SALON

Friday, Jun 3, 2011 1:30 PM UTC

A guide to what Lanny Davis means when he calls himself a “liberal Democrat”

Ex-Clinton aide Lanny Davis has built a lobbyist/pundit career as a Democrat who will advocate right-wing causes

By

Topics: Democratic Party, War Room,

A guide to what Lanny Davis means when he calls himself a Lanny Davis appearing on Fox News' "Hannity"

No one has gotten more mileage out of the phrase “liberal Democrat” than Lanny Davis.

The former special counsel to Bill Clinton and self-described “high-profile crisis manager” has built a lucrative lobbying career by offering himself up as a prominent Democrat who will push distinctly right-leaning causes. Ditto for his political punditry — he writes a column that runs in the Hill, Huffington Post, the Daily Caller, and the website of Fox News (he’s also a contributor to the network who frequently appears on the air).

His column this week — which began with the phrase “As a liberal Democrat” — caught our attention as a particularly striking example of Davis’ M.O. The piece ran under the headline, “Time for Democrats to Put Up on Medicare Cuts.” In it, Davis argues that the strategy being pursued by congressional Democrats — the defense of Medicare in the face of GOP attacks — is wrong. And he goes on to call for cuts in the popular program. Davis also refers to the national debt as “the great moral issue facing our nation,” which sounds a lot like a Republican talking point.

Indeed, a review of his past statements shows that when Davis starts throwing around the phrase “liberal Democrat” or some variation, it’s a good sign he’s about to tack right. For future reference, we put together a quick guide to what Davis really means when he says he’s a liberal Democrat:

***

What he said: “Beginning in 1968, and through 1992, we liberal Democrats had largely given up hope that we could maintain our liberal principals and still be competitive in presidential elections. It was the Democratic Leadership Council or DLC, created by a young congressional staffer from Indiana named Al From, who gave us back hope of winning back the presidency.”

What he was advocating: A recommitment to Third Way-ism and the principles of the Democratic Leadership Council, a corporate-funded centrist outfit from the 1990s despised by most progressives.

Source: February 2011 column

***

What he said: “I’ve been a liberal Democrat all my life. I haven’t changed my values. But what am I supposed to do if the leader of a country comes to me and says he wants to get right with the world, and get right with the United States?”

What he was advocating: His own high-paid lobbying work for the Ivory Coast strongman who was violently attempting to hold on to power after losing an internationally recognized election.

Source: December 2010 New York Times story

***

What he said: “But what is ironic is that here I am a liberal Democrat — if it was a Republican administration with a regulation that hurt minorities and poor and lower income students, we would be on our feet outraged.”

What he was advocating: Defeat of regulations proposed by the Obama administration to crack down on abuses by for-profit colleges, whose source of revenue is federal student loans. Davis was a paid lobbyist hired by the for-profit industry.

Source: November 2010 appearance on Fox News’ “Cavuto” (via Nexis)

***

What he said: “I am a pro-choice liberal Democrat.”

What he was advocating: Acquiescence to the inclusion of the anti-abortion Stupak-Pitts Amendments in the health care reform bill — which, of course, was fiercely opposed by liberal Democrats in Congress.

Source: November 2009 column

***

What he said: “Fellow Democrats, fellow liberals: Let’s reach out to Republicans and independents in the country, show them we are willing to compromise and give up the public option …”

What he was advocating: See above — abandonment of the key progressive priority in the health care overhaul bill.

Source: November 2009 column

***

What he said: “I’m proud to call myself a pro-labor liberal Democrat who believes that reforms are needed to provide a level playing field for both labor and management, but not at the expense of a guaranteed option for a secret ballot by both workers and management and certainly not at the expense of preserving the historic process of private, voluntary collective bargaining.”

What he was advocating: The defeat of a major progressive agenda item — so-called card check — that would have made it easier to form unions. At the time, Davis was working as a paid lobbyist for Whole Foods, Costco, and Starbucks.

Source: March 2009 AP story

***

What he said: “For the purpose of full disclosure, I must tell you that I am a liberal Democrat and a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama for President.”

What he was advocating: The idea that John McCain should “create a positive narrative and theme by reminding voters that he is a Teddy Roosevelt-type of Republican.” The column was titled, “Advice to John McCain: Be John McCain.”

Source: July 2008 column

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin More Justin Elliott.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 21 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: So long, Sookie Stackhouse

Recommendations