http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEBACLE AFTER SEN. HILLARY JEERED AND BOOED BY HEROES

Senator Hillary Clinton's inner circle is furious at MIRAMAX king Harvey Weinstein after the former first lady suffered through a public relations nightmare during Saturday's AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES concert in New York City.

Hillary Clinton was jeered and booed by thousands gathered at Madison Square Garden as she took to the stage -- unannounced -- to introduce a movie clip.

VH1 cameras captured firemen and police heroes wildly booing Clinton, who attempted to raise her voice above the shouting crowd.

"Get off the stage! We don't want you here!" yelled one New York City police officer just feet from the senator.

Anti-Clinton slurs spread and intensified throughout the Garden, with many standing near the stage lobbing profanities.

Event-planner and close Clinton friend Harvey Weinstein was visibly shaken as he heard the crowd erupt with boos and jeers, according to an eyewitness.

The junior senator from New York ending up giving the shortest presentation of the evening, clocking in at under 20 seconds.

"How could we not know this would be the wrong forum for Hillary?!" shouted one confidante. "These are cops and firemen who listen to right-wing talkradio. They still think she killed Vince Foster, for Christ sake!"

Other New York politicians received warmer welcomes during the 5-hour concert which featured Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John and others.

Former President Bill Clinton, who took the stage minutes after his wife, worked over scattered boos with talk of the rescuers' heroism.

Following the Clintons, James Taylor soothed the heroes with an acoustic FIRE AND RAIN.

The concert raised millions of dollars for September 11 relief efforts.

Fair use, for educational purposes.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Answers

Thanks for the report, Deb. I had heard a couple of stories about this, one on Fox, and posted the info below, and I knew Drudge would be having it on his radio show at 10 tonight, but hadn't seen an actual formal report until now.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

OG,

Sorry for the duplicate post - I didn't proof the other posts, as I should have. :-( If you want to delete this one, that'll be fine...

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Well, God knows I don't like Hillary, but that shouldn't have happened. Now zero applause, that would have been fine. Applaud the hell out of everyone else (except Bill) and then dead silence for her. That would have been perfect.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Oh no, we need the actual report which wasn't available earlier. Good to see it, makes my heart glad that she's finally getting some payback. She must have forgotten that she and her daughter referred to the police as pigs and that her henchpersons spat on them at the convention.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Peter, during her campaign, she said the NYPD were out of control and should have federal oversight. I believe she also trashed Rudy Giuliani. And there was that incident last week, where her van went through the Westchester Airport security check, stopping 100 yards on, and injured a police officer enough that he was taken to the hospital.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Peter, while I truly appreciate a well chosen silence, it would not have been effective in this situation. Madame Hillary most likely would have taken that to mean awe. Subtleties are often wasted on trash. :-)

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

OG & Brooke: You're right. Your points are very well taken.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

***They still think she killed Vince Foster, for Christ sake!"***

er, uhmmmm....you mean she didn't???

Taz

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

NYDailyNews

N.Y. 'Concert': Ragged But Right

By ISAAC GUZMAN Daily News Feature Writer

Of all the tributes, concerts, benefits and speeches staged in commemoration of Sept. 11, "The Concert for New York City" at Madison Square Garden Saturday night stood out as the most unruly and raucous. For that reason, it was perhaps the best representation yet of a community finding its way in the wake of tragedy.

At times a political rally, at others a burlesque, the concert embraced New York's many facets, allowing each a moment of glory. Billy Joel's heartfelt "New York State of Mind" earned the same rapturous response as Adam Sandler's goofy "Operaman," who championed Mayor Giuliani and the Yankees while razzing the Taliban. Firefighter Mike Moran even earned a standing ovation for suggesting that Osama bin Laden kiss a certain "royal Irish" part of his anatomy.

Turning in the night's most powerful performance, The Who earned the same appreciation without referring directly to the attacks. Instead, the anthemic "Baba O' Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" inspired the audience with a rebellious stance. Roger Daltrey's famed howl during "Won't Get Fooled Again" echoed the note of defiance that the nation has felt while facing an elusive aggressor.

The Who also made a provocative choice in "Behind Blue Eyes," about a misunderstood villain who has an empty conscience and only loves vengeance. Before a crowd that booed Richard Gere for even suggesting we exercise "love, compassion and understanding," The Who made a statement against casting enemies in overly simplistic light.

The sprawling six-hour show was remarkable both for the high quality of its performance and its relatively smooth production. Playing just a few songs each, most of the artists made immediate connections with the audience and, without sounding preachy or false, communicated their empathy.

Melissa Etheridge even managed to pull off a rousing mini-set with a balky microphone and an untuned guitar. Her pluck in the face of these relatively minor, but highly public, setbacks only fueled the crowd's admiration.

The uniformed men and women were as important as the celebrities. They held up photographs of their dead comrades, shouted down politicians they despise and blew off steam by storming the stage. Jon Bon Jovi and one police officer inspired a night of silly hat-wearing when they exchanged a Stetson and cop's cap.

While the earlier "Tribute to Heroes" was a somber affair, "Concert for New York" captured the city in all its hairy glory. Pop music isn't necessarily the lifeblood of New York, but humor, high times and rock's insurgent spirit certainly are.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

In the aftermath of 9-11, Hillary's office claimed that she had provided invaluable assisstance to Giuliani by teaching him the ropes for getting fast disaster assistance from Washington. As if Giuliani was so dumb as to need her help, even considering her vast Congressional experience.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

"fast disaster assistance from Washington"

Wouldn't that be especially insulting to this group which WAS the disaster assistance?

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

even considering her vast Congressional experience.

Excuse me? She was just elected, fer chrissake! she has as much experience in Congress as she does with a loyal husband.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

On its Concert for New York piece, Fox shows a little of Hillary being booed.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

rushlimbaugh.com There are audio clips at the site re booing

aturday night's "Concert for New York", broadcast live from Madison Square Garden, was quite the event - and I'm not just talking about the musical line-up. The presenters were a show within the show itself.

Before I even tell you what happened, let's consider the audience first. They were the heroes of the World Trade Center disaster - cops, firemen, families, emergency workers, basically anyone and everyone directly affected by the events of September 11th. This was their night to honor, heal, and give tribute to their fallen brethren.

It really shouldn't come as any surprise that Senator Hillary Clinton was booed off stage, so how is it that her reps are scratching their heads over this one? Bubba got booed a bit too. A caller to Monday's show asked me to do an impression of Bubba's conversation with Hillary, and I obliged, but again: it really shouldn't come as any big shocker. I can't see how the PR people were dumbfounded.

Nor should it surprise anyone that Richard Gere met the same fate when he walked on stage and attempted to lecture peace and compassion to a crowd most deeply and personally hit by these terrorist attacks. His soapbox of psychobabble melted right underneath him. I'm not knocking his religious beliefs, I know he's a Buddhist, but this was the wrong venue to preach to a crowd still very much in mourning. They didn't need to hear their feelings of anger were wrong - because they're not. It wasn't the time, nor the place to lecture these heroes.

And then there was the unforgettable fireman who told Osama what he could do to his Irish derriere. I had the honor of getting an e-mail from that fireman, Michael Moran, during the program. He did me the honor of saying that the firemen were all fans - which was important since the Drudge Report quoted a confidant of event-coordinator Harvey Weinstein of Miramax and Hillary as saying:

"How could we not know this would be the wrong forum for Hillary? These are cops and firemen who listen to right-wing talk radio!" I wonder how many of Hillary's confidants ran into those burning towers after a statement like that.

If I was Harvey Weinstein, in about a couple of weeks I'd check my package to make sure it's intact. Because it was not supposed to go this way. Hillary is not supposed to be embarrassed this way in front of her own constituents.

Once again, they blame talk radio - and since I am talk radio, they're blaming me. These people smear anyone who gets in their way, even in times of tragedy. Remember that picture on the cover of Time magazine, with that fireman holding the little baby after the Oklahoma City bombing? Bill Clinton tried to slough that bombing off on right-wing talk radio, and a cartoonist drew a picture of that fireman thinking curses about talk radio.

Well, I was proud to say that that fireman said - on talk radio - that contrary to what the administration said at the time, the rescue workers at OK City listened to Rush Limbaugh - not the people who blow up buildings. The rescue workers. The heroes. It was the case then, and it's the case now - and I am so very proud and moved by that fact.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

BostonHerald

Nothing phony about response to Hillary at fete by Margery Eagan

Tuesday, October 23, 2001

For a month now we've refrained from taking childish, if not infantile, if not downright cheap and totally unfair shots at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton - self-proclaimed virtuecrat and humanitarian, most meritorious of the meritocracy, smartest of the smart set, chief priestess of right-thinking, diversity-university, holier-than-thou know-it-alls who surely know that it takes a village and if you don't know it too you are, simply, a knuckle-dragging member of the vast right-wing conspiracy of dunces.

We've refrained, as I said. But we can keep silent no more.

Saturday night, Madison Square Garden. The Heroes of New York spot the ubiquitous pantsuit. They recoil. Like spontaneous generation, like The Wave rolling through Fenway, the boos come to life and crescendo to full throttle, all but drowning her out. ``Thank you. Thank you for being here tonight,'' says Hillary, onstage at ``The Concert for New York.'' Eight words into her greeting, she's shouting to be heard. ``Thank you for supporting New York.'' She's practically bellowing.

``Get off the stage!'' jeers a cop a few feet away.

``Thank you for your generosity.'' She's screeching.

``We don't want you here!!!'' the cop screeches back.

``On behalf of all the people who are going to need help for a very long time . . .''

And the ``anti-Clinton slurs spread and intensif(y) throughout the Garden, with many standing near the stage lobbing profanities.'' We're quoting The Drudge Report here, pardon me. But these are desperate times.

``Please join me in welcoming . . .'' And Hillary goes on bellowing but smiles as if nothing's wrong, as if she were not being pummeled by the very people we and she have canonized since Sept. 11 - New York City police and firefighters and survivors of the World Trade Center tragedy - as if she were not utterly humiliated and ready to pulverize whoever got her into this nightmare. Oh my, my, my. What a deeply satisfying moment it was.

``It's visceral for me,'' an equally thrilled fellow Hillary-hater Kevin Barry said yesterday. ``Who's she to get up on the stage?'' Who, indeed?

And who better to tell her than The Heroes, the real, regular people who apparently can't stomach her fawning phoniness anymore.

Yet according to Drudge again (sorry), a Hillary confidante labeled these same heroes as ``cops and firemen who listen to right-wing talk radio. They still think she killed Vince Foster!''

In other words, heroes when it suits her; knuckle-dragging vast right-wing conspirators when it doesn't.

In case you missed the others, this is the third post-9/11 faux pas for the first feminist who would, heaven help us, be our first female president.

Last week, a black van carrying Hillary and driven by a Secret Service agent blasted through security at a Westchester County airport, injuring a policeman who tried to stop it. First he shouted at them to stop. Then he banged on the van. ``I didn't know if we had a terrorist,'' said vigilant officer Ernest Dymond, who was briefly hospitalized. ``Once I found out who he was, I was even more agitated that he, of all people, should have known.''

Hillary was on her way to a private airplane at the time.

Then there was her petulant performance during President Bush's speech to Congress a month ago. He's talking courage, endurance, patience, love. She's grimacing, rolling her eyes, chatting away, clapping stingily, as if it hurt.

He's reassuring a shattered nation. ``The state of the union is strong.'' She looks, this newspaper said, like she's ``sucking on a lemon.''

Of course, we could cut Hillary some slack here. We could point out, for example, that many of the Heroes of New York overimbibed Saturday. We could. But we won't.

For if there's one bright side to our current horror, it's that we're drawn to what's better among us, what's higher, grander, truer and soul-enlarging - not what's prunish, greedy, grasping, cold-blooded, calculated and completely full of it. Like her.

-- Anonymous, October 23, 2001