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We love Hillary
Watching HRC speak with young Democrats
BY DAVID S. BERNSTEIN
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TUESDAY, July 27, 2004 -- Aside from a brief (failed) attempt to quiet the room for Jimmy Carter, the downstairs bar at the Red Hat in Beacon Hill remained loud and lively throughout the first several hours of the convention watch party for young democrats. I chatted with a handful of college students from Illinois, Georgia, and Boston, who were attending the College Democrats of America (CDA) events. They were a little bitter at their treatment -- apparently way more people signed up for the Sunday Democratic GAIN political training than expected, so there was a shortage of equipment, speakers, and space. It also meant that the big reward for the training -- tickets to the evening’s big party at Avalon, featuring Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart -- went to some 3500 people when the place can only hold 2000. So there was a lot of standing outside watching VIPs waltz into the club. They finally got in, but Clinton and Stewart were both no-shows. And, one of the students pointed out, Kerry had been right next door at the Red Sox game and could have popped in. No respect for the youth. Still, they were quick to point out that overall they had a great experience. The chit-chat ended when Hillary Clinton took the stage. "We love her," said one young woman. (Others Democrats the fivesome say they admire: Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, John Edwards, and Barack Obama.) People crowded closer to the televisions. They applauded at the applause lines and laughed at the laugh lines. The crowd also eagerly applauded every celebrity picked out by the TV cameras. Even the minor ones, like the guy who played the shlub on Mad About You and Spin City. Patti Labelle, not so much. The chatter immediately picked back up, and a large smoking-break crowd quickly formed on the sidewalk out front.
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