Joe Over: An Eyewitness Report
Wonkette operative David Patterson bravely disregards orders to go to the Lee Highway Hyatt and instead stumbles upon the Lieberman "we'd better give up this charade" party in its actual location in Rosslyn. (Oops.) Here's his report on Joe2004NoMore:
First, there were, well, a lot of Jews. More Jews than usual at your average presidential-candidate concession speech. A lot more, plus a few Hasidim in their best black. The lobby was chockablock with lolling youth, just wasting time in a defeated state on the fat lounge squabs. They sported a lot of Joe stickers on their persons. Up a half-flight towards the ballroom, a fair amount of smoke wafted from the bar.
Further upstairs, behind a porta-bar ("beer: $6") and the emptying coat-racks, was the Main Event. CNN was on all around, with single male youth watching Larry King interview the Bobs Dole and Woodward. Many young women, coifed to kill (Who did all the precinct work in Delaware at six a.m.?) and also frequently alone, stood with red-and-blue Joe2004 signs rolled up, souvenir-style. CNN broke away to go live to Sharpton, possibly expecting another blessed drop-out notice, but he just talked about his bronze medal in SC, and about how he beat Lieberman there, and about how he got into the "double digits." At which point an allegiant Joester said, "What an asshole," but actually only clearly enunciated "ass" before demurely covering his mouth with an embarrassed wince. It's okay, I thought, It's okay.
The candidate himself was in the back, in a holding room, surrounded by his most loyal staff and volunteers, behind a door hung with a paper sign that read "Do Not Enter." A few guys bobbed around outside, wondering if it meant they couldn't go in, and finally decided that the sign meant they couldn't. The Joe chamber was violated repeatedly, however, by other men in blue or white oxford button-downs with greater confidence (the men, not the shirts).
Heard behind CNN's Man in Roslyn: "A bunch of kids from Delaware need to stay at your house." "They're going to the party?" "Yeah, how late do you think they'll stay?" "Not past one. They've been up since five; they'll never make it past then."
The energy was macerating fast in the soon-to-be wee hours. In a nutshell: the end of the Joementum.
Image: Dane's Lieberman Report [Brendan Loy's blog]