Bill Clinton visit to Wilmington and the bigger picture in politics

Jonathan Doi | Contributing Writer

As I walked along Front Street towards Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station Commons, I enjoyed the cool fall breeze that whispered through the sunlit treetops. The air was clean and felt good to breathe. The sounds of traffic and construction formed a pleasant backdrop for the upcoming event. Former President Bill Clinton came to town to campaign for his wife, Hillary.

A large crowd had formed a neat line that stretched from the Schwartz Center, north along the east side of Nutt Street. The colorful line of people disappeared around the corner of Hanover Street, as they waited patiently to enter. Men, women, children and babies with different colors of skin, different bone structure, different heights, weights and styles of dress all mingled together. Smiles were plentiful. I felt a warm sense of community.

Suddenly a car sped past the crowd, a window rolled down and a young man shouted, “Go Trump,” at the top of his lungs; it was a stark contrast to the peaceful gathering, but consistent with the long campaign. I heard a woman innocently confess, “They scared me,” a result from a tactic that certain politicians seem to favor.

Finally, the volunteers began to funnel the crowd into the event area. An older gentleman volunteer checked tickets shouting, “Please show your ticket, a ticket and a smile.” Over and over he shouted, “A ticket and a smile,” and the people actually smiled for him.

Positive energy flowed into the outdoor amphitheater in the old railbed below 2nd Street, where the event would take place. Warm sunlight poured into the intimate space, as the song “Outstanding” by The Gap Band played loud over the speakers.

An announcer’s voice blared, sounding a bit like an ultimate fighting title match, with a level of false enthusiasm and volume that was almost painful to my ears. He introduced the Mayor of Wilmington, Bill Saffo, who came to the stage to kick off the event. His shouting and political rhetoric was echoed by a number of other local politicians who offered the typical ambiguous talking points. The crowd reciprocated with cheers of excitement, as if the goal were to drown out the meaningful objectives with nonsensical jubilee.

Above the crowd, President Clinton’s cavalcade passed over the 2nd Street bridge, a glimmer of hope that some substantive discussion would soon emerge. Cheers rang out from the crowd as they eagerly anticipated his arrival. John Legend’s “Wake Up Everybody” came over the speakers, and from my place in the crowd, I could make out Bill Clinton’s silhouette behind the black curtain. It was finally time to hear from the man of the hour.

Almost immediately after President Clinton took the stage, a heckler accused the Clinton Foundation of stealing from the taxpayers, but Clinton handled the situation masterfully, responding, “Well, you don’t have to worry, because your candidate doesn’t pay taxes.” I wondered if this speech would just be a repeat of the amateur back and forth name calling that had dominated the campaign thus far.

However, as the crowd started booing and yelling at the heckler, who was being escorted out by the Secret Service, President Clinton reasoned with his supporters saying, “No, no, don’t boo them. Don’t behave like them.” Then followed up with a bit of sarcastic humor saying, “When you don’t have the facts on your side, scream.” He admitted that Trump supporters have “a reasonable beef,” but that “so often in our political system, it just becomes a screaming match.”

President Clinton joked saying, “I know it’s not fashionable anymore, but I really do like facts.” He went on to explain the “facts” that he believed should lead voters to elect his wife. He discussed equal opportunity for all Americans to participate in our society. He talked about the importance in improving the education system, small business opportunities, healthcare and anti-discrimination initiatives. While President Clinton’s “facts” had more substance than the points made by the speakers who opened for him, in the end, it still boiled down to political rhetoric.

This seems to be the theme of modern American politics. We judge our political candidates by their ability to speak and get us excited. After a bunch of hooting and hollering, we elect whichever one was most convincing. Then, after they’ve been in office for a while, we condemn them for being two-faced liars 

They know they won’t get elected unless they tell us what we want to hear. And what most Americans seem to want to hear is that our elected official will make positive changes and solve our problems. But our elected officials are powerless to make positive changes and solve our problems if our behavior is the root of those issues. For instance, if we want to grow small businesses and improve the local job market, we have to stop shopping at multinational retail corporations. We vote with our dollars, which is why our political system is so dependent on money. If we want positive change in America, we, the citizens of America, are going to have to start taking responsibility for our actions.

A lot of people in America tend to point their finger to place the blame on someone who, as President Clinton put it, “has different problems.” This is highly evident in our political debates. But today, a beautiful message prevailed. Cooperation works better than conflict. We can live together. We can thrive together, if we work together, and take care of each other embracing each other’s differences, as a true community.