Wasserman Schultz Declares GOP ‘Civil War’ Over: Tea Party ‘Has Swallowed The Establishment’

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz maintained that the poor showing by many tea party candidates in this week’s primary elections only proves the “civil war” within the Republican Party is over and that the tea party “has swallowed the establishment.”

Wasserman Schultz spoke Tuesday to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell about the Republican Senate primaries currently underway in Kentucky, Georgia and Oregon.

The Florida congresswoman was annoyed by Mitchell’s analysis that, due to the likely defeat of tea party candidates by more established GOP politicians, Democrats may have a tougher time painting their opponents as extremists in the general election this fall.

“Well, let me uh — let me just sort of steer you in another direction on the frame that you laid out on the tea party,” Wasserman Schultz began. “The civil war that’s been raging in the Republican Party is really over. The tea party has won it.”

“And essentially they have swallowed the establishment,” the congresswoman continued. “They’ve pulled all of the Republicans in any primary field so far to the right, they all embrace varying degrees of extremism. And that’s demonstrative in the agendas that many of these candidates have proposed or that they’ve actually supported as elected officials.”

“So the contrast with our Democratic candidates — whether they’re incumbents or challengers — is very clear,” the DNC chair hastened to add.

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