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Myers Push-up Stunt Stalls Running Mate Announcement

I am about to commit the sin of which I accuse others: talking baseball and production values instead of political substance.

The Mike Myers for Governor campaign posts video of the candidate's early announcement of his newly Independent running mate, Caitlin Collier. Here are the two videos uploaded by campaign assistant Emmett Reistroffer:

Myers has issues that I want to hear discussed in the campaign. He backs sensible hemp legislation. He wants to open up the records on the GOED/EB-5/Benda scandal. He's willing to challenge Big Money and Big Medicine. Those are all topics worth discussing.

But sloppy execution will keep us from having that conversation. Consider Myers's push-up demonstration. Early in the first video, he gets set to show his physical stamina by doing 20 push-ups in front of the assembled journalists. But he has to stall for a long minute while Emmett apparently struggles to switch on the right theme song.

Background music isn't hard. You listen for your cue from the candidate, which you coordinate clearly before the speech. You hit Play on the CD you cued up before the speech started. You crank the volume. Easy peasy.

But not for Team Myers. We wait. Myers vamps, drifts distractingly into the coming topic of hemp. The candidate waits, awkwardly poised over his table. The music isn't loud enough for the candidate to hear or to register on the video. A staged moment is lost in stalling. And to cap it off, the candidate is audibly winded when the stunt is done, and Emmett must hurry into the frame to hand the candidate a cup of water.

If you're going to do political theater, do theater right. If you're going to do push-ups, give us some Jack Palance spontaneity, and then get on with your speech.

12 Comments

  1. Deb Geelsdottir/ 2014.01.18

    Oh for pete's sake!

  2. Elizabeth 2014.01.19

    Caitlyn Collier is crazy.

  3. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.01.19

    Hey, now, Elizabeth, I'm going to need an explanation (and maybe some evidence) behind that diagnosis.

  4. Tara Volesky 2014.01.19

    Cory, sorry the Myer's campaign isn't bankrolled by big corporations to hire production and sound managers. Maybe you didn't notice, but Myers didn't use a teleprompter and he didn't read a speech. Nothing was rehearsed. Extemporaneous and authentic. I know Myer's is outside the box and not your typical politician,but Myers brings issues that other candidates are scared to talk about like....legalization of industrial hemp.... big hospital monopolies: upcode billing, advertising, insurance monopolization, and collections......EB-5 scandal.........Richard Benda investigation........Common Core........Cory, I am sorry you couldn't be there to ask him questions like some of the other media that were in attendance. You and your viewership can call Mike anytime and comment or ask him any questions. His cell number is (605)659-4681. His home number is (605)552-2425. Thanks.

  5. interested party 2014.01.19

    Myers will take far more votes from DD than from Joe Lowe: join me in sending Mike some money.

  6. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.01.19

    Tara, not one critique I made above deals with problems in execution that can only be solved with a big bankroll. I did high school theater on a shoestring budget at Montrose HS. You can do good political theater on a shoestring budget, too. Timing is free.

  7. tara volesky 2014.01.19

    Ok Cory, let's focus on substance over theater.

  8. Elizabeth 2014.01.19

    We'll just anyone in vermillion or most lawyers in the state. Scary lady. A few years ago she decided to become a pastor. Very crazy woman. Mentally disturbed.

  9. grudznick 2014.01.19

    This campaign team looks to be an interesting pair. I will be keeping my eye on them as they seem to be the sort to entertain.

  10. Kelsey 2014.01.24

    Did you hear that, Cory -- ladies becoming pastors! The horror! ;)

  11. Tara Volesky 2014.01.24

    Cory, you better defend your wife.

  12. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.01.27

    Trust me: my wife needs very little defending.

Comments are closed.