OLIVIA NUZZI REPORTS FROM HILLARY’S RE-LAUNCH SPEECH: Welcome to Hillary Island, a Pleasant Little Police State.
Saturday’s event, according according to The New York Times, was organized by a small group of Clinton insiders including Huma Abedin, Clinton’s longtime aide and the vice chair of her campaign and Jim Margolis, who helped orchestrate both inaugurations for President Obama.
The result felt borderline dystopian.
Roosevelt Island, transformed by architects in the 1930s to serve as a “living memorial,” looks like a cross between something out of Grand Theft Auto and a ghost town. It has a fake forest, and brutalist apartment complexes. Its abandoned insane asylum was turned into a luxury highrise. . . .
The park feels divorced from Manhattan, whose skyscrapers loom from across the water, not just geographically, but spiritually. With the bomb-sniffing dogs, security guards, metal detectors, police officers, Men In Black-looking security guards and campaign staff speeding around on golf-carts, Hillary Island felt like its own world with its own rule. It’s a serene summertime police state—wherein campaign staffers told reporters to stay in their designated area, away from attendees—pleasant and creepy at the same time. . . .
Some of Clinton’s notes were sour, however. In her criticism of the Republican field of candidate, Clinton alleged, “Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican choir, but they’re all singing the same old song—a song called ‘Yesterday.’” She continued, “You know the one—all our troubles look as though they’re here to stay, and we need a place to hideaway. They believe in yesterday.” Clinton tried to crack a joke, “You’re lucky I didn’t try singing that, too, I’ll tell you!”
At another point, Clinton said, “I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I will be the youngest woman President in the History of the United States! And the first grandmother as well.” She followed it up with another joke attempt. “And one additional advantage: You won’t see my hair turn white in the White House. I’ve been coloring it for years!”
Well, okay then.