Great Moments in PR Comedy, Starring Rick Perry and the B of A

[Emit]

Plus see delicious Act Three update, at bottom.

This is a drama in two acts. Act One was an "ooops, that microphone was still on???" moment at the end of a Rick Perry appearance in New Hampshire. A man who could be cast as a lobbyist in a DC-based potboiler movie, and who actually turns out to be Director of Public Policy for America's biggest bank a lobbyist*, walks past Perry. He barely breaks stride or looks directly at Perry but says right into his ear. "Bank of America. We'll help you out." (...)

~snip~

video at link

UPDATE ACT THREE: In addition to its convincing "follow up on substance" explanation, Bank of America was at pains to make clear that its official was not a registered "lobbyist," but in fact a "policy" expert. Thus the corrections carefully noted above, which don't change the nature of the interaction.

But it turns out that the "policy director," James Mahoney, is the chairman of Bank of America's Political Action Committee in New Hampshire. This according to the official PAC filing with the New Hampshire state government, which Ben Smith of Politico obtained. Political Action Committees, just to be clear about it, exist to hand out money. So it wasn't a "lobbyist" who said in a candidate's ear, "Bank of America. We'll help you out." It was the policy director, who heads the PAC, which gives politicians dough. In that sense, a kind of super-lobbyist.

I didn't think the previous PR savvy could be topped, but now it has.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/great-moments-in-pr-comedy-starring-rick-perry-and-the-b-of-a/243882/#.Tk7MBr10hjw.reddit