Fairfield, IA–After a stop at the Second Street Café, John Edwards boarded the press bus with four coffees in a cardboard tray. Other aides, including spokesman Mark Kornblau, traveled behind, some bearing more coffee.
At this point the press corps was working on little sleep. We’d been following the senator through the dead of night on his “Marathon for the Middle Class.”
What was a Rockwell-esque moment of the candidate chumming up the press soon became an unannounced press conference. After a little pressure, Edwards agreed to take press questions, the first time he’d done so since Tuesday morning.
Reporters asked how the candidate was holding up–and Edwards gave as good as he got on that question. They asked about his campaign bus breaking down the night before. A savvy NBC reporter took advantage of the presser and shoehorned Edwards live on MSNBC. And the need for that campaign drug of choice, caffeine, came up again and again. This transcript picks up as the candidate sought to reassure reporters that there was plenty of coffee aboard:
JOHN EDWARDS: We’ve got some more comin’ right behind.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I never turn down coffee.
EDWARDS: You’re welcome. How is everybody?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you get any sleep?
RAELYN JOHNSON, ABC: Tired.
EDWARDS: You look sleepy
JAY NEWTON-SMALL, TIME: When are you going to do an avail?
EDWARDS: Is that why your nose is so red. Huh?
NEWTON-SMALL, TIME: When are you going to do an avail with us?
EDWARDS: Avail?
REPORTERS IN UNISON: Now?!
KEVIN CORKE, NBC: We can have you on MSNBC live in like 20 seconds if you want.
EDWARDS: Yeah, we’ll do an avail, right now.
NEWTON-SMALL TIME: Awesome
EDWARDS: How about that!
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you get any sleep senator?
EDWARDS: I didn’t sleep much. I slept a little bit, a little cat nap between, uh… I probably got a total of an hour.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Senator, what happened to the bus?
EDWARDS: The bus has some sort of electrical thing. But I’ve been told we’ve got another bus waiting for us right here. So we’re gonna pick it up.
MARK KORNBLAU Hey guys? We’ll do an avail at our next event. We just came to bring you coffee.
EDWARDS: Let, let ’em go ahead. Anything else?
JULIE BOSMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Why uh, have you uh reverted to Diet Cokes?
EDWARDS: Say again?
BOSMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Have you gone back to you Diet Coke habit yet?
EDWARDS: No, no Diet Cokes. Uh, I’m still sticking with Sprite. Although right now I could definitely use a Diet Coke. I wish I drank coffee. I don’t drink coffee either.
AARON LEWIS, CBS: We’ve got some Red Bull back here.
EDWARDS: Red Bull. That stuff’s nasty. (Laughter) Don’t tempt me. Don’t tempt me.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Twelve hours to go, you think we can make it?
EDWARDS: We’re gonna make it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: More than that.
EDWARDS: We’re gonna make it. Well, let me rephrase that. I’m going to make it. I doubt if she’s gonna make it [looking at ABC’s Johnson].
JOHNSON, ABC: I’m trying my best!
EDWARDS: What are those bags under your eyes?
JOHNSON, ABC: I never had them before till I started with your campaign, I’ll have you know.
EDWARDS: It’s all my fault.
MIKE SULZBERGER, NBC: What do you think about the people who turned out at you know midnight and 2:30…
EDWARDS: It’s pretty amazing. These people, these caucus goes take it very, very seriously.
BOSMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Do you think they might have been disappointed you didn’t speak longer?
EDWARDS: No, no, no. I think they probably wanted to go back to bed.
CLINT HENDLER, CJR: Senator, your ca…
EDWARDS: Now its daytime again. We’re speaking longer and taking questions again.
JOSIE HEARN, THE POLITICO: What were you doing on the bus when you weren’t sleeping?
CORKE, NBC: [On air via cellphone): It’s been going really well, David. We’re actually n the press bus right now. You may hear behind me in the background that the senator is actually doing an impromptu avail with the press corps. We’ve been up all night, hitting towns,…
EDWARDS: I’ve just been sitting and staring out the window trying to sleep. Most of them did better sleeping than I did.
HENDLER, CJR: Senator, your campaign put out an email a little while ago saying that you didn’t think the press was treating you fairly in evaluating your organizations in future states from Iowa. Do you still think that’s the case?
EDWARDS: Ha… All I know is we have very good organizations in all these places. We have great organizations here, and terrific organization in New Hampshire. Ahhh.. We have a good organization in South Carolina That’s what I know.
CORKE, NBC: Senator, can I ask you, we’re live on MSNBC right now. How are you feeling about how things are going right now and what’s the most important thing happening right now as we get closer and closer. We’re down to hours now.
EDWARDS: We’re on this 36-hour “Marathon for the Middle Class.” Uh, we’re not sleeping, we’re working. Uh, and I want people to know what kind of work ethic I have and what kind of work ethic I’m gonna have when I’m president of the united states. And this is an example of it.
CORKE, NBC: What are the voters telling you as you meant caucus, potential caucus goers out her on the road? What are they saying? We’ve been up all night! What are they telling you?
EDWARDS: They’ve been telling us they want someone to stand up for the middle class and jobs. They’ve been terrified about loosing jobs. We could loose 30 million more jobs over the next decade, and they want someone to take on some of the corporate greed that’s causing problems in this country.
CORKE, NBC: Senator John Edwards, joining us…
KORNBLAU: Hey…
EDWARDS: Thanks guys. We’ll do another one after the next event.
JOHNSON, ABC: And more coffee?
EDWARDS: Save up your questions.
JOHNSON, ABC: More coffee?!?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: More coffee!
EDWARDS: No more coffee for you!
Clint Hendler is the managing editor of Mother Jones, and a former deputy editor of CJR.