Hillary Clinton‘s campaign really wants to look cheap. Are you buying this?
John Podesta, the chairman to Clinton‘s presidential campaign and one of the wealthiest lobbyists in Washington, takes one of those crappy buses from New York to D.C. and a Washington Post reporter just happened to notice. That’s a hell of a coincidence.
To be fair, some are pretty plush. But some of the seedier ones tend to show Asian films filled with martial arts and nudity. Who cares if little kids are around? Passengers need to be entertained.
Podesta “agreed to” let a reporter and photographer come along for the ride.
Things don’t get more This Town than this.
Hillary Clinton has a long history with taking pricy private planes. Most recently she was caught in the act in Texas. Still, her campaign wants to exude a frugal image – how quaint.
Playing along, Podesta made himself look as ridiculous as possible. How sweet of the media to oblige him.
“He was wearing jeans and running sneakers and carrying a scuffed duffel bag stuffed with dirty laundry,” wrote Anne Gearan, the WaPo reporter. “He did not look glamorous.”
According to the story, the Clinton campaign has now “decreed” that staffers take the bus. And not just any bus — the Vamoose is out because it’s too pricy at $60. The reporter calls it a “tightwad mentality” instituted by campaign manager Robby Mook.
Gearan does write that “it’s partly for show” — to fix the failure of a campaign that Clinton ran in 2008. Oh really. Just partly? WaPo explains:
“This time, Clinton is running as a warrior for the middle class and trying to dispel the image of privilege acquired as first lady, senator and secretary of state. Clinton is flying commercial most of the time, albeit in first class, and she’s been spotted on Amtrak. She alone may be exempt from Mook’s bus rule, although she is said to like riding in a Secret Service van that is no more luxurious.”
Cost of Podesta’s cheap bus trip (did we mention just how cheap Clinton’s campaign is?): $30.
The imagery of Podesta and the Hillary campaign behaving as men and women of the people who can only afford the bus: Priceless.