Crossroads lampoons DNC chairwoman

The conservative group American Crossroads went on the attack against Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, dubbing her "Debbie Downer" after a recent rhetorical misstep.

American Crossroads, the independent GOP-leaning group founded by Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, released the video, which features cuts of some of the new DNC chairwoman's more controversial remarks.

Wasserman Schultz, who's also a Florida congresswoman, said in a weekend interview that Republicans "literally" wish to revive Jim Crow laws, in the form of new voter restrictions. Republicans pounced, and she subsequently issued a statement regretting her choice of language.

The sing-songy Crossroads video lampoons some of her other statements, such as her labeling of the Republican budget as "literally a death trap for seniors," or when she called the GOP "anti-women." And Crossroads President Steven Law called her "Nancy Pelosi without the charm.”

It's part of a new offensive by Republicans as of late against Wasserman Schultz; they seem to relish the political traction they get out of some of their more strident language. They like to think she's the Democratic equivalent of Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman who was prone to gaffes.

Wasserman Schultz is certainly a change in style from her predecessor, Tim Kaine, the former Virginia governor who stepped down as DNC chairman to run for Senate in his home state. But part of that was by design; Wasserman Schultz is widely regarded as an aggressive messenger for the Democratic agenda, and her role at the DNC is different heading into a presidential election year.