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My third day at the Dem Convention in Denver – officially the 2nd day of the event. Ladies and gentleman, it was an EXHAUSTING day. Studio '08 was insane, and other than one 10-minute break to grab a sandwich, I was on my feet going 100 mph all day. I drained six blisters from my feet this morning (lovely image, sorry).
I had a chance to say hello to President Carter. He was very kind and friendly, but at 84, the years are showing. His security detail was huge, and people were lining up hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I really didn't appreciate what a rock star icon he is to some people. Our stage manager, Lori, totally geeked out when Carter came through. She tossed off her headphones and asked for a photo. Carter charmingly obliged, but I thought his Secret Service detail might step in and throttle her for practically tackling the former president.
"That made this entire gig worthwhile. That was my geek moment," she said after she got the photo. "Everyone is allowed one."
Those of us on the crew have pretty extraordinary access to these powerful men and women, and I've been making the most of it. I've discovered that they all seem to love it when you speak with them casually and have a sense of humor. I know this comes as no surprise to those who know me personally, but I've been pretty extroverted with these people, and I've found myself in many cool conversations with them.
I'm a fan of Senator Jim Webb of Virginia (pictured). He's a former Navy Secretary and former Republic
an. We chatted for a few minutes, and I told him that he owed me $20. "Why's that," he asked? "I picked you for vice president, and my friend Mary picked Biden, and now I have to buy her lunch." He laughed. "Send me the bill, and stop gambling on politics," he said.Steny Hoyer is the majority leader in the House, and a very powerful man. He had quite a crew of handlers hovering around the studio. Well, it happens that Hoyer is the representative of the area in which I grew up, back in Maryland. We sat there and chatted about lovely redneck Charles County, Maryland, for about five or six minutes. I sarcastically asked him what his favorite restaurant in Charles County was, and he chuckled. "Burger King?" he said, and slapped his security chief on the shoulder. Turns out the security guy graduated from my rival high school.
One of my favorite politicians yesterday was Iowa governor, Chet Culver. The guy is only 42, and he is a mountain of a man. Huge dude. "So, let me guess," I said to him. "They threw a bunch of guys in a room to wrestle, and whoever survived got to be governor?" He laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty much what it was like." We talked for a while about the floods in Iowa this summer, and he admitted that the last few months had been pretty brutal. He told me that nothing can truly prepare you for what it feels like to be a governor when a natural disaster happens.
A North Carolina woman named Pamela Cash Roper was another favorite. She's not a politician, but for some reason played a big role in Obama's North Carolina primary campaign and was a speaker at the convention. She and I stood around cruising boys. "That one there is cuter than a speckled puppy," she said about Jason, one of our sound guys. "Does he play for your team or mine?" When I informed her that Jason is straight, she said, "Oh good, make sure he hooks my microphone up! And tell him to take his time!" The rest of the day, I called Jason by his new nickname: Speckled Puppy.
OK, so to my geek moment. Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina was in the studio, and his press secretary was very cool. We were hanging out while the governor was doing his live feeds back to North Carolina news stations, and I told him about my friend Mindy who is fighting her fourth round with cancer (and doing great!). "Do you want him to write a note to her or something," he asked me? I told him I had a better idea. I grabbed a Sharpie from one of the camera men and wrote "Get Well Mindy" on a piece of paper. "That's awesome," the press secretary said.
So, when the governor came out, I chatted with him, told him about Mindy, and we got the picture below. The governor then took the piece of paper and spent the next few moments writing a personal note to Mindy on the sign, wishing her luck and telling her to be strong.
Think what you like about politicians, but I cannot tell you how impressed I've been this week with their kindness and willingness to connect on a very personal level. Maybe it's the environment, maybe it's because I'm catching them in these quiet moments, but they've all been great.
As Easley was leaving, Lori said, "That was a really good geek moment. Really cool." I felt like I had used mine pretty well. (Mindy, Governor Easley's note is on its way to you.)
Quite a bit of attention yesterday was paid to the Hillary speech and her impact on the convention. Here's what I'll add to the story ...
The booking room is down the hall from our studio. Imagine the floor of the stock exchange. That's what it's like. Dozens of people shouting, pounding away on laptops and Blackberrys, making frantic phone calls – all trying to book television spots with stations around the country. It's a madhouse, and I go in there as seldom as I can. But, last night when Hillary took the stage, the place ground to a halt. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone turned to the TV and watched her speech. Unlike the floor of the convention which was going nuts, the booking room was just full of tired people, listening. I saw at least six people tearing up. Say what you want about Hillary, but she inspired a lot of people – not just last night, but throughout the entire campaign season.
Oh, and while I was listening to Hillary, I was standing next to Brian Schweitzer. Yeah, he's the governor of Montana. He didn't tear up or anything, but he turned to me and said, "That was pretty damn good, huh?"
"Yeah, and she rocked that peach pansuit, too," I said.
He slapped his jeans and said, "I'm glad I'm not from New York."
