The Worst Event Management I’ve Ever Seen [UPDATED]
I know I may seem biased on this, as I was one of the many that didn’t get into the event. I won’t try to lie, I’m not happy about it. I drove for an hour, sat out in below freezing temperature and semi-heavy snow for well over an hour, and drove home in the middle of a snow storm (part of which consisted of going 20 mph on I-70).
As I obviously can’t be impartial, I’ve just listed my complaints below:
- Despite being advertised as “first come, first served”, the back half of the line was split off to create a second line. Many of these people got in while people who had arrived over 30 minutes earlier did not.
- The line I was part of appeared to only have one or two security teams working, causing the line to move very slowly.
- Despite temperatures being below freezing, people were forced to wait outside. This wouldn’t have been such a huge problem if the doors had opened on time.
- People weren’t officially told about the lack of available space inside until the line was completely stopped. Many people waited outside for over twenty minutes while they decided what to do.
- When an announcement was finally made, it was simply shouted out by a lone sheriff that the auditorium was full and they would be seating us in the cafeteria (the room we were in at the time) with a TV. That’s it. No one to further explain things or answer questions. There also didn’t seem to be anyone on hand to make sure everyone was settled.
No these things aren’t Hillary’s fault, but I think someone (or several someone’s) screwed up big time tonight. Despite all the things I listed at the beginning of this post, I’m really not all that upset about missing Hillary personally (I did, after all, get to see her husband speak recently). I am, however, outraged for those who were in line with me. People were literally shaking from the cold, and too see people who had arrived later on escorted in was a slap in the face.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, there was some anger and shouting. While I missed the worst of it, I did manage to record some of the chanting going on in the line shortly before the line was officially closed.
Update (2/28/08 10:50 A.M.): I’m working on getting more audio up of the crowds reaction, including the short announcement that the venue was full. It should be up soon.
Update #2: It should be posted now. It’s the second one down.
"Move That Line" Chant: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (625) Angry Hillary Crowd After The Line Was Stopped: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (756)
February 28th, 2008 at 6:43 am
It would be interesting to see if any of the local newspapers reported on the event outside the event. Also would be interesting to see what would happen if you emailed her campaign.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I’m not holding my breath on anyone reporting on it, all the media was inside at that point.
I’ve considered writing the Clinton campaign, but the more I think about it I realize that the local police were probably the ones responsible. They were the ones in charge of security at the event. I still might send an email later today.
I just want to emphasize again that I’m not all that upset about not getting in nearly as much as I am over the way things were handled.
I’ll have to listen to all my recordings tonight, I think I may have caught at least some of the shouting (besides the chanting).
February 28th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I think you should email them to see their reaction. They may not realize the bumbling job that was done and need the chance to prevent it at the next venue. They should also apologize (at a minimum).
Certainly there’s not a lot they can do at this point and these things will happen. But they deserve the chance to address it.
(BTW, ODP hasn’t responded to my email of last week questioning facts on the missed Senate vote. I guess they don’t care about SC voters?)
February 28th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
How different from the Obama event in Toledo that I attended on Sunday. It, too, was cold and the doors were supposed to open at 2:15 PM but they started letting people in before 1 PM. 10,000 people were let into the auditorium and 5,000 people were not able to get in. Obama, as he always does, spent time greeting and talking to some of the people who could not get in even though it made him late for the memorial service for the college students killed in the recent tragedy in his home state, Illinois. Obama has run a much more organized campaign than Hillary Clinton. Why should we believe that she’d be ready to run the country on day one when she has so mismanaged her campaign? Why should we trust her with our tax dollars when she can’t even manage her own campaign budget?
February 28th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I just want to say, that I attended a Barack Obama rally in El Dorado, Kansas. It was 19 degrees outside and snowing– Barack Obama’s people were taking hot chocolate to the people waiting in line, it was very well organized, and the line moved quickly. I was placed in an overflow room, where a movie-sized screen projected the rally. Before he spoke to the main audience, he came and spoke to those of us who didn’t make it into the main hall. My daughter shook his hand, and got a great picture. Everyone was very gracious, and it was obvious that our comfort, (and warmth) was a priority for the people on his staff. There was absolutely no preferential treatment shown when it came to who got in the main room, though families with small children and the handicapped were given warm places to wait.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I attended an Obama event in Albuquerque, New Mexico with my 78 year old mother and our 80 year old neighbor. We planned to get to the event early, which was held in a convention center complex. We were able to park in the convention center’s parking structure and walk indoors to the theater area. However, the end of the line was already back outside and wrapped around the facility. With my mother on oxygen, and our neighbor walking with a cane, it was obvious that these two wouldn’t be able to walk back outside, wait in the cold and walk back (and both directions included lots of stairs.) One of the volunteer got chairs and water for them, kept us a few steps from where the press corps was checking in. They sent us through that entrance and the “fast track” security line, and then to seats next to the rope line. We had a birds-eye view of everything and could even see the “green room”. When the Senator made his entrance, we got to shake his hand and amidst all of the cheers and everything, he asked both Mom and our neighbor if they were okay and if they needed anything. All in all the event was well run. The overflow room had about 1000 people and the Senator stopped there first to “fire them up.” All in all, I’d say the event I attended was very representative of Obama events: taking care of the people was the priority.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
All I can say is “Ditto” to the people talking about the good experience of Obama rallies. I saw him in Santa Fe, NM and we waited in line for about 3 hours before we made it in. There were hundreds of people left outside in the freezing cold (no overflow room). Obama talked to everyone outside for quite a while and froze with them.
I Have to agree with Mr. Hood. If Clinton can’t even run a campaign; staying within a budget; organizing people efficiently and effectively, Then how are we supposed to believe that she is capable of running the most powerful country in the world? Something way more complex than a simple primary campaign.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:42 am
First off, I want to say that I hate the inbound links that frame me as a blogger angry about being turned away. If I was truly desperate to hear Hillary speak I had enough time to drive to the next event she was supposed to attend and try again.
I also appreciate hearing all the Obama stories. I haven’t had the chance to see him speak yet, but I am an Obama supporter. It sounds like his events are worlds apart from what I attended. I actually don’t remember seeing any Clinton volunteers checking on the people in the line.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Just checking in with one more story. I went to the Obama rally in Columbus with my young daughter, and was extremely impressed with how it went. It was bitterly cold and I was worried about waiting outside — but there were no lines at all. (Lots of people, and lots of entrances, and no outside lines; we got through security in seconds.) I am deaf and needed an interpreter — the interpreter was provided, and my daughter and I were ushered to prime seats so I could see the interpreter clearly. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We got to meet Senator Obama as he made the rounds at the end and he chatted with my daughter for a little bit (which she was very happy about!)
All in all it was a great experience.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Wow. At least Obama speaks outside, using a bullhorn, to the overflow crowds.
It does seem as though the Clinton staffers in Ohio are overwhelmed. I’m in Cincinnati, and we’ve yet to see Bill make an appearance down here… isn’t that strange? The Cincinnati Obama Rally went perfectly… 12,000+ and smooth as silk!
February 29th, 2008 at 11:21 am
There was a rumour that Clinton would likely speak (briefly) to the overflow crowd after the main speech was over. Once I knew I wasn’t getting in for sure and the crowd died down, I decided to leave before the roads got worse.
My complaint here isn’t about Hillary herself, but the way the event was handled before she even got there.
As for Bill, I think they have him hitting all the small towns.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:51 am
David, don’t you think it’s fair to say that if Hillary’s rallies are handled so badly, so often (yours is not the first account I’ve read of poor planning for Clinton rallies, by a long shot), that ultimately does reflect on her? “The buck stops here” and all of that?
It seems like her campaign has been badly managed, with top people (Ickes/ Penn, Bill Clinton/ Solis Doyle [when she was still around]) hurling accusations at each other. I think it’s fair to extrapolate from that a bit. (This is her first executive experience and it’s not going well — how does that translate to how she’d govern? Imprudent spending, hiring people based on loyalty rather than experience, etc., etc.)
February 29th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I enjoyed the post, but do have to quibble with one thing you said: “No, it wasn’t Hillary’s fault.”
In state after state, Hillary Clinton’s on-the-ground operations have been a total disaster. (For instance, read the Huffington Post article headlined “In Texas, Clinton’s Ground Game Plunges Into Disarray.”)
At the same time, articles — I’m thinking of two in Time — have been coming out discussing the cronyism and insiderism of Clinton’s campaign, the fact that she has been giving the most important positions in her campaign to people whom she perceives as loyal, but who may not be qualified for the positions.
It all smacks of George W. Bush. A candidate who is selling her “35 years of experience” and “readiness on day one” has to be held accountable for her executive failures on the campaign trail. The incompetence and indifference that voters are experiencing at rallies like these is a tiny taste of what’s to come in a Hillary Clinton administration. One more reason to pray that Obama can eke out an Ohio victory.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
[...] The Worst Event Management I’ve Ever Seen [UPDATED] [...]
February 29th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Going by what I’ve read now, this does seem to be a pattern for the Clinton campaign.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
[...] Read the story, then read the comments. [...]
February 29th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
[...] A local Ohio blogger gets shut out of a Clinton event, and isn’t happy. [...]
March 1st, 2008 at 3:21 am
It sounds like a trend with Clinton. Read this detailed account from California:
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/012408/cover0124.html
People in line for hours and hours, lack of bathrooms, and in the end there was a bum rush for the door. Made nifty headline the next day though. Isn’t that the point? It stinks. Clinton lost to Obama in that county.