Unfortunately, just gave up on NH Kerry Rally

[Silent3]

On the positive side, it was great to see such a turn out... I don't know how many people, but thousands. There was lots of great visibility going on out on the streets of Manchester too.

But someone screwed up big time with the crowd management. The gates were supposed to open at 12:00, but when I left at about 1:10 no noticeable movement through the gates had occurred.

That wouldn't have been so bad by itself -- we all know delays can happen -- but no one was making any real effort to let the crowd know what was going on. Just a large mass of people left in the dark getting more and more impatient.

I can't imagine what was going on on the other side of the security tent -- I certainly couldn't see what was going on -- but I'm dumbstruck that none of the organizers were smart enough to realize how very badly they needed someone with a PA system or a megaphone to get out there and tell the crowd what was going on. By around 1:00, I saw one volunteer making her way through the crowds, not able to really talk to very many people, saying that security was being held up, yes, we'd all fit inside the rally area... and that Kerry would be there. By 3:00.

In the meantime, we could here distantly a few different voices over too-distant-to-hear-well PA system talking to someone, though I nor anyone else around me could figure out just who that audience might be, having not sensed any movement through the gate whatsoever. The annoyance was quiet but growing, and more and more people were giving up and slipping away.

Instead of leaving the rally feeling energized, I left feeling a little pissed. Of course, this minor glitch sure as hell isn't going to change my vote or my determination to get out and vote and volunteer, not in the slightest, but if the point of the rally was to energize Kerry's supporters, I'm sorry to say for some people in that crowd that's going to backfire. I hate to think that any soft-support or undecideds in the crowd might have been turned off from voting for Kerry, but I'd have to guess that there are going to be a few cases of that going around.

<Sigh!> At least I hope what's left of the rally that I left behind goes better and makes up for lost ground.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Clovis Sangrail]

10. get a grip

looking at this post, your accusing this person of mouthing "talking points" is no different than people calling people "anti-american" for oppossing the war.

Are Kerry supporters not allowed to criticize anything to do with Kerry?

[cubsfan forever]

24. No, just pointing out that someone is repeating

talking points is not the same as what you accuse me of. I remember Vietnam. Do you?

Professor 2

[Clovis Sangrail]

56. vietnam?

what the hell does vietnam have to do with this?

"I remember my first ejaculation!"
"Well I remember my first erection!"

so what?

[cubsfan forever]

60. That doesn't even deserve a reply.

You were the one who brought up anti-war stuff. Bye, bye little one!

Professor 2

[union_maid]

41. Waiting on line

for something you're into is a social event. I'm in a blue state so there've been no rallies here, but I've been to enough general admission concerts and other events that attract like minded people that I can well imagine it. It's fun, actually. And the weather's not bad in NH today. 63 is toasty for the hardy northerners. I know, I've stood around shivering in a warm jacket while my New England friends were in short sleeves.

[Misunderestimator]

2. For the rally I went to in St. Pete this summer, I had to wait 3 hours

in line outside the venue. So did everybody else, and everyone had a GREAT time! I'm going to a rally tonight as well, and plan to get there three hours ahead of time. When a crowd is as big as Kerry is getting, you've got to expect to wait. It's WORTH IT!

[Silent3]

9. It's not the wait itself that bothered me...

I expected a lot of waiting. It was the lack of good crowd management, just leaving lots of people completely in the dark about what was causing the delays.

If they'd been smart, they'd have been talking up the crowd and using the waiting "line" (if you can call the huge mass waiting before the security tent a "line") as a pre-rally rally. That would have been fun.

From everything I've heard about how Kerry's campaign has been run, I have to imagine that what I experience was an unusual glitch, not the norm. It's just that today in NH somebody wasn't as on top of things as they should have been.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kire]

12. we waited 5 hours in Scranton the day after the convention

and the PA system was busted half the time, we couldn't hear Ben Affleck or THK, but we loved it!

[Zen Democrat]

39. Yes, and it was in the heat of summer, right?

[BayStateBoy]

43. Any Political Event = Never on Time. Usually a Long Wait

[Misunderestimator]

46. Exactly! And the BEST part is the waiting.

It was a thrill to be surrounded by energetic democrats... It was sweltering that day in July, about 95 degress and typical Florida humidity. I was drenched in sweat, but I didn't care... I knew I would have a wait, and I LOVED it.

[MidwestMomma]

59. Yes, energetic Democrats and non-stop Bush bashing

Waiting is line is as fun as you make it. You can get annoyed or you can make some friends. When I go to an event, I always make the most of my wait. :)

[H3Dakota]

58. Hey, Misunder... Curtis Hixon?

3 hours to get in - before or after the gates opened?? I'm coming over from Pinellas & not sure what time we should plan on getting there! It's scheduled to start at 10pm, isn't it?

[FARAFIELD]

3. SIGH

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madmax]

5. I waited for 2 hours

to see Bill Clinton and John Kerry. Everyone waiting had a great time. We talked and laughed it was a party like atmosphere. Guess it depends on your frame of mind.

[demwing]

6. Lost Ground? Because YOU left?

Thats a BOLD statement! lol...

[Silent3]

16. Not just because I left...

Lots of other people were starting to slip away, and those who were staying were getting a bit grumbly. That can't be a good thing.

I'm going on volunteering on Tuesday to help get people to the polls. In a little pep talk for volunteers that I was given yesterday, a guy talked about how much our GOTV effort meant. As he said, it would have only taken 11 extra votes for Gore per precinct in NH for Gore to have won NH, made Florida irrelevant, and won Gore the Presidency.

Since I'm out there doing my part to try to bring in a few of those possibly critical votes, it bothers me when I see a big event like this rally not being run as well as it could have been, and possibly having counter-productive effects.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Silent3]

30. So, what do you mean "nice try"?

What exactly is it that you think I'm "trying"?

Sheesh. I reported my experience as I saw it, and I know from people in the crowd around me that the original enthusiasm was waning, people were starting to give up and slip away, and many who stayed were grumbling a little or asking each other rhetorical questions like "What could be going on?", questions for which no one had any answers.

Am I only allowed to bring good news and cheerful tidings?

Hey, if this is the way that all rallies go, then I've learned something I didn't know. Maybe what happened wasn't all so bad then. But I have a hard time believing that this was the usual modus operandi today.

[jefferson_dem]

34. A real "kerry4kerry" wouldn't be so put off by slogging through a little

wait beyond the scheduled start time, with or without being personally informed about how long it would be before the next president of the United States graced your presence. A real "kerry4kerry" would certainly not dash home to post here (in his/her 20th post!), alerting us how your little wait was somehow symbolic of a poorly-run, people-unfriendly campaign operation.

Pulllease. Just not buying it, champ. Nice try.

[union_maid]

8. Thousands waited 30 hours to get into a Phish concert

This summer thousands just waited and waited. Some got turned away. They'd paid $150 a ticket to be there. They came from all over the country and beyond. Then they waited 17 or so hours online to leave when it was over. I'm not saying that I would have liked that. I wouldn't. But when something's important to you, it's worth waiting for. I'd have waited all day to see Kerry if he was somewhere I could get to.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Do you folks EVER consider how...

...silly posts like this look?

Just curious...I'm always interested in understanding how certain people think.

[TrueAmerican]

13. I waited in line

in Las Cruces for over two hours with 2 kids (11 and 8) and the wife to see the Kerry Rally. Nobody was moaning and groaning in the line, everyone was energized and couldn't wait for the rally to start.

[Silent3]

21. But were you left completely in the dark...

...about the delays, or was someone making an effort to speak to you while you waited, explain the delays, and get you revved up for the rally you were waiting for?

[Zen Democrat]

42. I've been to tons of rallies. Very very few run on schedule

especially when the candidate is traveling. The people on the ground there probably knew no more than you. That's the way it is.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. Yeah, I'm sure a lot of Kerry supporters will change their vote because

Kerry was late for a rally. Ummmm Yeah. That's the ticket. LOL

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Silent3]

33. That part of the official schedule...

...wasn't printed on the tickets. I had no idea before and that Kerry would not speak until 3:00. It would have helped to know that. Clearly I wasn't the only one in the crowd that didn't know that either.

Everyone here is going off the handle as if were saying "Boo hoo! I had to wait!"

Can't anyone understand that my complaint isn't about the delays themselves, but that they delays weren't managed very well? That everyone was left in the dark not being told what was going on?

[Bluebear]

61. I will say all the publicity said "doors open at noon"

The time when he was scheduled to speak was never clear.

[jpak]

17. I agree - if he can't run his campaign - how can he run the country???

I'm changing my vote right now!

LOL!!!!!!!!!

[SammyWinstonJack]

50. Heh!

:evilgrin: Too bad I already voted, because this surely would have made me change my vote. :silly: :eyes: :crazy:

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[robbedvoter]

23. Yeah, the irony of the handle didn't escape me - I bet the facts are

completely off too as we'll find out from the people who actually participated in the event

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Misunderestimator]

29. LOL

:thumbsup:

[Silent3]

31. Kerry is my first name, if you must know...

...hence Kerry4Kerry.

[Joe Turner]

36. Kerry Uh? Not Cary or Kary?

Very unusual spelling of that name. How convienent!

It ain't selling with me.

[Zen Democrat]

Not that unusual. I've known three guys named Kerry, and several girls.

[Silent3]

51. Yes, my first name is K-E-R-R-Y

What? You want me to scan my damned driver's license for you to prove my first name?

What a ridiculously shallow thing to attack someone about just because you don't like what they say.

I'm in fact looking forward to the convenience of saying "Kerry... spelled just like the President" because everyone's always trying one of the wrong spellings first when they hear my name.

[MrModerate]

44. This is about the 15th time in the last few days . . .

I've seen someone "identified" as a FReeper because they didn't post 1) an angry story about Repub perfidy or 2) a rush of enthusiasm about how the EC is going to turn out.

One of the old hands here (in response to my question) said something like -- "If they post something that's going to piss everybody off, they're probably FReepers."

Well . . . I don't think so. Kerry4Kerry's post said 1) crowd management wasn't great and 2) the enthusiasm he expected to share in didn't materialize for him and 3) he hoped other people who might have left the rally jazzed didn't leave disappointed instead.

What's the big deal? Why does that make him a provocateur?

Maybe he needs to learn that people around here are wrapped just a bit too tight right now, their skins have apparently thinned out over the last week, and their instinct for jumping to conclusions is set on a hair trigger.

I mean, I've lurked at FR and ain't one of 'em whose middle name is "subtle." Call me a Pollyanna, but I think Kerry4Kerry is someone who wanted to share a real experience -- even if it wasn't rah-rah or enraged. (Besides, nearly every word in K4K's posts was spelled correctly, which is pretty convincing evidence -- though circumstantial -- that he's not a FReeper.)

Or am I just really gullible?

[Misunderestimator]

48. gullible

you asked... :)

[DebJ]

19. at the Harrisburg rally the day after the Dem convention, we were

told three different places to stand in line...we got there early, but ended up back a bit in line because of this. No one knew what was going on...there were police from all different jurisdictions. The local cops finally told us the Secret Service was making the calls and they kept changing their minds. The rally started...what was it...2 or 2.5 hours late...because Kerry had been met by such a large crowd in another city on his way to Harrisburg, he had stopped their first.
The heat and humidity were sickening. We got there around 3pm I think and the rally started at 9pm. From 5-7pm I was literally ill from the heat and press of the crowd.

BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!

[Longgrain]

20. Don't worry...

New Hampshire's our's this time, I just know it.
I'm a MA citizen, and I've been spending a lot of time up there lately, in fact I just road up there this morning. I saw ten signs along the way eight for Kerry and two for shrub...interestingly the two for shrub were right here in MA. :wtf:

Opps...eddited fer speeling...

[requiem99]

25. Bullshit, bye!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

26. I took a two week sabbatical from work

just to canvass locally. I flew with my husband to Iowa last September to canvass for Dean right before the primaries and slept on the floor of a stranger's house. We froze our asses off canvassing in a place we'd never been in the drizzly cold rain.

We stood waiting to hear Dean speak for two hours, chanting and freezing, but so excited we couldn't stand it.

I haven't been lucky enough to see Kerry (I live in TX) but I'd wait almost any amount of time, it wouldn't matter.

People aren't going to "go soft" because of that. No way. Not this year, my man.

[Misunderestimator]

32. Speaking of which... I gotta get showered and ready to go wait in line

for a few hours :D

Wooohoooo! Thanks for trolls reminding me how incredibly popular Kerry is and that there will be hordes and hordes of people, so I better get there earlier. :party:

[votedemocratic]

37. I have been lurking on DU for a long time

and subsequently have very few posts. But, I am noticing a lot of posters who have a low number of posts , post negative things about Kerry. It makes me wonder about the intent of these posters.

[Misunderestimator]

40. Especially now. It's the content of the posts that are the key

:hi: Low post counts don't bother me a bit.

[cubsfan forever]

47. Welcome to DU!

Yes, there is a certain population of people who like to "spread bad news" under the guise of "support." But we also realize that not everyone with a low post count is from the other side. Again, welcome
to DU!

Professor 2

[phish420]

38. Same thing happened in Orlando

Not that the gates werent open, but there were no police directing traffic across a major highway...in fact they were out with signs against the Orlando Mayor (some called it a 'picket line', but they were NOT on strike) - anyways, I yelled at them that maybe they would get more support if they did their job and directed traffic into a major political event. They yelled back some nonsense I couldnt even understand...then they locked the entrace...so I found a hole in the gate that I could fit my car through, and snuck in anyways. lol. They weren't gonna keep me from seeing my boy!

[Lefty48197]

45. That's what they told us near Detroit

when the lines were crawling along at a snail's pace. One volunteer walked along the line telling us that they WOULD get us into the auditorium, and they were right!

[Silent3]

49. Wow... I didn't expect freeper-like madness

But then again, "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!"

Let me make myself perfectly clear:

1) I'm an enthusiastic Kerry supporter. I intend to vote for Kerry. I've canvassed for him already. I will be taking a vacation day on Tuesday to volunteer for giving people rides to the polls to vote for Kerry.

2) I'm not complaining about any of the waiting at the rally PER SE. My problem was entirely with HOW THE WAITING WAS HANDLED. NOT TALKING UP THE CROWDS AND PRODUCTIVELY USING THE WAITING TIME.

3) I think changing your vote because a rally didn't go well would be stupid. I'm not at all advising, encouraging, hinting at, or otherwise trying to sway anyone away from voting for Kerry.

4) I do worry, however, that not everyone in the world votes for the most rational of reasons, and that annoying a crowd of people can't be a good thing because of that.

5) At least a few people there who got tired of waiting and feeling like they were being left in the dark about the waiting are going to change their votes or not bother voting because they're pissed. I'm not saying that's a smart way for them to react, I'm just saying that based on my understanding of human nature.

[votedemocratic]

52. Thanks for the welcome!

I will respectfully ignore Kerry4Kerry's comments.

[requiem99]

54. Thanks for clearing it up, your original post seemed doomy/gloomy.

And we are NOT going into nov 2 like that!

[splat]

55. go early and leave early

It seems to most of us that if we go to something several hours early, you can't expect it to be available to you.

crowds of enthusiasts entertain each other.

you seem to want an unusual amount of direction.

stage managing is for Hollywood, not for grass-roots democracy. you're expecting this to be something it's not. I'm watching this rally now, and it looks like a good one.

I wish I could be there. I wouldn't have left.

[MidwestMomma]

53. Here's the thing about posting a negative story about a Kerry event

If I went to a Kerry event and something happened that made Kerry or the campaign look bad, I might personally be pissed but I wouldn't go post the story on the internet for all the world to see how much Kerry and his campaign sucks. I would suck it up myself and say, you know what, I 'personally' had a bad experience but shit happens.

Have ever been to a concert at a large venue? Gates NEVER open on time and it ALWAYS takes forever to see any movement in a large crowd.

Next time, try to pass the time talking about how great Kerry is and what a great President he will make. Another great way to pass the time waiting for a Kerry/Edwards event is to make fun of Bush. It's one of the few times you can loudly and without inhibition make fun of the commander in thief and NOBODY glares. That's half the fun of waiting for these things.

[Generator]

57. No real Dem gives up

Kerry's theme song is no retreat/no surrender.

It's not just a song.

[Moderator]

62. I am locking this thread.

I would like to remind everyone that calling someone
a freeper/disruptor or insinuating that someone is
a freeper/disruptor is a RULE VIOLATION.

If you feel that someone is a freeper/disruptor,
please use the alert button so that the moderators
can take care of the situation.



Thank you.


DU Moderator