For the feminist left, it's strictly verboten to call a woman candidate unlikable. Poor Donny Deutsch learned that lesson the hard way on today's Morning Joe.
Commenting on Elizabeth Warren's precipitous poll drop, Deutsch attributed her problem not only to her unpopular plan to strip people of their private health insurance, but also to her "likability issue," noting her "high-school principal demeanor."
But it wasn't long before Karine Jean-Pierre, an MSNBC analyst and spokesperson for the far-left MoveOn.org, rapped Donny across the knuckles.
"I gotta go back to what Donny said. Donny, the likability thing: it's so problematic to hear, because it is so, it's always connected to female candidates, women candidates . . . I have to just make sure that I flag that and disagree with you on that one."
Note that as a dutiful feminist man, Deutsch was clearly aware that he was skating on thin ice by raising Warren's unlikability, claiming his comment was "not a gender thing." He did push back when Jean-Pierre said that the likability issue is never raised against male candidates, Deutsch arguing that Bernie Sanders is also unlikable.
In addition to the Medicare for All and likability issues, Deutsch also notably claimed that Warren suffers from an electability problem. Donny declared that Warren would "get trounced in a landslide" by President Trump.
And 55 seconds into the clip, check Steve Rattner's amused grin as he realizes that Jean-Pierre is about to rip into Donny!
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
11/27/19
6:00 am ET
WILLIE GEIST: [Warren] was at 28 a month ago, down to 14 right now. Why? Because if you look inside this poll, support for Medicare for all plummeting down to 36% support.
DONNY DEUTSCH: Yeah, it’s pretty simple. This country, you can’t tell 160 million people you’re going to take something away that they already have. And I also think the electability thing. I’ve said this all along. I've taken some heat. I do not think she is electable. I think she would get trounced in a landslide by Trump. I think people are sensing that. I also think she has a likability issue. I think her kind of high-school principal demeanor—this is not a gender thing, this is just kind of tone and manner thing. I think the American public, the more they see, the more they’re going: hmm, this is not the answer.
. . .
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I’ve got to go back to what Donny said. Donny, the likability thing, it’s so problematic to hear. Because it is so, it’s always connected to female candidates. Women candidates.
DEUTSCH: Oh! Oh, Karine.
JEAN-PIERRE: It is. It is. I have not heard likability —
DEUTSCH I think Bernie is equally as unlikable.
STEVE RATTNER: Bernie’s more unlikable.
JEAN-PIERRE: I have not heard it with any of the male candidates. You don’t hear that type of language
DEUTSCH: Bernie Sanders? I put that as a real --
JEAN-PIERRE: So we need to be very [careful]-- well, I have to just make sure that I flag that and disagree with you on that one.
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