So, as I was going over some of the research on my tiny plane/canoe-in-the-sky, the nice gentleman sitting next to me (who I thought was a political speech writer from sneaking looks on his lap top) leaned over and asked which candidate I worked for. He turns out to be Walter Shapiro, Washington Bureau Chief of Salon.com. When he finds out what I’m doing in New Hampshire, he gives me some advice. First, the quirkier the questions, the better and second, my job as moderator will be to cut the senator off from speech stumping.

Then he gets this big grin on his face and whispers, I’d like to hear someone ask the Senator, “what makes him think running a small law firm qualifies him to run a country?”

I hope that wasn’t “off the record.” Thoughts?

From the Road,
xo

At the airport, waiting to get on a plane to Manchester, NH. First, I’ve got the worst allergies and I’m hoping that I won’t be snotting while moderating the debates on Thursday. Second, this is going to be one of those small planes where they ask you to sit according to weight, like you're in a canoe or on a tandem bicycle…. I am not in the least worried about that.

But, back to the issue at hand, I’m off to what will hopefully be an historic journey of political magnitude unlike anything our generation has seen before! How’s that for enthusiasm. I’ve been totally dorking out at my video on the MySpace page and refreshing every 15 seconds to see the views incrementally change. It’s strangely the most gratifying thing I’ve done in weeks. You just sit there and hit refresh and scream…20 more people saw the video! I know, it’s a pointless way to use my time, but really fun while I’m packing and getting ready for the trip. The thing about the “internets” is it’s instant gratification. You can feel people clicking on to something you’ve done and that small task of someone actually reading your blog, taking time to comment or click on a video feels earned. Conversely, when things are “silent” you feel like you haven’t hit the spot. TV is different. It’s like working in a glass bubble: You never really know what people are thinking or if they’re watching or what they would say if I were in the room.

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Ok, so I'll never be president...at least until Schwarzenegger gets the Constitution changed....which isn't such a far fetched idea considering, well, I won't say the obvious. But, I get to meet the potential next president of the United States on Thursday in New Hampshire. There are many things that go through one's mind when offered an opportunity like this. The first is a series of….”uh-oh, I’m not smart enough or activist enough or white-male enough” (that's for another day), and then the second thought is “Holy sh--, what do I wear?” I mean seriously, my wardrobe consists of Hello Kitty prints and skinny jeans.

I'm just being really, really honest and what I really want to say is that I'm nervous, excited and kind of vomitous at the same time. I hope that doesn't deter you guys from coming with me on this ride. It'll either be the coolest thing ever or fodder for a Christopher Guest movie. Read More...