SOUTHFIELD, MI — Thirty years ago, Geoffrey Fieger, a young lawyer known for winning huge medical malpractice awards, became internationally famous for his flamboyant and successful defense of Jack Kevorkian, the man who made assisted suicide a national issue.
He then ran for governor in 1998 and won a stunning upset victory in the Democratic primary, only to lose by a landslide in the general election, after a colorfully bizarre campaign. (It included suggesting that his opponent, Gov. John Engler, was a cross between a woman and a pig, and that his children had corkscrew tails.)
That was a while ago, and the 69-year-old attorney hasn’t run for office again, though he often hinted that he was thinking of running for everything from mayor of Detroit to President of the United States. Plus, while continuing his highly successful law practice, he has also stayed marginally active politically, and has never hesitated to speak out, especially when asked.
Whether you love him or hate him, the one thing everybody agrees about is this: Nobody would ever call Geoffrey Fieger shy.
So what does he think about what’s happening now?
Nationally, he thinks that Donald Trump is the worst and “obviously most corrupt President we’ve ever had. He’s done more harm to anything good than you can possibly imagine.
“How can anyone continue to relate to him? The only answer I can come up with is racism. Overt racism and xenophobia.”
But Geoffrey Fieger, who wanted to be an actor before following his father into the law, doesn’t have a whole lot good to say about Democrats either, especially in Michigan.
“Whitmer, is it Jennifer, Gretchen, who is she? Why is she there?” he said of Michigan’s Democratic governor, elected in 2018. Told that she was a longtime state legislator, he said, “Well, there’s a difference in knowing how things work and being a leader.”
“Part of the problem is that in Michigan, we didn’t have inspirational leadership,” he said in a free-ranging interview last week. “That’s a national problem, too – these presidential candidates aren’t inspirational leaders at all. But it’s worse in Michigan.”
“Who advised her (the governor) to give in to the Republicans on no-fault car insurance without a deal on the roads in place?”
“That made no sense.”
For years, Michigan motorists have been the only ones in the nation to be completely covered with unlimited medical benefits if they suffer catastrophic injuries. Now, as of July, they will be allowed to buy slightly cheaper policies without that benefit.
“Nobody ever thinks it (a catastrophic accident) will happen to them. They are going to buy insurance without it to save money – and what happens but it does? Who is going to pay? Who?
“They will be out on the street without any coverage. God help us all.” In fact, while Fieger may sound over the top in his objections, there is a lot of unease about the issue, especially from medical professionals.
As far as the Democratic presidential nomination goes, Fieger said “I think it will be (former New York Mayor Mike) Bloomberg or (Joe) Biden. Not (Elizabeth) Warren.
“They will do a Hillary on her. (Pete) Buttigieg isn’t bad either.” He thinks any of those Democrats would win in November. “Trump isn’t going to win Michigan again – that’s not going to happen.”
Two years ago, Fieger said he toyed with the idea of running for President himself, and even copyrighted a slogan: “Clear Vision for America for 2020.”
But he decided that being a trial lawyer was the only thing he loved. “Being in power is utterly and completely thankless.”
“What I was toying with was this –in the old days, there were ‘favorite son’ candidates, and I was toying with the idea of running for President only in Michigan.” Assuming he won the primary, he thought that might put him in position to kingmaker if the Democrats may get to their convention in July without anyone having a majority.
But he decided against it, in part because, well, he really doesn’t have a very high opinion of politicians.
“Tempted to run for office again? No. I used to think about it, but … you have to understand who gets into politics – the weakest scumbags of this earth who couldn’t do anything else. Who would want to put up with these people? They do not inspire me. “It’s not the way I want to live the rest of my life.”
When he’s not in a courtroom, nailing down another multi-million dollar verdict, he likes being on Anguilla, where he just built a luxury hotel, or spending time with his three teenage kids.
There’s one exception, though: “I could conceivably become the mayor of the city of Detroit. I could get something done. It’s fathomable. I’d legalize prostitution – that’s a no-brainer. Police shouldn’t waste their time on a victimless crime.”
“But I’d also improve services. Jobs aren’t created by low taxes—that’s a total fraud. Why do people flock to New York and Chicago and San Francisco? They are attractive places to live.”
But being mayor, he added, is not something his ego needs. “I really, really like being a lawyer. I like having my own law firm. I like picking cases, trying to do justice.”
Whether Geoffrey Fieger has a clear political vision for 2020 may not be clear, and it’s not clear how many share it. But what he does have is a clear vision for, and belief in — himself.
(Editor’s Note: A version of this column also appeared in the Toledo Blade.)
