AJ Calhoun — Oct. 28, 2018
Michael Avenatti, whose name was not well known nationally until he threw himself into the anti-Trump “mob” by choosing to represent Stephanie Clifford, aka: Stormy Daniels, in a lawsuit against Donald Trump, claiming that a non-disclosure agreement she had signed at Trump’s urging to cover up an affair the two had had, was invalid because Trump had not personally signed it. The agreement had been in exchange for $130,000 in hush money paid by Trump — or somebody, maybe Trump’s then attorney Michael Cohen, but whatever. The important thing really was: Enter Michael Avenatti, former attorney and sudden political hack.
Of course Ms. Daniels was also a political hack, having been involved in politics before Avenatti had noticed the possibilites that came with representing her in her somewhat confusing argument with Trump, Cohen, et al. She had run (as a Republican) against Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana in 2010. There was a spot of bother, Daniels felt she wasn’t being taken seriously, and so dropped out before the election. But that is neither here nor there. We are discussing Mr. Avenatti, Esq., and the interest people are taking in him as a possible 2020 presidential contender.
Does that seem like a good idea? If so, please tell me why.
Good idea or not, Avenatti is now in the public eye quite often, usually for taking aim at Donald Trump, which is always a good idea, I suppose, if an awfully easy one. Consequently Time Magazine recently interviewed Avenatti, making him yet more visible, and during that interview, at least as it was published, when asked his opinion on how Democrats could unseat Trump in 2020, and who might make a good candidate, Time quoted Avenatti as responding to Time’s Molly Ball this way:
“I think it better be a white male. When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes. I think this is a very unique situation. I think Donald Trump is a very unique candidate. And I think if you run anyone other than a white male against him in 2020 — and I think a lot of people in the party agree with me on this, and I think a lot of people disagree with me — I think you are begging for a repeat of 2016. That’s what I believe. Firmly.”
