.

"Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and the rest of the candidates on stage continued advocating for policies that protect tax cuts for corporations, special interests and the wealthiest Americans who bankroll their campaigns all while shifting more and more burdens onto working and middle-class Americans. The Republican candidates all support draconian cuts to infrastructure, research and development, education and health care that would halt economic growth and cost millions of Americans their jobs. The Republican Party has pushed these policies before and it led our country to the brink of a second Great Depression.

"That's not what the American people need.  Americans are looking for Republicans to offer answers—but all the country got tonight was more of the same with a flavor of Tea."

Today, Speaker John Boehner said in an interview that “a lot” of House Republicans are hoping to create chaos by allowing the United States to default on its debt for the first time in history, and he revealed his strategy for passing his deficit reduction legislation as convincing his caucus that because “Barack Obama hates it,” “Harry Reid hates it,” and “Nancy Pelosi hates it,” they should like it. In response, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

With none other than the Speaker of the House admitting that there are members of his own caucus who are striving to create chaos by bringing about an unprecedented default, and with the Speaker’s own partisan appeals to his caucus, it’s clear that the Republican Party is veering away from compromise. The deadline for default is now just a few days away, but as the sand runs out, Republicans are, if anything, becoming more extreme and intractable in their approach to deficit reduction, not less. While Democrats are and have for months been open to bipartisan compromise, Republicans have become more partisan and dug in at the very time that two sides must come together for the good of the country. While the country needs us to work together to find a way forward to get our fiscal house in order and avoid default, Republicans are literally rowing backwards.

Indeed, Speaker Boehner is now marketing his own plan to House Republicans in the most partisan way imaginable. In the Speaker’s words, if President Obama ‘hates it’ then Republicans should support it. If John Boehner ever expects to arrive at a plan that both sides can agree on before the clock strikes Midnight on August 2nd, he’ll have to lead his party in toning done the partisanship, not in inflaming it.

If the debt ceiling isn’t raised by August 2, America will default on its debts for the first time in history. This would risk a downgrade in our credit rating and could cause interest rates on student loans and home loans to rise. We won’t have the money to pay all of our bills and that could include essential functions like disbursing monthly Social Security checks, paying for veterans’ benefits, and living up to the contracts our government has signed with thousands of businesses.

This is not a game – partisan or otherwise. This is very serious business for the financial health of our nation and its people. It’s time Republicans started treating it that way.

Boehner Trying To Convince His Caucus To Support His Plan: ‘Barack Obama Hates It, Harry Reid Hates It, Nancy Pelosi Hates It.” “But Boehner said he couldn't understand why any Republicans would position themselves with Democrats opposing his plan. ‘Barack Obama hates it, [Sen.] Harry Reid hates it, [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi hates it,’ he said, naming off the Democratic leadership.” [The Hill, 7/27/11]

Boehner: “A Lot” Of Republicans Want To Go Past August 2 And “Have Enough Chaos” To “Force The Senate And The White House To Accept A Balanced Budget Amendment.” On Laura Ingraham’s radio show, Speaker Boehner talked about what House Republicans were looking for in a debt deal. “Well, first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get past August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment. I’m not sure that that — I don’t think that that strategy works. Because I think the closer we get to August the second, frankly, the less leverage we have vis a vis our colleagues in the Senate and the White House.” [Think Progress, 7/27/11]

In a House caucus meeting this week, Republican leadership showed a clip from the Ben Affleck film “The Town” to rally their members in support of Speaker Boehner’s debt plan. However, the clip incites a sense of vitriol and shows unrestrained aggression, and raises serious questions about the appropriateness of using it as a motivational tool.

From that clip, here is the exchange between the two main characters just before they carry out a violent assault:

Ben Affleck: I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later. And we’re going to hurt some people.

Jeremy Renner: Whose car are we going to take?

During a press conference earlier today, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz expressed her concern that showing the film during an official Republican meeting was inappropriate and misplaced:

When we set out to get our country's deficit problem in order and under control, we knew that it would be a difficult debate. But I don't think anyone anticipated that our disagreements would lead to the type of vitriol and negative tone that this clip was clearly meant to incite.

Click here to read more about the controversy.

Today, Republicans in the House of Representatives approved extreme legislation to, in their words, “Cut, Cap, and Balance” the budget. Following the House vote, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said:

The ‘Cut, Cap, and Balance’ legislation passed by Republicans today is an irresponsible policy that favors tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of America’s middle class, seniors, the poor and our economy as a whole.

The legislation approved by Republicans today would slash funding for education, push tens of millions of people off the Medicaid rolls, gut programs designed to help struggling families, increase health care costs for seniors and require deep cuts to Social Security.

This extreme legislation and the balanced budget amendment House Republicans will bring to a vote next week would wreak havoc on our economy. They propose draconian cuts and go even farther than the Republican-approved Ryan plan. They would bring undue harm to our economy, would sacrifice the investments we need to win the future, and could even stall our economic recovery. Indeed, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office Doug Elmendorf has said that it would ‘affect our projections for GDP growth over the next two years.’

And while the Republican plan increases the burden on seniors and America's middle class, it doesn’t require one dime of additional sacrifice from millionaires, billionaires, hedge fund managers, corporate jet owners or big oil. It would rip the safety net out from under seniors, the disabled, students and working families, while protecting tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and corporate special interests. This is unconscionable and immoral.

President Obama has made it clear that he is willing to make sacrifices to get America’s debt and deficit under control. It’s time for Republicans to stop playing games and demonstrate that they are willing to do the same.

Recently, candidates for president released their second quarter fundraising reports. In conjunction with their report, the President’s reelection campaign released its lists of bundlers, but not one major Republican candidate followed suit, and according to a recent article in the Huffington Post none have any plans to do so – making this crop of Republican candidates more secretive than President Bush. Regarding the Republicans’ lack of transparency, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said:

President Obama has set a high standard for disclosure, implementing transparency measures that go above and beyond the law regarding his activities in the White House as well as his activities on the campaign trail. It is unfortunate that none of his would-be Republican opponents are willing to adhere to the same standards of openness, but it is not unexpected. If Republicans were to release the lists of their campaign bundlers, I anticipate that the public would see a laundry list of representatives from Big Oil and other moneyed special interests.

Republicans are bending over backwards to win the support of such deep-pocketed and well-connected donors, renouncing moderate positions on everything from the Recovery Act to health care reform and embracing extreme policies that would line the pockets of the wealthiest few while piling additional burdens on the backs of America’s seniors and our most vulnerable citizens. Yet, Republicans hope still to be seen as candidates of the people, and withholding the names of their bundlers is just one way they hope to obscure that truth. But I have some bad news for the Republican candidates – they can hide their bundlers, but they can’t keep the American people from finding out how they would really lead.

Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement regarding U.S. Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman’s visit to South Florida today:

Today, Jon Huntsman brought his national reinvention tour to Miami, to my own backyard. But I can tell Gov. Huntsman that South Florida will not buy what he’s selling when it comes to his support for the Republican budget plan to end Medicare as we know it. My constituents, like the majority of all Americans, have said loud and clear that they are opposed to ending Medicare and forcing all the pain for deficit reduction on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. A plan like Jon Huntsman supports, that slashes support for education, eliminates investments that will foster the jobs of the future and gives tax cuts to the richest while shifting the burden to seniors and middle class families will not fly in South Florida or anywhere else for that matter.
 
And, while Jon Huntsman supports a plan to end Medicare, like the rest of the Republican field, he hasn’t offered a plan to create jobs, improve education or spur innovation and is simply doubling down on the failed economic policies of the past. The past is exactly where the failed economic policies supported by Jon Huntsman and Republicans should remain.

 

Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement after Mitt Romney today told a group of unemployed Floridians that he’s “also unemployed” and equated his run for president with the search for a job:

Mitt Romney’s comments today at an event with unemployed Floridians that he’s ‘also unemployed’ is inappropriate and insensitive to the millions of Americans looking for work. This comment shows that Mitt Romney – a man who wants for nothing and whose only occupation for more than four years has been to run for President - is incredibly out of touch with what’s going on in our country and around the dinner tables of those who are out of work. 

Being unemployed, Mr. Romney, is not a joke – not to my constituents in Florida or to millions of Americans across the country. Folks in my home state and across the country, who are struggling every day to make ends meet, do not need someone making light of their situation. Equating his run for the presidency with the difficulties of these honest hard-working Americans is shocking and is a reflection of his inability to comprehend the struggles of the American people. The fact is, the failed policies of the past, that he is advocating for, got us into the situation we’re in the first place and Americans want neither a repeat of those policies or the type of out-of-touch and failed leadership Mitt Romney represents.

Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement after Mitt Romney today told a group of unemployed Floridians that he’s “also unemployed” and equated his run for president with the search for a job:

Mitt Romney’s comments today at an event with unemployed Floridians that he’s ‘also unemployed’ is inappropriate and insensitive to the millions of Americans looking for work. This comment shows that Mitt Romney – a man who wants for nothing and whose only occupation for more than four years has been to run for President - is incredibly out of touch with what’s going on in our country and around the dinner tables of those who are out of work. 

Being unemployed, Mr. Romney, is not a joke – not to my constituents in Florida or to millions of Americans across the country. Folks in my home state and across the country, who are struggling every day to make ends meet, do not need someone making light of their situation. Equating his run for the presidency with the difficulties of these honest hard-working Americans is shocking and is a reflection of his inability to comprehend the struggles of the American people. The fact is, the failed policies of the past, that he is advocating for, got us into the situation we’re in the first place and Americans want neither a repeat of those policies or the type of out-of-touch and failed leadership Mitt Romney represents.

During a Politico Playbook interview with Mike Allen yesterday morning, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz discussed a variety of topics, including the economy, women in politics, and the 2012 Republican primary field. 

As the conversation arrived on Mitt Romney, Chair Wasserman Schultz was quick to point out a huge obstacle currently facing the former governor—himself.

This Sunday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, will appear on NBC's Meet the Press with David Gregory.

She’ll be debating RNC Chair Reince Priebus in their first joint appearance. Be sure to tune in as a national audience learns the stark difference between Democrats’ vision to win the future and Republicans’ attempts to bring back the failed policies of the past.

Meet the Press airs in most markets at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Sundays, but can vary by city. Check your local listings here.

As “Romney day” rolls on, Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz corrects Mitt Romney’s false claims about President Obama’s record on job creation, and discusses Mr. Romney’s own failed record on jobs.