Rodney '00 plays active role in Edwards campaign

Pauly Rodney '00 thought his life was complete when he met political strategist Mike McCurry '84. While fans eagerly swarmed NBA player Darius Miles, Rodney was far more interested in the former White House chief of staff who stood just off to the side. Though Rodney worked with the NBA for two years, he decided to exchange his life in New York City for one on the road with Sen. John Edwards' presidential campaign.

"I've met Michael Jordan, but probably the most exciting night in my life in recent memory was listening to the Iowa caucus returns," Rodney said while spending a few days in Princeton after the New Hampshire primary.

Since September, Rodney has worked for the Edwards campaign, first in Raleigh, N.C., as a deputy speech writer, and then in New Hampshire as the Manchester Field Coordinator.

Armed with the knowledge he gained from his JPs and senior thesis on public opinion, Rodney targeted New Hampshire's healthcare professionals, environmentalist groups and Latino population. However, the skills he learned outside the classroom and developed as a University track team member and an RA have proved most helpful.

"In a presidential campaign, it's a given that you know all the X's and O's," Rodney said. "The people that succeed are the people that know all of the intangibles."

The most exciting parts of his job are often those least expected. Two days before the New Hampshire primary, a crowd of more than 700 impatiently awaited the late arrival of the Senator when a campaign worker handed Rodney a microphone and yelled "Go."

Rodney worked the crowd as 40 network cameras followed him across the stage and CSPAN ran live.

"For the next 20 minutes, I proceed to joke with the audience, interview little babies with signs and get a few hundred people cheering for John Edwards," Rodney said.

"There's no political class you can take to learn that, but there's an old track saying that says, 'Have faith in your training.' I had faith in my candidate, I had faith in what I would say about him and even though there were several hundred people watching, I just stayed determined."

Rodney referred to the campaign as a "roller coaster ride" in which his own emotions were frequently tied to media criticism and election polls.

"For me personally, if we've just been beat up in the press, or had a really rough day, I go home and it's tough to separate it, because we've been working 18-hour days, and we've been doing this for months," Rodney said. "Your entire life becomes the campaign."

Rodney recognizes the importance of the hearty laugh and infectious energy that distinguish him from even the most enthusiastic supporters.

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"No matter what happens in the campaign, I'm going to have the same positive outlook anyway, because people are going to read my moods and take their cues from it."

Rodney plans to work for the Edwards campaign until its end.

"Senator John Edwards, in my humble opinion, is the type of president we were always promised as kids — somebody with intelligence, integrity and just a heart of gold," he said.

"If I was offered a job by any other campaign, I wouldn't take it. My heart is committed to the Edwards campaign — I feel that strongly about him as a person, and I very much wear my heart on my sleeve."