COOKIE: You had a baby and began hosting your show around the same time. How are you coping?
CAMPBELL BROWN: Eli was born this past December. I came off maternity leave to cover Super Tuesday in early February and started doing the show daily in March. You feel like you're barely holding it together at all times. At all times. But I think every working mother feels that way.
C: But not every working mother has to host a live TV show every night.
CB: There have been times when I've confused things. Fortunately, my guests tend to be regulars I'm familiar with, so I can just acknowledge it with an "Oops, that was a mommy-brain moment."
C: Many new moms feel so much pressure to be perfect that they can't laugh at their own slipups. You seem to have learned that so quickly.
CB: You approach motherhood with a level of perfection that you applied to your pre-mommy life. And it's just not possible. The first time I left Eli overnight was to moderate a presidential debate in Austin, Texas. I was breast-feeding, so I had to plot out my time, making sure I got to pump 30 minutes prior to the debate in order to get through it, as well as the analysis afterward, before it was time to pump again. I was supposed to Fed Ex my milk back home, because we were breast milk-only and didn't have any reserves. Well, there was a huge snowstorm back east, and all flights were canceled. I didn't care that I couldn't leave, but I completely freaked out about the milk. When my husband finally said, "Okay, I'm giving him a bottle of formula," I started sobbing on the phone. Just because he was getting some formula! That's when I realized, You know what, if this is going to work, I'm going to have to relax. Ever since, I've been a little more zen.
C: What's a typical day for you?
CB: I spend a big chunk of time first thing in the morning just with Eli. It's great, because he wakes up so happy. I give him his bottle, and we play. Then we have breakfast and play more. Around nine he goes for a nap. That's when I log on and start reading the papers and blogs. After his nap, we have lunch. Then our nanny comes, and I get on the phone with my team to plot out the show.
C: So no news before 9 a.m.?
CB: Nope. I'm all Eli.
C: What blogs do you read?
CB: Real Clear Politics and Politico are good places to start. On the left, I like Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo. On the right, Townhall is excellent. Obviously, I read the Drudge Report. And the newspapers' sites—I focus most on the trail reporters, since my show's all about the campaign nitty-gritty.
C: Do you ever get sick of politics?
CB: Here's the secret: I love it, so it never feels like work. I grew up in a political family in Louisiana, where politics is very much sport, often blood sport. And I always knew I'd be involved. My husband is a political junkie, too. It's just how we live.
C: Speaking of blood sport, are you surprised at the way the women candidates have affected this campaign?
CB: No, anytime barriers get broken, there's resistance. As a mom, I'm fascinated by how Sarah Palin's entry into the race changed the conversation. We suddenly started talking about work-life balance! It's exciting to have this dialogue, because it transcends politics. Whatever you think of her, she's demonstrating to people who may be skeptical just what working mothers are capable of.
