Security at Clinton’s D.C. book-signing: His Life, his rules (FR mentioned in "The Hill" newspaper)

The Hill - Under the Dome ^ | July 8, 2004 | Albert Eisele and Jeff Dufour

[tgslTakoma]

A thousand or so sounds about right. They were so thick along the sidewalk on Nebraska Avenue that they blocked ingress, egress and access to the sidewalk for pedestrian traffic. Folks were walking out in the street, creating a dangerous traffic nightmare for all concerned.

I'm not sure how many people attended the book signing in downtown DC today, but it was probably a like number. The DC Chapter members who were there have not made their way back home yet.

After action reports on both days' events will surely be up in a day or two.

[Doctor Raoul]

Just realized that none of the libs tried that tactic of "I don't get it, what does your sign mean?" with regard to the Osama sign. Not Monday, not Tuesday, not today. Heard you had a lot of happy people posing with it today.

[tgslTakoma]

Considering the female cop who used the word, she probably saw it on a "Word for the Day" calendar in the bookstore, decided she wanted to use it in a sentence - and there we were!

It didn't matter that folks were getting by just fine along the sidewalk where we were.

[Angelwood]

Jeff gave us balanced coverage -- three paragraphs and the featured photo. I enjoyed meeting and talking with him.

Those kids playing the roles of Saddam Hussein, Bill Clinton and Monica were fabulous and they had a great time yesterday.

Today, the group showed up again at the Barnes and Noble in downtown DC. It was so crowded that they stayed on the street corners opposite the bookstore for most of the event. But the Bill Clinton impersonator was there again. He wore out three Monicas while they stood outside the exit door greeting all those satisfied fans of the impeached, but proud of it, ex-president Clinton.

One woman with a teenaged daughter passed behind the masked Bill Clinton. She and her daughter had just left the store and had their signed books in hand. I was sitting in a chair beside them and heard the conversation as they walked by. The woman said, "He looks better than the real Bill Clinton looked inside." I got a great laugh out of this exchange.

The lone protester who was at the Politics & Prose booksigning yesterday was also visible today. He stood across 12th Street with his full array of signs. One woman standing on our side of the street said he had one sign she would put a torch to if she could -- it was the sign that said, "IMPEACH ALL DEMOCRATS."

FReep On!

[tgslTakoma]

It seems that there are a lot of people who want to email photos of themselves holding that sign, to friends and family members, here and overseas.

[speekinout]

There were as many people as could fit, or have a prayer of getting their book signed.

90% of DC residents (and residents of close-in suburbs) vote Dem. They love every Dem. There's not any chance that an election will be different.

[Angelwood]

Barnes & Noble issued only 1,000 green wristbands to those lucky enough to get a place in line, wait all night and all day to get their few seconds in the presence of Bill Clinton. The wristbands were not numbered, so no one took the chance of getting out of line and going home before returning today at Noon. The wristbands had to be turned in before the book buyer left the store.

Just a funny note -- there were two guys standing around the tapeline in front of the store. They had three boxes that were empty; the boxes were stamped with the title, "MY LIFE." People would come out of the exit from the store, stop in front of these guys, hand them the bag with the signed book in it, get some money (we guessed at least a $20 bill) and then they would move along. The two guys would take the book out of the bag and stack it in one of the boxes.

One of the store security guards began complaining about the men. They maintained that they were doing nothing illegal. The security guard called a DC policeman over and he made them pick up the mostly full boxes and move them out of the area. They hailed a taxi. One of the guys came back. I asked him how many people they had paid to get in line to have books signed. He answered, "about 25." I asked when they would go on sale on eBay. He just gave me a noncommittal wave. He stayed until the last of their people came out and then disappeared.

[tgslTakoma]

I wonder if they will end up on Ebay, or if they'll be stacked sky-high with Hillary!'s book in some DNC warehouse somewhere... for $$$$$ donors' "thank you" gifts?

Oh, the things we see.

[Angelwood]

If you go to our webshots photos on the DC Chapter site, you can see a photo tgslTakoma took showing the policewoman in question doing a pretty good job of blocking the sidewalk herself.

[perfect stranger]

I recall this Politics and Prose crap. They had Carville speak about his book last year on CSPAN-2.

From the pulpit of a church in DC no less.

The church evidentally let him take the pulpit and not only show up 10 min late and incoherently rant, but also to curse and use God's name in vain, from that very pulpit.

I sent an email to the church and cc'ed a copy to Carville's website after finding the addresses online asking them if they knew what had happened. It's a shame that I'm still waiting for a reply from the church.

[Chieftain]

There, that pic is a little clearer.

Good job DC Chapter!

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

I'd like to take credit for Propaganda and Prose but it was my other BufordP that came up that bit of witticism.

[Contra]

You know, some years back Jimmy Carter did a signing tour like this and as I recall he didn't even sign his full name, he just wrote the initials "J.C." He probably wanted people to think he was "Jesus Christ."

[jhofmann]

I went to a book-signing last year at Politics and Prose with Jimmy Carter (it was a Christmas gift for a relative who is a fan of his) and he signed his full name.

Like the Clinton signing, the rule was no personalization but he did so for the lady in front of me and he was signing books other than the one he had on sale (the novel he wrote about the Revolutionary War in Georgia) which I thought was nice considering all the people. I later read he stayed late to get everyone's book signed.

President Carter was pleasant enough and seemed to be surprised to see a well-dressed, somewhat youthful, short-haired single white man there. I decided to leave my politics at the door so I didn't ask him about Iran and whether he screwed the Shah but only how his family was doing ("fine, thank you").

P&P is run by a bunch of failed anarchists and far leftists and as a result the book-signing was disorganized anarchy. They had four different lines with no explanation of which line to get into. The lines snaked through the store and crossed each other at times. People who got into one line early weren't getting to the signing table before latecomers who had gotten into another line. Some were cutting into a line only to find they were worse than they were before. Rumors went back and forth as to which line was moving. There was obviously no one in charge but several P&P personnel were walking around with clipboards yelling to get into such and such line and then another one would come by telling everyone to get into another line. At one point they start handing out color coded cards for each line. It was quite funny although I think I was the only one laughing. It's a tribute to the number of left-wing readers in this town that the store is still in business (they do sell right-wing books but I dare say most conservatives wouldn't be caught dead in this store -- besides B&N, Borders, etc. are more convenient. P&P is located far from any metro station and there's very little parking in the area).

So, I can see why the Clinton organization set down their own rules and organization as it would have been a right mess if they let the P&P people handle it. I wonder if Hillary's signing was anarchic as the Carter signing and she told Bill about it (I can just imagine the conversation: "those f***** idiots don't know how to run anything but their m*****f****** mouths")

Most of the people in line for Carter were mature starstruck ladies ("I have awl his books", one lady declared enthusiastically to me as I managed to duck her spittle), young earnest college girls with glasses & anti-Bush buttons (I got The Look, one who is conservatively dressed often gets from these types) and older obviously AWOL grouchy male federal workers (you can tell them by their security badges) plus a smattering of loud complaining & inappropriately dressed tourists (why in God's name you would go to a book-signing in this town of such wonderful and free museums and monuments is beyond me).

Well... I'll let you guys go back to your regularly scheduled discussions.

[freekitty]

I can believe that.

[Doctor Raoul]

Like the Clinton signing, the rule was no personalization...

Not quite true, any female over a C-cup got his signature and phone number.

[exDemMom]

What is the Osama sign? I don't think I've seen it.

[thoughtomator]

Any female over a C-cup and not pretty enough for television you mean...

[Doctor Raoul]

Go to google.com and in parentatheses put "If Osama were a piece" and you get lots of hits.

[Geezerette]

You are SO BAD!

Creative, tho ... keep it up! Errr, I mean ... keep ... oh, nevermind ...

g