Live From The Democratic Debate

The energy in the room was palpable. I've watched numerous presidential debates on television but none compared to my witnessing one in person.

My red-eye flight arrived into Cleveland at 7:00 in the morning on Tuesday. The city had just gotten up to 8 inches of snow and many of the flights had been delayed. When I walked outside the airport to my car, the snow-covered trees instantly reminded me of being back in Detroit, my hometown.

After a quick change, I headed to Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The NBC Press Room had hot plates of food for the crews that were beginning to pile in. My first interview was in the production control room where the director of the debates was mapping out the camera shots and perfecting the lighting on stage for the evening.

"How do you make sure one candidate doesn't get more camera time than the other?" I asked.

"That ball is in the candidate's court. We follow the action."

 

One woman had the job of greeting both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton when they arrived through the back door of the auditorium.

 

Then we took "the walk," the path that Clinton and Obama took from their rooms, down the hallway, up the stairs, through the curtains, and onto the international stage. My heart was racing, just thinking about the pressure they were about to be under. With the debate just moments away, I got to my seat in time to hear the moderator tell us to hold our applause and comments throughout the debate so each candidate could be heard. Surprised that, for the most part, everyone kept the promise. When the candidates walked out, everyone erupted into applause, whistling and yelling their names, followed by respectful silence.

And after the final "thank you for joining us," supporters rushed to the stage, begging for autographs and handshakes.

And I realized I had just witnessed history.