Unsolicited Advice Series: Dan Onorato

Dan Onorato, reportedly flustered yesterday by the relatively standard candidate debate element of 'ask your opponent a question,' later channeled George W. Bush when the moderator asked Onorato to identify a mistake or regret in public office.

Bush: "Hmmm... I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. Uhhh . . . [six-second pause] . . . Uhhh . . . You know, I just . . . uhhh . . . I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn't yet. . . . you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one."



Onorato: “Let me think about it. I don’t have any regrets. I can’t think of one at this point in time.”

In the event candidate Onorato experiences a similar vicious ambush further along the campaign trail, here are a couple of obvious responses that voters might prefer to a claim of infallibility:

• I regret overcharging homeowners in struggling neighborhoods for property taxes by insisting that unconstitutional underassessments in affluent areas be perpetuated, especially after it has been pointed out that my longstanding legal and political position was not only illegal but also immoral.

• I regret overcharging everybody who paid the ten percent drink tax I imposed in my county, because it was known even at the time of enactment that a 10 percent rate would bring in more revenue than I claimed the county needed. On a related point, I also regret trying to use the excess revenues in a way prohibited by law. Plus, being a lawyer, I probably shouldn't have called that lawsuit "frivolous," contrary to law and "totally misleading," especially since I lost the case.

Seven million dollars apparently can't buy adequate debate prep, but that doesn't mean it isn't available.

You're welcome.