Carolina Stompers bop Bothwell for ‘fake applause’; Bothwell cites technical difficulties

Jason Sandford June 30, 2009

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

The Carolina Stompers blast Asheville City Council candidate Cecil Bothwell for what they say is fake applause in a recent video of Bothwell’s campaign kick-off event. The Stompers say “The video’s sound has been altered to make you think that there are more people to support Democrat Cecil Bothwell than what was really there.”

The video, which shows former Asheville Mayor Leni Sitnick endorsing Bothwell, has been since taken off YouTube.

Bothwell fires back, admitting that the sound was altered, but not for any political purposes:

The original sound track was taken directly from the board at the Grey Eagle, hence had only the stage mics, which left Leni’s pauses waiting for applause seeming odd. We added the applause from another mic, but the mix was obviously a problem. Hey, we’re grassroots, we don’t have the money or technical expertise available to big bucks campaigns. But the sequence was honest, if technically glitchy. This is what Leni said. The 400 people in the audience wer paying attention and liked what they heard.

O, it’s going to be one nice, long campaign season, isn’t it? BTW, candidates can start filing for office on Monday.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

New tapes confirm it: Rev. Billy Graham wasn’t perfect

On the streets of Ashvegas: The Beer Queen

4 Comments

Don Yelton June 30, 2009

Politics is all about appearences anyway. Isn’t it. We now have Snow and Rand trying to pass a law saying that municipalities must e-verify the employees of the contractors that work for them. Carl Mumpower has been asking this for a long time.

Here we go with even the democrats trying to appear as conservatives and abandon the very people they were suppose to help. Look out Cecil they will turn on you when your platform begins to not appear the way they want it. Be careful and next time use real applause.

Or if you cut and past make it good like Snow and Rand. But the real proplem is some people are beginning to understand that the party will throw you under the bus when you become a problem. note I said party without a name because that is a universal principle of politics.

We the people must stand up and be tall and demand life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and not death, abortion, rules, taxes and living like someone else says we must.

Reply
Thunder Pig June 30, 2009

I’m not a big bucks foley outfit, but I could have added in applause and atmosphere w/o being as heavy handed as Bothwell’s people did, just using my stock tracks and Audacity.

Reply
Genuine Stompers June 30, 2009

"… more people … than what was really there."
Well, at least we know that’s the genuine Stompers speaking. No faking that.

Reply
Gordon Smith June 30, 2009

I can vouch for the fact that the place was chock-a-block. Aside from POP Asheville, it’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Grey Eagle.

Reply