[The 90’s raw: Eddie Tape #110 – Democratic convention]

Eddie Tape #110. Democratic convention. Becker at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, various interviews.

00:00Copy video clip URL Al Gore and his entourage walking through the Intercontinental Hotel lobby in New York City.

00:40Copy video clip URL Interview with a staff member at the Staff press room for the 1992 Democratic National Convention in the hotel. The area is filled with video equipment and television monitors playing broadcasts of the convention and election campaign-related events such a speech delivered by Jesse Jackson, and interview with Jackson’s mother. The man notes that it’s the staff’s job to keep up with all these broadcasts. The room is filled with multiple computers on multiple tables. The man describes the area as the press nerve center. “Every person here deals with a specific function.” He introduces the videographer, Eddie Becker, to the area and the staff. He points out the radio department, Ethan Zindler, press office worker,  and Ken Chitester, a deputy in Little Rock who helps with news analysis. He points out Kim Hopper, press person for Hillary Clinton.

03:02Copy video clip URL The man continues a tour of the press nerve center. He points out press people for Bill Clinton and for Al Gore. He takes Becker to the Surrogates desk, press people booking interviews for surrogates of Bill Clinton and Al Gore such as friends, associates. At the VP desk we find staffers from various Democratic organizations. At the Bill Clinton desk, Charles Marcus is on the phone. He notes his job is to log and keep track of interview requests. Continued b-roll of Marcus on the phone rescheduling a press interview.

07:58Copy video clip URL The man introduces Avis LaVelle, press secretary. He notes they served together in Mayor Daley’s office in Chicago. She notes today is busy. Governor Clinton is meeting with Nelson Mandela, Clinton’s preparing for a speech, plus there are television interviews scheduled. She notes they take hundreds of inquiries in this room about where Clinton is, what’s he doing, what does he think on a certain issue. She notes she and a couple of others are authorized to speak on Clinton’s behalf.

09:30Copy video clip URL The tour continues at the Regional Press desk where tow aides are dealing with inquires from regional press. One aide on the phone doesn’t want his conversation recorded.

10:45Copy video clip URL The schedule at the Surrogates desk. It shows friends and associates of Clinton and Gore scheduled for interviews with various media outlets.

11:20Copy video clip URL Continued tour of the nerve center. At the Arkansas desk staffers take press requests from sources in Arkansas. People on the phone, at computers. A man explains how he feeds audio from a cassette tape over a phone line. He notes the sound bites includes moments from speeches and interviews. He plays an excerpt for an example.

15:40Copy video clip URL Makeshift reception area.

16:22 Two fun-loving guys, longtime friends of Clinton, say they serve as good will ambassadors, talking about Clinton’s personal character to the press.

17:21Copy video clip URL The videographer comes upon a crowd of journalists in front of elevators in the hotel lobby waiting for Nelson Mandela.

18:54  In the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel, New York City, the man giving the videographer the tour says the flight crew from British Airways was camped out in the lobby. He describes the lobby as a ring of a circus for its chaos of activity.

19:32Copy video clip URL Change of location. A woman at a desk reads an article about The Clinton’s in People magazine. She says she helps with VIP shepherding, escorting delegates and surrogate speakers. She says it’s been going well. A man named Peter shows the videographer the office activity: staffers on the phone, in conference.

23:08Copy video clip URL Interview with a man named Matt who says he’s been shooting video of the campaign in efforts to create a video yearbook.

24:16Copy video clip URL Shot looking out a window to crowds on the street below lined up for a glimpse of Mandela.

25:07Copy video clip URL Matt says this operation is being run by a branch of the Democratic National Convention. He notes things here are more formal then the headquarters in Arkansas. The hot items are staff credentials, in order to get into a room your name has to be on a list. He notes his credentials list him as Press which gets him into most rooms. He also has an unofficial badge honoring Bill Clinton as “The Comeback Kid”.

26:38Copy video clip URL Eleanor Hill, assistant to the campaign’s chief money man in Little Rock, enters and Matt jokes that she is a Soviet spy.

28:00Copy video clip URL Matt escorts the videographer down concrete steps through the back corridors of the hotel. They exit onto a street.

28:40Copy video clip URL Poor audio. Interview with the Director of Surrogate Scheduling who explains that anyone who speaks on behalf of the Clinton-Gore campaign is a surrogate for the Governor. She explains the make shift calendar hanging on the wall behind her and how the events are scheduled.

36:33Copy video clip URL Interview with Joel Odom, the Family Scheduler for the Clinton family. He schedules 27 people, including Clinton’s immediate family, friends, and relatives who are in NYC to celebrate the nomination of Clinton for President. He says the team is good. Their goal is to make sure the family’s stay in New York is enjoyable. He notes the Clintons are a nice and loyal family. Odom says he also did this for the Carter family in the 1970s. He says it’s difficult for the family because you are under public scrutiny all the time. The challenge is to keep their lives normal in a situation that’s not normal. You do this by setting up for them things they would normally do on a visit to New York City. They go to plays, to the Statue of Liberty, lunch at restaurants.

40:04Copy video clip URL Odom introduces Diane Lowe who says she helps out with scheduling needs. She says the best part of the job is getting a behind-the-scenes look at a campaign.

41:08Copy video clip URL Rosalie Cameron says she’s been working to make sure the family can eat and go to theater all as a group. This involves calling the venues in advance to make sure a group can be accommodated.

41:49Copy video clip URL Odom says that they also schedule the surrogates to go out and speak about Clinton and why they feels he should be elected President and what changes they think he’ll make if elected.

43:00Copy video clip URL Staffers at work, on phones, in conference. Joel makes a call on a mobile phone.

46:22Copy video clip URL Odom says he is trying to get a hostess and a greeter in the sky box at Madison Square Garden. It’s Odom’s job to put in an official request for her to be the greeter. This can be stressful because tonight and the next night are the biggest nights of the convention: the night Clinton is officially nominated and the night he accepts the nomination. As a result a lot of people are trying to get into the room to witness the moments. B-roll of the schedulers at work. Someone enters and asks where the Gore kids are. “They’re eating at Planet Hollywood.” They coordinate future plans for Mrs. Gore and Mrs. Clinton and their children.

53:30Copy video clip URL George Stephanopolous speaking to the press in the Intercontinental Hotel. Poor audio. Plus at times the camera is unguided, wandering without direction or intent.

01:00:40Copy video clip URL  No audio. The camera is on while going through a security station.

01:01:50Copy video clip URL On the floor at the Democratic National Convention. Interview with Henry Mossel who says the strategy is to get the Minority Report on the agenda and voted for. “We hope we win it.” He notes he and his colleagues will be supporting Jerry Brown and hopefully gain support from the Clinton people. He declares they will let people know that they support Jerry Brown.

01:02:58Copy video clip URL END. Tape ends in mid-sentence. The footage continues on tape 10952.