Debbie Wasserman Schultz juggled being a formidable congresswoman with a mostly-secret battle (in 2007) with breast cancer, including a double mastectomy and seven surgeries. She’s been the chief deputy whip, sits on the crucial appropriations committee, is known for her fundraising, and talks serious game on TV. She also has three kids, including twins.
But now that she’s been named the head of the DNC without relinquishing her seat, out come the concern trolls. According to Politico:
“Well, Debbie’s got a lot of energy, but I don’t know how in the world she’s going to do that,” Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) said on C-SPAN.
“She is a very competent, very skilled woman,” he said. “She’s taken on a big responsibility; I think she’ll do a good job at it, but I think it’s going to really strain her.”
As an unnamed Democratic strategist quoted by Politico says, this guy has never even held a leadership position in Congress. His spokeswoman insisted that McDermott “absolutely would have made those kind of statements about a man…It’s about the fact that it’s a taxing position.”
We’ll put it politely: McDermott can choose how much to exert himself and let Wasserman Schultz be the judge of what she can take on. We have a feeling she knows better than he does.
Dem Thinks DNC Could “Strain” Wasserman Schultz [Politico]
Which Two Jobs Are Critics Saying Debbie Wasserman Schultz Can’t Do? [Slate]
Related: Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz Shares Her Breast Cancer Story [Sun Sentinel]