Monday Mug Shot

C-Span Promotional Mug
Omnicom Cable, 1992

This is a nice topical mug this week, don’t you think? Tomorrow is Election Day in the US. I am doubly immersed in my American Democratic culture this week, as I also start the week off on jury duty at the county court. That amazed me when I got the summons for it. I registered to vote in Michigan n my 18th birthday and wasn’t called for jury duty the first of only 2 times until I was 30 years old! I have been an official and registered resident of Ohio for slightly over a year and a half! I was summoned twice in Michigan and had to actually go to the courthouse both times, but I wasn’t seated on a jury. We’ll see what my first time in Ohio is like.

The mug was a giveaway from C-Span to the cable companies in 10992. 1992 was also the first election I covered for local TV. I covered 4 elections during my tenure at Omnicom. I didn’t make it home before 2AM for any of them! ‘92 was the first year that Bill Clinton ran for President with Al Gore as his running mate. I was allowed to wear my “I voted” sticker that I got in the morning when I cast my vote, but I was not allowed to wear my “Clinton-Gore” pin. I had to leave it in my car. Even though we were covering the returns for the local races, we still had to present a neutral position.

It was a pretty cool experience. I was with the crew in Plymouth, Michigan at the Newspaper office. Candidates were stopping in all night, checking on the returns and taking advantage of the opportunity to be interviewed by the paper, the cable crew or preferably both! On election night it’s too late to get any more votes, so it was all pretty “up” stuff. Win or lose, politicians want you to believe they did it gracefully so they politically alive to see another race!

It was a little after one in the morning when we were packing up our equipment and removing the electronic media to return the paper’s office to a print palace. Once we got back to home base and put stuff away, we weren’t even talking a out a coffee before going home. Half the staff had to be back in the morning for final results and video editing! It was already 2:00!

I stopped at the local Amoco/Dunkin Donuts on the way home to make sure I stayed awake for the 15 minute drive home! I had put my political pin back on my coat and it indeed was noticed by a few people as I waited for coffee. By 2:00, everyone knew it was not a support pin anymore, it was a victory pin! It was the first time a candidate I voted for in one of the national races won!

Now, without the up ‘til 2AM, I hope that happens again.