I'm not a happy camper with the Edwards campaign.

[Saturday]

I donated my $60 to the Edwards campaign because after all, the e-mail title said "John Edwards wants to meet you!" 4 of us pile into the car for a 60 minute ride into Chicago last night. It was hot, almost 90 degrees. We left 90 minutes before the campaign start time to make the 60 minute trip so we thought we'd have plenty of time. We hit lots of traffic and ended up bumper to bumper just crawling along. (We did open our windows to hear the Cicadas. lol) We arrived at BB's Restaurant at 5:20 (5 minutes late of the start time).

Edwards was already speaking and we heard him on the speaker in the street. We went to the door, checked in and could proceed no farther. No one could move, the restaurant was packed. We decided to be good sports and since we couldn't get in to see him that we'd have a long awaited refreshing cool drink at a table on the sidewalk and listen to him speak over the speakers. Fortunately there was a table available so we sat down and were ignored by all the wait staff. Why? We found out they couldn't get into the restaurant either because it was so crowded, not even to get a drink for us. We got up and left.

I know it's great for the Edwards campaign to have overflowing crowds BUT what about the people like me (and my 3 companions) that made an effort to hear him only to get dissed? When I checked in my name was on their list....along with hundreds more telling me that they knew full well that the facility they had (BB's Restaurant) was not big enough to handle the EXPECTED crowd. Get a larger darn place Edwards campaign when your RSVP list is larger!

Thanks for letting me vent.

[YOY]

1. kinda taking it personally aren't you?

n/t

[Saturday]

5. Yep, any reason I shouldn't?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. Because it isn't personal. (nt)

[Catch22Dem]

2. What did you expect?

How was anyone to know you were stuck in traffic? As far as they were concerned, you were a no-show. If they want to make a campaign appearance at a small, intimate venue like that, they should be able to, and I commend them for it...it's more personal.

I'm just not sure why you're worked up about this. I understand your disappointment, that would really suck, but whose fault is it? You left 90 minutes in advance of an event in Chicago that started at 5:15 (rush hour) that was 60 minutes away? :shrug:

[Saturday]

4. It doesn't matter what time I left.

I was only 5 minutes late. I should have at least been able to stand in the back and hear him IMO. My point is if they had a response of 500 (as an exmple only) then they sould not book a place that accommodates 200. If they want it to be intimate only take donations from 200 people.

[Catch22Dem]

6. Seems weird to me

You were late to hear a candidate for President of the United States speak at an event, and you still feel like the campaign did something wrong. I think most people who donated would be proud that they were able to help the campaign of their candidate in any way they could.

[Saturday]

7. He's not my candidate.

I am deciding who I want to support and wanted to hear him speak to help with that decision.

Again, my point is, if the campaign saw that 500 people (example only) had donated then get a facility large enough to accommodate them.

[John Q. Citizen]

10. I'm with you on this. Over selling tickets is a no no. n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. You SHOULD have been a half an hour early.

[frogcycle]

3. your experience would be why

i didn't go.

I thought the "John wants to meet you" email was pretty tacky. The brain behind it is right up there with the ones who want to give you millions of dollars in Nigeria.

These things are part of a whirlwind tour. They decided to hold events for him to meet "the masses."

Somebody said "quick, find a bunch of places in a bunch of cities where we can do touch-and-go whistle stops." I'm glad it drew a lot of people. I hope it doesn't backfire.

[venable]

23. maybe they couldn't get a bigger place, as it was too late

did they give the location on the invite?

[frogcycle]

27. yes

[Captain Hilts]

8. It's like the inaugural balls, they sell more tickets than they have room. Unfair. nt

[MonkeyFunk]

9. The only

polite thing to do would have been for him to wait until you arrived.

You have every right to be upset with his campaign. How DARE he not wait for you?! Schmuck.

[John Q. Citizen]

11. You aren't serious are you? Over booking the event is fine? The OP paid for a seat that wasn't.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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

[KittyWampus]

13. there wouldn't have been enough seats even IF OP had made it on time.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. When was the last time you were turned away with paid ticket at the ball park because you arrived

after the game started?

Or when was the last time you were turned away at a concert with a paid ticket because the first song had already started when you arrived?

The movies? Can't go in with your ticket because they already started?

Look, you can defend overbooking events until you turn blue in the face, but your characterization of what happened and of the OP is transparently connected to your bias.

The OP never suggested that the talk should have been delayed, only that the event shouldn't have been over-sold so that a paid ticket holder couldn't get into the event, even if they were running late.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. This was not an entertainment event.

It was a fundraiser.

If you can't see the difference, I can't help you.

[John Q. Citizen]

19. Edwards took the money, yet failed to provide the promised seat. What's to understand?

If I were the OP, I'd ask for my money back.

Over booking a fundraiser is appropriate? Why?

Selling a ticket but failing to deliver what was sold (a seat at the event)is never OK. It's also poor politics, aside from the dishonesty of over-booking.

[MonkeyFunk]

21. Well the OP

is free to ask for his money back.

But bitching because he showed up late and wasn't accommodated is just silly.

[venable]

24. this happens all the time, it is not a diss

the invite to come probably gave the location.

a lot of people bought the low dollar ticket.


you can't change the venue at the last minute.

overflow crowds are common at political events.

[Catchawave]

25. That's why I would have left at noon :)

Any metro city at rush hour is a nightmare. I'm sorry for the OP's disappointment, but I know someone who's preparing a Kos diary about the event.

from email:

"...I just got back to Indianapolis from the event in Chicago earlier today, and let me tell you it was AMAZING. For being on Obama's turf there was a TON of energy in the room and John is just fantastic on the stump. I'll prep a diary about it for tomorrow and let you know when it goes up. I'm really jazzed..."

This was over a 3 hour drive under normal traffic conditions!

[MonkeyFunk]

20. lol

I repeat my contention that the OP is a whiny baby.

Get there early, or cope.

And I doubt he had an assigned seat, like one does at a baseball game.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. This is precisely why candidates DON'T do what Edwards is trying.

I give him all the credit in the world for the idea - in theory, it's a great one. But there's a reason why they usually only host events with entry prices of $1,500+ - it's because you simply can't accommodate that many people and you're going to wind up pissing more people off than you please. The only way you can make a decent profit off an event like this is to way overbook, and it's not even that great a profit.

Still, you're being a baby. I'm not even an Edwards supporter (quite far from it) and I think you're being way too harsh on him.

[JANdad]

22. Let me do the math here...

Chicago....rush hour...60 minute drive...gave yourself a 30 minute window...LOL

[abburdlen]

26. pretty amazing replies

No doubt when people show up to see Obama or Clinton they don't normally expect to get front row seats even if they aren't running late for the event and as I read the OP it didn't sound to me like they expected Edwards to wait for everyone who donated to show up before he started. They're just peeved that the Edwards campaign way overbooked an event. It isn't really surprising that campaigns do that but the replies here just floor me...
"what did you expect?" "Get over it", "whiny OP"

real classy.

[GreenArrow]

28. "the replies here just floor me.."

yeah, assholes...

[frogcycle]

29. What you missed

Edwards greets supporters in Chicago at BB's w/ PHOTOS


6/14/2007 at 11:04 AM CDT

Speaking Wednesday night in downtown Chicago as part of his "Small Change for Big Change" tour, JOHN EDWARDS said if he is elected president he will seek to "create at least a million new green-collar jobs" in a concerted effort to rid America of its addiction to oil. EDWARDS spoke at BB's Bar & Grill (22 Hubbard Street) before a row of local network news TV cameras and approximately 500 supporters. Edwards spoke about ending the war in Iraq, telling the audience that the US Congress has a responsibility to force President Bush to end American involvement in policing a civil war. Edwards spoke about America becoming a force for good in the world again. "We can't be the country of Abu Ghiraib, Guantanamo, torture and illegal spying," said Edwards. "On the first day that I am sworn into office as your president, I will close Guantanamo."

http://blog.johnedwards.com/section/news