‘92 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION : NEW YORK NOTEBOOK : Sound Bites

“He’s a knight in shining armor on a horse with a flat tire. He can’t run anymore.”

--Bill Grootonk, a Clinton delegate from San Diego, on Ross Perot

“How can I soar like an eagle when I’m surrounded by all these turkeys?”

--a Clinton California delegate complaining about Brown and Tsongas delegates

Partisan Menu?

Food from all 50 states was on the menu at a reception given by Cable News Network. Crab cakes from Maryland, guacamole from California, mahi-mahi from Hawaii. And from Indiana: minced quail. “Pretty to look at but not much substance,” one waiter said. “R.I.P.,” said another.

Flirtation Walk

Ah, to be young, good-looking and a New York City police officer. Guarding the Garden can have fringe benefits. Following the practice of the last two conventions in New York (1980 and 1976), the NYPD has put its best face forward, summoning hundreds of recent graduates of the Police Academy to convention duty. The police left a good impression not only on the delegates, but also on a legion of female and male fans who stopped to flirt.