Be Sure To Text Her In Da Club
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton’s campaign held their kick-off “Club 44” event, the super-hipster name for their effort to attract young women to her candidacy. And legions of young people, experts in all things hip, trickled into the downtown DC parking lot-turned-carnival ground to see just what the campaign had to offer.
What they saw was part sorority schtick, part feminist indoctrination. This is just what it sounds like: ex-"Idol" contestant Katharine McPhee introduced herself to the crowd with something between a squeal and a giggle, while Emily’s List president Ellen Malcolm lectured them on just who Geraldine Ferraro is. (She’s very important, by the way).
The musical stylings of McPhee, along with Kenny "Babyface" Edmond, followed a series of more serious acts, including speeches from Madeleine Albright, Billie Jean King, and Sen. Barbara Mikulski. But that’s not to say the history inspired first-half was any less entertaining: Mikulski bluntly noted that “some poor guy didn’t have to die for me to get” elected, and Billie Jean King delivered a sports-heavy missive that included a “go for it” and a “yeah baby.” Intermittently, various speakers instructed the audience to clap or repeat some phrase. They dutifully obliged.
McPhee took to the stage an hour into the event. Before launching into a song about “falling hard” for a boy, she felt the need to tell the crowd she wanted to do the event because she was feeling “patriotic” after her “America Idol” stint (understandable, really). Then, noting that "Hillary is an advocate for women and stuff like that," McPhee paid tribute with a song by (Canadian) Alanis Morissette .
The target Demographic for the event—18-24 year-old girls- many of whom considered Jagged Little Pill their epic-middle school-angst-driven theme album, looked on with a mixture of fear and bewilderment when she launched into “what’s the matter Mary Jane.” In between, her set and Babyface’s, actress and comedian Caroline Rhea reminded the crowd that they can receive Hillary texts.
Amid all the forced coolness, Hillary Clinton finally emerged on stage as a refreshing reminder of why the crowd—now estimated at 8,000—was there. The theme of cool-meets-history making got all the mileage it needed from her alone. Women lifted up their daughters, teenage girls shoved their boyfriends in front of their camera phones to get a picture of Him with Hillary in the background, old women perked up from their lawn chairs.
Noting that she had “a day job” and Senate floor votes to attend to, Clinton delivered her abbreviated stump, issuing her “God Bless” after just four minutes. But then as if by divine intervention (or maybe it was an aide) Clinton remembered she was in “Da Club.” There was that aunt from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Baby Face, and a moon bounce. She interrupted the applause for a “special word” to everyone under 30. She reminded them that they’re important, and she wants their support. “No matter what,” she added slyly, “I will always support you” [NORA McALVANAH].
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus