Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner

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The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner , commonly known as the Al Smith Dinner , is an annual dinner held to raise funds for charity. It is organized by the Roman Catholic Church and is held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York . It always takes place on the third Thursday of October. It is organized by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, which honors former New York Governor Al Smith . The host is the Archbishop of New York.

Gentlemen wear tailcoats for dinner . The first dinner took place in 1945, a year after Smith's death. It is usually the last meeting of the two US presidential candidates before the election. Both candidates give a speech. In addition to the candidates, there are the so-called keynote speakers , who are particularly important. These included B. Clare Boothe Luce , Bob Hope , Henry Kissinger , Tom Brokaw and Tony Blair .

history

The presidential candidates have met there since 1960 (when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy spoke). In 1976 Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter spoke . 1980 Carter and Ronald Reagan ; 1988 Michael Dukakis and George HW Bush ; 2000 Al Gore and George W. Bush ; 2008 John McCain and Barack Obama ; 2012 Barack Obama and Mitt Romney and 2016 Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump . Only two presidents have not spoken there since 1945, Harry Truman and Bill Clinton. The candidates usually give speeches that are self-deprecating and poke fun at the opposing candidate. In 2008, it raised $ 3.9 million.

Since 1980 the dinner has been shaped by tensions between the Democratic Party and the Roman Church. The reason is the different attitudes towards abortion in the USA. In 1980 President Jimmy Carter was booed. In 1984 Ronald Reagan spoke, but his opponent Walter Mondale resigned because he wanted to prepare for the debate. Amy Sullivan suspected tensions between the Democrat Mondale and the Catholic Church as the reason .

In 1996 and 2004, the Archdiocese of New York did not invite the candidates. The reason is said to have been Cardinal O'Connor's anger over Bill Clinton because he wanted to allow late abortions. Another reason was officially given: Problems with scheduling appointments The vice-presidential candidates spoke instead of the candidates. In 2004 the candidates were not invited due to fear that the tension between the two was too great. Speculation about John Kerry's stance on abortion was given as a reason.

In the media

In 2000, George W. Bush quipped: “This is an impressive crowd. The haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base. "(" This is an impressive group of people. The have and the more-have. Some people call you the elite. I call you my (voter) base. ") This quote appeared in Michael Moore Fahrenheit 9/11 and was later used in John Kerry's campaign speeches

In the television series The West Wing (episode "The Al Smith Dinner"), dinner plays a central and eponymous role.

Web links

  • The dinner on the website of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Both McCain and Obama to Speak at Al Smith Dinner . In: The New York Times , October 14, 2008. 
  2. ^ Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Speakers 1946-2013 ( Memento from October 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ^ Archdiocese Leaves Kerry and President Off Guest List . In: The New York Times , September 17, 2004. 
  4. ↑ Jake Tapper: Obama and McCain Yuk it Up at Al Smith Dinner . In: ABC News , October 16, 2008. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. 
  5. ^ A b c Amy Sullivan: How Catholics Are Judging Obama and the Democrats . In: Time , October 18, 2008. 
  6. ^ Mondale Opts to Miss Alfred Smith Dinner . In: The New York Times , October 16, 1984. 
  7. ^ A b c Sewell Chan: A Lower Profile for the Al Smith Dinner? . In: The New York Times , October 18, 2007. 
  8. ^ Both McCain and Obama to Speak at Al Smith Dinner . In: The New York Times , October 14, 2008. 
  9. ^ Archdiocese Leaves Kerry and President Off Guest List . In: The New York Times , September 17, 2004. 
  10. ↑ David M. Halbfinger: In Florida, Kerry Says 'American Dream Is on the Ballot' . In: The New York Times , October 3, 2004. 
  11. ↑ Review: 'Fahrenheit' a powerful, fiery film . In: CNN , June 25, 2004.