Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards showed up at the Writers Guild of America strike yesterday at NBC studios in Burbank. He walked the picket line and then gave a brief shout out to the writers and to union members across industries in every part of the country. Unions are a bulwark against the corporate take over of America, he said. His speech has been covered here.

I was most impressed with the media covering the event.

There were about 500 people there, all crammed along the sidewalk in front of NBC studios. Everyone waited somewhat patiently for Edwards to arrive. And then as soon as he got there, they swarmed to him.

It became a fight—with elbows flying—to get close enough to Edwards to get a halfway decent shot of him. The writers stood no chance. Anyone with a hefty video camera, which could “accidentally” knock someone out of the war path, had a clear advantage.

I got caught up in the excitement and rushed with the crowd to follow Edwards’ every step, frantically trying to take photos and have my digital recorder ready for when he stopped to speak. Yes, I might have knocked over the weak and elbowed my way toward the center of the crowd too.

Near the end I finally got close to him. Well, directly behind him. Close enough to touch, but not exactly an ideal position for an award-winning photo.

But then I became the one being pushed and shoved and knocked around by the big shots with fancy equipment. I decided to save my life and not be trampled. I quickly dodged my way out of the center of the storm.

By the end, I realized my first campaign event hooked me. There is an unparalleled sense of energy and excitement and importance to it. Next time I’ll be more prepared for the battle. Perhaps I’ll invest in some army boots.

Tags: john edwards, writers guild