When you attend a presidential election rally, you get a tiny glimpse of national politics right in your backyard. The following is a list of nuggets that I personally experienced during that historic event:
(1) “Campaign” Carl Cameron is a total douche: Other than seeing Sen. McCain, I was most excited to have a chance to meet Fox News’ intrepid campaign reporter, Carl Cameron. On camera, he seems affable and as a member of THE anti-elite media outlet you would think that he would eat up his celebrity status among conservatives. However, in reality, Cameron is just another pompous pseudo-celebrity who believes his shit doesn’t stink and doesn’t want any part of us normal folks. I volunteered to be part of the press team specifically to have a chance to shake his hand. I got my opportunity when I directed him to the press area shortly after the doors opened. I said, “Campaign Carl! How the hell are ya?” and reached out for a handshake. Cameron looked up from his blackberry long enough to sigh and roll his eyes at me as he walked right past without shaking my hand.
Then, after the rally, an older woman came over to him and asked him to pose for a picture. Her partner in crime with the camera was lagging a bit behind, mostly because she was walking with a cane. The impatient Cameron told the woman, “sorry ma’am, I have to go” and started to walk away . . . until the old woman put her arm around him and said “it’ll only take a minute Carl. Keep your panties on.” Here’s a photo of Carl’s attempted escape:
Meanwhile, a member of the elite liberal media, CNN’s Dana Bash, was surprisingly cordial with me. I said to her, “Dana Bash! I hope you are keeping Wolf Blitzer in line.” At the time, she was typing on her blackberry, but she still stopped, looked up, smiled, and said “I do my best. Have a good time tonight, Ok?”
(2) NBC’s Kelli O’Donnell is NOT as hot in person as she is on TV: She is looked at as one of the best looking women on TV. People say the camera adds 20 lbs. and highlights every blemish on a person’s face. Well, in O’Donnell’s case, the camera hides the fact that she is frompy and her makeup takes about 10 years worth of aging off her face . . unless you see her in person. Then, she just looks like a normal red head that you may see working in the courthouse on a daily basis.
(3) Everyone and their brother wanted to know where their “VIP” seating was: First off, we were told by the McCain staffers that the only real VIP’s would be escorted into Martz Hall by a staffer that we could identify with a pin who would immediately take them down to the rope line. The “VIP” seats that most of these self important yahoos were referencing was a few rows of seats that local party chieftains had saved with their own hats, sweatshirts, and purses. The funny part is that these chieftains had to pretend they volunteered for the event just to have the opportunity to get in the hall before the general public and reserve their seats Schuylkill County style.
I do want to recognize a few of these chieftains that do NOT belong in the above mentioned category and actually busted their asses in the days leading up to the event handing out tickets and actually worked hard as event volunteers: Mary Beth Dougherty, Dan Daub, Scott Thomas, George Moyer, and Jim Turner. These were the people who were responsible for distributing tickets at the Schuylkill Victory office and actually showed up to the orientation the night before the event, received their assignments, stayed late making signs, dressed appropriately (volunteers were supposed to wear white shirts and khakis), and manned their station until the event started.
(4) I don’t think there was one campaign staffer there over 23 years old: These were the people in charge EVERYTHING from setting up the stage, organizing volunteers, shepherding the media, decorating the hall, and filling up the venue. They didn’t care whether you were a state committeeman or just some joe blow off the street. They were there to do a specific job and then get out of town to the next venue. When one person said about one of the rather attractive advance team members, “she can work an event for me anytime”, I responded, “Work for you? In three months she is likely to be deputy White House Press Secretary. You should be sucking up to HER for a job!”
(5) The Obama protest outside was LAME: Of course, the media made a big deal about the “massive protest” staged right outside the Martz Hall parking lot, but there were no more than 25 people present and half of them were not even voting age. In fact, there were about 12 of them who looked like they were related. Instead of holding signs that read “SEIU for Obama” they should have said, “Jackson Family for Obama”.
(6) State troopers have a sick sense of humor: One of them was being pestered by a crazy dude who was trying to get his “ideas” to a McCain staffer who would then relay them to the Senator himself. This guy had about 20 pages of handwritten one liners that were supposed to represent “the final argument against Barack Obama”.
Anyway, the trooper, who knew who I was, told the guy that he should talk to me because I worked for the McCain campaign and owned a nationally syndicated internet site that could post his ideas. After 10 minutes of listening to schizophrenic babble, I turned around to a laughing trooper and a few of his local police buddies. Thanks guys.
3 Comments
October 29, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Your view of life must be pretty good from the high and mighty ground you sit on. The funny thing is when I hear people talk at strategy meetings and meetings on who we can get to help out with things on how we should win and that people have reached out to you to get you involved in the party itself I never see or hear you at these meeting nor is your name ever mentioned as someone who can be reached out to and trusted to do a good job. I know you have been invited, were you? You need to show up to get involved, so you can be asked to do things. The only time I hear about your involvement in the party is either here to do your complaining about what is going on that you don’t like or at a fundraiser on occasion. It is a shame that thru your blog you are getting media attention as someone people should listen to. People should listen to those who show up not those who preach from a high perch with out knowing all the facts first.
I guess when you are not someone donating the thousands of hours to the party to try and get people elected, setting up rallies (other than this visit), working at the party headquarters which is in need of help everyday, lots of people helped answering phone calls and handing out tickets, sitting down and stuffing envelopes or attempting to assist in working poles ( have not seen your name on a list to run and organize a pole by the way) I know you live in Orwigsburg and those poles are covered, so why are you not working a pole that is short staffed. I don’t think it is right to criticize when we hardly see you rolling up your sleeves and putting in time at headquarters to help get things done. Easier to complain than to do! Yes the view must be pretty good from your high and self righteous perch you sit on.
I think some of the things you say here are right and justified but you get allot wrong and never really seem too worried about the whole fact of a thing instead of just your view of it.
October 29, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Citizen 1,
Sorry to disappoint, but you are so wrong on many counts. Allow me to set you straight:
Since the primary, I have been a team player doing everything I can for the party and the ticket to the point that some of my readers here and allies in the reform movement started thinking that I “sold out” to advance my own self interests. And I am completely Ok with that because right now my focus is ensuring that Republicans are elected on Nov. 4th. My push to reform the party from the inside can resume after the election is over. Priorities, right?
Here is a list of some of things I have done FOR the party:
I have worked spent hours working at Schuylkill Victory office for John McCain.
I have indeed manned GOP headquarters many a time with Helen Verdier, who has gotten to know me pretty well.
I attended both the GOP kickoff rally and the fundraiser for Gary Hornberger that occurred right before it.
I have donated some of my very limited funds to local candidates.
I attended a fundraiser for Toni Gilhooley and have done everything in my power to get her publicity and elected (just ask her how much I have helped).
I have stumped for local and national candidates on the radio multiple times and used my contacts in that office to get others in the party airtime.
I have used this blog as a spring board for many of the GOP talking points. Since I am currently listed as one of the 20 most influential bloggers in this state and am syndicated statewide through the Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, that message has been seen by THOUSANDS.
On election day, I will be floating around the county monitoring the polls, ensuring that poll workers have enough supplies, making phone calls to voters who haven’t been to the polls yet, and relieving some workers who need breaks.
Election night, I will be covering the republican counting effort for WPPA.
As you already mentioned, I volunteered for and worked the event for John McCain on Monday.
Oh yeah, and I have been taking pot shots at vulnerable democrats for months, sometimes to my own personal detriment.
So frankly Citizen, I have NO IDEA where you are coming from when you say I have been watching this campaign from the stands. Of course, since you remain anonymous, I have no comparison as to what you think I should be doing.
BTW, I have never ONCE been invited to a strategy meeting. If I had been, I would have been there.
October 29, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Hank:
I enjoy reading your take on the goings on in Schuylkill County. After reading the response to that last post, I don’t think anyone should call you out for what you do for the Republican Party. BECAUSE NO ONE DOES ANYTHING FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.
The one person who held this county together was Jim Rhoades. Now that he is gone, the Democrats are just salivating at the opportunity to take out Republicans and seize Schuylkill County for themselves. I bet no one knows that since Senator Rhoades died, two Republicans have been fired from their jobs in the County. Do you think they would have done it while he was still alive? Good people, working hard for the people in Schuylkill County, not patronage, no show jobs you find in places like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Think about what will happen to the quality of county services and the losers they will place in county departments. Do you want to deal with some incompetent political hack who got his job because he was someone’s brother in-law?
Who will call out the Democrats for this behavior? Bob Ames? Bob Ames won’t even call us Committee people to work polls for him on Election Day. What’s the problem, because I live in Tim Seip’s district and can’t help Dave Argall, I don’t matter?
Our party has sucked in its efforts in the past few elections and our losses are the proof. Now the guy who held us together is dead and we are all screwed. We need better Committee Leadership to move the party forward and keep this county Republican. Our county has always had great services despite not being a powerhouse county like Westmoreland or Montgomery or Chester.
To keep this county Republican we need strong Republican leaders. And no one should be attacking anyone about what they do or don’t do for the party in Schuylkill County. And if that person does attend strategy meetings, which I doubt, it is probably a bunch of senile volunteers from the Coolidge campaign drooling on themselves.