An entertaining catfight among Trump antagonists broke out on today's Morning Joe over the best way to go after the President. Branding maven Donny Deutsch said Dems should drop talk of impeachment, calling it a losing term. Instead, he recommended that they rebrand the matter as "criminal activity," and constantly talk about "Trump criminal."
In the other corner, championing impeachment, was Susan Del Percio. Last week, we noted this MSNBC "Republican" pushing for impeachment, and today she pushed back against Donny, saying "at the end of the day, it's either impeach or not. You can brand it however you want, but there's a constitutional responsibility."
Donny literally pounded the table, saying "you're in a dogfight, guys!" adding that impeachment "is a loser, it's a loser." Del Percio twice expressed her disagreement. Things got rather heated between the two.
DONNY DEUTSCH: You take the word impeachment, and you change it to "criminal activity." You go on the premise of, basically, do you know what, we know he broke the law, we know he was a criminal as far as obstruction of justice, we know he was a criminal as far as an unindicted co-conspirator. We are going to initiate and continue the ongoing Trump criminal investigations. Trump criminal, Trump criminal investigations. Take the word impeachment away. It’s a losing word, it’s a 30-year-old word that does not help us. Change the discussion. Bad! Feh impeachment!
. . .
It's branding, it's wordsmithing.
SUSAN DEL PERCIO: It may be branding, but there's a constitutional responsibility at stake.
DEUTSCH: You're in a dogfight, guys! You guys are in a dogfight! [pounds the table.] You don't understand it!
DEL PERCIO: You know what? And here's the problem, though. Is where are they going to go with it? At the end of the day it's either impeach or not. You can brand it however you want. But there's a constitutinal responsibility at stake, and actually I think a lot of Americans are okay with them step up and fight for what's right.
DEUTSCH: It's a loser!
DEL PERCIO: I disagree.
DEUTSCH: It's a loser!
DEL PERCIO: Disagree.
WILLIE GEIST: Wow! I like this, this is good! Friday morning --
DEUTSCH: Keep it up!
. . .
EUGENE ROBINSON: In terms of the branding, Donny: that's an interesting idea. I think whatever Congress does going forward, I think "criminal" is a very important word . . . And even if they do decide on impeachment, use the word "criminal." That's an excellent, that's a great idea.
GEIST: All right! We count Gene on Team Donny.
DEUTSCH: Good session, good session.
GEIST: We'll send everybody to their corners, put some Vaseline on the cuts, come back for another round.
Wherever the congressional Dems come down on the issue, it appears that the Dem presidential candidates are falling in line behind impeachment. They are presumably seeking to satisfy the blood lust of the party's leftist base. Even Bernie Sanders, who had been something of a hold-out, is now calling for an impeachment inquiry.
