Below, please find a chat between me and HuffPost Politics Editor Chris Gentiliviso.
Chris Gentilviso: Hey! How are you?
Jason Linkins: Great! Hopeful that John Wall will play to the level of the crazy new contract that the Wizards gave him.
Chris Gentilviso: Yeah, seriously. They must be prepping some really cheesy marketing campaign now, like "WALL OF HOPE." Speaking of marketing, just saw this:
Jason Linkins: Ahh, wonderful. $20 gets you some of that. One might wonder, though, are the shirts vintage or is it just the message? But, nevermind that. Where's my "DOLE/KEMP '96" at, NRCC? You've got to maximize your synergy with the ironic T-shirt market.
Chris Gentilviso: Haha, exactly. But the sell here is something more like, "Looking for a shirt to wear on your 41-day golf vacation before a major terrorist attack? 24 hours only!"
Jason Linkins: "Remember how great everything was back when the Hainan Island spy plane incident looked like it was going to be the worst thing America was going to have to deal with? Good times!"
Chris Gentilviso: Clearly they didn't do market analysis -- anyone interested in this would prefer a polo shirt.
Jason Linkins: It would be more aspirational, right? "Picture yourself relaxing at the yacht club," however, is a message better suited to an economy that wasn't left in tatters. As it stands, I like the realism. "Here's something to wear while you're crashing on your mom's sofa." Also realistic: knowing you probably could not move many "BUSH/CHENEY '04" shirts.
Chris Gentilviso: Yes, by the end of that term nobody could afford clothes.
Jason Linkins: To be perfectly fair, I doubt you move many "KERRY/EDWARDS" units, either. Anyway, I'd gladly give the NRCC a couple of sawbucks for a "LANDON/KNOX '36" shirt. Get at me, guys.
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