There's just something so sexy about a campaign bus tour. Everyone is doing it this year. I guess a train whistlestop tour is too old-fashioned?
First, there is Democratic governor hopeful Rod Smith, who kicked off a bus tour of the state after filing his qualifying papers on Monday. He hits Tampa Bay on Wednesday, with a two-hour visit to Mise en Place restaurant in downtown Tampa. (Why Democratic candidates who should be running low-cost populist campaigns choose one of Tampa's toniest restaurants for events remains beyond me, but that is probably why I'm no longer a political consultant, right?)
During his trip, he will be cyberharassed by the Jim Davis Campaign, which plans to highlight a Smith inconsistency on the issues each day this week. Today, for instance, Davis took his rival to task for flip-flopping on the class-size amendment.
Here in Tampa, Hillsborough County Commission (and former Weekly Planet arts critic) Mary Mulhern said she will be taking the local bus throughout her campaign, including her visit downtown on Wednesday to file her qualifying papers. She said in a news release, "My vision for Hillsborough County includes supporting and building a system of multi-modal public transportation. While our bus system is underutilized and a good beginning, with the number of people moving here, the high and rising cost of gas, traffic gridlock and environmental cost of emissions, we can’t wait any longer to build a better transportation system."
Memo to candidates everywhere: never, ever say the word "multi-modal" in public.
This article appears in Jul 12-18, 2006.