Showboater attorney Michael Avenatti is hinting to the media of a possible run for president in 2020. And yes, he means President of the United States, not the National Bar Association – for which he would be equally unqualified.
The news report had me breaking out in mocking guffaws because I was sure this was just that latest audacious effort to get his mug and moniker in the media spotlight. Even a man as arrogant and audacious as Avenatti could not possibly think of himself as a viable candidate or a qualified president. No person not already restrained by a straightjacket could be that delusional.
Of course, there are those who will make a strained comparison to Donald Trump based on the fact that they are both celebrity camera grabbers. But, that is where the comparison ends. Trump was a successful billionaire with a long history in running major businesses as diverse as real estate and entertainment. Though technically an outsider, Trump has been deeply involved in the political process – at least as deeply as his deep pockets would allow. He has been speaking out on public policy for more than thirty years.
Avenatti is a hotshot lawyer who has ridden into the limelight on the back of a woman whose own fame is based on performing fellatio on film and offering her body to the rich and famous for fun and profit. Avenatti now has the fame if not yet the fortune.
Maybe that will change with a rush on the Avenatti for President t-shirts. Yep! The one shown at the head of this commentary is not the result of photoshopping. It is the “women’s relaxed fit” model and goes for $28.27. But, you can get the “unisex” style for only $19.07. If they were clever, they would charge $20.20. Don’t ya think?
Avenatti’s presidential ambition is up the ladder a few rungs from his previous scheme. According to earlier reports, when he was not out there pumping Stormy Daniels – meaning the story, not the lady, but then who knows? – he was looking to score a talk show contract. That might not be a bad move since his abilities in the court-of-public-opinion appear to be far superior to his abilities in an actual court of law.
I fully expected that the general response of the media – as much as they love Avenatti – would have been as dismissive as my mocking guffaws. But nooo. A foursome of MSNBC’s parroting panelists jumped right in with their analyses as if the guy was serious – and a lot of the discussion had to do with his impact in defeating Trump. It makes one believe that these folks would analyze a fart if they could put some anti-Trump spin on it.
Most of the panel saw good news in the highly unlikely Avanatti campaign. He would be a much-needed fighter. That makes sense. You can hardly expect a bevy of candidates well north of the retirement age to be putting up a good fight. There was, however, one “we don’t need him, and we don’t want him” dissent among the panel. The fear was that he would savage the other fine candidates – whoever they may be – and help Trump win.
By the next day, the Avenatti presidential garbage was at the top of the news on both CNN and MSNBC. More panels were impaneled to analyze, hypothesize, conjecture and opine over what will be a non-story in a few days. These folks just cannot focus on real news whenever another bright and shiny object appears before their eyes.
Once the Klieg lights on Avenatti begin to dim, you can rest assured that he will have some new meaningless announcement – and the obsessing press will again grant him the coverage he craves. Maybe he will propose Stormy Daniels as his running mate. Or maybe propose marriage. The publicity of a Daniels-Avenatti coupling would rival the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markel — and upon seeing the bride in her breast-bearing wedding dress, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle could reprise her royal wedding embarrassing imitation of a pre-pubescent teenager at a Justin Bieber concert. For Avenatti, such attention-grabbing possibilities are endless – especially when the media is so willing to be grabbed.
You have to give Avenatti credit, however. He manages to get more media attention with less justification than anyone on the scene today.
