Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner

"The Al Smith Dinner" redirects here. For the episode of The West Wing, see The Al Smith Dinner (The West Wing).
Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner
Frequency Annual
Location(s) Waldorf Astoria New York,
New York City, New York, U.S.
Founded 1945 (1945)
Organized by Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation
Website
www.alsmithfoundation.org/the-dinner/

The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, commonly known as the Al Smith Dinner, is an annual white tie fundraiser in the United States for Catholic charities supporting "the neediest children of the Archdiocese of New York, regardless of race, creed, or color."[1] Held at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on the third Thursday of October, it is organized by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation in honor of Al Smith who grew up in poverty and later became the Governor of New York four times and the first Roman Catholic nominated as the Democratic candidate for the 1928 United States presidential election. The dinner is hosted by the Archbishop of New York.

Cardinal Francis Spellman founded and hosted the first dinner in 1945 after Smith's death the previous year. It is generally the last event at which the two U.S. presidential candidates share a stage before the election.[2] Apart from presidential candidates, keynote speakers have included Tony Blair,[3] Tom Brokaw, Bob Hope, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, and many other prominent civic, business, and church leaders.[4]

History

Alfred E. Smith in 1928.

Since 1960, when John F. Kennedy (he would become first Roman Catholic president) and Richard Nixon were speakers, it has been a stop for the two main presidential candidates during several U.S. election years.[5] In 1976, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford spoke; in 1980, Carter and Ronald Reagan; in 1988, George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis; in 2000, Al Gore[6] and George W. Bush;[7] in 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain;[8] in 2012, Barack Obama[9] and Mitt Romney[10] and in 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.[11] Since 1945, only two presidents have not spoken at the dinner: Harry Truman and Bill Clinton.[12] Candidates have traditionally given humorous speeches[13] poking fun at themselves and their opponents, making the event similar to a roast. The 2008 dinner raised $3.9 million.[14] The 2016 dinner raised $6 million.

Since 1980, this custom has been affected by friction between the Democratic Party and the Catholic Church over abortion.[15] During the 1980 dinner, Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter was booed.[15] In 1984, Ronald Reagan spoke, but his opponent, Walter Mondale, opted out, saying he needed time to prepare for an upcoming presidential debate.[16] Amy Sullivan suggests that Mondale's decision was motivated by "tensions between the Catholic Church and the Democratic Party."[15]

In 1996 and 2004, the Archdiocese of New York chose not to invite the presidential candidates. In 1996, this was reportedly because Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor was angry at Democratic nominee Bill Clinton for vetoing a bill outlawing some late-term abortions.[17] The organizers' explanation was that the candidates had been unable to commit to attending the dinner.[17] The vice-presidential candidates spoke instead. In 2004, Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling explained that the candidates were not invited because "the issues in this year's campaign could provoke division and disagreement,"[17] but some speculated that the decision was due to Democratic nominee (and Roman Catholic) John Kerry's pro-choice stance on abortion.[2]

On October 20, 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spoke at the dinner which was hosted by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan who was seated between the two presidential candidates during the event.[11][18] Trump spoke first and, was booed by many of the approximately 1,500 guests for some of his harsh remarks about Clinton,[18] which was in contrast to the usual light-hearted banter. Master of Ceremonies Alfred Smith IV, great grandson of Alfred Smith, stated during an interview by CNN the next morning that "Donald had some very solid minutes early on, and eventually he crossed the line and took it a little too far. Hillary on the other hand, was able to laugh at herself at the same time not underplay any of the serious things Donald Trump has said or did."[19] The 2016 dinner drew 10.3 million viewers and raised a record-breaking $6 million for Catholic charities.[20][21]

In media

During the 2000 dinner, George W. Bush joked, "This is an impressive crowd. The haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base."[6][12] The quote was used in Fahrenheit 9/11 and subsequently in one of John Kerry's 2004 campaign speeches.[22][23]

The dinner was the subject of an episode of The West Wing titled "The Al Smith Dinner".[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation". Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 Wheaton, Sarah; Bosman, Julie (October 14, 2008). "Both McCain and Obama to Speak at Al Smith Dinner". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Tony Blair (October 2007). Written at Waldorf Astoria. Al Smith Dinner (WebM MPEG-4) (Digital video news package). New York, New York: alsmithfoundation.org. duration 7:49. X0YxzGfgHg0. Retrieved October 24, 2016 – via YouTube. 7-minute excerpt from the second British Prime Minister to address the Al Smith Foundation dinner
  4. ↑ "The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner". Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Alfred E. Smith Dinner Gag Writer on Clinton-Trump Roast: "The Rules Don't Apply"". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "A Pause For Humor: 2000 Al Smith Dinner Transcript". pbs.org. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Al Smith Memorial Dinner". c-span.org. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ John McCain Barack Obama (2008). Written at Waldorf Astoria. Al Smith Dinner 2008 (Full Video) (WebM MPEG-4) (Digital video news package). New York, New York: C-SPAN. duration 47:05. pq4zrOoHXeg. Retrieved October 24, 2016 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Barack Obama (18 October 2012). Written at Waldorf Astoria. Raw Video: Watch President Obama's Al Smith dinner speech [67th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner] (WebM MPEG-4) (Digital video news package). New York, New York: CNN. duration 9:32. S6g2YkTAYQ4. Retrieved October 24, 2016 – via YouTube. Mitt Romney and President Obama speak in New York.
  10. ↑ Mitt Romney (18 October 2012). Written at Waldorf Astoria. Raw Video: See Mitt Romney's full Al Smith dinner speech [67th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner] (WebM MPEG-4) (Digital video news package). New York, New York: CNN. duration 10:10. yBelIMrKll8. Retrieved October 24, 2016 – via YouTube. Mitt Romney and President Obama speak in New York.
  11. 1 2 Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump (October 20, 2016). Written at Waldorf Astoria. 2016 Al Smith Dinner (WebM MPEG-4) (Digital video news package). New York, New York: The New York Times. duration 49:44. yGgxr4Sxoas. Retrieved October 23, 2016 – via YouTube. 71st Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. Streamed live on 20 October 2016. Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump deliver remarks at the Al Smith charity dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.
  12. 1 2 Cooper, Michael; Wakin, Daniel J. (September 17, 2004). "Archdiocese Leaves Kerry and President Off Guest List". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ "Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner Compilation". c-span.org. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  14. ↑ Tapper, Jake (October 16, 2008). "Obama and McCain Yuk it Up at Al Smith Dinner". ABC News.
  15. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Amy (October 18, 2008). "How Catholics Are Judging Obama and the Democrats". Time.
  16. ↑ "Mondale Opts to Miss Alfred Smith Dinner". The New York Times. October 16, 1984.
  17. 1 2 3 Chan, Sewell (October 18, 2007). "A Lower Profile for the Al Smith Dinner?". The New York Times.
  18. 1 2 "Gloves come off at 71st annual Al Smith Dinner in New York". Catholic News Service. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  19. ↑ Wright, David (October 21, 2016). "Al Smith V: Trump 'took it a little too far' at charity dinner". CNN.
  20. ↑ Katz, A.J. (October 23, 2016). "10.3 Million Watch Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at Al Smith Dinner". Adweek.
  21. ↑ Goldman, Henry; Jacobs, Jennifer (October 21, 2016). "Trump's Jokes Strike a Sour Tone at New York's Al Smith Dinner". Forbes.
  22. ↑ Halbfinger, David M. (October 3, 2004). "In Florida, Kerry Says 'American Dream Is on the Ballot'". The New York Times.
  23. ↑ "Review: 'Fahrenheit' a powerful, fiery film". CNN. June 25, 2004.
  24. ↑ Bagri, Neha Thirani (October 20, 2016). "The debates are done, but Clinton and Trump will meet again tonight at the Al Smith dinner". Quartz. Retrieved October 22, 2016.

External links

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