Wasserman Schultz blasts Priebus for comparing Obama to cruise ship captain Francesco Schettino

By: Lucy Madison
Topics: In The News

Democratic National Committee Vice Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

(Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Monday blasted her Republican counterpart, Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Reince Priebus, for comparing President Obama to the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which ran aground off the coast of Tuscany earlier this month and resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people.

"Unbelievable comparison," Wasserman Schultz, who is also a Democratic congresswoman from Florida, said in an interview with Fox News. "The captain of the Costa Concordia has been charged with manslaughter and for the RNC chairman to compare the president of the United States to someone who has been charged with manslaughter shows a dramatic level of insensitivity to the families of those victims."

"I'm not going to give any credence to those incendiary remarks," she said.

Priebus, speaking to Bob Schieffer on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, made the comment while downplaying the rough-and-tumble nature of the Republican presidential campaign, currently waging in Florida, which holds its primary on Tuesday.

"In the end, in a few months, this is all going to be ancient history and we're going to talk about our own little Captain Schettino, which is President Obama who is abandoning the ship here in the United States," Priebus said. "He's more interested in campaigning than doing his job as president."

In the weeks since the accident, Francesco Schettino has been disgraced for his behavior both leading up to and during the crash, and has been charged with multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship in Italy. He allegedly deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route to do a sail-by the island of Giglio, where the liner crashed into submerged rocks.

In a statement on Monday, Wasserman Schultz added that Priebus' remarks demonstrated an inappropriate "a lack of respect" for Mr. Obama, and said he should be "ashamed" of them.

DNC Chair calls Romney "extreme"

"Chairman Priebus should be ashamed of his comments comparing President Obama to the captain of the wrecked Italian cruise ship," she said. "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.

She added: "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."

Lucy Madison
Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
Follow on Twitter »

50 Comments +

Add a Comment

See all 50 Comments

by peterabcd January 31, 2012 7:28 PM EST

Debbie the blonde is more disgusting than Pelosi if that is possible. Her comments and indignation over Barry being compared to the Captain are correct in reverse. The captain should feel insulted . Barry should be impeach and tried for violating his Constitutional Oath, Murder, and Treason and be executed and sent to join his brother Osama ... tap tap.

Reply to this comment


by tpm1944 February 1, 2012 8:16 AM EST: Obama got the respect he deserves debbie ****** is tha same as obama, she disrespects Florida and anyone who is negative on her comunist traitoe idol we need to flush them both down the toilet.
i respect the office of potus, but not the freeloader presently occupying it


by karlejohn January 31, 2012 3:35 PM EST: The ship, call it the GOP, Captain Gingrich, and Captain Romney, fighting for the control wheel. As the ship GOP, hits a rock call the big "D". Who is the blame for the failure of the GOP? They are both guilty, guilty of GREED! (rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions.); Reply to this comment

by Maerzie January 31, 2012 2:20 PM EST

Rience Priebus and the Republicans are desperate these days! They realize they didn't put up any strong enough candidate, and they don't have a snowball's chance in hell to win the election. They have been cruelly disrespectful to our President, since he was elected, because they ENVY his superior capabilities and leadership. He has even found legitimate ways around all their juvenile obstruction in their Republican majority Congress. So, let them WASTE their money in their campaigns! The Republican "remnants" are obviously ONLY about money and what it can buy them, evidenced by their obstructive clench on the old Bush tax cuts for the multi-millionaires and billionaires to prevent them from having to pay THEIR fair share of our bills! They certainly don't care about the PEOPLE! At least, the BIGGEST drain on our budget, ONE of Bush's wasteful wars, is over, and will free up SOME of the money needed to pay our expenses. We all LIKE our luxurious bridges and other niceties, but the Republicans want the Democrats to pay for ALL of their Republican WELFARE and other treats they take for granted.

Reply to this comment


by peterabcd January 31, 2012 7:12 PM EST: This is the most uninformed and downright hateful and basically retarded opinions that I have heard. No substance usually comes from no intelligence. Obama, whom I will not even call president, is a know nothing Chicago punk thug that is a complete liar. He is FAR worse than the captain of the cruise ship. He is a disrespectful and completely inept pet monkey on a leash from Wall street. Challenge a single Item that I mentioned and I will with facts PROVE you wrong. But then, you have already proven that you possess an inferior intellect.


by pjl112 January 30, 2012 9:23 PM EST: Politics and politicians disgust me; Reply to this comment


by franknkissy January 30, 2012 8:31 PM EST: Before i begin I would like to protest CBS News for attempting to gain my private list of FaceBook Friends !
As for Reince Priebus' comments about the Ship's Captain & President Obama .....seems as Ms. Debbie Wasserman Schultz' so cleverly observed - a possible pay-off to this supposed Republican in order to drive italian-americans into the Obama camp 1 We americans - unlike wheever this REINCE hails from ...have an uncanny ability to sometimes SPOT A RAT !; Reply to this comment

by BlameRepublicanz January 30, 2012 6:32 PM EST

look at all the conservative trash on here applauding the RNC's attack dog for making a joke about this...they have zero compassion for anyone other than themselve's...who cares if 15 people died, right? all that matters is he insulted Obama! Hooray modern conservatism!

Reply to this comment


by peterabcd January 31, 2012 7:38 PM EST: Look at the liberal garbage on here cheering the DMC ***** watchdog Wassermann for pretending to care about anyone but herself. She and the neutered Barry love the poor people as they steal from them and make what little they get worthless. Lets yell about the 15 people that died on a boat instead of the tens of thousands that Barry has MURDERED ... all that matters is that the ***** dog has her say !!! Hooray modern liberalism !!!!! Do you see how stupid your post is ... or are you too stupid to see it ??


by preztle January 30, 2012 6:20 PM EST: Was does Wassermans hair always look like she just got finished filming a bukkake video?; Reply to this comment

by preztle January 30, 2012 6:18 PM EST

Was does Wassermans hair always look like she just got finished filming a bukkake video?

Reply to this comment


by peterabcd January 31, 2012 7:19 PM EST: irrelevant .... LOL

by noloyalisti January 30, 2012 5:35 PM EST

Where do they come up with these wacko cartoon characters to run the Republicon Party. No wonder they are a failed obsolete joke to the world.

Reply to this comment


by peterabcd January 31, 2012 7:16 PM EST: Probably the same place they get the dummycrats .... Obama is an offense to the world and as far as I am concerned he should join his brother Osama .. tap tap.

by carolo43 January 30, 2012 5:04 PM EST

Nothing wrong with you wanting another President. It happens in every election. But it's totally disrespectful of the Office of the Commander of the Chief and shows where we are in the world today. I hate to think it takes something like 9-11 for us to act kindly and decently to one another, again. I did not like Bush but I shut my mouth and put up with him for 8 years. Why the man who left us in a recession and started a war on lies gets more respect than the one who gave the order to get bin Laden is beyond me.

Reply to this comment


by grewaconscience January 30, 2012 5:47 PM EST: I am a member of no labels and you are absolutely right: these types of personal attacks are the very thing that's causing the polarization and the stand-off we are currently seeing in Congress. But we must realize that when ALL the GOP has to offer is the current batch of republican presidential hopefuls they need a diversion to make the public forget the pitiful options they are presenting to President Obama.


by preztle January 30, 2012 6:28 PM EST: Since when is a president not deserving of our contempt & insults? I buy toilet paper with each & everyone of them pictured on a 'square.'