Democrat Debbie May Be Done

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is under fire from all angles: More than 85,000 people have signed a petition calling for her ouster, she’s drawn a serious primary challenge from the ranks of the Sanders movement, and now top Democratic strategists say there’s no coming back.

Reports Thursday indicate she will suffer the indignity of retaining her title as DNC chairwoman, but is being stripped of control of the DNC’s day to day operations by the Clinton camp. The power of strategic decisions will now fall to Clinton-ally and labor union strategist Brandon Davis.

“Debbie Wasserman Schultz is definitely out without a doubt — she’s done … we have lost nearly 1,000 seats from the local to national level since 2008.”

Things got even worse for Wasserman Shultz on Thursday when House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi refused to say whether or not she supported Wasserman Schultz. “If you want to know who is going to be the chair of the DNC, you should look to the membership of the Democratic National Committee,” Pelosi said. Pelosi who has been a leading advocate for Wasserman Schultz throughout the tumultuous primary is now backing off, signaling a huge turn among among top Democrats.

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Wasserman Schultz has been at the center of the heated primary battle between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and now-presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She has weathered intense criticism for her thinly veiled support of Clinton — leaving many within the Democratic Party upset with what they view as inappropriate intervention in the primary process.

“Debbie Wasserman Schultz is definitely out without a doubt — she’s done,” Democratic strategist Nomiki Konst, a supporter of Sanders, said in an interview with LifeZette. “The Democratic Party membership is 70 percent more liberal than it was 10 years ago. She broke the Obama-Biden agreement and decided to allow lobbyists back into the party. Under DWS’s leadership, we have lost nearly 1,000 seats from the local to national level since 2008.”

It’s no secret that there’s been bad blood between the Democratic National Committee and the Sanders campaign throughout the primary. On the eve of the New York primary, Sanders filed a complaint with the DNC regarding its use of joint fundraising efforts to benefit Clinton. That accusation followed a lawsuit filed by the Sanders campaign against the DNC for revoking their access to voter data — a move they felt directly benefited Clinton. Wasserman Schultz’s countless efforts to stack the deck in favor of Clinton have caused outrage within the party.

But even Democrats supporting Clinton are worried about how polarizing Wasserman Schultz has become and that she may not have the ability to unify the party — something badly needed after the contentious primary season.

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“[Wasserman Shultz] is in a very tenuous position both in terms of her seat and role as the DNC chair,” Clinton supporter and Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov said. “She has Obama’s support and certainly Clinton’s, which will help her after the election. That said, I do understand that there are real concerns over her leadership and the fact that this job may be better-suited for someone who isn’t also a sitting representative themselves. Until she loses top Democrats’ backing, she’s staying in that role.”

In late May, a group of Democratic senators met to discuss how to oust Wasserman Schultz in order to bring Sanders supporters into the fold. “I don’t see how she can continue to the election,” an anonymous pro-Clinton senator told The Hill. “How can she open the convention? Sanders supporters would go nuts.” There are no indications that Wasserman Schultz will vacate her post, but some strategists argue that if she stays things will be difficult for her.

Wasserman Shultz’s position is made all the worse by the staggering losses Democrats have suffered with her at the helm.

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The shellacking that Democrats took in the 2014 midterm elections led the party to release a report that made recommendations on how to build a stronger bench, create a cohesive narrative, and better work with state parties. But since Obama’s election in 2008, the Democrats have lost more than 910 state legislative seats, 13 U.S. Senate seats, 69 House seats, 30 state legislative chambers, and 12 gubernatorial seats.

Currently, Wasserman Schultz still enjoys the support of some leading Democrats such as Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. But the loss of Pelosi may be the start of a domino effect, and Mikulski may only offer Wasserman Shultz cover in the short run — the Maryland senator is set to retire at the end of this year.

Multiple Democratic strategists also agree that she will more than likely win her primary — despite the best efforts of her progressive challenger Tim Canova — but indicate it will be a tight race. “It doesn’t look like she’s going to lose her primary. She’s a strong incumbent in a district where they know her well,” Konst said. But other Democratic strategists believe her seat is vulnerable, as her opponent is pulling in significant funding.

But if Wasserman Schultz happens to lose her post as party chairman, some think she will land on her feet. “If Hillary wins and doesn’t choose a different party chair, then the Democratic Party base will push Schultz out, since at this point she’s a political liability to anybody,” Konst said. However, she added, “I’m sure Debbie will get an administration position for all the things she did for Hillary.”