As most of you are likely well aware, a Democratic Presidential debate was held in Charleston, SC this Monday. What you don't know is that, since I took the job as regional field coordinator for the Bill Richardson campaign, I was obliged/privileged to have been there in an actual official capacity. And what a long, bizarre trip it was....
I didn't have to be there until Sunday, but considering the length of the trip, state of my car, and my desire to see my long-lost cousin/protg Daniel Harvey at least once during this trip, we decided to get there a day early. So we hit the road after I got off my 'other' job at 6 pm. The only problem was that I had to take my own car to get there. Since I've yet to either fix or get rid of the "green monster," it (predictably) nearly overheated several times during the trip. We wound up having to do the "rest stop hop" all the way down I-26: stop at a rest area, top off the coolant, take a break while the engine cooled off, then hit the road and drive to the next rest area. So, what should've been a 3 hour road trip turned into a 5 and a half hour excursion, made worse by the fact that we had to stop in a little town called Sandy Run, SC and literally duct-tape the undercarriage guard back onto the car. So we ended up arriving at my cousin Daniel's south-of-Broad house at around 11:30, at which point we ordered pizza, watched some old Black Adder episodes, and called it a night.
At least until his crazy drunken housemates (and their guests) arrive home at around 3 am. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night.
So Sunday at around noon we meet up with Trav Robertson and my new co-worker Andrew Hammett at the Holiday Inn Historic District, where we got to stay for the next two nights compliments of the campaign. Andrew, I must say, is a really nerdy little white guy. (Which is a very good thing in this line of work!) He's a senior at Clemson University, third vice-chair of the Anderson County Democratic Party, and easily one of the most competent people I've ever had the chance to work with...more on that later.
So anyways, Governor Richardson had two different meet-and-greet-style events scheduled for that day, both in the greater Charleston area. Our job was to arrive early at both of them and help set up, and then once the event started, to hand out "chum" (stickers, flyers, etc.) and maintain a sign-in list of everyone who showed up. Well, thanks to an effective outreach program by our campaign (and certainly helped by the beautiful weather--sunny and breezy with highs in the 80s), turnout was unexpectedly heavy at both events. Once you spend any time around the Governor, you realize that this is exactly the sort of venue at which he really excels: what we in the business calls "retail politics." Though perhaps he isn't the most gifted debater and does occasionally come across as "stiff" in front of the media, I've never met anyone with a better talent for working a crowd. It's here, while doing the real campaign "grunt work" of shaking hands and just talking with everyday voters, that he really shines. Even I was overwhelmed at the positive response he received. Many people who walked into the events undecided walked out at the end asking us for more bumper stickers and asking where they could go to volunteer--some even opened their wallets and checkbooks and made campaign contributions on the spot! Not bad for free events, eh?
And then came Monday. The Big Day. Debate Day. And this is where things got complicated....
See, the debate itself was held on the Citadel campus. And we in the campaign had all sorts of big ideas about how we would get our name out in front of the media. Ideas which, as the day unfolded, all turned out to run afoul of the city's, the Citadel's, and CNN's overlapping--and sometimes contradictory--rules regarding what we could do and where we could do it. And to make matters worse, THE ENTIRE CAMPUS was closed down for the event, meaning in most cases that we had to park our cars blocks and blocks away and either walk in the blazing hot Charleston sun carrying all our various promotional materials with us--or flag down one of the all-too-rare passing golf carts and hope they'd give us a ride. Not that any of it really us much good. FOR EXAMPLE: campaign signs, a staple of any campaign event. It turns out that:
1) We can't post them on campus.
2) We can't post them using any sort of stakes.
3) We can't staple them on any light posts--doing so would subject us to a $1,000 fine FOR EACH SIGN.
4) We can't board any bus going to the debate with them.
5) We can't even carry them anywhere beyond the "blue line" (which blocked off literally half the campus and put us hundreds of yards away from any TV cameras.)
....and so forth. What we ended up having to do was to round up all the volunteers we could and report to the designated off-campus "free speech zone," where we cheered and waved the signs at any passing cars. Not a terribly effective method, especially considering how little traffic was on that road and how many other yahoos were out there promoting their favorite candidates or causes.
SPEAKING OF YAHOOS...a glance around this particular square would lead you to some very inaccurate conclusions. Of course Clinton and Obama had the largest contingents there...they're eating our little campaign's lunch when it comes to fundraising and organization. (But then, they've had a little bit of a head start on us, too.) Joe Biden had a huge delegation there as well, which would be surprising, considering how little money he's raised and how miniscule his showings in the polls are. But, as I learned later, it was a real "rent-a-mob" situation. As it turns out, nearly all these so-called "volunteers" were paid to be there, just as his nearly ubiquitous tents and trolleys were rented by his campaign as well. Biden's campaign is in trouble, so he needs to make it LOOK like he has broad grassroots support...and what better way is there to do that than to hire a small army of "supporters" to get in front of the cameras? Beyond that....various interest groups (most of which I belong to) had their own delegations there as well, such as South Carolina Voters for Healthcare, the League of Conservation Voters, and TrueMajority. The Fair Tax crowd was out in force as well, which was a little surprising since their platform is basically a rehash of Steve Forbes's old "flat tax" proposal. Chris Dodd fans were few and far between, outnumbered even by the Ron Paul supporters (who were apparently confused about which party was debating that evening.) Someone was even ballsy enough to put a few "Support President Bush--Vote Republican" signs out there (although they apparently weren't ballsy enough to actually man those signs.) Another yahoo actually rented a plane and flew it around Charleston promoting the Stop Her Now website....suffice it to say, the whole event took on a real circus atmosphere, even though it all went down off-campus and safely away from most of the major media outlets.
Then came the actual debate. Of course security was tight...I had to leave my phone, cigarettes, and (naturally) any campaign-related paraphernalia I had on me (except for my credentials, which clearly identified me as "Harold Geddings, Richardson Campaign") back at our campaign's staging area across campus. Once I got in, though, it was fun. Our seats weren't great...we were close to the stage, but on the far right-hand side of the auditorium, so the only candidates we could really "see" were Kucinich, Biden, and our boy Richardson. I will say, though, that I did enjoy the format. My only complaint was, well...the same one that the Governor had.
Then after the debate came the official after-party, a wine-and-cheese event where I had little to do besides eat some really odd cheeses and listen to Howard Dean talk. Then after the official after-party came the real show: the Google party, where the music was bumping, the liquor was flowing, Anderson Cooper was getting down, and all the campaign staffers were "networking".....suffice it to say, there were a lot of happy Democrats partying well into the wee hours of the morning. Which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing. BUT...you know, you've really got to look at where the money for all this is coming from...and why. Granted, in this case, it's Google. Who cares. If they want to spend their money to give a bunch of staff peons like me a good time, more power to 'em. But....these things are largely unregulated, and they only get more lavish the further up the political ladder you go. Corporations don't host events like these because of their deep respect for our representative form of government. What if, instead of Google, it was a party hosted by ExxonMobil? Or by Pfizer? Or by Lockheed Martin? There's no such thing as a free lunch...especially so in politics. Suppose one of these multinational corporations decides to host a bangin' party and you're one of the guests of honor. And you just so happen to be someone who has some influence with a particular decision-maker. They scratch your back, and you're expected to scratch theirs later on. It's how things work in politics and why I've spent so much time on the "other" side of the picket line. It feels very odd for me to now be corporate-sponsored-party side. God help me...I got into politics to solve problems. Don't let me get so "used" to the perks that come with the job that I become a part of the problem myself!
But I digress. Of course, all good things must come to an end. After another lengthy drive on Tuesday (this time taking the scenic route up Highway 176, which was a lot easier on my car), I came back to Spartanburg and my two "real" jobs. But at least this is only temporary...once the campaign gets its Greenville office up and running, I'm going to be devoting a lot more time to the controlled chaos that is a Presidential primary.
Overall, this weekend was a very fun--and educational--experience. I got to meet virtually all the Richardson staffers on both the state and national level, most of whom I had previously only known by their e-mail addresses and phone numbers. There aren't a lot of us--yet--and from what I've seen I'm about the oldest current member of the field staff. But what we lack in numbers and experience we more than make up for in competence and enthusiasm. This should be an interesting six months, to be sure. I'll keep you posted!
I didn't have to be there until Sunday, but considering the length of the trip, state of my car, and my desire to see my long-lost cousin/protg Daniel Harvey at least once during this trip, we decided to get there a day early. So we hit the road after I got off my 'other' job at 6 pm. The only problem was that I had to take my own car to get there. Since I've yet to either fix or get rid of the "green monster," it (predictably) nearly overheated several times during the trip. We wound up having to do the "rest stop hop" all the way down I-26: stop at a rest area, top off the coolant, take a break while the engine cooled off, then hit the road and drive to the next rest area. So, what should've been a 3 hour road trip turned into a 5 and a half hour excursion, made worse by the fact that we had to stop in a little town called Sandy Run, SC and literally duct-tape the undercarriage guard back onto the car. So we ended up arriving at my cousin Daniel's south-of-Broad house at around 11:30, at which point we ordered pizza, watched some old Black Adder episodes, and called it a night.
At least until his crazy drunken housemates (and their guests) arrive home at around 3 am. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night.
So Sunday at around noon we meet up with Trav Robertson and my new co-worker Andrew Hammett at the Holiday Inn Historic District, where we got to stay for the next two nights compliments of the campaign. Andrew, I must say, is a really nerdy little white guy. (Which is a very good thing in this line of work!) He's a senior at Clemson University, third vice-chair of the Anderson County Democratic Party, and easily one of the most competent people I've ever had the chance to work with...more on that later.
So anyways, Governor Richardson had two different meet-and-greet-style events scheduled for that day, both in the greater Charleston area. Our job was to arrive early at both of them and help set up, and then once the event started, to hand out "chum" (stickers, flyers, etc.) and maintain a sign-in list of everyone who showed up. Well, thanks to an effective outreach program by our campaign (and certainly helped by the beautiful weather--sunny and breezy with highs in the 80s), turnout was unexpectedly heavy at both events. Once you spend any time around the Governor, you realize that this is exactly the sort of venue at which he really excels: what we in the business calls "retail politics." Though perhaps he isn't the most gifted debater and does occasionally come across as "stiff" in front of the media, I've never met anyone with a better talent for working a crowd. It's here, while doing the real campaign "grunt work" of shaking hands and just talking with everyday voters, that he really shines. Even I was overwhelmed at the positive response he received. Many people who walked into the events undecided walked out at the end asking us for more bumper stickers and asking where they could go to volunteer--some even opened their wallets and checkbooks and made campaign contributions on the spot! Not bad for free events, eh?
And then came Monday. The Big Day. Debate Day. And this is where things got complicated....
See, the debate itself was held on the Citadel campus. And we in the campaign had all sorts of big ideas about how we would get our name out in front of the media. Ideas which, as the day unfolded, all turned out to run afoul of the city's, the Citadel's, and CNN's overlapping--and sometimes contradictory--rules regarding what we could do and where we could do it. And to make matters worse, THE ENTIRE CAMPUS was closed down for the event, meaning in most cases that we had to park our cars blocks and blocks away and either walk in the blazing hot Charleston sun carrying all our various promotional materials with us--or flag down one of the all-too-rare passing golf carts and hope they'd give us a ride. Not that any of it really us much good. FOR EXAMPLE: campaign signs, a staple of any campaign event. It turns out that:
1) We can't post them on campus.
2) We can't post them using any sort of stakes.
3) We can't staple them on any light posts--doing so would subject us to a $1,000 fine FOR EACH SIGN.
4) We can't board any bus going to the debate with them.
5) We can't even carry them anywhere beyond the "blue line" (which blocked off literally half the campus and put us hundreds of yards away from any TV cameras.)
....and so forth. What we ended up having to do was to round up all the volunteers we could and report to the designated off-campus "free speech zone," where we cheered and waved the signs at any passing cars. Not a terribly effective method, especially considering how little traffic was on that road and how many other yahoos were out there promoting their favorite candidates or causes.
SPEAKING OF YAHOOS...a glance around this particular square would lead you to some very inaccurate conclusions. Of course Clinton and Obama had the largest contingents there...they're eating our little campaign's lunch when it comes to fundraising and organization. (But then, they've had a little bit of a head start on us, too.) Joe Biden had a huge delegation there as well, which would be surprising, considering how little money he's raised and how miniscule his showings in the polls are. But, as I learned later, it was a real "rent-a-mob" situation. As it turns out, nearly all these so-called "volunteers" were paid to be there, just as his nearly ubiquitous tents and trolleys were rented by his campaign as well. Biden's campaign is in trouble, so he needs to make it LOOK like he has broad grassroots support...and what better way is there to do that than to hire a small army of "supporters" to get in front of the cameras? Beyond that....various interest groups (most of which I belong to) had their own delegations there as well, such as South Carolina Voters for Healthcare, the League of Conservation Voters, and TrueMajority. The Fair Tax crowd was out in force as well, which was a little surprising since their platform is basically a rehash of Steve Forbes's old "flat tax" proposal. Chris Dodd fans were few and far between, outnumbered even by the Ron Paul supporters (who were apparently confused about which party was debating that evening.) Someone was even ballsy enough to put a few "Support President Bush--Vote Republican" signs out there (although they apparently weren't ballsy enough to actually man those signs.) Another yahoo actually rented a plane and flew it around Charleston promoting the Stop Her Now website....suffice it to say, the whole event took on a real circus atmosphere, even though it all went down off-campus and safely away from most of the major media outlets.
Then came the actual debate. Of course security was tight...I had to leave my phone, cigarettes, and (naturally) any campaign-related paraphernalia I had on me (except for my credentials, which clearly identified me as "Harold Geddings, Richardson Campaign") back at our campaign's staging area across campus. Once I got in, though, it was fun. Our seats weren't great...we were close to the stage, but on the far right-hand side of the auditorium, so the only candidates we could really "see" were Kucinich, Biden, and our boy Richardson. I will say, though, that I did enjoy the format. My only complaint was, well...the same one that the Governor had.
Then after the debate came the official after-party, a wine-and-cheese event where I had little to do besides eat some really odd cheeses and listen to Howard Dean talk. Then after the official after-party came the real show: the Google party, where the music was bumping, the liquor was flowing, Anderson Cooper was getting down, and all the campaign staffers were "networking".....suffice it to say, there were a lot of happy Democrats partying well into the wee hours of the morning. Which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing. BUT...you know, you've really got to look at where the money for all this is coming from...and why. Granted, in this case, it's Google. Who cares. If they want to spend their money to give a bunch of staff peons like me a good time, more power to 'em. But....these things are largely unregulated, and they only get more lavish the further up the political ladder you go. Corporations don't host events like these because of their deep respect for our representative form of government. What if, instead of Google, it was a party hosted by ExxonMobil? Or by Pfizer? Or by Lockheed Martin? There's no such thing as a free lunch...especially so in politics. Suppose one of these multinational corporations decides to host a bangin' party and you're one of the guests of honor. And you just so happen to be someone who has some influence with a particular decision-maker. They scratch your back, and you're expected to scratch theirs later on. It's how things work in politics and why I've spent so much time on the "other" side of the picket line. It feels very odd for me to now be corporate-sponsored-party side. God help me...I got into politics to solve problems. Don't let me get so "used" to the perks that come with the job that I become a part of the problem myself!
But I digress. Of course, all good things must come to an end. After another lengthy drive on Tuesday (this time taking the scenic route up Highway 176, which was a lot easier on my car), I came back to Spartanburg and my two "real" jobs. But at least this is only temporary...once the campaign gets its Greenville office up and running, I'm going to be devoting a lot more time to the controlled chaos that is a Presidential primary.
Overall, this weekend was a very fun--and educational--experience. I got to meet virtually all the Richardson staffers on both the state and national level, most of whom I had previously only known by their e-mail addresses and phone numbers. There aren't a lot of us--yet--and from what I've seen I'm about the oldest current member of the field staff. But what we lack in numbers and experience we more than make up for in competence and enthusiasm. This should be an interesting six months, to be sure. I'll keep you posted!
hello anyway!