Mini-dress clad ballerinas dancing, Vanilla Ice pumping, a symphony playing back-up music and campaigning Florida Gov. Rick Scott registering his approval — all merging to benefit Sunshine State tourism.
That event, while not expressly political, is certain to mark one of the oddest moments of the 2014 campaign season, according to
the Washington Post, where the "you can't touch this" dynamic of the 47th annual Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism was scrutinized by the paper's "The Fix" blog.
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The "Ice, Ice Baby" star (real name Robert Van Winkle) — now a successful home rehab contractor with a show on the DIY network, "The Vanilla Ice Project," — hit the stage Tuesday to sing his signature tune and tout the virtue of his state's lifestyle.
The
smiling governor seemed to dig it, noted The Fix, citing Scott's body language and willingness to pose for a photo with Van Winkle, who posted it on his Twitter feed.
"We wanted to come up with something really different," noted Palm Beach county's director of marketing and governmental affairs in an interview with the
Palm Beach Post about the event. "It is something we think people won't forget."
"Um, agreed," quipped Fix writer Jaime Fuller.
Whether the aging rap star is a Republican is unclear, although news accounts during the 2012 presidential election cycle had Van Winkle praising early efforts from then-candidate Herman Cain,
Politico noted.
The tourism event was held at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. Scott, the incumbent, has posted a small polling lead over gubernatorial opponent Charlie Crist, a former governor who switched parties from Republican to Democrat.
Their pricey and hard-fought statewide election is projected to spend close to $150 million, the
New York Times reported.
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