Hey there. I'm John favour, I'm Tommy vietor, the pod, save america team is on holiday break so today we're bringing you a special sneak, peek of our new subscriber podcast inside twenty twenty four, just one more thing to be thankful for holiday, hello, one holiday, each monthly episode of inside twenty. Twenty four will feature: a rotating cast of former white house, staffers spilling their campaign, trail stories and insights as we look ahead to the twenty twenty four election cycle. In this episode, John- and I will take you through one of the most stressful, dramatic, sometimes terrible days of the year election day, what you're about to hear is just part of the episode. The whole episode in future episodes of inside twenty twenty four are available to our friends of the pod community. If you're interested in getting access to more great crooked contests,

head over to cricket dot com, slash friends, to learn more and sign up, enjoy the pokemon go to the polls, the project that former vice president Joe Biden has been elected. President of the united states, the welcome to inside twenty twenty four crickets new podcast made just for our friends of the pod subscribers every month. This show will feature your favorite campaign and political experts, and sometimes us

will we're going to help you make sense of it all we're going to talk about candidates, doing debate prep when talking about what it's like to write convention speeches, the fun times on the campaign trail. What's annoying, what's terrifying, it's going to be great we're going to lots of fun stories. He had the copy says there. Never before told stories, I would say they're stories that haven't been told into a microphone, probably for good reason, but you know what for you the subscribers we're going to we're going to cough it up anything for content stuff. Ah, as you can hear, as you can hear, I'm here with my my my buddy tommy, so, where we both run the obama campaigns, we're going to talk about that and also hear one of our favorite crooked media producers who's going to be moderating these discussions, caroline reston, what's up? Are you are Andy cohn? That's my dream. I want to start today at the end and talk about election day, and I thought that was a really great place to start, because you know this show is going to get into the nitty gritty of what it's like to be on a camp

but I feel like our listeners and honestly, we need to be reminded of what is at stake. What were fighting for and remember that amazing glory it as to when and they got wrenching feeling of losing. When I mentioned this topic to you guys, you both had like very skype, deck nervous stressed out feelings about it. So when you hear about election day, what are you where the emotions that stir up for both of you? Well, the thing about legend? Is that, although it is we're, for people who do what we did, which is communications work? Is that there's nothing to do? You just sit around and stress out, and you read exit polls and you follow the news and the vote, but like mostly you're just hurry up and waiting as ever for the field team cause they're out there doing a huge geo tv further knock on doors yeah. You asked what election is like and the anxiety

is the first word the comes to mind in fact, like so much anxiety that you just saying election day like I had the feeling again of like oh shit, it's here, because there is further there's nothing to do on election day like us are with you. If you do the work that we do Is it yours like, but you have to go to work in your sitting around and it's like everyone's ask and everyone else you in anything you in anything. You get me reports about early, but reports about. Of our ports from early voting in precincts? And this point just goes on and on and on the first exit polls were released just a short time ago. The initial survey shows the Elise early exit poll. Results are based on voter interviews. Before so if you were in the white house and you watching those members right now. What is Tell you what do you do

Some brutal numbers for president Biden right there, Dan and I have to and like none of the information, is super helpful or are very illuminating about like what the final tally is, because not everyone has fucking voted yet, but it does not stop you from asking people what you've heard Josh earnest said that Looking at exit polls is like hooking up with your ex. You know you shouldn't do it, you do it anyway. You feel terrible afterwards and it's just sort of licks awful ritual that you're doomed to repeat on election day where what is like a day in the life like you're waking up, whereas obvious What if I was asleep old, I'm where I would have been preferable if there are the staff furs? Where is the candidate like so in two thousand and eight you guys were in chicago, that's where o bomber was too but where you guys in the office with them for the full day we were in the offing.

is Tommy never in the office, he was not in the office, he will. He voted yeah, he was home. Then he voted. He didn't kill errors come to so so. This is where there's a funny story, so Jen psaki is with the press pool. There are waiting. Watch obama go in and vote this guy named bill airs shows up bill. Errors was a huge point of controversy in this election is part of an organization called the weather underground. back in the day, we have a great podcast here: cricket media called mother country, radicals that is about the domestic terrorist group. Yeah blew shit up right and they had a relationship for the greater good for the debatable. So anyway, they they knew each other back in the day they like worth socially friends at the university chicago.

instead they were palling around yeah palling. Around terrace is Sarah Palin family famously said so. He shows up, and that was like the big brouhaha of the day is saki emailing being like well funny story, billiards dyer says here without an accident: oh yeah, yeah yeah yeah, oh shit yeah, but we I've as far as I remember just like, sat in that office and were just like refreshing news website like five am until they called it. So you're saying you're mostly doing nothing, except for reading exit polls that may or may not confirm what you don't or don't want to hear grunt. So you're, gossiping gossiping, that's a much better analogy is just gossiping just sounds honestly, very fun. So, okay, fabs your speech, writer and where, in the timeline, have you written a concession or what's the other word

victory speech. We had three species, you have three, what's the other one inconclusive inconclusive, I didn't, for you guys did that sucks yeah there's a lot of different watch veep. Yes, you know, Selina Meyer is best friend who's like well. That's a good question. I mean I can see how it can go one way, but what if it went the other way denver her becca? She was so annoying and and really models like a candidate friend quite well, but so are there any times? that day, where your editing speeches base off of what's happening. How does that process work? Are you on the phone with obama? Are you working with your your team like out as that work? So maybe a week before election day, we see

wanted to write the drafts of the election night speeches that you guys may already know this, but I'm just trying to get a little bit of what the topic was the stuff and the way it went, was I took the lead on the victory speech and I think Sarah Hurwitz wrote who was one of our speechwriters. She had been Hillary Clinton speech writer. Then we hired her and then she came with us to the white house and became michelle obama speechwriter fantastic speech writer. She took the lead on the concession speech and then I I forget who did the too close to call speech, but that was similar to the little short one. There was a very short one yet was like we're excited about the results we still gotta wait for all the votes to be countable tomorrow. Kind of thing

and so we had all the speeches done. I'd sent. Obama had them like days before the election on election day, but he was like. I don't want to edit the I don't want to jinx anything And I'm like too nervous everyone, so superstar everyone says yes, so no one gave us at its ought. Obama did not give me at its to the victory speech until it seemed like we won, ohio and, and he won the presidency, and then he called with just a couple of heads: okay yeah, so we actually have a clip from that moment, and so what you're about to hear is from the documentary by the people Its obama calling fabric with a few osmond was heard of up to one when it says there will be setbacks and full starts. He hopes there are many who will agree with every decision. Policymakers president- and we know that government can solve every problem

who gets say over that speech, and why did I see you change the word that to those that are those important at its you're doing here? What he, oh bhamo, would make sort of nit picking at its like that. Just because he's a writer, and so he got into that kind of the only. I think I sent that citizens, everyone, the people who really make at it's the most of its were accurate device run, actually strategist and once in a while robert gibbs make an edit David bluffed campaign manager making at it, but really no one else dug in it less. It was a policy speech that was not a policy speech, so that was just stir. Most of that was just me and him. Do you remember any like specific part of that? That was a victory speech there a specific part, you remember that you really loved your idea or wilbur a couple of days before when I was trying to figure out an ending to the speech. I read, seen in story about this woman named and Nixon cooper who waited in

in line in atlanta to vote for three hours and which is crazy. Bitches wait three hours to vote, but also is notable because she was one hundred and five years old. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations, but one that's on my mind tonight's, about a woman who cast her ballot in atlanta she's. A lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing and Nixon cooper is one hundred and six years old, and so I thought about. I thought this was a great way to end the speech to talk about like when she was born right. She, vote because she was black and push was woman. She was born just a generation pass labour. A time when there were no cars on the road or plans of the sky.

When some allied her couldn't both for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of their skin and then, like all the things she had seen in this century? She was an american all. The progress should see it tonight. I think about all that she seen rod or a century at america, the harding and the hope, the struggle and the progress that we should get. That's how we then the speech and then, after talking about all the things you'd seen we do for. Yes, we can't refrain- and this year in this, like he touched her finger- straight castro, because after a hundred and six years in america, through the best of times and the darkest

she knows how america can change. Yes, we can so read this whole thing. He called me that we just saw that clip and as soon as I hung up tommy, who was right next to me was like oh, we should you should like call in nixon cooper and like let this woman know that she's going to be in this speech. So it was like. Oh right, I didn't even think about that, and so we had our researchers like find locate her find her number, and so I called her or, and I like the very frail woman picks up the phone, and I was like hi, as I explained to her, who I was and oblige I'm like, and senator obama is going to mention you in the speech and because he's really moved by her story. She's like is it going to be on t v, and I was like oh yeah, it's going to be on t v and then she was like she stopped. She thought she was like.

What channel is are going to be on as it's going to be on all the channels and and then she stopped and she was like? Ah I'm so happy, I'm so proud and ah- and it was like right at that moment that called the risks caused news. Iraq obama will be the forty fourth president of the united states and servants. cheering and yelling and clapping, and I was like, under the das, trying to like talk to annex and cooper before you in that it really is a cool moment like a motion will bring about a ship in china. Has right, I'm a guy, I always its emotional moment and me I wasn't even there and I felt like I want. I wish I was there. I get this family emotional and special talking a little bit more the day tommy. I know you worked with the press on that day, like what's the relationship like between the campaign in this press. How much are you guys speaking too

there, how much are you kind of leaking temperament and the headquarters? What does that look like? Also my job I and I were I was I will press secretary and then they said, come back to chicago headquarters were about to be pilloried eat. You did a rapid response against John Mccain, ha ha, what like for five months later, were still campaigning hilary actually we win the primary. So then I become a rapid response person and my job was like go after the mccain campaign all day every day so and duchess way of saying, like my job, was kind of done in terms of press, so I'm just gossiping with people, I'm just trading information and there is a pool of reporters that follow obama around wherever he goes. Jen psaki was usually with them, so she's like in a van with them following his movements and then hanging out Lee found this one clip of you, and I believe this is when you're working in ios.

It's you and our rapporteur and island. I always had an idea that there was a very formal relationship between campaign people and reporters, and the chumminess is was very shocking the method by way of an amiable, arab and elsewhere about bosnia worth to us on the crab lobbies, such as We asked the gotcha story. Oh come on. That was great just say what a good spokesman tommy was in that, like highlighted it that clip he liked goes up to sky coleman is like super friends. from Boston from Boston what the what story will amend, grabs the candidate and brings into the local iowa like fucking debray. The other was the counting content. Colonel of the colonel cameron does preserve the colonel kind of counters to get the like local,

in iowa, which is way more important than whatever the boston globe The only thing I cared about my job was like what is the iowa press need and how can I beg, borrow and steal at it, and it is man like getting the reporter campaign relationship? Is politics, like anything else, their knowledge, especial breeding Well, they're, human beings. You know what I mean like none of them wake up in the morning wanting to do a bad job, none of them wake up, biased, but, like we all make mistakes, we all have our biases select you for friendly to people. If you're nice to them, if you give them access, treat them like a human being like you're going to do better and obama got that intuitively and was like yes, I want to make time for them A lot of other candidates refused like hilary like, wouldn't take questions for months. They planted question one point. We source that out and plant some stories about it. So where are you now? The poles are closing everything's too close to call what are you guys doing and, most importantly, what are you drinking?

I remember thanks for checking out our special sneak peak inside twin twenty four to hear the rest of this episode in future episodes plus a ton of other great exclusive. that consider joining friends at the pod subscriber community. Go to crooked dot com, slash friends, to learn more.