Behind the scenes of Bloomberg Politics

One of the many things I did on my first day in New Hampshire was able to get a behind-the-scenes view of Bloomberg Television’s “With All Due Respect.”

I was expecting a very serious, uptight environment.

Boy, was I wrong.

The Bloomberg Politics location has a club-esque feel. The first thing visitors see is a large digital projection of a fireplace on the wall and staff sitting on fur-covered bean bags nearby. There’s a choice of mandarin-orange or cucumber-lemon-cilantro infused water for anyone who’s thirsty.

And, there are bowls of betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish, on every table, perhaps as a metaphor for the no-holds-barred environment.

Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., walked on to the set, with Bloomberg staff casually talking to him about politics to make the environment as stress-free as possible until he hit the ground running on national television.

Even before the “With All Due Respect” recording, co-host John Heilemann was singing rap songs minutes before he was to go on live television.

The environment was strange at first, but the friendliness of the staff and environment of the set is producing some great political reporting.