Davie Crockett's Speech Tactics

The ruse worked perfectly.  The crowd roared with laughter, and that gave him confidence to go on to other rough stories that only won the listeners even more.  Knowing that his opponent would get to speak after him, though, and worried that the man would show up the complete lack of substance in his speech, Crockett concluded by saying that he felt keenly thirsty and suggested that the voters join him at the whiskey stand.  Most of them did, leaving his opponent speaking to a largely empty field while Crockett continued his storytelling at the liquor barrel.  In the entire episode Crockett sold himself to the voters, while never risking alienating one of them with an unwelcome opinion on the subject of the county seat.

-William C. Davis, Three Roads to the Alamo