Posted on 10/29/2003 9:55:03 AM PST by fight_truth_decay
Presidential hopefuls get in the mix with the youths. *Presidential hopeful Al Sharpton and former president Bill Clinton are counting on hip-hop to push the vote the democratic way in 2004.
Monday night, former President Bill Clinton attended a Democratic National Committee sponsored fund raiser at Dream, one of Washington, DC's hottest hip-hop clubs.
The man, who has jokingly been referred to as "the first black president," rubbed elbows with the likes of Outkast, Chris Tucker, Ginuwine and a few members of the Washington Redskins. The DNC, which expects to raise up to $100,000 reportedly sold 2,000 tickets at $50 apiece.
Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Al Sharpton is hoping the hip-hop vote can take him over the top. He recently hung out with Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and P. Diddy for his birthday bash/fundraiser at Jay-Z's hot New York nightclub, 40/40.
Also on the hip-hop bandwagon are Democratic presidential candidates Howard Dean of Vermont, John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri who have all recently flown to New York City to curry favor with Hip-Hop Action Summit Network head, Russell Simmons.
Last night (blogger) Armed Prophet and colleague Maxim Basa hit the DNC's fundraiser at the Dream nightclub starring Bill Clinton. We showed up at 7PM, and at first the staff and volunteers at the door seemed skeptical that we were actually credentialed journalists. Once that was settled (journalists, apparently, we were), it was in through the door for me... except I didn't realize I was supposed to wait for a DNC volunteer to escort me up to the press "holding room." (Their term, not mine.) Good thing the door security didn't realize that either, so I walked around and waited for the Basa to make it through.
From 7PM until a little after 9PM, the bar was hosted and if you tipped the bartender often enough, he'd put down the Potter's and reach for the Grey Goose. We mingled with DNC staff, volunteers, our fellow members of the Third Estate, and "the Chairman" himself, "Terry," known to outsiders as Terry McAuliffe. A little while later, I only half-accidentally insulted a minor celebrity when he couldn't think of his favorite candidate.
Eventually they took us downstairs to the second floor, where there were already 30,000 people crowding around the stage -- more people in one place than I'd seen anywhere in my life, save the Dingling Tombs outside Beijing. Our DNC volunteer led us into a corner, then seemingly abandoned us. Then he came back, saying he'd found some cameras, but didn't know where we were supposed to go, and actually did abandon us. So we pressed forward in the direction of the cameras -- and re-located the press pool. We stood toward the back of the stage, taking useless cell phone pictures of the stage and waiting for the ex-POTUS himself to come out.
Eventually -- not too eventually, but close -- he did appear. A few of his more brilliant sayings follow, such as why he's embarrassed to be an American:
I'm a little embarrassed to live in a country that gives me a huge tax cut and runs a huge deficit so that when the baby boomers retire you'll be taking care of them instead of your own kids. I don't think that's right.
On why you should not be embarrassed to donate to the DNC:
It's because you want a world where we make more friends than terrorists.
Ah, got it. Despite these flashes of brilliance, perhaps the best part was that Clinton took and left the stage to the sound of 50 Cent's "In Da Club." So while Clinton glad-handled VIPs and DNC lackeys under club lights, before an audience of thousands, this is what we all heard:
You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub
Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs
I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love
So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed
Nice, very nice. A few other notes on the evening:
Number of floors at Dream: 4
Number of floors we in the press were allowed to visit without a DNC volunteer: 0
Number of the two of us who found this rule to be less than hard-and-fast: 2
Number of cigarettes bummed from the bathroom attendant in two trips: 4
Amount we paid for them between the two runs: $1.00
Celebrities invited to attend: Chris Tucker, Beyonce Knowles, Big Boi from Outkast, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine Celebrities who did attend: Harlemm Lee, YahZarah, a whole bunch of Potomac Basin Indigenous Peoples football players Chances Big Boi and Ginuwine got moved up earlier in the program to accomodate their schedule: Decent, I suppose
How I feel about that: Depends on which one we're talking about
Which one: Guess
Number of drinks consumed between 7PM and 9:30PM: 12 or 13
Number of DNC volunteers who turned out to be a Republican: 1
Clinton's time of arrival, as estimated by the DNC: 10:30PM
Actual time Clinton actually arrived onstage: 11:13PM How late ABC News' The Note said he was: "merely an hour and a half late"
How much The Note overestimated by: double
How strange it is that Armed Prophet is sticking up for Clinton: strange
Number of floors Clinton went up to immediately deliver the exact same speech: 1
Number of panders in said speech: I lost count
Number of Harper's Index bullet points I'll do after this one: 0
Who knows how long it'll be before I get to live the dream again. But when I do, I'll be sure to return with a lengthy blog post about it. posted by WWB at 10/28/2003 04:40:13 PM
Wow! The Basa's trip to China prepared him quite well for this mission:
...more people than he'd seen in his life;
...having a handler watch him at all times;
...lots of Dinglings...
...America-bashing is de rigeur;
...communist ideology everywhere in evidence.
sold 2,000 tickets at $50 apiece.
You’ll pay more to get a good seat at a Carrot Top show than a Billy Clinton speech.
Which is as it should be.
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