Thursday, April 03, 2008

Impressions from Clinton visit

My apologies to readers who may have looked for coverage from Bill Clinton’s visit last week. A late night Friday, an out-of-town trip over the weekend and an especially busy week has put me a little behind. But enough excuses.

Here are my impressions from Clinton’s visit to St. Stephens High on Friday. Click below for Saturday’s story and several comments from those in attendance.

* Clinton’s rhetorical skills. The ex-president can still give a speech. Clinton spoke almost exactly an hour, outlining why Hillary is the best candidate among the remaining three. He appeared relaxed and, like many say, seems to enjoy the attention. The speech had more substance and details than many would expect from a campaign rally. All audience members I spoke to after the event were impressed.

* Back to the ‘90s. I significant portion of Clinton’s comments referred to the prosperity of the 1990s. Clinton’s term is generally viewed as a time of strong economic growth. Clinton takes full advantage of this and argues Hillary’s tenure would be just as beneficial to Americans.

* The first black president? Many political pundits have long referred to Clinton as the first black president due to his overwhelming popularity in the among the demographic. However, there were few African-Americans at Friday’s event. About halfway through the media’s nearly two hour wait for Clinton’s arrival, the thought dawned on me. I counted six blacks in the crowd, four from one family. Challenger Barack Obama appears to have cornered the black vote in the Hickory region, much like other areas of the country.

* Security - or lack there of. With a visit from an ex-president and especially one who would presumably take an active role in his wife’s administration, there was a curious lack of security. The Catawba County Sheriffs Office had several deputies on site, along with Sheriff David Huffman and Major Coy Reid. They certainly did a good job.
But in this post-9/11 world, I envisioned metal detactors, bag searches and a dozen cold-faced Secret Service guys staring down the crowd. There were none of those.
About half-a-dozen Secret Service personnel (from what I could tell) drove Clinton to the school in, I believe, three SUVs. But there was apparently no Secret Service presence at the school before his hour-late arrival. Two other long-time media folks later mentioned their surprise by the lax security.
The only precaution involved people signing their names as they entered the gym. Audience members could easily make their way from there to the front of the stage.
A law enforcement official, who will remain confidential since I suspect he didn’t think he was being interviewed, said the campaign didn’t want to hassle or inconvenience the audience. A legitimate explanation, I suppose.

Saturday’s story and comments are below.