It swept through here like a tornado.
The news cycle — local, national, international — went all debate, all the time. Right now, it’s dedicated to rehashing what happened, with pundits, experts and wannabes chiming in, claiming their side won and, in some cases, going to great lengths to prove it. It loses speed as the public’s short attention span kicks in.
By this time tomorrow, the conversation will be moved off the front page. Just like that, the tornado disappears.
While we can debate whether it’s Trumped up or not, the trickle down effect that happened here?
Yet to declare whether it was Trump or Clinton who won is easy. That’s one dimensional, arm-chair quarterbacking, in the spotlight.
As the first of three debates, there’s plenty more to be seen, heard and most likely, horrified by, before the litany of undecided voters finally make up their minds and declare a winner.
That’s why, right now, the winner wasn’t on the stage. The true winner was the stage itself: Long Island. Hofstra University. Students who got an inside look at politics, the debate process and the ‘glamour’ of media, en masse, which alternated between whiling away down time and rushing from 0 to 120 for a sound bite, a photo, a moment to memorialize.
With 3,000 journalists descending on our little sandbar, the winner was sold-out hotels. While we can debate whether it’s Trumped up or not, the trickle down effect that happened here? Restaurants and pubs bustling with business during what is usually the lazy, after season, wind-down period.
Even grocery stores saw a piece of the action: Lines at Stop & Shop resembled July 4th weekend traffic, as residents prepared for an evening of debate-watching parties with plenty of munchies on hand.
That kind of economic activity is too rare on Long Island. Rarer still: Attracting events that put Long Island in the spotlight, the way Hofstra did last night.
Sure, we have a lot of greatness around here, but we tend to talk to ourselves instead of welcoming outsiders to stop by for a spell, spend their money, make some memories, then head back home.
Some of that happens during the in-season, but even a stellar beach summer like we just had doesn’t necessarily break tourism records.
And tourism is what we need to do here: It’s our No. 1 industry, and the easiest way to keep our taxes in check.
What Hofstra accomplished last night was far greater, far richer an accomplishment than a chapter in the history books. It set a new standard for what Long Island can do. It set a new standard for what Long Island should be.
As quickly as a tornado hits, Long Island is now about more than beaches and sunsets.
– Jaci Clement, Fair Media Council, jaci@fairmedia.dev3.facadeinteractive.com
As appeared on Patch.com, Sept. 27, 2016