History Repeats Itself

"It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time;you can even fool some of the people all of the time;but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time."

President Abraham Lincoln

I was browsing the web the other day and came across this photo of Hillary taken at a NC campaign stop. I had a flashback of another campaign some 16 years ago at another campaign stop right here in Greensboro. The Clinton proclivity to give speeches from the back of a truck is no coincidence, it's pure planed political theater.

Travel back 16 years...
We received a call from the advance team of then Governor Clinton in the early stages of his campaign for President. North Carolina had become a battleground state early in the contest and this was to be one of the first of many stops in our state. Bill Clinton, after having spent the day glad-handing around the area, was scheduled to have a rally out at the airport at the end of the day as he left the state. His chartered jet was to depart from the old terminal so they could accommodate the large crowd that was expected to attend the event. We were asked to provide a large elaborate stage and sound for an expected crowd of around 6,000 to 10,000 and direct broadcast feeds for the assembled press.

Less than a week before the event they called again and canceled all of the elaborate arrangements. It was a well publicized event locally and had not been canceled, but, gone were the staging, large sound system and press feeds. In their place was a request to rent our Entertainer System delivered with an engineer. Now anybody that is the least bit familiar with CareySound knows that our most popular rental package is perfect for two to three hundred people. But 6,000 to 10,000? I don't think so. They were insistent that they knew what they were renting and that it was all they were going to need.

Being professionals we felt that it was our duty to point out that their new plan had a few problems. There were going to be a whole bunch of people show up expecting to see Bill and hear him speak. They were bound to be a might ticked off when after having braved the crowds and the long hours of waiting (Bill was pretty famous for never showing up on time) and only the first couple of hundred would be able to hear or see him. That's when we got our first lesson in Clinton political theater.

It was explained to us that it would make for a better show if they pretended that they had no idea that anybody would show up. After all, Bill was just as little ol' governor from a little ol' southern state and it would look great if it appeared that it was a spontaneous outpouring of support for a humble candidate that brought in the teaming masses instead of the planed event that it really was. So the game was afoot.

Showtime
Our chief engineer, Rick Earl, showed up with the Entertainer System. The campaign staff came up with a truck to use as a totally authentic looking impromptu stage. Several thousand people started showing up. The press arrived to fight for he best camera position and look for the press audio feed (that didn't exist). I stood by at the shop with a van full extra speakers and amps. The campaign staff placed a desperate call to us for more sound to accommodate all of the "unexpected crowd". I drive through the ever tightening gauntlet of law enforcement officers with sound reinforcements. Rick and I scramble to set up more gear. Bill finally arrives and mounts his soap box and then shakes EVERYBODY'S hand on the rope line. What a guy. Just like one of us. The puppet master from his staff with a suitcase full of cash shows up to pay us. Ah - now that's showbiz.


Editors Note: In no way is this an endorsement of the Clintons nor is my quoting Abraham Lincoln to suggest that they are to be compared to President Lincoln.