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May 5th, 2008

Observations from the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner

By Chris Allred on May 5th, 2008

Politics as a spectator sport

I’ve heard throughout this campaign how politics is a contact sport, and it seemed like we were watching one Friday night at the N.C. Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. To the stage’s left, the stands were packed with people holding signs supporting their candidates. Obama and Clinton supporters alike broke into different chants and cheers. At one point the Obama fans did the wave.

“I feel like we’re at a basketball game or a pep rally where both teams are present,” Josh Mills, a recent N.C. State graduate, said.

People were eating nachos and drinking beer from concessions, and for a while it seemed like we were waiting to see “HillRod” instead of Hillary.

When Clinton did make her speech, she was well-received at first. She encountered the first boos of the night when she brought up the gas tax holiday. Obama supporters jeered when she mentioned the idea, saying it would provide relief to working-class citizens.

But she also got a few laugh lines, including one about the sound of the “moving van” taking George W. Bush out of the White House.

Easley uneasy

Gov. Mike Easley was confronted by the crowd early on, with people booing him at his entrance. He stuck it out and spoke over the noise, and eventually it died down. But some Obama fans were unhappy about his recent Clinton endorsement.

Obama closes the night

To continue the sports theme, Obama had a home-team advantage during his speech.

By the time he spoke, at about 10 p.m., most of Clinton’s local supporters had left, leaving Obama without the opposition that greeted Clinton earlier.

He received one brief chorus of “boos” when he mentioned playing basketball with the men’s Tar Heels last week, but he was next to N.C. State’s Carter Fenley Stadium.

Does music matter?

Clinton entered to John Mellencamp’s “Our Country,” and Mellencamp has endorsed both candidates.

Obama’s theme song has been Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising,” after Springsteen announced his endorsement last month.

Posted in Political Posturing | No Comments »

May 5th, 2008

Arcade Fire, Superchunk rally for Obama

By Chris Allred on May 5th, 2008

Carrboro, NC — Arcade Fire and Superchunk showed their support for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign Friday outside the Carrboro Town Center.

The bands played at a rally for Obama, encouraging attendees to vote at on-site stations.

Superchunk blistered through a set that included “Throwing Things,” “Hyper Enough,” “Detroit Has a Skyline.” Superchunk was lean, aggressive, and their veteran status showed. The crowd gave them a warm response, even if some of the younger crowd was not old enough to remember the band’s heyday in the mid-90s. It was evident Arcade Fire was the main draw, but throughout Superchunk’s set, many heads were rocking with acceptance.

After a quick transition and a talk from Arcade Fire’s Will Butler on the importance of voting and Obama’s campaign, the band started up with “Keep the Car Running.”

I’ve heard a lot about Arcade Fire’s concerts. They’re supposed to be incredible, communal experiences and this was true. The eight bandmates hustled around the stage, switching instruments between songs. All the while, the crowd sang along, clapped, swayed and danced. Frontman Win Butler was light on political banter, but said he wrote “Intervention” on the eve of the 2004 elections.

“I’d like to write a more upbeat song in a couple months,” he said.

Arcade Fire also aced a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” and played through “Antichrist Television Blues,” “Haiti,” and “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” before closing their set with “Rebellion (Lies).”

The band’s instrumentation and depth is what makes it so exciting. It would seem eight people balancing the sounds of a french horn and xylophones with distorted guitars and a hurdy-gurdy would be a mess, but it’s a powerful, enveloping sound. And they play with a rare enthusiasm and spontaneity.

They returned for one last song, an encore of “Wake Up,” again bringing the crowd to its dancing feet.

Posted in Political Posturing | No Comments »

April 29th, 2008

What will the Easley endorsement mean?

By clark on April 29th, 2008

With Gov. Mike Easley’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, the big question of what it means still must be answered. At least some of the press traveling with the Clinton campaign didn’t know much what to make of it. Many of them probably don’t know about the recent torrent of bad press Easley has received for his administration’s e-mail policies, namely accusations of his use of deleting e-mails to evade public records laws.

Sen. Clinton is certainly a very well-spoken woman who has kept alive her campaign against the odds in recent months. She reinforced her sharpness as she displayed her intricate understanding of biotechnology and its potential impacts on the economy both here and across the nation. She has to hope, though, that her latest endorsement here isn’t more of a drag than a help as Easley lame ducks through his final year in office. And one thing Clinton certainly has to hope for is that Easley is much more rhythmic in bringing supporters to her than he was in attempting to clap on Tuesday. It was quite an unpleasant sight to see the governor of this state show he may have even less rhythm than this rhythm-challenged reporter.

Clark Leonard
Sports Editor