Iowa08: Archives

ANDREW NELLES writes:
It’'s now approaching 2:00 a.m., and my night is finally coming to a conclusion after several hours of aggravating computer problems. Unfortunately, today started with an equal amount of frustration.

First thing this morning I headed over to Obama’'s campaign headquarters in Davenport, Iowa, with my colleague Brent White. Our intention was to speak with officials at the headquarters and hopefully get permission to work on a piece about the activities of their volunteers on caucus day.

After driving to two wrong addresses, we eventually arrived at the campaign headquarters and were greeted by kind volunteers who were receptive to our plan, but informed us we needed clearance from an official who was tied up at the moment. When we finally met with her, she was far from accommodating and promptly put Brent on the phone with a press secretary for Obama who was rude and completely unreceptive to the idea and would not listen to any comments on the matter. I have trouble understanding why any campaign would turn away media attention during a campaign.

Early in the afternoon we proceeded over to a Joe Biden speech in Davenport, hoping to obtain some content to fill in the void from this morning’'s shortcoming. The event went well for the most part, but on the way out, while grabbing names for caption information, I was once again faced with an unexpectedly rude campaign staff member. The situation was justified—she needed a press secretary to clear her to speak with me—but the attitude I received was not. After that incident, I had about lost all faith with volunteers or staff affiliated with this caucus.

The caucus itself would prove to be different. When arriving at Bettendorf Middle School we were welcomed by Arthur Heyderman, a caucus volunteer who promptly provided us with credentials and invited us to do whatever we needed to do. Throughout the night Mr. Heyderman was a great help to me and the other students covering the event, even going as far as thanking me for coming out. The kindness and understanding presented by Mr. Heyderman and all of the caucus attendants I encountered at the event more than made up for the morning's troubles.

Andrew Nelles is an undergraduate photography student from Elgin, Illinois.

ANDREW NELLES writes:
Last week, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this experience, but I knew I was going to get something great from it. I was expecting to experience an important piece of history, a major step toward an important election; this turned out to be spot on.

My experience during my stay in Iowa peaked in the Bettendorf Middle School gym on January 3 during the Democratic caucuses. Having the privilege to witness an actual caucus firsthand was a treat. I was excited to witness this event because from what I heard about the Democratic caucuses, it sounded like a complex and archaic event; this also turned out to meet my expectation.

For someone like me who is only used to filling out a simple ballot in the private booth, the process was complex and strange, but surprisingly smooth in operation. I left the middle school that night secretly wishing Illinois would hold caucuses; the event appeared to be a rather fun experience for its participants.

Four years from now if I decide to cover the Iowa caucuses again, I probably would do things a little differently. I felt I got a lot out of the Davenport area, but if I were to revisit this assignment, I would certainly travel to the Des Moines area. I had a few close friends working in Des Moines during the same time frame and due to the location, they had at least double the access to candidates that I did, as well as their caucus-night rallies.

As far as the actual caucus, the access appeared to be the same, but the time leading up to the caucus proved to be much more productive for them. However, I want to make it clear I have no regrets about this year; it still proved to be very productive in terms of photography and was a great experience all around.

Andrew Nelles is an undergraduate photography student from Elgin, Illinois.