My Weekend with the Edwards Campaign

Well, I've been pretty quiet for the past several days, but I have a good excuse: I was swept up in the preparations for today's visit from John Edwards. We didn't even know he was coming until Friday afternoon. There was a lot of do to get ready, and a few locals and campaign staffers really pulled out all the stops and put on an amazing rally. My role was quite small in the grand scheme of things, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and over the course of a few days, I got a peak into the real grind of a national campaign.

Late Friday evening, I got a call from a friend who was trying to find lodgings for an Edwards staffer who would be coming in from South Carolina that night, to do advance work for today's event. I've got an empty bed, so while said friend was contacting the campaign with a thumbs up, I was washing sheets and getting the room ready. Staffer #1 arrived late Friday and G-Dog and I had a great evening, chatting, getting him up to speed on the Chattanooga scene, and, of course, sharing a few beers.

Saturday morning brought another phone call. This time, it was to ask if I'd be interested in helping to get people (campaign staffers and press) from the airport to the event venue on Monday. Again, it sounded like a nice opportunity to help out a great candidate, so I signed on. Little did I know, Staffer #1 was the one who ended up with the list of volunteer drivers and since I was the only one on the list he'd actually met (this is an assumption on my part), he decided to make me lead driver for the event.

Lead driver? What's that, you ask? That was exactly my question. Imagine my delight when I learned that the lead driver would be the one to carry (as they say in the South) none other than the candidate around town.

(And yeah -- before anyone who's ever been in the car while I've been behind the wheel starts posting smart comments, someone already beat you to it: upon hearing the news, a friend's first question was, "uh... have they ever actually seen you drive?!?!" Ha. ha. ha.)

Anyway, by this point, we'd lost Staffer #1, who had to move on to Nashville to do some advance work for another event on Monday, after the one in Chattanooga. But never fear! Just as Staffer #1 moved on, Staffer #2 showed up on our doorstep!

I think this is about when Emmie, who's off having college fun, so was able to generously (and unknowingly) volunteer her room for this project, suggested that we should get a sign saying something to the effect of "Chez 10K Bed and Breakfast." But I think given both the fact that everyone rushes out so quickly in the morning, and our fondness for evening libations, "Chez 10K Beer and Bed" might be more appropriate. ;-)

Well, back to my story... Sunday was a busy day. I rehearsed my route for Monday, making sure there was no construction, checking out the procedure at the airport hangar where the flight would land, and so on. Between that, errands, phone calls, some stuff at work and a little therapeutic cooking, the day flew by, and before we knew it, Staffer #2 had been joined by Staffer #3 (who was in his third state just for that day) and we enjoyed another evening of fascinating conversation.

Monday started very early and was an eye-opening experience. I'm sorry if you've been reading this expecting some kind of revelations from the inner workings of the Edwards campaign. I wouldn't share it here (on a blog, of all places!) even if I did learn some juicy secrets, but the fact is, my role here was simply to provide comfort to some dedicated and seriously over-worked staffers while staying out of their way, so that they might best get their jobs done. And the great revelation here was just how brutal the incessant campaigning can be. These guys run on all cylinders for very long days, and then have only very short nights with which to recharge.

But the physical demands on these guys is nothing compared to the relentless activity that is expected of a candidate. I was absolutely exhausted just watching Senator Edwards in the three hours I spent with him. Between the airport and the event, he was on the phone, doing an interview for a radio station in a western state he will be visiting later this week. From there, he fought his way into the hall (with people grabbing at him with every step), gave local politicians some face time, delivered an awesome speech, and then dealt with the demands of the attendant media. By the time he struggled back to the car, I was completely drained on his behalf.

And again, I don't have any great divulgence to share from my time in the car, heading back to the airport. His interminable schedule is so brutal that it was obvious that the best way I could be helpful was to be quiet and let him enjoy a precious few moments of peace between the great sieges that pepper his day. The ride back to the airport was quite the contrast from the frantic activity and communication that defined the first leg of our journey. A few deep breaths and several minutes of downtime were hopefully restorative as he was propelled by an incredible passion back into that plane for a quick half-hour trip up to Nashville to start the insanity all over again.

Today, I am in awe of every single candidate who has hit the campaign trail -- whatever motivations got them there, they must each be unbelievably dedicated to their great quests for this office. It's a brutal business.

In the meantime, a lot has happened in all the campaigns -- Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama (along with Caroline and Patrick), was huge, and only the most stunning of many rebukes received by Bill Clinton for recent ill behavior. And tonight, of course, is the State of the Union, followed by tomorrow's Florida primary, a Republican debate on Wednesday, the Democratic debate on Thursday and then a whole slew of primaries and caucuses next week! Whew!

And finally, if you were looking really closely at that photo up at the top of the post and wondering, who is that, just a short arm's length from the Senator? Why, it is Emmie and her boyfriend! :-D