[The 90’s raw: Eddie Tape #107 – Democratic convention]

Eddie Tape #107. Democratic National Convention, 1992, New York City. Becker at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, various interviews.

00:00Copy video clip URL Footage continues from Tape 10949. Clinton/Gore’s 1992 campaign bus tour schedule planning meeting. The tape starts rolling with the group in mid discussion on various logistics. They are recommending an upper Midwest swing. Part of the team disperses with orders.

01:06Copy video clip URL The group moves on to discuss the “next four days” which includes discussing Bill Clinton’s July 13, 1992 appearance at Henry Street Settlement House in New York City,  rallies, appearances at youth programs with a message of community involvement and family values. They discuss the history of the Settlement House in the lower East Side, a long history of civic outreach. They discuss various logistics of touring the site, rallies. They discuss the schedule for the rest of that day, a community meeting with people who live in the area,  they debate the topics Clinton will be presented with by the public. They discuss upcoming press interviews scheduled.

05:55Copy video clip URL They discuss tomorrow’s CNN interview and what other big network interviews are coming up for Clinton, and what to expect. Other logistics discussed relate to upcoming meetings, appointments, the Women’s Caucus, downtime for speech prep and briefings. Many talk amongst themselves. Other topics on the agenda include a scheduled walk through of Madison Square Garden, dress rehearsals, working with a teleprompter operator, DNC finance dinner, staff party at The Palladium, an upcoming labor meeting, a DNC meeting and brunch. They talk amongst themselves.

21:50Copy video clip URL The meeting ends. The videographer chats with the planning team. David notes half-jokingly that scheduling is hard.

22:47Copy video clip URL Interview with Susan Thomases, a corporate lawyer who refers to herself as a Senior Strategist. She works primarily with Hillary Clinton and with the scheduling team so that the schedules of the four teams — Mr. Gore, Mr. Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, Mrs. Gore — are on the same page. Each have their own scheduler. Thomases says her role is to keep things moving forward and force decisions when necessary. She says the factors schedulers have to consider are media, political, geographic, goals of the candidate, clearly define why they are doing an event.

25:01Copy video clip URL As the group gets bigger, she notes, communication becomes more and more important. She says they try to have these meetings at 4pm everyday to review and make sure everyone is riding the same wave. She notes schedulers always look one month ahead and adds that you target where you think you want to go and re-examine as you go.

27:19 Thomases notes the tour is going places that have accomplished that have a certain kind of success that could be replicated elsewhere, and to places where there is no success and much work to be done. They are going to places illustrative of the problems and illustrative of  the solutions.

28:54Copy video clip URL Thomases talks about the team for this bus tour: the planning people who make the contacts and define and develop the events, the advance men, the press people who describe the events, the political people who participate in the decisions and constantly review them. It’s a complex group, she says. Each group has a distinct task. One person will go to the proposed site ahead of time, see if what the group wanted to happen there can happen, talk through the event with the group and determine if the event they want to do can actually happen in the place where they want it to happen. She notes the importance of the plan being the base document that inspires the type of events they decide to do.

30:34Copy video clip URL David says to Thomases that when he and the videographer, Eddie Becker, first met, Becker ask him “What’s the plan?” He jokes that it always comes back to the plan. Thomases says it’s a written document and he encourages all  the team leaders to read it because it gives rise to the kind of things we want to do.

32:11Copy video clip URL Susan and David talking about the schedule.

32:32Copy video clip URL Hotel lobby, large gathering of people in suits congregating. Senator Gore makes his way through the crowd shaking hands. The event.

34:10Copy video clip URL Change of location. A crowd of angry working class men outside on a construction job site chanting, “No justice, no peace!”  They work up a rally as squads of police stand by. The crowd takes to the street, walking along East 45th Street. The videographer joins in and follows. As they walk, the works explain they are demonstrating for positive work force helping Latino and black construction workers receive better working conditions.

39:17Copy video clip URL Change of location. Back inside the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. Videographer Eddie Becker is with actress Betty Aberlin testing the audio feed. Tape rolls. The time and date stamp appear: 4:11Copy video clip URL pm, July 13, 1992.

40:07Copy video clip URL Aberlin directs Becker to how she wants to open the shot. She holds a sign mocking President George Bush and as a rehearsal of the National Anthem plays, sung by Marilyn Horne.  Aberlin reacts in mime with looks of consternation.

43:49Copy video clip URL Dr. Ruth Westheimer talking with a convention-attendee, getting her picture taken by several photographers. She talks with a delegate from Kansas City about the convention and the hopes for Clinton winning the Presidential election.

46:16Copy video clip URL Interview with Tom Shiekman who is running for President. He notes he received 16 per cent of the votes in North Dakota. His running mate for Vice President is William Figueroa, “the kid who spelled potato correctly.” He goes into a comedy routine ranting about the President.

48:18Copy video clip URL The videographer and Aberlin follow Westheimer she makes her way through the convention. Westheimer talks with a variety of convention-goers. Alberlin asks her if the overwhelming amount of blond people in the campaign has an Aryan quality to it. Westheimer politely moves on.

50:06Copy video clip URL They approach an older man from Kansas wearing a ball cap with sunflowers on it. He introduces himself as John Smith and notes that he is feeling hopeful for change this year.

52:24Copy video clip URL Aberlin ask a photojournalist what she thinks about “the blonding of America.” With limited English, the photographer says she isn’t American, she’s from Brazil and is working for a news magazine.

53:36Copy video clip URL They approach a blond haired woman and ask her about “the blonding of America”. She notes that the wives and sons and daughters of those running on the Democratic ticket are all blond. The woman says she’s been a blond her whole life. “Do you think the hair of the country is going to change as a result of this ticket?” The woman notes that women are pretty independent. The woman explains the FOB on her button. The Friends of Bill pin. She says she is from Arkansas and is sending people going out of state on vacation to carry “Ask Me About My Governor” buttons to help with the Clinton campaign. She says that she is the Director of Clinton’s Arkansas campaign and has been on his team since 1982.

55:52Copy video clip URL A man with headsets says he is part of the RF coordinating committee. He helps prevent interference between the thousands of radio feeds that will be happening during the event.

57:31Copy video clip URL Becker’s camera pans to see Chicago Slices’ videographer Patrick Creadon shooting with a video camera.

57:48Copy video clip URL Interview with a convention attendee, Isabel, who complains there’s no food at the event. She is a delegate from the Bronx. She says a long time ago she started as a volunteer in a Democratic club. Now she is the female leader in the 74th District. When asked if there is a “blonding” of America, Isabel recognizes that the wives of the Presidential hopeful “have a presentation.”

01:00:20Copy video clip URL She says to become a delegate she had to run, collect petitions, and was elected through her community. She says people in her community likes Clinton because he “is with all the nationalities.” He is different from what we have now. She doesn’t believe in the smear campaign against Clinton. “It’s just politicians.”

01:02:42Copy video clip URL END

 

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