My first day at Access was exciting.
 

I spent it in Chicago on the bus on the “Access Across America Tour.”

 

What a great way to kick off my first day with all the excitement surrounding the tour and my move to NBC.

 
I remember Billy saying, “We are gonna show you how we do it here at Access,” and we all met up for dinner at Ballo where I realized this show was more than just a show, it was a family and I was the newest member -- even the limo driver was invited to attend.
 

It’s 11am here and I have completed my interviews with Cate Edwards and the Romney boys. It’s been a hectic pace up until now with long days and much travel. The interviews not only afforded us the chance to speak with potential future first family members but also allowed for the opportunity to experience life on the campaign trail.
 
We interviewed Cate back in South Carolina where she was speaking at an AIDS rally. My producer and I were quite impressed. We both remarked that if you didn’t know it, you might have thought Cate were a candidate herself. She was incredibly well-versed on her father’s policies and his track record. However, her own views, particularly on gay marriage, and the fact that she has her own set of beliefs while supporting her father so ardently, are what made her truly impressive. On the subject of gay marriage, we discussed her and her father’s differing views. Cate supports gay marriage and is continuing discussions with him in the hopes of altering his stance.
 
Cate said her father taught her and her siblings to be appreciative of everything they have. He continually stressed that they as a family, and as individuals, were blessed and extremely fortunate. As a result, he told them they should always give back to the community, and I believe Cate is and will continue to do so. 
 
She studied politics and is a second year Harvard law student. Though she has no plans to ever run for office, she says she could never learn in the classroom what she has learned on the campaign trail. Campaigning since the year 2000, she may have the most experience on this level, second only to Chelsea Clinton.
 
This school year, Cate opted to take a lighter class load at Harvard in order to participate more in this election than she did in her father’s previous run. Campaigning for one election is grueling enough: a twenty four-seven schedule where sleep and food are luxuries and your every move is scrutinized. Now imagine doing this for years - as many of these children have. Yet, Cate seems to somehow handle it all with grace. She did mention that having such vast campaign experience has made this year’s effort more routine and therefore, easier in terms of execution and even much more fun.

I flew from NY, having finished my duties on the "Today" show Wednesday, to Columbia, South Carolina in order to interview Sarah Huckabee and Meghan McCain. I had been efforting the candidates’ kids for a few weeks and finally on Monday night I started getting responses, which I am very happy about.

I sat with Sarah Huckabee in the boardroom of the Courtyard Marriott. They took over this conference room as a mini headquarters of sorts for her, her brother David and a few staffers to work from. She has been on a 36-hour bender and was definitely tired, but she managed to give us a lot of time.

The candidates’ kids have been very visible in this campaign, more so than we’ve ever seen and all in very different roles. With Sarah and Meghan for example - Sarah is the national field director for her dad’s campaign and Meghan chose a less official role - she started a blog to document her journey for those curious about the process. Both have chosen very public roles unlike the more silent role of Chelsea Clinton.

Why? I think we live in a time where there is unprecedented access to information - via the Internet and sites like YouTube and MySpace. In this particular campaign, that access is helping to connect these candidates with the masses, and the younger voters in particular. It humanizes them to see their real moments and to see that their kids are just like us. The young people relate to the kids and thereby connect with the parent much more than ever before, which may be the reason why so many young people seem to be more interested and engaged in this race than previous races.

What a get! My producer, Jen Zweben, had been working the Hillary people forever for this interview and it paid off. Tim Russert even made mention of the fact that she was denying him an interview-but granted one to Access Hollywood!

 

I never really paid much attention to gender issues. In my own life, I’ve never allowed thoughts of gender discrimination to convolute my thinking. Even though I’m sure there are occasions that I am treated differently due to the fact that I'm a female, I try never to consider the possibility and opt to always remain positive.  But reflecting upon Hillary and her journey, I have discovered that the issue cannot be ignored.  Of all the candidates in this presidential election, Hillary may have the toughest road simply because it's a new road that she, and she alone, has to pave her herself. 

 

Being the first, legitimate (and by legitimate I mean one of the favorites to win), female presidential candidate, she has no examples or role models to follow. No path/road has been paved. She doesn’t have the luxury of making choices based on the success, or even failures, of candidates before her. The male candidates have seen what works: the crisp suit…the witty charm…the hidden talents. I wonder how many candidates have referenced the indelible image of Former President Clinton, in sunglasses, playing his saxophone. Countless, I am sure. But for Hillary, that luxury doesn't exist. She is a pioneer and she is building this road for all of us.

By Maria Menounos

It's days like today when I love my job most. Being a reporter can, at times, give me tremendous perspective. I travel the globe to interview all different types of people, experiencing all different kinds of things: from my conversation with the health minister of South Africa about the growing AIDS crisis, to Michael J. Fox and his battle with Parkinson’s, to… Tara Llanes.

I recently interviewed Tara Llanes, a professional biker who was at the top of her game until a terrible crash on September 1, 2007 took her legs right out from underneath her. Before the crash she was a celebrity to the sport, posing in Maxim magazine, in ads for Subaru, AT&T, a beautiful, smart and determined athlete. I visited her at Craig’s Hospital -- a world-renowned hospital for spinal cord injuries. I saw so many people whose lives changed in an instant. Fifty percent of them were there because of car crashes. Second to car crashes was falls (as simple as a flight of stairs for one 15-year-old) and lastly, athletic accidents. I saw people that could only use their mouths to communicate or move. Tara is luckier than those, for sure, as she still has the power of her upper body.

Truly a moving day and a reminder of how lucky all of us are to be healthy and able to see and walk. I kept holding back the tears in this facility. Tomorrow, it could be you or I in there. Someone texting or talking on a cell phone while driving could cause a wreck. We could easily trip and fall down some stairs. Even the smallest luxuries, like having the ability to go to the bathroom alone, would be gone.

As sad as I am, I am inspired by Tara. She has an amazing spirit. The competitor in her is determined to walk again, and ride. She is fearless and hysterical, cracking jokes and even mooning our cameraman in the pool! Ha!! She has a wonderful network of family and friends helping her along the way as well as an amazing outpouring of support from strangers who hear about her story. When she told me of the strangers who had helped along the way, it reminded me of how wonderful people can be. And THAT brought me to tears!