'What the hell are you doing?' MSNBC host confronts Biden's Dem opponent Dean Phillips
Longshot 2024 Democratic presidential contender Dean Phillips got a dressing down from MSNBC host Michael Steele who called him out for running a campaign centered on criticizing President Joe Biden.
Late in the tense interview with the congressman from Minnesota, former RNC chair Michael Steele — a Republican until Donald Trump made him abandon the party — seemed to have had enough after Phillips made a backhanded comment about finally being invited onto the network.
"The chairman in me says, what the hell are you doing? Right? And why are you doing it?" the dead serious Steele began. "Because the reality of it is, the party had a chance in 2016, and in 2020 to make a different choice. They did not choose Hillary [Clinton], and in 2020, they had Joe Biden standing in front of them along with an array of other Democratic candidates, including the current vice president, and the party said no."
"So, what makes you think after that, with an incumbent president — Joe Biden is not going anywhere, he's not stepping down —," he exclaimed as Phillips interjected, "A big mistake by the way. A big, big mistake."
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"A matter of opinion," Steele shot back, "But individuals make their choices, are making their choice to stay in the game, 97% of that 4% that turned out [in the South Carolina primary] voted for him. So the question becomes, in reality, are you creating a drain in the process, prolonging the narratives around his age, prolonging the narratives around other things that people are distracted by with Joe Biden, when the real threat is the man across the aisle in Donald Trump? And the polling shows that at the end of the day, Donald Trump is going to lose to Joe Biden."
"Second final point on that," he continued, "This is 2024, this is not 2016. It's not even 2008. A very different race, a very different electorate. Other things to keep in mind, we've already seen an indication from the base of the parties, where they want to go in '22. When a democracy threat is in front of them, the economy and other concerns take a little bit of a back-step. How do you suss all of that narrative going forward when as you tweeted, you're getting whupped?"
"Someone has got to do it," Phillips replied. "You know, my friends, I know every conversation you all have privately. It's the same one I'm having with my colleagues, which is we're dumbfounded. He's got a commanding lead in the primary — I get it. Look at the numbers, he is in a terrible position."
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