# Wasserman Shultz new leader of DNC **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360 "2011-04-06T04:21:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/1 "2011-04-06T04:21:54Z")
I said some months ago that I thought Wasserman Shultz might someday be on a national ticket for the Democrats, but this wasn’t the one I had in mind. How much do the heads of the NCs matter? I’m not the political news junkie I was a few years ago, but it seems like Tim Kaine wasn’t all that visible. Is that good or bad for the leader of the DNC? (Or has he been super visible and I’m just super blind?) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/2 "2011-04-06T11:31:52Z")
They tend to be more visible the less the party is in power. Dean and Steele were probably the most memorable recent ones, and they both were around when their respective parties didn’t hold either chamber or the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/3 "2011-04-06T14:13:50Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I said some months ago that I thought Wasserman Shultz might someday be on a national ticket for the Democrats, but this wasn’t the one I had in mind. > > \*\*How much do the heads of the NCs matter? \*\* I’m not the political news junkie I was a few years ago, but it seems like Tim Kaine wasn’t all that visible. Is that good or bad for the leader of the DNC? (Or has he been super visible and I’m just super blind?) It really depends. Howard Dean was an engineer of the 50-state strategy that helped put Obama in office, and Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress. Granted their success had a lot to do with the economy and Bush-fatigue, but Dean played a pretty big role in crafting the Dems’ battle plan, and whether they would have had the same level of success without his leadership, I think is debatable. Tim Kaine, though, struck me as kind of a flake. I saw an interview with him on the Daily Show in the run up to the election last year, and his basic selling point was “We suck less,” which while true isn’t much of a selling point. I don’t know whether he left voluntarily or not, but either way I’m not surprised he’s no longer in that position. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/4 "2011-04-06T14:49:01Z")
She’s keeping her House seat too, so I really can’t see that this is going to be any more than a nominal position for her. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/5 "2011-04-06T15:11:45Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I don’t know whether he left voluntarily or not, but either way I’m not surprised he’s no longer in that position. He left to run for the Senate. Jim Webb isn’t running for re-election and Kaine will try to keep that seat for the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/6 "2011-04-06T15:21:27Z")
She has impressed me over the past couple years when I’ve seen her on television. I think she will do very well. I see ten times the passion in her than what I saw in Kaine. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/7 "2011-04-06T15:46:39Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > She has impressed me over the past couple years when I’ve seen her on television. I think she will do very well. I see ten times the passion in her than what I saw in Kaine. I like her too. The one thing, however, that annoys me about Wasserman-Shultz is she’s one of those politicians who tends to answer a question that wasn’t asked in response to the actual question that’s ignored. I know many other politicians do this, but she does it quite often…perhaps that’s what makes her a good politician. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/8 "2011-04-06T16:39:34Z")
She strikes me as a choice to appeal to the base of the party, and only _part_ of the base - Florida and the high-density northeast that supplies most of its intra-country migration (including Rep. W-S herself, Queens-born and Long Island-raised). I’m a yellow dog Dem myself mind you, but the last thing the national party needs is for the GOP base to stereotype us any further - and let’s face it, NE Dems are highly vulnerable to stereotyping. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/9 "2011-04-10T10:36:37Z")
Dean was great. Tim Kaine was…inconsequential? Terry McAuliffe isn’t missed. :o ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/10 "2011-04-10T12:56:37Z")
McAuliffe should be missed: the man was a fundraising demon. The chairs of the National Committees are, largely, responsible for large-scale fundraising. The sort of fundraising that lands the $100K and $200K evenings. They also set up the pipeline donations for the party as a whole. Those are the people, sometimes called bundlers, who can raise money in groups that can later be spent on advertising and investment in individual campaigns. The DNC (along with the DCCC and so forth) also evaluate candidates and campaigns. They can make or break a marginal campaign that might win by choosing to make donations at critical points during the cycle. Even behind the scenes it controls a lot of money and influence. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/11 "2011-04-10T16:49:23Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > She strikes me as a choice to appeal to the base of the party, and only _part_ of the base - Florida and the high-density northeast that supplies most of its intra-country migration (including Rep. W-S herself, Queens-born and Long Island-raised). > > I’m a yellow dog Dem myself mind you, but the last thing the national party needs is for the GOP base to stereotype us any further - and let’s face it, NE Dems are highly vulnerable to stereotyping. You can say “Jew,” Jack, we know what you mean. [/Liz Lemon] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/12 "2011-04-12T16:34:16Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > They tend to be more visible the less the party is in power. Dean and Steele were probably the most memorable recent ones, and they both were around when their respective parties didn’t hold either chamber or the Presidency. This. When a party holds the Presidency it’s obvious who the boss is. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/13 "2011-04-13T19:03:44Z")
Reince Priebus, Wasserman Schultz – what the hell is going on with these names? And, yes, that is the full extent of my giveafuck. (Ahh, Google reveals that her first name is Debbie and she apparently hyphenated her last name when she married a Steve Schulz. That makes a little more sense, but, still, what’s wrong with “Debbie Schulz” or “Debbie Wasserman”? Her full name is now such a mouthful that most people just drop the “Debbie” and refer to her as “Wasserman Schultz,” which is weird. I question her judgment.) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/14 "2011-04-13T19:21:04Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > Reince Priebus, Wasserman Schultz – what the hell is going on with these names? > > And, yes, that is the full extent of my giveafuck. > (Ahh, Google reveals that her first name is Debbie and she apparently hyphenated her last name when she married a Steve Schulz. That makes a little more sense, but, still, what’s wrong with “Debbie Schulz” or “Debbie Wasserman”? Her full name is now such a mouthful that most people just drop the “Debbie” and refer to her as “Wasserman Schultz,” which is weird. I question her judgment.) When someone has a distinctive last name, I tend to drop off the first name. Because I’m lazy. So I would also have said “Priebus new leader of RNC.” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/15 "2011-04-13T21:26:41Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > Reince Priebus, Wasserman Schultz – what the hell is going on with these names? > > And, yes, that is the full extent of my giveafuck. > (Ahh, Google reveals that her first name is Debbie and she apparently hyphenated her last name when she married a Steve Schulz. That makes a little more sense, but, still, what’s wrong with “Debbie Schulz” or “Debbie Wasserman”? Her full name is now such a mouthful that most people just drop the “Debbie” and refer to her as “Wasserman Schultz,” which is weird. I question her judgment.) Hahahahaaa! You question her judgment because she hyphenates her last name? Really? ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/16 "2011-04-13T22:31:11Z")
Well, no, obviously not really. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/17 "2011-04-15T17:57:34Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > Reince Priebus, Wasserman Schultz – what the hell is going on with these names? > > And, yes, that is the full extent of my giveafuck. > (Ahh, Google reveals that her first name is Debbie and she apparently hyphenated her last name when she married a Steve Schulz. That makes a little more sense, but, still, what’s wrong with “Debbie Schulz” or “Debbie Wasserman”? Her full name is now such a mouthful that most people just drop the “Debbie” and refer to her as “Wasserman Schultz,” which is weird. I question her judgment.) Why? She has been in politics a long time and name recognition is important. She may be an old fashioned girl who wanted to take her hubby’s name , but did not want to kill the value of name recognition. It makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/18 "2011-04-16T21:04:55Z")
I was just riffing; it was a joke. It’s weird to hear her referred to on the news as “Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz” in the same way that they would refer to “Congressman Barney Frank.” That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/19 "2011-04-16T21:18:21Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > You can say “Jew,” Jack, we know what you mean. [/Liz Lemon] I mean “Over-Educated Socially-Conscious Secular-Humanist Cultural Elite,” actually. Of course if you’re a dyed-red fundie Republican you might _think_ “Jew,” but that’s your lookout. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360/20 "2011-04-19T06:04:40Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > I mean “Over-Educated Socially-Conscious Secular-Humanist Cultural Elite,” actually. Of course if you’re a dyed-red fundie Republican you might _think_ “Jew,” but that’s your lookout. So we need more under-educated, socially-semiconscious, secular-screwball, shitkickers? Don’t we have enough of those in Congress already? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasserman-shultz-new-leader-of-dnc/577360.md?page=2)