It seems Sanders will rule MSNBC the way Trump rules Fox; if so -- I'm going to CNN, which I did last night. It was a good choice because I got to see the Bloomberg town hall, which was excellent. If he's not really a sweet smart guy, then he's a great actor who plays one, and I don't think he's an actor. If you get a chance, watch it, if for no other reason to observe how bad the debate format is about informing our choices.#
He was a good mayor in NYC, I didn't imagine it. He actually got stuff done, where most NYC mayors tread water and are quickly hated. #
In the debates and the town hall, Bloomberg misses obvious opportunities most politicians wouldn't miss. When someone greets you with a smile, smile back and when their question is done, no matter how pointed, say "That's a really good question." Bloomberg doesn't. These are easy things to learn, and they go a long way toward being likable, trusted, and perceived as authentic. Yes, it matters that a leader know the niceties of meeting the public he leads.#
In the final question of the debate they asked a softball question that he muffed. What's the biggest misperception about you? A good answer: "I'm a liberal, and yes I'm very rich, but I put my money behind our ideas. I am dedicated to doing good. It's a luxury I have because I'm so rich, but I am trying to help, and it's working."#
On the other hand, in last night's town hall, he was open and vulnerable, explained himself, and I got the feeling over and over, this is my ideal of a president. I don't want someone who blows smoke and points fingers, I want someone who works at making things better, and protects us, listens and is open-minded. He has done all that both in his civic and private life, and he's made mistakes which have been pointed out, and unlike many leaders, esp the current president, and other candidates, he admits when he was wrong. #
PS: I haven't been able to find a video of the full town hall. If you find it, please send it to me on Twitter or via email.#
PPS: On February 28, we now have a video of the full town hall. #
Last update: Friday February 28, 2020; 5:23 PM EST.
You know those obnoxious sites that pop up dialogs when they think you're about to leave, asking you to subscribe to their email newsletter? Well that won't do for Scripting News readers who are a discerning lot, very loyal, but that wouldn't last long if I did rude stuff like that. So here I am at the bottom of the page quietly encouraging you to sign up for the nightly email. It's got everything from the previous day on Scripting, plus the contents of the linkblog and who knows what else we'll get in there. People really love it. I wish I had done it sooner. And every email has an unsub link so if you want to get out, you can, easily -- no questions asked, and no follow-ups. Go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry! :-)