Everyone Danced The Macarena At The 1996 Democratic National Convention (Yes, Really)

Those of us watching the closing moments of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday were treated to an insane political spectacle. The balloon drop was more than massive, and spawned images and video of a presidential ticket excitedly smacking balloons in front of a cheering crowd. Take a look.

Pretty silly right?

But you know, whatever. Bill Clinton was going H.A.M. He brought a damn balloon to Charlotte. Never stop living large, Bubba.

Ok, insane. We all agree. But let’s remember back to 20 years ago. Surely the last time a Clinton accepted the nomination, things were much more sober and adult. If we check the tape we’ll see…

Yep. That’s a whole national convention doing the Macarena. Before you cry fake, it’s insanely real. C-Span has four minutes of Macarena coverage. Al Gore, the famously irrepressible cut-up and goof, has a really good Macarena joke in his speech. We know. Breathe. Take a second. People hailed it as a significant political moment. Here are two adults, speaking seriously on Democracy Now, about why the Macarena signaled a more inclusive Democratic party. “Well, why the ‘Macarena’?” Salim Muwakkil asks. “Well, the song projects a hip, energetic, multi-culti image of the Democratic Party on national TV. It also reminds America that the Democrats oppose English-only laws, since the song was originally all in Spanish. But you have to wonder if the political handlers who designed this convention bothered to listen to the lyrics.” No words. Also, if you have video of Jack Kemp dancing the Macarena please send that to us. We need it for research.