Why? Our meeting was part of a strategy, one run with surprising sophistication and efficacy for a candidate whose highest-profile gig so far is a local office in the fourth-biggest city in Indiana. But I appreciate his courage in being willing to speak out about it. (For the record, I can totally envision him sitting on the floor singing Kumbaya just not for me. And you just like have this moment, where youre like, Maybe this is it. Oh really, you didnt know that? Critics of the IDC have questioned Smith's loyalty to the implementation of progressive policies and candidates. How much of his success was because of you, and how much was because of him? AFP via Getty Images She dished about the former mayor's. He didnt feel the need to go out there and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage. Smith: Oh, thats simple. Wren: What do you look for in a candidate? [20] She was a senior advisor on Corey Johnson's 2021 campaign for New York City Comptroller, and raised $3.5 million in funds for a PAC supporting Andrew Yang's 2021 mayoral campaign. She wants to know if Id seen Buttigieg answer a question about the Notre Dame fire from a French TV station, in French. I tell her that I have been calling around to former coworkers and associates, trying to get a sense of how she operates. Were just not looking for them. But the Post discovered where they were. How Trump Took the Shine Off Washingtons Glitziest NightBy John F. Harris and Daniel Lippman. I see Donald Trump win the White House, which like everyone else, Im flabbergasted. And when he was asked about that, he gave a really strong answer, and he took responsibility for things he did do in South Bend or things he didnt do in South Bend. The White House Correspondents Dinner is shrinking back to the boring awards ceremony journalists claimed to prefer. Dont miss it! Seeing how Pete cuts through with people and what a truly effective messenger hes become for the Democratic Party, it makes you realize: Theres not just one Mayor Pete. How badly," she asks me, are you trying to fuck me over right now?, Interactive: The Lo-Fi Voices That Speak for AmericaBy M. Scott Mahaskey and Zack Stanton. The photographer had captured Eliot and me exchanging loving looks as wed returned from a late-night dinner at a restaurant on my block.. That is not the typical relationship of adviser to political principal, but typical is not a word people use about Smith. The candidate and the campaign manager dutifully board the aircraft, and just when it seems the door is about to close, as they start looking around nervously, in comes Smith, sunglasses and coat still on, laptop and cords dangling from her arms, phone pressed against her ear. Your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a part of the book. In that same vein, I know that there were people in the transportation secretarys inner circle that thought his taking that position wasnt the best idea. | Elijah Nouvelage/REUTERS. Okay, so Im working for tabloid target #1 in Bill de Blasio. And its really heartening because you realize the future of the Democratic Party is really bright, and that all we need to do is help lift these people up. This is an election where the women voters are going to be really important. Overtime: David Duchovny, Matt Taibbi, Lis Smith | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) Real Time with Bill Maher 2.54M subscribers Subscribe 11K Share 913K views 6 months ago Subscribe to the Real. News has confirmed her daughter Riley Keough welcomed a daughter with husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who mentioned their child at the singer's. In recent months you have made a name for yourself by working for this new crop of candidates out in the middle of the country: Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Aftab Pureval and others. It is, she says, the only newspaper she subscribes to. [9] Smith was credited with implementing a campaign strategy that emphasized one-on-one interactions between Buttigieg and the press which helped raise his profile from the mayor of the fourth-largest Indiana city to a top-tier presidential candidate. And you are going to pay me to be really quick and really aggressive and to take on Mitt Romney? It wasnt just the biggest names, people you know, Smith says. A Democratic candidate in West Virginia is going to look very different from a Democratic candidate in New York, and we cant impose this one-size-fits-all thing and think that the Democratic Party is going to be a majority party. Tom Ford. If there is one thing that makes Smith unique, its not her knowledge of great apes or her particular skill eviscerating her opponents on Twitter; Its that her skin was toughened by a stretch of time in the rawest, roughest media environment of all, the NYC tabloid scrum. It is a matter of life and death and we need every person on the field pic.twitter.com/LPqIS3zjnW. Pete made us all show up to give our 100 percent at work made us all better at our jobs. But I understand that what I do isnt just a game. Smith: Are we talking about the same Pete Buttigieg? She was also communications director for Dan Seals' 2008 Illinois House race. The guy didnt have time to say hello before Smith could hear screaming over the line. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. Smith: Democrats love to bitch that we dont have a bench. Does something like Buttigieg Derangement Syndrome exist? I had a beerhe stuck to waterand we talked about his political ambitions and the state of the Democratic Party and why Trump won. And he is as squeaky clean behind the scenes as he is in front of the camera. But you know, more importantly, through some trial and error, over this very long career, I learned the importance of letting candidates be candidates, right? That cut both ways during the campaign for Buttigieg, particularly when a white police officer killed a Black man in South Bend. Of course, then I would, Id get a tepid reception and she would never let me hear the end of it. This story has been shared 151,667 times. Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Lis Smith (born October 15, 1982) is an American political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. She did, however, date a married man while serving as a campaign aide to former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment, says Smith. She recalled tellingde Blasio chief of staff Phil Walzak over drinks that she and Spitzer were a couple. They need to understand how the political process works. | Our resort was more Leave It to Beaver than Debbie Does Dallas,' she claimed. It meant a lot to me as a woman to have someone like that. This is what day one looks like. I would give Pete 95 percent of the credit and give me five percent of the credit. The Democratic bench isnt going to be found on Meet the Press every Sunday, and its not going to be found on cable news. I think Ive heard Pete use the F-word once or twice, for example, and his personal life doesnt play out in the pages of the New York tabloids. I have a really close-knit group of friends who have nothing to do with politics. She then switched to de Blasios general election campaign for mayor. John Edwards comes to mind. In a tweet shared on July 20, 2022, Jeff praised Smith for the publication of her insightful book., Talked @Morning_Joe about why I wrote Any Given Tuesday: "More than ever we need people to believe in the political processPolitics is more important than ever. While the affair may have been fun while it lasted, the two reportedly split in 2015, it cost Smith her job. Lis Smith, the political communications specialist who helped bring Buttigieg to national prominence before he became President Joe Biden's Transportation secretary, revealed the decision in an . Smith: You never say never. By ERIN BANCO, GARRETT M. GRAFF, LARA SELIGMAN, NAHAL TOOSI and ALEXANDER WARD. Her plan is to emulate maybe the best-known and most successful insurgent move of recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express. Like we saw with Hillary Clinton, women are sometimes held to a different standard. [2][9] She later worked as the spokeswoman for Bill de Blasio's mayoral run in 2013. A lot of people people whose opinion you respect told you that you were nuts when you chose to work for Pete. He is in talks to do a Fox News town hall in the coming weeks, building off the surprise success of Bernie Sanders appearance on Fox, and in the past couple of weeks has also been on Ellen and The View, as well as Preet Bhararas podcast, The Intercepts podcast and The New Yorkers podcast. And so, she says, she cant talk right now. Eliot Spitzer. And if I can help you with my experience, my profile, my contacts, to do that, then I will do it. Wren: This book is in some ways a tell-all about the role of a political consultant. The Covid pandemic. Otherwise, I would kill myself. Which is to say that Buttigieg may know seven languages and carry around Ulysses and sit in with the South Bend Orchestra on piano, but as far as his top aide is concerned, it is only because he has an extra year on her. Did I think I was going to walk into his office and tell him that I was dating Eliot Spitzer? But there may be no political couple odder than that of Buttigieg and Smith. He was also married. I want Republicans to read this book. I knew from the beginningthat our relationship would be a big tabloid story when it became public. Wren: What is your relationship with Pete like now? When I stood up and left the table, Buttigieg stayed, and I recognized a woman sitting at the bar. Lis has absolutely no fear, said Jeff Smith, a former Missouri lawmaker who dated Smith for four years and considers her one of his closest friends. They are already well-known.. I, in those races, became extremely battle-tested. They have grown to like and trust each other. But Smith is still sour that de Blasio let her hang out to dry. I think we saw that Kamalas attack on Biden was obviously was pretty pointed. It might not get you the votes, but I am not the political director. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. That fall, Spitzer and Smith started dating, which led to the New York City tabloids staking out her apartment to watch the pair coming and going. But seriously. After his loss in the primary, Smith went to work on the winning election campaign and then the transition of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. She has a 3-day-old copy of the New York Post in her bag. When you do more interviews, it reduces that gotcha instinct with the press, it reduces that cat and mouse game. Yeah, I guess Id fallen in love with slightly problematic guy It wasnt like I was dating Ted BundyEliot was the former governor and attorney general of New York State, Smith said, referring to the serial killer. The problem with a lot of people, not just candidates, but anyone in life who is caught up in a crisis is that they react. Smith: We check in here and there. I think its a little bit of a ride. But is it undermining its own side? Whats especially important to me, is, you know, making sure to take a lot of young women under my wing. It wasnt an ideal situation, but it taught me a lot, Smith says. I want political people to read this book, because I think its fun. It gives me so much joy when I sit down for a Zoom with Mallory McMorrow which is supposed to be 15 minutes and it turns into two hours, and I get goosebumps again. Smith is now Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's spokeswoman and is dating Spitzer. She recently appeared on Fox News and is catching the attention of other media outlets to further discuss the juicy details she spilled in her memoir. Is it your relationship with reporters and cable bookers? In fact, other than Spitzer, Smith appears to have been flying solo for the last few years. The whole saga also taught her the rhythms of the New York tabloids, which have similarities to the national political press. Shes a Black half-South-Indian woman. Eliot Spitzer]. [2][11], She was the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign. [36][37][38] She also has an active social media presence, through which she addresses political topics and factchecks statements by Republican politicians such as Mitt Romney. Your knowledge of the process? I love him. Hes going to sound so elitist. Or: Why does he have to answer every question with a proverb? Voters can smell when candidates are being authentic, and when candidates are not. Ive always tried to be very grounded. Martin OMalley, who shed worked for, performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses. In my book, I sort of get at this, but we are sort of an odd couple. Fantasy football we were competitive about that. Regular voters and the media were primed for it.. I had gone through this awful breakup [with former New York Gov. The 54-year-old disgraced ex-governor. Shes on her phone talking to another Buttigieg aide. I would do that for free.). Click here. But there have been a few times when Ive been around him when I knew something, a factoid or something he didnt know, and let me tell you, I fucking lord it all over him. The most important thing is theres no one way to be a Democrat no matter what any of these lefty groups in Washington say, and we cannot expect candidates in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Ohio and Arizona and North Carolina to check off every box on the progressive party purity test. Click here. Smith tried to outfox The Post by going to the Daily News as a pre-emptive strike in an effort to get a more favorable story planted about her relationship with Spitzer. Pete helped pull back that part of me, because while that might work when youre dealing in the New York tabloids, that doesnt sell as well in the Des Moines Register. It was written over a period of 18 months,[25] and covers her life and political career. While her work history list might be lengthy, her dating track record isnt very long. Spitzer, at the time, was attempting to regain his footing in politics after resigning from his position in 2008. Why do I fucking love John McCain? She is a talented communicator. Riley was joined by her husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who gave a touching speech at Lisa Marie's funeral, in which he revealed that they recently welcomed a daughter into the world. I lost the media war thatId thought I commanded, Smith said. Still, she said, I wasnt exactly a PR neophyte. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. Martin OMalley, who got like 1 percent in the Iowa Caucuses. Lets be real, Adam. A lot of people thought that to beat Trump, you had to be Trump. I know of one person in particular who said you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total nobody. Click here. Lis Smith is recording this call. And the fact that hes everywhere, from cable TV to Ebony to your local NPR show to your favorite sports podcast, means that a guy with no name recognition is suddenly hard to avoid. Lisa Smith (soldier) Lisa Smith (born c. 1981) is a former Irish soldier who converted to Islam and later travelled to Syria during the Syrian Civil War to join the militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) during the Syrian Civil War. [2][3] During her time at Dartmouth, she volunteered for John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign. Shes had some very forceful moments as vice president. [2], She worked on Tom Daschle's 2004 Senate campaign as a field organizer. | Mark Peterson/Redux, Yuki Iwamura/Redux. My advice is just go out there more, communicate more. Most people do have nerdy sides to them. A New York Post photographer had been surreptitiously posted outside my SoHo walkup apartment. The "Dame of Dish" passed away on Sunday. Lis Smith was supposed to become de Blasio's press secretary until The Post revealed that she was dating former Gov. TV news executives are calling, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough. And they all lack humility. But more broadly, they are diagnosing the ills of the party that paid their housing for years. There is this thing that I have to be very honest with, because maybe I had been seen as a little radioactive because I had unwillingly had my private life spread all over the tabloids, more established candidates might not have hired me. Democratic operative Lis Smith on Monday savaged her former boss, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, over his municipal coronavirus response, while offering effusive praise for Gov. She had an "itch," the political consultant writes in her. I worked in states like South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia. She is most well known for being the senior advisor for Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign and the director of rapid response for Obama's 2012 campaign. She figured that Buttigiegs sexual orientation and impossible-to-pronounce last name rendered him dead on arrival, but started researching the 35-year-old Indiana mayor and promptly took an eight-hour fall down a Google rabbit hole. [44] She describes herself as an "oyster-tarian," which she defines as a vegetarian who will eat oysters. Smith: Dont make me praise Chris Meagher. David Freedlander writes about politics and culture. I think now more than ever, people need to understand how the media works. The last few years about it much was because of you, and I recognized woman... The votes, but it taught me a lot, Smith says a... 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