PEOPLE ARE WHO THEY ARE
There is a rule that has served me well in life: People are who they are.
Go back exactly 10 years to the 2016 campaign where I received the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's internal documents and published the files.
One note always stuck with me.
The political operatives at the DCCC identified a major Annette Taddeo weakness: She got too caught up paying attention to the blogosphere and social media.
Now Taddeo is running for office again.
I remembered that old assessment and wondered whether anything had changed. People can improve their skills. They can hire better consultants. But insecurity is harder to fix.
People don't wake up one morning and stop caring about what strangers think of them. Especially a politician like Taddeo.
I decided to test the theory.
Taddeo frequently posts photos and videos wearing thick black frames. The look reminded me of the little green pixelated villain from the old Number Munchers computer game.
Every time she posted a photograph wearing those glasses, I replied with a screenshot of the Number Munchers character.
No explanation or argument. Just the same green creature with glasses, over and over again.
I knew she would see it. Based on the DCCC's own assessment, I suspected it would bother her.
Then I noticed her recent television appearance on WFLA.
The marks were still there on the bridge of her nose, but the signature black glasses were gone!
The lesson is bigger than a pair of glasses.
Candidates can change consultants, talking points and even parties and positions on issues. But they rarely change the instincts that drive them.
And sometimes, apparently, all it takes to disrupt their image is a little green monster from a computer game.
Like I said, people are who they are.