Wednesday, June 29, 2022

What I Heard Could Fill a Bookl

In 1979 I was living in Washington, DC and accepted a job with the Democratic National Committee as Art Director for the 1980 Convention. In that capacity I moved to Manhattan for six weeks and lived at the now defunct Statler Hotel across the street from Madison Square Garden, the site of the Convention.

During that time I witnessed many shenanigans, and participated in a few myself. Most of the higher-ups in the organization snorted cocaine constantly, which was the drug of the moment back then. I did too, and it was lots of fun, although illegal. 

Had I the killer instinct I might have gotten my 15 minutes of fame by spilling my guts to the news organizations. Who knows, I might have even been on TV, like that Cassidy Hutchinson who told Congress yesterday that she heard that Trump said something about wanting to go to the Capitol on January 6, and about his grabbing the wheel of the automobile he was in. Of course she wasn't present but she heard about it from someone who was, and that's enough (these days) to land you on the front page of every newspaper in America.

Anyway, back at the 1980 Convention, I knew for a fact that Teddy Kennedy's people wanted more floor access because he made us print more passes even though that was specifically forbidden by the Convention bylaws. And I heard he that he was coming on to everyone in a dress (back then that was only women) and drunk most of the time. And that Senator Joe Biden was there and he did this and that to this woman and that woman. Of course, I didn't see any of that so it's just hearsay.

I didn't call the media, especially since I was having an affair with the married Convention Director. Instead I left the bacchanalian scene several days early and had an emergency session with my shrink who, wise in the ways of politics and politicians, told me to quit my job, which I did. 

But I still imagine that if I had gone to the media with all the hearsay I had on so many famous people, I could be Judy Woodruff today. Or at the very least, Maureen Dowd.

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