Backstage Encounters

Trying to find the boss (Jacob). He’s in some undisclosed location on level A. After walking in the front door of the Pepsi Center I made a left, drafting behind some behemoth FOX News goons dragging large duffel bags on wheels (Bill O’Reilly’s wardrobe?).

The poorly lit hall was lined with cables, wires, signs for networks and the ubiquitous charcoal gray pinstriped Secret Service guys. I downshifted my Harry Truman stride and pulled up to a short, bald guy talking on his phone. James Carville was on my 3 o’clock saying something about McCain.

I walked too far for where I was headed and made a hard left to a set of elevators. Going up? Yup, and so was Jimmy Carter and his oddly small detachment of Secret Service. The ride was short, but when the doors opened and he stepped out, the techies and reporters and others stopped to applaud and cheer for the one-term president and Nobel Peace Prize winner. No bias here!

I stepped in behind Gov. Bill Richardson heading down the hall behind the second level suites. He was good about glad-handing and saying “hi” to the dozens of his people he called by name as he made his way along. The clot of souvenir paparazzi that had congealed around Richardson ran smack into the same clot that had formed around Ohio Congressman early presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich. The media artery nearly had a coronary. Large Secret Service men disgorged the group after graciously allowing another dozen or so photos and off we went.

And that was just getting to the press room.

— James Burrus, Yellow Scene Magazine

More DNC coverage here.