I really don't think I should know Marie the Flame of Florida.
But thanks to my devotion to political conventions, now I do.
I was editing some business stories last night while former Tennessee Senator and actor Fred Thompson was praising John McCain at the convention. The TV in one room and me in another, it was my preventive measure to stay work focused while still hearing convention rhetoric without being fully devoted to it.
Nevertheless, with a southern drawl and humor tinged commentary, Thompson elicited riotous applause. He said what I would expect him to say until roused by a canon ball of enthusiasm he threw in a quip about McCain's stripper girlfriend on the convention floor.
“In flight school in Pensacola, [Sen. John McCain] did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an ‘exotic dancer’ under the name of ‘Marie the Flame of Florida,’” he said.
The crowd went silent.
Then he added "And the reason I'm telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:
Now he followed this with a heartfelt tale about McCain's POW days and was able to rebuild excitement. While the pundits questioned a line Thomas made stating that McCain's POW experience didn't mean he should be president but showed his character (a line certain Democrats would be pummelled for) or a line Thompson misquoted regarding Barack Obama and abortion, I was still stuck on Marie the Flame of Florida.
I was stuck because I couldn't believe I actually heard it.
In fact, I text my editor, who was up rereading the stories I was editing to see if he heard the same thing. Surely, my ears hadn't deceived me. And he had.
Not one to stay on smut, I'm less amused by McCain's stripper dating days than I am by the need for either Thompson or some speechwriter to toss it in. Where exactly does this fit in the party platform? I'm assuming this wasn't in the approved speech or was it? Was this an ill advised effort to make the nominee one with the legions of men who spend their nights in strip clubs? The new "common man approach?"
How did that line make it past an editor?
I'd like to think that Thompson got excited by the attention of it all and thought he'd throw in some off the cuff folksy insight. But what was he trying to say? It was very boys club and conflicted strongly with McCain's efforts to woo women. By the sounds of the pins dropping after his raucous comment, I'm sure the audience was shocked, too.
I don't know where Marie the Flame is now, but I'm sure she never expected to get a shout out at the Republican Convention.
But thanks to my devotion to political conventions, now I do.
I was editing some business stories last night while former Tennessee Senator and actor Fred Thompson was praising John McCain at the convention. The TV in one room and me in another, it was my preventive measure to stay work focused while still hearing convention rhetoric without being fully devoted to it.
Nevertheless, with a southern drawl and humor tinged commentary, Thompson elicited riotous applause. He said what I would expect him to say until roused by a canon ball of enthusiasm he threw in a quip about McCain's stripper girlfriend on the convention floor.
“In flight school in Pensacola, [Sen. John McCain] did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an ‘exotic dancer’ under the name of ‘Marie the Flame of Florida,’” he said.
The crowd went silent.
Then he added "And the reason I'm telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:
Now he followed this with a heartfelt tale about McCain's POW days and was able to rebuild excitement. While the pundits questioned a line Thomas made stating that McCain's POW experience didn't mean he should be president but showed his character (a line certain Democrats would be pummelled for) or a line Thompson misquoted regarding Barack Obama and abortion, I was still stuck on Marie the Flame of Florida.
I was stuck because I couldn't believe I actually heard it.
In fact, I text my editor, who was up rereading the stories I was editing to see if he heard the same thing. Surely, my ears hadn't deceived me. And he had.
Not one to stay on smut, I'm less amused by McCain's stripper dating days than I am by the need for either Thompson or some speechwriter to toss it in. Where exactly does this fit in the party platform? I'm assuming this wasn't in the approved speech or was it? Was this an ill advised effort to make the nominee one with the legions of men who spend their nights in strip clubs? The new "common man approach?"
How did that line make it past an editor?
I'd like to think that Thompson got excited by the attention of it all and thought he'd throw in some off the cuff folksy insight. But what was he trying to say? It was very boys club and conflicted strongly with McCain's efforts to woo women. By the sounds of the pins dropping after his raucous comment, I'm sure the audience was shocked, too.
I don't know where Marie the Flame is now, but I'm sure she never expected to get a shout out at the Republican Convention.
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