USD Magazine, Fall 1996

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media filing center and the advance teams from both parties spend Tuesday, Oct. 15, in a section of the Forum dubbed Spin Alley. They set up cameras, sound equipment and chairs where party members will gi rviews immediately following the debate. ers are big-name politicians and campaign offi- cials who come into town specifically to talk up their candidate to reporters in the hours following the 90-minute debate. On Wednesday, Oct. 16, while campaign staffers close to the can– didates walk Dole and Clinton through their morning sound checks in the theater and introduce them to the surroundings, activity in the U.C. kicks into high gear. Copy machines grind out position statements on issues likely to come up in the evening meeting, staffers handle pre-debate media requests and the Marketplace is turned into the White House brief– ing room. During the debate, spinners watch on televisions down– stairs and strategize about responses they will give starting at 7:30 p.m. Upstairs in the filing center, the ranks of the campaign staffers have swelled with students who hustle from table to table handing reporters transcripts of the debate and position statements from the candidates. The moment Jim Lehrer officially ends the town hall meeting, a parade of spinners begins at both ends of the U.C. Two by two, the politicians and campaign workers car– rying name signs walk upstairs and into the filing center to be immediately surrounded by television, radio and print journalists. Jesse Jackson arrives early for the Democrats, but he needs no sign. Not far behind him come George Stephanopoulos, senior adviser to the president; Henry Cisneros, secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and Laura Tyson, national economic advis– er to Clinton. The so-called

ob Dole drank Hawaiian Punch and President Bill Clinton brought his own napkins with the presidential seal. On the morning following the final presidential debate, the empty can and used napkin were the only

evidence that the two candidates indeed used the specially furnished green rooms to relax before taking the stage in Shiley Theatre. Tucked in the back hallways of Camino Hall, the classrooms were transformed into makeshift living rooms with couches, easy chairs, desks, phones and televisions. The snacks were plentiful. Elsewhere on campus, evidence of the candidates' presence was not nearly so sparse. Room upon room was taken over by the hundreds of campaign staffers who arrived days before the Oct. 16 showdown and stayed long after the candidates left the USD campus. Campaigning in the '90s has become so sophisticated that each candidate boasts an entourage broken into groups with names such as the advance team, the press pool and the spinners. Starting Monday, Oct. 14, the Clinton/Gore and Dole/Kemp staffers are easily identifiable with their turquoise and white credentials hanging around their necks. Some have been on campus for several days, but this is the day jockeying for position begins in earnest. Advance teams have arrived to assess their temporary office space and immediately ask for additional rooms. The Clinton/Gore press corps takes over the downstairs east wing of Hahn University Center. Visitors must first step through temporary curtains creating a doorway, then state their purpose to a student posted outside the office door. The volunteer campaign worker steps inside the bustling office to find the appropriate spokesperson. The White House advance team equips the meeting rooms of the U.C. with televisions, computers, phones and plenty of tables. Two copy machines are just down the hall. More curtains separate the east and west sides, keep– ing visitors and workers from crossing over to the Dole/Kemp headquarters.

The Democrats enter from the east, the Republicans from the west doors. Soon though, Spin Alley becomes a sea of bobbing signs with Republicans and Democrats drifting amongst each other.

The Democrats enter from the east, the Republicans from the west doors. Soon though, Spin Alley becomes a sea of bobbing signs with Republicans and Democrats drifting amongst each other. Haley Barbour, chairman of

the Republican National Committee, stands a few feet from Leon Panetta, White House chief of staff, with only a tightly packed group of reporters separating the two. George Shultz, Dick Cheney and Susan Molinari cir– culate for the Republicans. Meanwhile, eager campaign workers squeeze from person to person snap– ping photos with disposable cameras. Apparently their work is done. It's time to stargaze and collect some memories.

The Republicans take over a large lounge on the west side, keeping the couches and comfortable chairs in the room. Four televisions sit on a long table with labels showing which network will be seen on each screen the night of the debate. A section in the back of the room is shielded by more blue curtains that hide a bank of computers, phones and another TV. Patriotic colors and big vases of flowers keep the room looking festive. Upstairs, the Forum and student dining hall is transformed into a

- Jill Wagner '91

Jesse Jackson stumped for the Democrats in Spin Alley.

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