This is a question, but since it has not just one answer, I think it belongs here in IMHO rather than in GQ. Mods feel free to move … etc.
How on earth did John Kerry keep his VP pick secret until just this morning (Tuesday, July 6)?
I mean, on CNN’s front page right now there is a photo of a jumbo jet with Kerry-Edwards plastered all over the fuselage in big, big letters.
Somebody had to paint those letters on, or order the decals. Either way, the process probably started *weeks * ago. (You just can’t whip something like that up in an hour or two!)
It seems like it would have been so easy for someone, like a painter, for example, or a custodian who sweeps the floor of the hanger that stored the airplane, to spill the beans.
Any former or current political campaign workers care to speculate?
Could not have happened to a finer newspaper…now, for the rest of my life, I can email, write, catcall and smirk at Page Six, Cindy Adams and the rest of the smug right wing, know-it-all zealots at the NY Post and ask them what they think of Vice President Gephardt’s policies. It has always been a two bit rag, and now they are a two bit laughing stock rag. Ah…nothing like a nice warm karma shower.
But regarding how Kerry could keep it wrapped up so secretly? I truly think he didn’t make up his mind until shortly before the announcement, and I read he only let his wife and two other aides in on the choice before making the call to Edwards.
The email banter on the aviation forum was pretty cool to read though…just shows ya how quickly info can get passed on - unless you are an incompetent, doofus NY Post hack…(see - the fun is already beginning).
How didn’t this leak to the news networks or at least drudge or something? Its the internet, it should take a grand total of 5 seconds before its in the hands of a NBC exec. Or did they just agree to wait because it really didn’t give anyone any advantage to say “Edwards is it!”? I mean, the ceremony in this situation at least was kinda nice to have rather than having it spoiled badly.
I wonder if the guy who tried to take the picture was told “DO NOT TELL ANYONE.”… He didn’t mention anything more than being told not to snap the pic.
NBC ran a story that Edwards was the pick at something like 4:30 a.m. I think what probably happened is that they had the name sometime earlier, but didn’t want to use a web site as their only source until the reporter (Andrea Mitchell) could get hold of someone from the Kerry campaign who would verify it.
I also read somewhere that Kerry’s organization had ordered lots of campaign signs with different names and had them all stacked and ready to go at the rally depending on which name was released.
Plausible; and if the printer got the full order for ALL the likely name combinations, they would have very little to leak out.
As to the tiles and stencils for the airplane livery, probably the same situation: multiple sets of the proper layouts in the right fonts pre-programmed into the computers conected to the plotters; paint, painters and tools at the ready; a couple of alphabet’s worth of stencils and decals of the individual letters. The key is that the only thing left to do be precisely putting together the stencils for E+d+w+a… etc. as per the layout and spraying the paint or sticking the decals… you can finish the job, if not within “a couple of hours”, within two shifts at the hangar.
How come it was not all over the place since last night… well, maybe, just maybe, that thread so quickly degenerated into a political wrasslin’ match that everyone participating was too busy calling one another names to zap a quick IM to some news organization… and the media themselves probably wanted a better source, as kunilou mentioned, lest the NY Post happen. Even Drudge discriminates between a set of “reliable sources” and just any Joe Blow on a message board.
And hey, this gives us a sense that at least on this, the Kerry campaign had its staff and associates all under control, and the candidate himself played his cards close to the vest and did not let it out to anyone who did not really need to know.
Yeah, if I was a news organization, I wouldn’t go with any airline painter source who had anything less than pictures. Even if they have a credible position, they might just be screwing you. No one wants to be the NY Post.
Either CNN or the times mentioned that there were banners with the names of other candidates. They said a few Kerry/Edwards signs had Kerry/Graham on one side.
Drudge had the “scoop” about a week ago that it was going to be Hillary, so I doubt he’s been in touch with anyone in the know in quite some time.
In 1992, I was working for Alamo Rent a Car reservations in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Late one night, I got a call from a representative of the Clinton campaign. They booked a fleet of cars in Nashville, TN. Somehow, I knew that Gore was Clinton’s choice.
I thought of calling the Sun-Sentinel or the Miami Herald with the “scoop.” I believe when I got home around 3:00 AM, CNN was already reporting that Gore would be Clinton’s choice.
Since Edwards’ name was listed on the short list, I think that any leaks from a printer would be dismissed as pure speculation. But, as my experience shows, it is very hard to keep these things secret.
