By Lanny J. Davis – 05/30/13 I have known and been a friend of Attorney General Eric Holder for many years. He is a progressive Democrat who believes in First Amendment values and especially vigorous freedom for investigative reporters to publish the facts. So I give the Attorney General a heavy presumption of good faith […]
by Lanny Davis – 5/21/13 The good news for the White House is that despite the Benghazi, IRS, and AP subpoena perfect storm of crises within a week, President Obama’s job approval ratings are up. The bad news is that because of the violation of the fundamental crisis management rule about getting the truth out […]
By Lanny J. Davis – 05/16/13 I’ve been told today by several reporters that President Obama’s White House counsel, Kathryn Ruemmler, knew for several days — perhaps weeks —that some Internal Revenue Service officials were engaging in political targeting of conservative groups, and that she did not tell the president as soon as she knew […]
By Lanny J. Davis – 05/01/13 I recall very well the first time I was on the Michael Smerconish radio talk show on WPHT in Philadelphia. He was doing a nationally syndicated talk show carried by 70 stations across the U.S. He was also a well-read and respected columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. It was […]
By Lanny Davis – 04/23/13 Thursday, April 25, on the Southern Methodist University campus in Austin, Texas, four living presidents — Jimmy Carter, No. 39; George H.W. Bush, No. 41; Bill Clinton, No. 42, and Barack Obama, No. 44 — will honor one of their colleagues, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United […]
By Lanny Davis – 03/20/13 I have been writing this “Purple Nation” column for a long time, waiting for the “purple moment” when President Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would agree on an important position on the budget and deficits. Little did I know that when it finally happened, I would be disappointed, to […]
By Lanny Davis – 02/27/13 There are many pro-Israel Americans, including members of the American Jewish community, who believe that the best strategy for bringing Israel and the Palestinians to the peace table is for President Obama to try to appear neutral or even lean toward the Palestinian/Arab world viewpoint, pushing Israel to the peace […]
By Lanny J. Davis – 02/20/13 When will they ever learn? As obvious as are the fundamental rules of effective crisis management, time-tested over the ages, it is amazing how often the same mistakes are made by politicians and companies in the midst of a crisis. In politics, the most famous case of crisis mismanagement […]
By Lanny J. Davis – 02/14/13 Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) deserves thanks. He managed to go so far over the top in showing poor taste in his shameful questioning of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) during this week’s Armed Services Committee hearing on Hagel’s nomination as Defense secretary that he managed to assure […]
by Tom Ridge and Lanny Davis, USA TODAY, 02/08/2013 We have heard the president and leaders of both parties talk about the need for a “balanced approach” in addressing our nation’s unsustainable and unconscionable $16 trillion national debt. Now the president has a chance during his State of the Union Address, scheduled at his request […]