Spencer Pratt and the call for common sense in big cities
I don’t know anything about Spencer Pratt the celebrity. I can’t remember the last time I watched any reality TV. But after his popular ad dropped, I’ve followed his quest to become the next mayor of Los Angeles. And the most interesting thing about Pratt’s LA mayoral pitch is not the celebrity angle. It’s that he’s making a localist argument: judge city leaders by whether they fix city problems. Streets, safety, homelessness, infrastructure, tax dollars, are not merely cable news talking points for national audiences, but real problems to speak frankly about given many residents feel disgruntled about their current city leadership.
Given that Pratt is registered Republican, he’s clearly taking the smart political angle in place like L.A. But his hyper-local focus is also working in the current political environment. The mayoral election in L.A. is non-partisan and while he’s still a significant underdog, he’s adept at tapping into so many of the problems of big city leadership. Too many leaders in urban areas have eschewed common sense for ideological talking points or overly complex bureaucratic speak. A lot of people just want common sense again.
One recent exchange during the L.A. Mayoral Debate is revealing.
In a clip from an interview with CBS News below, Pratt said he stays away from “national politics” and “tribal politics,” avoids weighing in on other states, and keeps his focus local.
—Ray Nothstine
— The Federalism Beat