When I worked as a press secretary, I always gave last-minute advice to my boss before he appeared at a public rally: Make sure you shake a few hands before and after. Get away from that podium. Don’t read directly from your notes. Show some energy. And don’t forget to smile.

But my fellow political PR folks need to add a new rule for future political public appearances – no hugging.

Or, at least don’t hug any public figures. Kids are fine. Grandmas? Perfect. The spouse? Of course! And definitely hold that baby close (though a kiss would be cliché). But stay away from those fellow pols up on the stage, because photos never forget, and that hug recipient who seems to be made of Teflon today could be an albatross tomorrow. Just ask Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

As reported by NPR, Crist is struggling to distance himself from President Obama and his policies as Crist runs in the Republican Senate primary. A photo of Crist and Obama hugging at a rally a year ago is helping galvanize the image of voters there. Crist’s Republican opponent, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, hasn’t been shy to remind Republican voters of the photo. He hosted a fundraiser on the one-year anniversary of the embrace. Once a long-shot, Rubio now leads in the polls.

If my call to end this platonic political PDA were adopted by all politicians, few would probably lament it. These embraces were often awkward, and even cringe-worthy, as in the case of the Bush-McCain hug that was used against McCain during his presidential campaign.

So I’m warning all my press secretary friends: Make sure you tell your boss that from now on, the political stage is a politician hug-free zone. For those looking for a little civility in our government discourse, a hearty handshake will have to do.

Tags: Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, NPR, Politics, Republican

Posted by Jim Luetkemeyer on 02/15/10. Categories: Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.