Happy Thanksgiving week! This post is all about being thankful. Specifically, I wanted to shout-out American PR agents who are constantly working overtime for their political clients. Politicians are very thankful for their highly demanded publicists and consultants alike.
For this blog post, I interviewed political consultant, Shellyanne Payday (A Kellyanne Conway type) who’s represented many politicians throughout her career.
Read below for my exclusive interview with Shellyanne.
The Interview:
Mary: Shellyanne thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. I know things have been…hectic lately for you, with the congressional elections.
Shellyanne: You know what, this year wasn’t so hard. If I can speak candidly…
Mary: Please! *Deep belly laughter* Anything you say here you can just reword, speed up, or mix around anyways.
Shellyanne politely chuckles and continues: Well this year wasn’t so hard on me. The American people, right or left side of the spectrum, have come to expect a certain amount of- hmm what should I say, a fun time.
Mary: Okay, sure- Fun aside, I’m betting you had a few challenges this campaign season. Do you care to elaborate? If you don’t, I’ll just bring it up later when you’re less prepared.
Shellyanne: Oh I knew you would ask that. But before I talk about the challenges, let’s talk about my successes.
Mary: Fun!
Shellyanne: Exactly. Mary, you’re from Tennessee. I’m sure you followed those campaigns closely. *Mary nods ardently* Let’s talk specifically about the senate race. Marsha Blackburn (R) and Phil Bredesen (D).
Mary: Right. I thought it was interesting that both Republican and Democrat made sure their potential voters knew the caravan of latinx immigrants headed towards America is problematic and on their agendas.
*Mary Pauses and looks at her phone to check google maps*
The caravan is concerning to me as I checked out my google maps and Tennessee is less than 1000 miles from the border, with the fastest route putting it a mere 882 miles away. That’s only 15 hours by car, or 283 hours by caravan. Even with stops for flaming hot cheetos and gas station slushies, 283 hours won’t be expanded by much.
Shellyanne: Exactly Mary. Exactly. Tennessee is a good place for my politician clients because even though it is landlocked centrally in America, some residents live in fear of people who are different from them. This fear has festered into a bitter hatred that many feel comfortable verbalizing. This in turn makes my job easier, because no matter what my clients say, there really isn’t a hole to dig them out of- most of the time.
Mary: But there are still holes to dig yourself out of- The south shouldn’t be generalized or stereotyped. I know many Tennesseans got out and voted for Phil Bredesen. His campaign was pretty reasonable. I believe he added in the border security bit to appeal to a mass of Tennesseans. What would you say to those Tennessee folks who voted for Bredesen?
Shellyanne: I would say, even Gerrymandering wouldn’t help Tennessee. That state’s redder than my face the time Lindsey Graham talked baby to me.
Mary: What’s, uh, what’s talking baby? Is that supposed to be a reference to Graham’s baby shaped face? *Photo of Lindsay Graham pans across your screen below*
Graham, South Carolina Senator.
Shellyanne: Um. I meant when he talked to me about….how much he loves babies. I want to be clear that there’s nothing sexual to be inferred by what I did or did not say.
Mary: Okay, fun! Let’s get back on topic. I also followed the congressional elections in Mississippi because my sister lives there. Mississippi is a state I have always made fun of, but damn it might be time to take back all the toothless hillbilly jokes.
Shellyanne: I wouldn’t speak too soon. There are still less teeth in the state of Mississippi than toes on my feet. I know what you’re about to bring up- The senate race. Democrats think there’s a chance.
Mary: Yes, they do. My sister called me a few days ago. Apparently white Republican candidate Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing black democrat Mike Espy in a run-off vote November 27th. Voters seemed disturbed after Cindy was captured on video praising a supporter by declaring, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.”
*Mary pauses for dramatic affect*
Shellyanne, you can’t possibly say no one was outraged by that statement. Don’t you represent Cindy? How can she come back from this?
Shellyanne: Okay. Now this where people completely misunderstood my girl Cindy. She is MY GIRL, okay. And she’s a good girl. She also loves babies and we have talked about them together many times.
Mary: Okay. But it seems pretty fucked to say given Mississippi’s history of racial lynchings, and also given Mike Espy’s well, blackness. It’s wrong on so many levels, the most basic of those levels being racist. That was violently racist of Cindy to say. Also Mississippi’s population is 38% African American. She may very well be screwed in the run-off.
Shellyanne: Okay. Here’s the thing. When Cindy said, “public hanging” She meant like hanging out in public. I’ll show you exactly what she meant by using context. Read between my parenthesis, “If he invited me to a public hanging (session) I’d be on the front row (of that quality time because I’m so excited.)
Mary: Hmm.
Shellyanne: *side eyes shift back and forth*
Mary: *picks nose and blinks*
Shellyanne: Well. *Draws deep breath* Okay. Round 2. Cindy was talking about hangings, okay, yes. But not hanging a black person. Cindy loves black babies, we talked about that yesterday. Cindy meant if she was invited to a KKK member hanging she would be on the front row. Hell she would be tailgating that hanging, shotgunning beer with black panthers. And don’t even get me started on a Nazi hanging. If Cindy was invited to a Nazi member hanging she would throw a party rivaled by every single Kardashian, even Rob.
Mary: Okay, so Cindy was talking about having a Nazi hanging party that would make even the Kardashians jealous?
Shellyanne: That is absolutely right. She does not care for Nazis, KKK, or Kardashians.
Mary: That seemed very unclear by the original quote. Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch, even for you, Shellyanne.
Shellyanne: Well if you speed up the tape and play it backwards Cindy is actually saying “I’m sorry I had to fight in the middle of your black panther party.”
Mary: Isn’t that a quote from Forrest Gump?
Shellyanne: It is and I’m afraid that’s all I have time for today.
Mary: Alright thanks Shellyanne. Happy thanksgiving to you and your extremely thankful clients. I think this interview shed light on some important issues. And now that it’s ended abruptly and early there is more time for the next section, “ Cats playing pranks on babies” Enjoy.
Sources
Watch Marsha Blackburn’s caravan centered campaign ad here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pm4XcREY0E
(Marsha Blackburn:Tennessee Republican candidate for senate, now current senate member)
Watch Phil Bredesen’s border security campaign ad here →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opqsoXJFbmE&feature=youtu.be\
(Phil Bredesen: Tennessee Democratic candidate for senate)
Cindy Hyde-Smith’s remarks on “Public Hanging” here →
https://www.apnews.com/e8d5fc7785b9456c9ad29b908e760e70
(Cindy Hyde-Smith: Mississippi Republican candidate for senate, run-off November 27th)
Forrest Gump fighting for Jen-ay at a black panther party here→
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13OoNe51Vx8