In many respects, both Lanny Davis and Michael Steele serve as political anthropologists for the other side; Lanny helps those who watch Fox understand Democrats while Michael Steele helps those who watch MSNBC understand Republicans.
Both Lanny and Michael have held high-profile positions over the years. During the Clinton White House—especially during Monica Lewinsky mess—it was not uncommon to see Lanny Davis defend the President from those who wanted his prosecution and resignation. Much of what he learned during that period was turned into an earlier book, “Truth to Tell: Tell it Early, Tell it Yourself” and later “Scandal: How ‘Gotcha’ Politics is Destroying America.” After leaving the White House, Lanny built a successful practice advising people and organizations how to deal with the political and media fallout that comes from messy and embarrassing situations.
This year, Lanny and Michael joined The Luncheon Society for two gatherings. The first took place in San Francisco for a lunch over at One Market on September 10th. On the following evening—September 11th—we sat down in Los Angeles for a wonderful dinner at Napa Valley Grille. Lanny has joined The Luncheon Society on numerous occasions and one of the most memorable was on the eve of the 2008 California Primary, when the Obama people sat at one end while the Hillary people sat on the other. There were passionate arguments that last long after the desserts were collected.