My second favorite line in Anchorman comes when an inebriated Champ Kind admits to a romantic crush he's had on Ron Burgundy ("I miss your musk… When this all gets sorted out, I think you and me should get an apartment together!"), and Brian Fantana replies "Take it easy, Champ. Why don't you sit this next one out, stop talking for a while."
(My favorite line? "Milk was a bad choice.")
This scene came to mind today as I watched footage of Bill Clinton single-handedly trying to torpedo his wife's presidential campaign by…
1. Defending his infamous crime bill; which is generally regarded today as one of the main culprits behind the disproportionate imprisonment of Black Americans
2. Doubling-down on the use of the term "Super Predators"
3. Continuing his ad hominem attacks on BlackLivesMatter by saying completely out of context and patently ridiculous things like "I’ll tell you another story about a place where black lives matter: Africa." and "You are defending the people who killed the lives you say matter. Tell the truth.”
That Bill Clinton has received honorary Black status in certain parts of Black America is undoubtedly true. That he is abjectly undeserving of this status is also true. This, I'm sure, creates a bit of a paradox for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Because part of Clinton's popularity is due to the Clinton name recognition. But I'm sure there are people in the Clinton campaign — including perhaps Hillary herself — who prefer he stops talking for a while and sits this one out.
Will this have an effect on Clinton's numbers and standing with Black people? Who knows? All I know is that the same thought is likely going through the Clinton campaign people's heads right now: Where's a distractingly cute intern when you need one?