Lawyer Michael Avenatti's coarse approach to dealing with President Donald Trump and Republicans is not benefitting the Democratic Party, say several Democrats who recently spoke to The Hill.
"There's a difference between getting in the gutter and being tough, and I don't think Michael Avenatti understands that," said Patti Solis Doyle, a Democratic strategist and former campaign manager to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
"This isn't a strategy, this is a spectacle," she added. "And the spectacle is great for getting a lot of Twitter followers and retweets, but when push comes to shove . . . what's he doing for the party?"
Avenatti, a lawyer best known for representing Stormy Daniels, the adult-film actress who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump, often talks tough on Twitter and trolls the president. He has said he is interested in running for president in 2020, and Monday told The Hill he thought leading party strategists were "clueless" on how to beat Trump and the GOP.
"We're not living in 2012 or 2008 or 1992 anymore," he said. "You've got to engage in smash-mouth politics if you're going to beat Donald Trump."
Longtime Democratic operative Liz Smith, who worked for former President Obama's 2012 campaign discounts Avenatti's approach.
"I've spent 15 years in the trenches knife fighting, and gosh it's funny, I just don't remember seeing you there," Smith wrote on Twitter in response to Avenatti's tweet he was not a "carnival barker."
"Winning elections is about more than just talking tough on Twitter and TV," she added.
Regarding Avenatti's tone, Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist who served as an aide to Hillary Clinton, said he "should be focused on building coalitions instead of demeaning people who've spent their lives in public service," if he wants to run.
In court Monday, Avenatti's client Daniels lost a libel lawsuit over a tweet where Trump accused her of being "a total con job." The judge said the president was engaging in free speech.
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