Airplane Delay Reason #1734

You’ve been waiting to board a plane, and someone comes over the airport speaker system and delivers a reason for the delay.  I was once on a flight out of Denver where we waited allegedly for a new pilot’s chair to be installed to replace a broken one.

Well, someone from the Hillary Clinton campaign just spoke over the sound system in this gymasium in Ankeny, Iowa.  HRC was due to speak at 12:15 p.m. in this very venue.  The gentleman from the campaign advised she is still sitting on the tarmac in Washington, DC — because her plane has a flat tire.  She will be in the air soon, allegedly, and make up some time flying quickly.  Revised appearance time for HRC in Ankeny, Iowa is 2 p.m. central.

"We’ve ordered everybody lunch as a little bit of a consolation," the Clinton campaign aide told the assembled crowd.  "But we’re probably not going to be here ’til about two o’clock so we wanted to let everybody know.  Don’t start throwing food or anything and we’ll keep you posted.  Thanks."

UPDATE:  Sources reveal the culinary staff at Des Moines Area Community College were making food for the traveling press when they were notified at 10 o’clock this morning they needed to "up" the order to feed 300.  No fish or loaves of bread were on the menu, but then there aren’t 5000 people waiting for Clinton in the venue.  The menu: hamburgers or croissants filled with a selection of three shaved meats, a bag of chips and a cold beverage.

YOUR 1:26 P.M. UPDATE:  Another Clinton staffer takes the microphone to make an announcement to the crowd.  "The fire marshal has asked me to show you where the exits are.  So, if you see that sign back there.  It says exit above the door.  That’s one and the other one, this one’s trickier, is back here and there are two on the other side of this curtain, so in the event of disaster run to a corner," he said, concluding with, "thank you."  The crowd applauded.

YOUR 2:01 PM UPDATE:  A Clinton aide advised the crowd the countdown is to begin.  "Ten minutes, so this will be the last time you hear from me," he said.  Some in the crowd applauded.  A few yelled "Hillary!"  Two minutes later, a woman in the crowd tried to start an "I-O-W-A Hillary Clinton all the way" cheer, but it fizzled.

YOUR 2:12 PM UPDATE:  A woman starts talking, about community colleges.  She did not introduce herself, nor did anyone else.  "It will certainly be well worth the wait," she said of our time here inside the community college gym. "So, it’ll be just a couple more minutes."

It is a standing-room-only crowd now.  More studenys have filtered into the venue, many carrying their book bags.

YOUR 2:19 PM UPDATE:  "Did you have it down?" asked a disembodied voice.  I believe it is a sound check.  Did I mention all times are central?

YOUR 2:27 PM UPDATE:  Some man in a suit walked quickly across the front of the room, prompting some anxious crowd members to cheer, thinking this was a sign of the candidate.

YOUR 2:28 PM UPDATE:  The senator from New York is introduced and enters the room.  She laughs.  "Thank you all so much for being so unbelievably patient.  I’m so, so sorry that I had a little problem with the plane that we chartered.  I was in South Carolina yesterday and trying to get here we had a little difficulty with the tires blowing out and so they couldn’t get it fixed so that meant they had to send in another plane whicvh unfortunately took a lot longer than I hoped it would and I really apologize.  I understand you at least got lunch," Clinton said.  Some in the crowd nodded.  Others applauded.  "Good," Clinton said, then launched into her health care speech — read the next post for details on that.