This could be the worst bit of campaign advice ever. Because if there's one thing Americans don't respond well to, it's being told that they're evil if they don't agree with the likes of Donny Deutsch!
On Friday's Morning Joe, Donny Deutsch proposed that, as their 2020 strategy, Democrats should "shame" swing voters into abandoning President Trump. Deutsch said Democrats need to tell large donors like the Stephen Ross (who's been bludgeoned by the left) and swing voters that they can't support Trump just because they selectively like some aspects of his policies, like the tax cuts. Rather, they must be shamed and made to feel personally responsible for things like the massacre in El Paso!
Deutsch ghoulishly asserted that they must be told that they get the "whole package," including the "blood" and the "racism" that anyone who supports the President is responsible for.
Here's Deutsch's full take (click "expand"):
Stephen Ross to me is the epitome — this election comes down to guys like that and people saying, no. You don’t get to say “I’m for racial equality” and all these good things, “I disagree with him there,” but, “I like his economic views. I mean, I'll vote for” — no. You own it and I think that’s the message that’s got to get out there. No, Stephen Ross and no, a lot of my friends. You own it. You can’t say, “well, I like his economic policy or whatnot and — but I disagree with.” You own it. You own the blood that happens. You own Charlottesville. You can’t do it. You get the whole package and that’s what swing voters have got to understand and be shamed into. You don’t get to do that, Steve Ross: I’ll take from column E — column A — but I’m going to leave column B behind. You get column B also. You own the racism.
Maybe Donny can devise campaign commercials, t-shirts, etc. themed on his brilliant idea: "Vote Biden—Or You're a Racist!" Or maybe, "Vote Democrat—or You've Got Blood On Your Hands!"
Going back to Ross, Deutsch's comments were sparked by a discussion of Ross's decision to proceed with a big fundraiser for Trump, despite threatened boycotts of some of his businesses and Ross's stated support for "diversity," environmentalism, etc. Deutsch made explicit that although he was using the example of Ross, his message is designed for swing voters.
Meanwhile, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson and MSNBC national affairs analyst John Heilemann agreed (click "expand"):
ROBINSON: Yeah, I too know people who are walking that line and Donny is absolutely right. This is not an a la carte menu. You take the whole package. You can't separate the — you know, the two or three things that President Trump is doing that you approve of that are beneficial for you like the tax cuts and pretend that all the rest is not happening. It shouldn't be allowed to happen and so I think people do have to be pressed on that and reminded of that fact[.]
(....)
HEILEMANN: I just — you guys, I totally with you on the moral level but I don't know what you mean by you can’t. I mean, this is what Republicans have been doing for the last two years. I mean, this week has been horrific and we’ve all focused on the extent to which Donald Trump's rhetoric has fed into the — informed Paso in particular, but every Republican who’s like these — all of these big donors including this one we’re talking about now, they've been doing this since Charlottesville. How much clearer could it have been?
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC's Morning Joe
08/09/19
6:26 am EasternDONNY DEUTSCH: Hey Willie, you know, Stephen Ross to me is the epitome — this election comes down to guys like that and people saying, no. You don’t get to say “I’m for racial equality” and all these good things, “I disagree with him there,” but, “I like his economic views. I mean, I'll vote for” — no. You own it and I think that’s the message that’s got to get out there. No, Stephen Ross and no, a lot of my friends. You own it. You can’t say, “well, I like his economic policy or whatnot and — but I disagree with.” You own it. You own the blood that happens. You own Charlottesville. You can’t do it. You get the whole package and that’s what swing voters have got to understand and be shamed into. You don’t get to do that, Steve Ross: I’ll take from column E — column A — but I’m going to leave column B behind. You get column B also. You own the racism.
WILLIE GEIST: And Gene, that's the line that so many people have tried to walk going back to the 2015 and 2016, maybe part of it was they didn't like Hillary Clinton, but privately, people like Stephen Ross not him specifically but others would say, “you know what, Trump is a clown, I don't like the guy, I don't like the tweets, any of that stuff, but he’s going to be good for the economy and trade and et cetera, et cetera. Good for my bottom line essentially.”
EUGENE ROBINSON: Yeah I too know people who are walking that line and Donny is absolutely right. This is not an a la carte menu. You take the whole package. You can't separate the — you know, the two or three things that President Trump is doing that you approve of that are beneficial for you like the tax cuts and pretend that all the rest is not happening. It shouldn't be allowed to happen and so I think people do have to be pressed on that and reminded of that fact and then do whatever you want. You know? If you like the package, then support the package and have the fundraiser. Go to the fundraiser, give the money, but it's the whole package and that's what you're signing up for.
GEIST: Eh — go ahead.
JOHN HEILEMANN: I just — you guys, I totally with you on the moral level but I don't know what you mean by you can’t. I mean, this is what Republicans have been doing for the last two years. I mean, this week has been horrific and we’ve all focused on the extent to which Donald Trump's rhetoric has fed into the — informed Paso in particular, but every Republican who’s like these — all of these big donors including this one we’re talking about now, they've been doing this since Charlottesville. How much clearer could it have been? Charlottesville happened, and much of the Republican donor class, who as Willie points out, were against Donald Trump in 2016, mocked him privately then, mock him privately now, are — have seen Donald Trump do things that have been manifest demonstrations of his racism, and at a minimum sympathy for white nationalism and white supremacy, and by some measures, his inclusion in those two ideologies, and there’s dozens of them. You know dozens of them, Donny and I do not think — we've been calling them out for two years. They’re still there with him.
DEUTSCH: I’m not talking about the big fact check donors — I’m talking about the guy — we got 40 seats after Charlottesville. I’m talking about the suburban swing voters. I’m not talking about a multi-billionaire. I’m using that — his logic to talk to the swing voters, to talk to the suburban women, to talk to the people in the suburbs of Philadelphia and go, no. You don’t get to vote for him because you like his tax cut. No, to these guys, no. But his explanation is the pathetic explanation I hear from so many people. That’s where we push.
