Behind the Scenes at CNN

Here is a response from my friend Tym, a union worker at one of the CNN events, wrote after I told him I had tacos when I did the CNN debate as a journalist.

“You just got the standard catered fajitas deal for the press- I was working the crew. We got roast beef and cheesecake and other yummies. I was there until 11 pm tonight and will be back to finish tomorrows at 8 am. Its been like that all week. Other than sleep I've been pretty much living there since Sunday building the stage and stuff. Something like 50 hours total by tomorrow, about a grand of work. Yup, I'm definitely voting Democrat now.

"The secret service agent woman with the chewing tobacco was kinda cute, too. She likes the grape vita water by the way. Come to think of it, all the secret service were super mellow and polite and friendly to the crew.

"It was fun to look down on the press from the upper level where y'all weren't allowed. There were two porta potties placed at opposite ends of backstage that we had to also pipe and drape around, the CNN crew referred to them as PPSs (potential president shitters) Hillary needed one of us to put up an extra light by hers but I heard she was very graceful and polite about it. They locked us out during the debate itself but we got to stay on the clock and watch the live feed from the cnn crew room upstairs and I had another piece of that kick ass cheesecake and raided the press catering downstairs for some nachos.
It was a good week to be a union stagehand in Austin.
Second Email:

"Obama's got it. That's obvious. Hilly's great with words and one smart cookie and all that but she comes off as a politician still. She's polished - notice how she always looked straight at the camera while Obama was working the room, making eye contact so much it looked like he was watching a tennis match. God bless John McCain- the only  Republican decent and honest enough to lose to a black man with an absent Daddy from Kenya. I wonder if anyone has ever asked him what tribe his dad was from? Not a good time to live in Kenya at the moment.

"I kinda like “John boy”- he is so damn decent and all sincerely trying to take the real high ground not just the bombastic bullshit of the usual suspects on that side of the aisle. He really is the perfect opponent for a black man and a woman.

"The big question is who Obama is going to take as his running mate. Will it be young righteous Johnny Edwards or Hilly? He'd love it if it were Johnny but he'd be insane to pick anyone but Hilly. You know they'll have cut that deal to keep a united front. No way they are going to let some Republican back in. That much was clear at the debate.

"You didn't see the live individual camera feed that showed them playing footsie under the desk. The secret service confiscated that one.

"Obama's got it. Meanwhile [President] Bush is IN Africa. The SS must be going nuts this month. I think Bush was sent to Africa by the cabal of those in charge to see if he's be nice enough to get bumped off for their sins- the ultimate scapegoat."