April 30, 2007
All Eyes On The Fish Fry
Some more round-up from the Hotline's Nora McAlvanah, in SC over the weekend: Amidst a crowd clutching fried whiting on white bread, boxed wine in plastic cups, and cans of Budweiser-- Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson made their way to a small stage. The candidates, like many before them, were getting ready to address Rep. Jim Clyburn's annual fish-fry.
Part street party and part political rally, the event was started in '92 by Clyburn for Dems who couldn't afford tickets to the party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner held earlier in the evening.
“I have been all over the world, I’ve been to all kinds of political events,” Clinton yelled to the crowd, her voice slightly hoarse, “I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like Jim Clyburn’s fish fry in the world.”
This year, in particular, Clyburn’s fish-fry was something to see. Over 2,000 people packed themselves into a parking garage in downtown Columbia in hopes of getting a glimpse of the candidates. The press crowded themselves onto risers just to watch the people watch the candidates.
But for all the hoopla, the event has retained its original purpose: it’s a community meet-up, a street-fair, an exercise in political access. It’s loud, it’s hot and it’s free.
Well aware of the spectacle, the candidates tried to bring a little something extra. Edwards arrived with a high school drum line to escort him into the show, Obama took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, Biden virtually closed up the event, shaking hands till 11:00 p.m.
The mood was informal and collegial, with the candidates clapping for each other as they addressed the crowd. Biden spoke first and was notably brief. “I love all these folks I'm running with, but I'm coming for every one of you. I ain't giving up on any of you.” Like Biden, Dodd kept his remarks short and sweet.
Richardson talked about the importance of education, and said, "Let's also not forget the genocide in Darfur." Edwards then spoke about the Civil Rights movement. Momentum building, Clyburn introduced Clinton and then Obama, who both took bites from their stumps.
Off to the side, children wove between their parents. Sitting in a folding chair a grandmother cradled an infant. Her daughter, she said, was off trying to get a picture of Obama on her cell phone.
Posted at 01:10 PM
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