Footage of the 1992 Democratic National Convention for The 90's election specials. This tape follows the American Samoan delegation as they cast their vote for president and the general hoopla inside and outside Madison Square Garden.
00:00Copy video clip URL Black screen.
01:42Copy video clip URL Footage begins. It is the last day of the Democratic Convention in New York City. Footage of the American Samoan delegation casting its vote.
02:29Copy video clip URL Chris Cerf makes a phone call trying to get details about the arrival of the American Samoan delegation. Delegate Daniel Langkilde and his wife, Sister Langkilde, arrive at the airport after 13 hours of flying through Honolulu and Chicago. He says that the Samoans decided to be U.S. nationals instead of citizens fearing that citizenship would undermine the traditional family and tribal structure.
08:21Copy video clip URL The group takes a limousine from the airport. When they arrive at their hotel, Langkilde speaks with a reporter and an official from the Democratic Party. Langkilde says that the pace of New York is too fast.
10:05Copy video clip URL Footage from Madison Square Garden as a young chorus rehearses “America the Beautiful.”
11:28Copy video clip URL Four topless girls on a truck promote a strip club. A man says that it’s an upscale place and they have been looking to target the convention. Several people on the street give animated but widely varying opinions on the girls. A man says that he can’t figure out which is loveliest. A woman says “it’s great… It’s New York!” Another laments the influence of “a patriarchal society of dominance and submission and oppression.”
15:00Copy video clip URL At Chris Cerf’s culture-specific preparations are made for the American Samoan and Guamanian delegations. These include foods, decorations, and signs that read ‘Madisamoan Av.’ and ‘Guammercy Park.’
16:39Copy video clip URL Henry Beard arrives. He finishes up his speech, asking videomaker Skip Blumberg to ascertain the expression “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Their alternative runs as “from the people, let’s hear it for the people, fuck the people.”
19:54Copy video clip URL Cerf and Beard talk and joke about their part in hosting the two delegations. They cite the possibility of a deadlock convention in which Guam and American Samoa would hold the decisive votes. They call an outreach to American Samoa as the ultimate commitment to a “Southern strategy” and the delegations’ distances from unpopular Washing insiders.
23:27Copy video clip URL Footage from the party. Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, the Commissioner of Mental Health in New York, tells Blumberg that the mental health of the city is good. Cerf welcomes delegates from Guam. A convention representative explains that most of the Samoan delegation missed a connecting flight. An elderly woman talks with Blumberg, Cerf, and Guamanian delegates. The latter teach her “Hafa adai.”
27:50Copy video clip URL Drummers play outside. Two men from South Africa speak to Blumberg, explaining that they have come to observe the democratic process. A man who sat on the committee deciding the site of the 1976 Convention talks about the upcoming one. He says that New York is a stronghold for the Democratic Party and wants to host the convention to restore its image.
33:51Copy video clip URL More delegates arrive on a charter bus.
38:57Copy video clip URL Cerf introduces Dr. Marcos who delivers a welcoming message from Mayor David Dinkins. The token message is lighthearted. Cerf speaks to the crowd.
43:48Copy video clip URL Daniel Langkilde jokes with a committeeman. The American Samoan couple discuss their culture, their relationship with Western Samoa, and their opinion on being a U.S. territory.
53:48Copy video clip URL A man from City Harvest takes leftovers from the party, saying that they will be distributed among organizations that assist the homeless. He says that the people will be very happy to see the quality of the food.
54:48Copy video clip URL Footage of Clinton preparations for the Convention. A manager discusses the telephone set-up. James Carville speaks on the need for organization and discipline, saying the ground staff is the most important. Another manager discusses the difficulties of travel in New York. Tony Rodham speaks with Blumberg on the early days of promoting Clinton, their approach to the convention, the path that Clinton has taken, and the optimism that they have. He says that while Brown supporters should be able to voice their opinions, his primary focus is getting out the image of a unified Democratic Party. The Samoan Clinton whip says that the campaign is about staying strong and staying positive.
62:23Copy video clip URL Tape ends.
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