During MSNBC’s post-debate coverage on Wednesday, Saturday Night Politics host Donny Deutsch found himself in rhetorical cage match to the death against Last Word host Lawrence O’Donnell after Deutsch opined that Democrat Elizabeth Warren would lose in a landslide to President Trump and that no candidate on night one could currently beat the President.
Deutsch began his wind-up by doubling down on his stance about Warren by pleading with his MSNBC colleagues to “not shoot the messenger” because “I do not believe Elizabeth Warren on stage with Donald Trump beats him and I think if we're honest with ourselves and we look hard at ourselves, I think a lot of people agree with me.”
The frequent MSNBC panelist then correctly stated how having a socialist label attached to one’s candidacy can make them toxic to voters:
It's — and I also think when you can label somebody a socialist, 57 percent of this country thinks that word is un-American. I'm not saying it's fair. When he can blanket Elizabeth Warren as a socialist and he's on stage with her, the Democrats lose. I think she's delightful, I think she's wonderful. I'm a big fan. I just don't think she has what it takes to beat this President, the same way at least an idealized version of Joe Biden is. Don't shoot the messenger. It's just facts. We've got to get Trump out.
Wallace seemed perplexed with that, informing him that “you’re in a safe space here” and asked him if he saw “anyone on that stage tonight that could beat Trump.”
Deustch replied that he didn’t see anyone who could: “I'm still sticking with an idealized version of — no, the Joe Biden we want, okay? The Joe Biden we want and you pair him with the right candidate, yes. I still in my heart of hearts don't see anybody on that stage tonight that would beat Trump.”
O’Donnell interjected to state that the panel must call out Deutsch’s analysis “for what it is: pure guesswork a year and a half away” that has “zero value as would mine, as would any statement...made by me” and, by that point, the fight was on.
At that point, the only thing left was to call in Jerry Springer. Here’s the rest of the MMA fight (click “expand”):
DEUTSCH: I disagree. You know why I disagree with that, Lawrence? It’s understanding human behavior. Don't tell me it has zero value. Don't tell me it has zero value.
O’DONNELL: It does.
DEUTSCH: It's understanding human behavior.
O’DONNELL: It’s a guess. It’s a wild guess, Donny.
DEUTSCH: It’s not. It’s understanding human behavior and I guarantee you —
O’DONNELL: No. It’s — no, no, no, no. It’s a guess.
DEUSTCH: — 90 percent of our audience agrees with me.
O'DONNELL: There's no science in it. There's nothing in it.
DEUTSCH: There’s no science in any of this.
O’DONNELL: And no one can make — you can put any name you want in the wild guess you just made and it doesn't make it true.
DEUTSCH: I am understanding Donald Trump, the way he connects with this country and the strength he exudes. We need to exude a stronger strength. It’s not a policy discusion.
O’DONNELL: This is — this is the pure guesswork section of the discussion.
DEUTSCH: This is guy who's done this for 30 years and watched human behavior.
Left to break up this fight and toss to Chris Matthews speaking to Beto O’Rourke in the Spin Room, Lyin’ Brian Williams huffed “now then” with a tinge of shock.
Earlier in the coverage, Deutsch gushed over Jay Inslee choosing Donald Trump and nothing else as America’s great national security threat because that issue is “what is driving voters and still was not touched tonight.”
Here’s part of Deutsch’s rant about that (click “expand”):
So to me, that is the big thing, and it was not addressed tonight. This is not an issues campaign. This is who is the bully that can beat the bully? And I think, interestingly enough, Booker showed a certain strength there. Even de Blasio even though I found him annoying also.....It's not issues. It's not universal health care. It's not a woman's reproductive rights, as important as that is. We are — what we have lived through all these things before. We have lived through Iran. We have lived through Korea. We have lived through issues on health care. We have not lived through an assault on our democracy and an assault on our senses. That is what everybody is lensing everything through....It’s the wrong — some people want to hear somebody stand up and say this is a horrific assault on who we are on every level. Everything we stand for and he needs to go, and I'm the one to take him out. People are yearning for that. They are crying for that. You heard it even in the applause to Jay Inslee who, other than that, had a very bad night. I don't understand how people don't know that. That supersedes everything else 10x.
What an elitist, privileged point for these people to pontificate about elections not being about people’s livelihoods and policy proposals. And what a crippling illness Trump Derangement Syndrome is.
To see the relevant transcript from MSNBC’s post-debate coverage on June 26, click “expand.”
MSNBC’s Democratic Debate: Post-Debate Analysis
June 26, 2019
11:40 p.m. Eastern
DONNY DEUTSCH: I want to work back from to me the moment where the room came alive and to me it's the ultimate tell. When Inslee said our biggest threat is Donald Trump and that, to me, still is what is driving voters and still was not touched tonight. The reason some people reacted positively to de Blasio? Because you saw another bully up there. He was kind of invading other people's spaces. Cory Booker had his strength. The reason people have not gone after to this point Biden is because he is seen as the anti-Trump and it will backfire at this point until he's not. So to me, that is the big thing, and it was not addressed tonight. This is not an issues campaign. This is who is the bully that can beat the bully? And I think, interestingly enough, Booker showed a certain strength there. Even de Blasio even though I found him annoying also. He cut through and I think that is the driver. It's not issues. It's not universal health care. It's not a woman's reproductive rights, as important as that is. We are — what we have lived through all these things before. We have lived through Iran. We have lived through Korea. We have lived through issues on health care. We have not lived through an assault on our democracy and an assault on our senses. That is what everybody is lensing everything through, so I don't think Warren moved that ball particularly. I do think, interestingly enough, Booker did move that ball.
NICOLLE WALLACE: Donny, just to keep your frame around this, I've got a list of who dropped the President — Trump's name the most and you're right. Warren didn't mention Donald Trump. Neither did de Blasio based on this list. Amy Klobuchar invoked Donald Trump nine times and Tim Ryan second with seven. Do you think that an opportunity was missed —
DEUTSCH: Yes.
WALLACE: — to sort of indict all of the moral and legal and ethical and policy trespasses of the trump years? And if you do, why do you think they made that decision? It was obviously a strategic choice, maybe by —
DEUTSCH: It’s the wrong — some people want to hear somebody stand up and say this is a horrific assault on who we are on every level. Everything we stand for and he needs to go, and I'm the one to take him out. People are yearning for that. They are crying for that. You heard it even in the applause to Jay Inslee who, other than that, had a very bad night.
WALLACE: Yeah.
DEUTSCH: I don't understand how people don't know that. That supersedes everything else 10x.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL: And by the way, the reason Amy dropped Trump's name nine times is she was referenced that she had won in areas that Trump had won. It was about her electability. She even really didn't go after him. None of them really did, but that's why her total was so much higher, because she wanted to emphasize her electability as somebody who does well in red areas.
WALLACE: Why — why do you think they made the choice not to -- I mean, we talked about Eugene's piece yesterday, which was the most powerful thing I've read --
ROBINSON: It’s not as if there's a lack of material —
WALLACE: Right. Why did they —
ROBINSON: — or immediate material. I mean, you have this heartbreaking situation on the border directly resulting from the policies of this president, the deliberate policies of this president. You know, there was some passion in the immigration discussion, but it was — it was passion disconnected from the cause of the tragedy.
(....)
June 27, 2019
12:06 a.m. EasternDEUTSCH: My issue, unfortunately, and do not shoot the messenger, is the messenger. I do not believe Elizabeth Warren on stage with Donald Trump beats him and I think if we're honest with ourselves and we look hard at ourselves, I think a lot of people agree with me. It's — and I also think when you can label somebody a socialist, 57 percent of this country thinks that word is un-American. I'm not saying it's fair. When he can blanket Elizabeth Warren as a socialist and he's on stage with her, the Democrats lose. I think she's delightful, I think she's wonderful. I'm a big fan. I just don't think she has what it takes to beat this President, the same way at least an idealized version of Joe Biden is. Don't shoot the messenger. It's just facts. We've got to get Trump out.
WALLACE: Donny, you're in a safe space here. You don’t need to keep telling us that.
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Well, let’s just — yeah.
WALLACE: Can I follow up on that, Donny, who could beat Trump? And did you see anyone on that stage tonight that could beat Trump?
DEUTSCH: I'm still sticking with an idealized version of — no, the Joe Biden we want, okay? The Joe Biden we want and you pair him with the right candidate, yes. I still in my heart of hearts don't see anybody on that stage tonight that would beat Trump.
O’DONNELL: Let's just identify this for what it is,
WILLIAMS: And then we have Beto.
O’DONNELL: — pure guesswork a year and a half away.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely.
O’DONNELL: And so it has and, Donny, I say this respectfully, zero value as would mine, as would any —
DEUTSCH: I disagree. You know why I disagree with that, Lawrence?
O’DONNELL: — statement — as would any statement made by me —
DEUTSCH: It’s understanding human behavior.
O’DONNELL: — in a similar way.
DEUTSCH: Don't tell me it has zero value.
O’DONNELL: — would have zero value.
DEUTSCH: Don't tell me it has zero value.
O’DONNELL: It does.
DEUTSCH: It's understanding human behavior.
O’DONNELL: It’s a guess. It’s a wild guess, Donny.
DEUTSCH: It’s not. It’s understanding human behavior and I guarantee you —
O’DONNELL: No. It’s — no, no, no, no. It’s a guess.
DEUSTCH: — 90 percent of our audience agrees with me.
DEUTSCH: There's no science in it. There's nothing in it.
DEUTSCH: There’s no science in any of this.
O’DONNELL: And no one can make — you can put any name you want in the wild guess you just made and it doesn't make it true.
DEUTSCH: I am understanding Donald Trump, the way he connects with this country and the strength he exudes. We need to exude a stronger strength. It’s not a policy discusion.
O’DONNELL: This is — this is the pure guesswork section of the discussion.
DEUTSCH: This is guy who's done this for 30 years and watched human behavior.
WILLIAMS: Now then.
