* While it is now lost in the aftermath of the first debate, let’s not lose sight of Hillary Clinton going on “Between Two Ferns.” BTF is an internet popular mock celebrity interview show hosted by Zach Galifianakis, a comedian. It’s irreverent and sometimes tasteless–but it ostensibly shows that a candidate can take it and not look scripted and serious. Barack Obama did it a few years ago, but he’s good at this stuff.
Clinton is not. She should have done a press conference instead of subjecting herself to annoying, sometimes scatological, humor with a mostly deadpan-demeanor response.
Her awkward appearance was also a reminder of what campaigns stoop to in order to humanize a candidate and imply hipness–beyond the support of Barbra Streisand and Cher–to a certain demographic. She should not have gone on, and her campaign should have known better.
* Writers always welcome quotable lines. Given the opportunity to return the favor, they’re well-positioned to deliver a media-friendly gem. Case in point: David Brooks, author and non-liberal columnist for the New York Times, who recently spoke at St. Petersburg’s Palladium. So, really, David, how does it feel to be a NYT conservative? “A job I liken to being chief rabbi in Mecca,” responded Brooks.
* Mayor Rick Kriseman: What a political comeuppance. He pushed for the Cross Bay Ferry. He’s out in front on a Cuban consulate for St. Pete. He’s been reasonable and pragmatic about the Rays. Now it’s all about damage control and PR spin, because his constituents and the media want to know what he knew and when he knew it. From a progressive mayor making a mark regionally to SewageGate and being in the same transparency conversation with Rick Scott and Mosaic.