GOP Strategist: “Hillary Clinton Coming Over Hill with Pitchfork” .. and Other Random Things Overheard on the Amtrak Acela

Posted on 07. Feb, 2008 by Dave in Random Musings

For the last few months, I’ve been taking the train several times a month between Baltimore to my gig in Connecticut or New York City. And during those trips, mostly on Amtrak’s business Acela service, I’ve always been amazed at the conversations people have on cell phones that are well within earshot of other passengers. They talk about acquisitions, firing and hiring people, competitive issues and so much other stuff that even if a few of them leaked or were overheard by the wrong person I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a good day for the person who is oblivious to their conversation being overheard.

Today is one of the more festive versions.

On a trip from NYC, a big-wig GOP political strategist is talking to a reporter giving ‘background off the record’ information about presidential campaign strategy. Surely nothing that would be breaking news, but surely enough he wouldn’t want to be named with the story. And this is a guy who has been a named direct source in dozens of articles about the presidential campaign over the past few weeks. Of course, on the very next call he talks to someone else and now I likely know the publication he was talking to.

One of the funnier lines was in a conversation with an apparant colleague where he is chastizing some GOP candidate for screwing up in Iowa, Michigan or some other place, but then seems a lot more concerned that democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is ‘coming over the hill with a pitchfork’. Great stuff.

In just the first 30 minutes outside of Manhattan, I’ve learned this person’s:

full name and occupation (and with a little real-time Googling, his entire bio)

his cell phone number

know who a few of his clients are

know a lot more about presidential campaign advertising strategy in Iowa and New Hampshire than I care to

what parties he is going to (or not going to) in the coming weeks

who he is having dinner with Tuesday night

where he is going to Tuesday morning, who is he meeting, how long and why

he likes him some Heineken and delicious Amtrak chocolate truffles

Someone could make a living selling business and political secrets and strategy — or heck even the personal ones — overheard on the Acela. Heck, even just an intern for the DNC tasked with sitting behind this guy on the train could get some good tidbits. Sadly, the woman behind him is like 70 and wearing headphones, but ya never know!

Granted, none of this is as scathing or funny as seeing a man in his mid-50’s telling his wife on the phone that he loves her. Only to grope his 20 or 30-something assistant seated right next to him on the train right after. And I’ve seen that more than once.

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