Lanny Davis Has Distilled the Politics of Smarm to One Tweet
Upright-walking botfly Lanny Davis has opinions about politics, and he likes to share them on Twitter. So he blessed the world with this:
@huffpostpol who could not be for Mayor Booker for U.S. Senate? A great leader unafraid of stepping out of orthodoxy to solve problems.
— Lanny Davis (@LannyDavis) June 11, 2013
This is the Lanny Davis brand of self-righteous insider amorality, boiled down to a perfect, idiotic koan: Who could not be for stepping out of orthodoxy?
Given the literal definitions of the words involved, the answer should be: "Most people." That's what makes it orthodox! But this is a branding exercise, not an attempt to say anything: Lanny Davis wants to announce that he supports all the wealthy and well-connected people who support the Senate candidacy of Cory Booker.
And Lanny Davis is taking this position out of courage (even though it is impossible to imagine anyone being against Cory Booker). Cory Booker and his campaign money and his establishment backers and Lanny Davis are all "unafraid" together, as they prepare to "solve problems." They are disruptors. They are like punk rock, but they are a car.
Who stands against this brave coalition? The people who support orthodoxy. The people who do not want to see problems solved. Here is the centrist battle cry, the guiding concept of the old Democratic Leadership Council, the essence of Bloomberg-ism: What everyone needs is what we want.