Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.comTwitter: @governing
'Price Is Right' Politics
I learned something important from Rudy Giuliani's inability to name the price of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread: Reporters ask really silly questions.
Giuliani badly underestimated what you and I are paying at the grocery store. This is supposed to show that the millionaire former mayor of New York City isn't the common man.
Gotcha questions like this one have become a staple of presidential politics and state politics too. In a debate last year, candidates for governor in Texas were asked everything from the year of the Battle of the Alamo to the interest rate for a 30-year mortgage.
If mastery of trivia is a prerequisite for executive leadership, we might as well appoint Ken Jennings to be Benevolent Dictator for Life. Or, better still, Bob Barker.
But how often do you say to yourself, "That politician is incompetent, corrupt, lazy, stubborn and stupid, but I LOVE the way he can recite what I'm paying for dish soap"?
Twitter: @governing
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved. | 