Hate political conventions? Andy Rooney did, too
1980: Rooney follows the money
In 1980, the Democratic National Convention was held in New York City -- a metropolis known for being one of the most expensive in the world, especially when it comes to hotel accommodations. While rates in the 80s may seem inexpensive when compared to what they are today, Andy Rooney was surprised by how much delegates were paying to stay in the Big Apple.
The Connecticut delegation was shelling out between $100 and $500 per room per night at the Regency on Park Avenue, one of New York's most expensive hotels. The delegation from Vermont stayed in one of the cheapest hotels, the Abbey Victoria, where the going rate for a room was between $82 and $145 per night. But those figures were still too steep for Andy, who in his 1980 commentary said, "I'm still not used to paying more than $18 for a hotel room."
And he wasn't happy about the reading material that's still uniform through all kinds of hotels, either -- like energy conservation notices and service quizzes. "They charge you $94 for a room, and then they want you to tell them how to run the hotel," Andy said. "Won't be long before they're going to be asking you to make your own bed."
Hate political conventions? Andy Rooney did, too
Rooney: Are political conventions worth the wire?
Setting up for an event as high-profile as a national convention isn't easy. Andy Rooney knew that because he witnessed it at the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego, while he was awaiting the arrival of the delegates.
What did Andy see? Tangles of wires seemingly long enough to reach Mars -- "bundles and spools of the stuff...as wasteful as war," he said. Turns out the technology that made the convention possible was more interesting than the convention itself -- at least, according to Andy.
Even the mass of wires under his workspace at the convention prompted Andy to wonder whether his commentary would be important enough to warrant someone paying for what would surely be an expensive fiber optic bill. In fact, Andy questioned the importance of the conventions when compared to what was happening behind-the-scenes.
"What goes on at one of these political conventions -- the windy speeches, the petty arguments, the posturing by the delegates, the hot air from we broadcasters -- doesn't justify the technology that it takes to get it to you," he said. "I'm afraid our science exceeds our culture."
Hate political conventions? Andy Rooney did, too
1996: Rooney roots out S-C-A-N-D-E-L-S
Andy Rooney attended the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in 1996, but he didn't particularly enjoy them. In fact, Andy said covering the conventions "ruined" part of his summer.
The Republican convention in San Diego was pleasant enough, but the Democrats' convention in Chicago? Not so much. "This is not a political opinion," Andy remarked, "but if elections were decided on conventions, Dole would be our next president."
Topping Andy's lengthy list of complaints was the massive police presence that made it difficult to get anywhere near Chicago's United Center. There were so many cops that Andy felt the need to inspect their credentials as he tried to gain access to the convention center. And protesters were cordoned off so far away that "no one knew what they were protesting." But maybe it was better that way -- Andy had to give one of them a spelling lesson.
The absolute worst part of the 1996 national conventions for Andy was that no one seemed to be watching. The television ratings were terrible. Andy filed nine reports from both San Diego and Chicago, but he's not sure if anyone saw them. "When I got home from the conventions," he said, "everyone wanted to know where I'd been."