Staking out Hillary's staff party
Posted: Friday, June 06, 2008 2:51 PM by Mark Murray
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
They've just turned up the music in the backyard of Hillary Clinton's Whitehaven home here in DC. We've seen familiar faces come through in the last 15 minutes, mostly the press advance. A handful of young staffers are also making their way in.
Bill and Chelsea Clinton are at the house with Hillary, who we are told is dressed casually and already out mingling with her guests. Bill will be heading out early, though, to speak at the City Year Convention in Boston tonight. And Chelsea also will depart a bit later to speak at a Texas State Democratic Convention. Both should be back tomorrow for her formal concession.
The stakeout press is trying to keep cool and hydrated outside. It almost feels like covering the arrivals at an award show, without the red carpet and celebrities.
*** UPDATE *** Terry McAuliffe just got roped into doing a quick gaggle (it didn't take much convincing)... Looking relaxed, McAuliffe stopped by to speak briefly with reporters, saying the entire campaign staff is looking to "take some time, relax, and do everything we can to help Barack Obama."
"It was a great campaign, 17 months, everybody worked their hearts out," he said. "Talk about her breaking the glass ceiling, and I think she shattered it. She got in, she got more than 18 million votes, she won a lot of important states. I think I speak for all the staff here, they’re very proud. It was an exciting campaign. It was very close, but now we do everything we can to help Barack Obama become the next president, because it’s about the issues."
McAuliffe said Clinton's mood is "great." Asked if she'd soon do a campaign swing for Obama, he said she would "do anything."
"She has made that clear, she will do anything she can to help Barack Obama," he said. "If he wants her to travel every day she’ll do that."
He would not give much insight into what she'd say tomorrow, saying only that it would get people "pumped up" and build the momentum for the final five months.
As for McAuliffe himself? "Disneyland," he said, with his five children.
*** UPDATE II *** Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee described Clinton's comments to her staff as a touching exchange, and said they were "celebratory." She thanked her staff for everything they did, for putting their lives on hold, and credited them for the some 18 milion people who voted for her.
She encouraged everybody to come to her event tomorrow, saying it would be a critical step in bringing the party together. She reminded them that since she's been voting in the last 40 years, there have been ten presidential elections. Democrats have won only three of them, which she said was a very sobering fact.
She said that George Bush has proved why its important to have a Democratic president, and that they need to ensure that happens. She ended by saying she wanted to ensure we all stay in touch.
Elleithee wouldn't describe whether people were crying, but said it was touching.
