on the cover / By North Coast Journal Staff

Stumped

President Bill Clinton captivated the throng, but why were so many left in the cold?

(Jan. 24, 2008) When President Bill Clinton first decided to come to town early last week, the news spread instantaneously throughout the county and left a good percentage of the population buzzing with excitement. For a very large segment of Humboldt County — the politically active, left-leaning segment — the news was like the call of a spring songbird, heralding the end of eight years of the Bush presidency. The arrival of the nation’s most prominent political celebrity seemed a good excuse to get out and celebrate.

The news broke on Monday. The buzz kept on growing, right up until Wednesday, when the event took place. It was decided that Clinton would speak at Redwood Acres, the fairgrounds on the southwestern edge of Eureka. It was a sunny January day, and people showed up early. And then more started showing up. And then more.

GALLERY >

Between 1,500 and 2,000 people showed up to an event that was thrown together in less than two days, and booked for a hall that had a theoretical capacity of only 400. Many of them waited for several hours, and took time off from school or work to be there. They had put in effort, and their hopes were high. It was something of a miracle that the event didn’t end as a total disaster.

Like all his public events, or the public events of any celebrity, Clinton’s appearance was a transaction. He got something: In this case, a chance to stump and probably win votes for his wife, currently locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The fans at the event, many of whom brought their kids, get something: An opportunity to commune with history and to hear a master orator speak to their circumstances. They wanted to touch him, to shake his hand, to get an autograph.

That was the way it was supposed to work out, and for some people, especially those who were well connected in one way or another, the exchange was fulfilled in total. Thanks to the actions of a few locals — the members of the Humboldt Fire District — many more people collected at least a little on their end of the bargain, and left satisfied. But there were probably hundreds more who had reason to leave feeling shortchanged and angry.

Some of this should have been foreseeable, even given the tight turnaround time. What happened?

By noon a hardcore group of 10 was lined up outside the Home Arts Building at Redwood Acres. Inside the hall, Democratic Central Committee members worked with event organizers setting up chairs. White plastic chains separated the podium from the crowd. No one seemed sure who would be seated in the 20 chairs on stage.

A lone Secret Service agent with steel blues eyes roamed the hall. He explained that he’d been called up from the San Francisco office to assist with the event. Protecting the former president was not his usual job; he’s in the counterfeit squad. “Our day-to-day work is investigating counterfeits, identity theft, identity fraud,” he said. “That’s all Secret Service.”

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