Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Reports of my traffic gridlock have been greatly exaggerated



For weeks I've been hearing the ads. Rudy Giuliano bragging (what else is new?) about his "friends" like Colin Powell and Laura Bush and Joe Montana coming to Hartford to electrify, for $19.95 you during this terrible recession.

My years of watching late-night infomercials nudged my bullshit detector to the "on" position.

Well, it turns out that the only way these folks are coming to Hartford is "via Satellite." So, you are one of the great unwashed who has shelled out $19.95 to be in the same room with the motivators only to find you'll be watching them on a big TV screen.

But don't worry, because you'll also be able to enjoy the traffic gridlock that the promoters are predicting.

But my bullshit detectors are humming again, and I think that every editor in Hartford has switched theirs off, preferring to believe the press release that gridlock could actually happen in our lovely little Insurance City.

I think it's hype. Just the promoters trying to get a little more attention for their claim that the event has sold out.

I smell sell-out, all right. It's just of a different brand.

By the way, just who is Tamara Lowe?

5 comments:

kerri said...

I'm glad you wrote about this. I'm so tired of hearing about how bad traffic will be. In any case, we don't need to wait until there are potential celeb-created traffic jams before changing our commuting habits. Carpooling, mass transit, biking, and walking should already be in the vocabulary of those who commute into downtown.

Anonymous said...

Well I absolutely believe this to be true as well. I was a spin master myself for a long time, and when I got the emails from other public safety people, I knew it was fake...
I am in public safety, and the originator of these Emails traced back to a couple of non-official people with ties to the public sector.
They held the information, then dispersed it through their Email accounts. Now everyone knows about the "traffic". The civic center has been there for 30 years, we have had crowds before, certainly not Historic ones...

Kevin L. said...

The lowly Whalers hockey team probably caused more congestion than these losers will.

As far as deceit & trickery in the ad campaign, I say "too bad." If voters who were foolish enough to elect GW a second time are willing to waste their motivational time and money on this GOP "Ain't We Still A Swell Bunch-O-People Extravaganza", then TFB for them.

Motivation alright. They motivated you right out of your money (incl. additional bullshit service charges) suckers!

Kerri said...

Also, the wording of some of these updates make one wonder if the media is getting a cut from the profits:
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-hartford-traffic-update-0909,0,6895377.story

Anonymous said...

This mo-tea-va-shun-al bonanza with all the full page HC ads was as bogus as the WTIC-WVIT-HC-UConn business plan to make all of Connecticut love UConn football.

I am pleased I was born in the era of Astroturf Reality!