Iowa08: Archives

MICHAEL PASTERNAK writes:

It is back to reality.

A few days ago in Davenport, Iowa, I was able to walk up to within inches of Arizona Senator John McCain. I shook his hand and felt it was my reporter's duty to ask him a question, which he pretty much ignored. However, I did shake his hand. I did ask him a question. He did acknowledge me briefly. I was covering the presidential candidate ever so briefly.

Iowa is the first, but it is the first of 50. I am not following the senator as he travels from state to state, and possibly, from fourth place to first place. When I saw him in person it was pre-caucuses and there was hope for his campaign, but he was considered a presidential afterthought for many in Iowa. Now he is on television leading in polls in New Hampshire. I watched both the Republican and Democratic debates on ABC over the weekend, and Senator McCain was now the front-runner in the Granite State. It wasn't me asking him a question, but ABC's nightly newscast anchor Charlie Gibson.

I got a taste of covering a national election, and I think I am hungry for more. I have never considered myself a political junkie, but it is possible I might become one in the future. Like Senator Barack Obama, I flipped back and forth from the Republican debates and the NFL playoffs, so I was not mesmerized by the Republicans' answers. But I was watching the debates seriously interested in what the politicians were going to say.

This blog is for a Covering the Iowa Caucuses class. I wonder what I would be saying if it was also for Covering the New Hampshire Primary or Covering the South Carolina Primary. I am back in Chicago insulated geographically from the presidential elections, but part of me wishes I were in New Hampshire and later South Carolina (not Florida) to see up close how a presidential election happens in America.

Michael Pasternak is a graduate student in journalism from Coral Springs, Florida.

BECKY SCHLIKERMAN writes:
The Iowa caucus sounds like a singular event. When one hears about it, it may seem like an event the entire state attends at the same place. Although that is a ridiculous thought, since the caucus wasn't a part of my life before, I never really gave much thought to the process.

Attending the caucus, however, taught me a lot about the process, which is complicated. And it also taught me how important it is for Iowans.

The Republicans and Democrats caucus separately, and each party has its own way of caucusing. While the Democrats caucus with a public showing of support, the Republicans cast a secret ballot. There are other differences, but those are the most obvious ones. There are 99 counties throughout the state, and each county is broken down into precincts. There are 1,781 precincts in Iowa.

I attended a Republican caucus in Scott County in the Quad Cities. There were about 200 people there. Some were displaying their support for a candidate with stickers and signs, but most were not.

The registered voters were given a handmade packet of pieces of differently colored papers for caucus-goers to write down which candidate they supported. Before people voted, one supporter for each candidate spoke on behalf of him.

People were abuzz with excitement, especially the first-time caucus-goers I spoke with.

One 18-year-old high school student, who was supporting Mitt Romney, was eager to be a part of what he considered to be an important process.

Similarly, another 18-year-old first-time participant thought supporting John McCain was an important duty because of his firm stance on the Iraq war. Her brother, she said, was a soldier fighting in Iraq.

While reading the news stories, including mine, that reported percentages and final numbers, one may forget that each vouch of support is more than just a number. Some are deeply personal. Whether the so-called vote is cast as a rite of passage or because of support for a relative, each one is more than just a number. It is a deeply personal decision.

Becky Schlikerman is an undergraduate journalism student from Miami, Florida.

JOHN LENDMAN writes:
Standing in the Bettendorf Middle School gym, where the caucuses were being held for the Democrats of the 22nd precinct, I couldn't help but notice the unorganized manner in which this state held its long-awaited, first-in-the-nation caucus. Other than the fact that many caucus-goers weren't even familiar with the process, one very short man (who took his job entirely too seriously) was in charge of counting the room of 200 or so people surrounding their viable candidates' support tables.

After calling the people in his precinct to order, they held an archaic town-hall-meeting vote of who would head the counting, where he elected himself to a room of no objections.

The friendly precinct captains joked about all the attention they had personally received in the past months, even from the Republican Party. They laughed about the immense number of phone calls and candidate-promoting mailers they had been receiving.

I still don't understand why Iowans need to continue with this outdated practice, but they'll tell you it's tradition, that they wouldn't have it any other way.

What I learned from this trip is just how exciting this tedious (and somewhat pointless) political tradition could be. The whole class got along really well, and it was fun to be among fellow political-news buffs; more then anything it was interesting to share our experiences in dealing with our various candidates and their campaign offices. (I did feel sorry for those assigned to cover Obama, whose campaign was unfortunately unresponsive, and anyone covering the majority of Republican candidates, who showed little to no interest in Iowa's caucus.)

I come out of this experience with much-needed confidence in reporting under a deadline on a story that basically materialized a few hours before we had to turn it in. The stress was worth it to report next to students and instructors that were so easy to work with, and it was invigorating to be surrounded by such great writers and photographers during this trip. Even though this is the shortest class I've ever taken, it was the most organized and put together as well, thanks to Suzanne and John's curriculum. I was truly impressed.

John Lendman is an undergraduate journalism student from San Antonio, Texas.

BRENT WHITE writes:
The day of the caucuses I became severely ill. The day after it got worse. But I stuck it out. I seem to have a tendency to become ill while traveling. But each time I do I remind myself it's likely that I'll never experience what I'm doing again, and that I'd regret staying in bed.

I'm glad I didn't stay in bed. Attending this year's Iowa caucuses has made me examine our electoral process in ways I haven't before. It's made me appreciate living in a democracy. Voting is something many of us don't do, especially those of us under the age of 30. Others who do it, it seems, often take it for granted.

But watching these people in Iowa take caucusing so seriously made me realize how important it is to be mindful of electing public servants, especially those whose power reaches beyond neighborhoods and communities.

Americans have different ideas of what it means to be "patriotic." When I'm thinking about that word in the future I'll think of a cold January night, where 800-some Iowans gathered in a large middle school gym to stand up for the presidential candidate of their choice.

Brent Steven White is an undergraduate journalism student from Portland, Oregon.

BETH PALMER writes:
I should know how to write this final blog.

I've been excitedly telling any family member or friend who will listen what I learned during the Covering the Iowa Caucuses class since we returned from the Quad-Cities area January 5.

Before January 3, I never knew how the primary election delegate system worked—or how it led up to each party's national convention—let alone how democratic caucuses tallied support. This knowledge will help me inform people in my life and also help me as I cover politics in the future.

I spoke with one freelance journalist from Chicago who had been sent to Bettendorf, Iowa, and she said she had no idea how the caucuses worked. She said she had been "thrown into it." I can say when it comes to covering presidential primaries and caucuses, I will never be in her bind; the knowledge I obtained is forever ingrained because we were there, we weren't just learning from a workbook in a classroom.

In regards to pure logistics of political reporting, I learned I should have spent more time before the caucuses writing what I could of my story, leaving more time and brain energy to collect interviews in reaction to the results later in the evening. By the time the caucuses ended, I felt mentally drained and had to make an incredible effort to contact sources for reaction interviews.

In a span of three days I also learned how to handle politicians' tough press people. And I learned from my classmates and teachers important questions to ask citizens as well as candidates.

This class epitomized the learning-by-doing philosophy. It was an excellent opportunity, and I got more out of it than I had expected—and I had high expectations.

Beth Palmer is an undergraduate journalism student from Chicago.

IYA BAKARE writes:
Who knew that four days in a state I never fathomed of traveling to before this class would turn into such an adventure? Let's face it: when the average person decides to plan a trip in this great country, Iowa doesn't appear in most people's top three choices, let alone, I dare say, top five choices (unless he plays the pick-a- place-without-looking game). Whatever the case may be, I was destined to be in that place, at that time, with those people.

I left my box of "Politics is Corrupt" and "I'm Staying Away From It" that I was comfortable in and realized how oblivious I was to the political world around me. Silly and foolish of me to think I could avoid politics for the rest of my life and truly consider myself an educated, well-rounded individual. Even within politics, there are several facets about politicians as individuals and the parties they represent.

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of my adventure in Iowa was at Bennigan's the night before we left Iowa. Friday night, I was engaged in a conversation with one of my classmates. As we were discussing diversity, one of the bartenders interjected in our conversation. My classmate politely enlightened her about her culture, and the bartender gave us a sense of the history of the cultural makeup of Bettendorf, Iowa. It was refreshing to have a philosophical discussion in an area where diversity is sparse. I think we all walked away learning from each other.

This class turned out to be such a learning experience for me. I was expecting it to be one on the political aspect, but it was also a revelation personally. I learned from my professors, who taught an excellent and well-planned curriculum for this course. I learned from my classmates, who I have no doubt have a radiant future in journalism.

Iya Bakare is a graduate student in journalism from McComb, Mississippi.

AGNES PIETRYKA-MASNIK writes:
While returning from Bettendorf, Iowa, covering Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign for president, I kept thinking of a joke my dad saw on Oprah that he has repeated a few times as we would ride the train together to downtown Chicago discussing politics this past semester.

Not to call my dad out...you have to understand his sense of humor.

On Oprah, former President Bill Clinton joked that should Hillary Clinton be elected president of the United States, then his Scottish friends say he should be called "First Laddie."

My dad would crack-up saying "First Laddie."

If Hillary Clinton were elected, that would mean four more years of Clintons in the White House. For some, it's a concern; for others, they believe it's time for a woman to be elected president.

Breanne Kaminski, a 19-year-old college student at Scott Community College and first-time caucus-goer said, "I am voting for Hillary. I like the fact that she is a woman. This first time I vote, I want to be able to say I voted for the first female president."

Kaminski maintained her support for Clinton even though her father caucused for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who won with 38 percent over Clinton's third-place finish of 29 percent. Former Senator John Edwards was second, just slightly ahead of Clinton.

"We need her experience and wisdom; we need someone to land in the White House running," said Priscilla Cavanagh, a 79- year-old, lifelong resident of Davenport, who had planned to caucus for Clinton.

"I want to be the first one in the family that votes in a female president," said Cavanagh. "I know that she will win the nomination."

Becky Cook, a 56-year-old Bettendorf resident, thinks Clinton will do the right thing for the country: "My mom is 85 years old, and during her lifetime, women have gotten the right to vote...It's time we have a woman president." (The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote).

"I really want to see what a woman can do in the White House," said Matthew Henderson, a 28-year-old from Bettendorf who caucused with his mother, Susan Henderson.

Susan Henderson said, "If she does as good of job as her husband does, she will be a great president." Henderson said Clinton's stance on health care and insurance for the unemployed is most important.

On Wednesday, at Clinton's last stop in Scott County before the January 3 caucuses, Randy Trevarthen, a DeWitt union laborer, said Clinton has a lot of good ideas of bringing jobs back to the United States and preventing them from moving out of the country. "She's an amazing woman," said Trevarthen.

America will have to wait and see who will be this year's Democratic nominee for president.

In the meantime, I will have to come up with a good joke for my dad.

Agnes Pietryka-Masnik is a graduate student in journalism from the Chicago area.

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.

MEHA AHMAD writes:
Behold! Four days in Iowa has made the political junkie I never thought I could be manifest. I can now watch Meet the Press and understand every word of political jargon that show dishes out. Bring it on, Tim Russert. Bring it on.

My experience in Iowa—talking to caucus-goers and political-science experts, spending time at Mitt Romney's campaign office, hanging out with the campaign staff and volunteers, and then actually going to the caucuses and writing our article for it under deadline and all that crazy stuff—was pretty amazing. And amazingly exhausting. Apparently, sleep was for the weak during this trip.

Iowa, believe it or not, actually did have a lot to offer. But I work better with lists. So here ya go:

Top Five Things Iowa Has that Illinois Wishes It Had:

5. Schnuck's (a grocery store). What a....cool but extremely weird name for a grocery store. Why do we have boring grocery-store names like Jewel?

4. Whitey's (an ice cream shop). Some of the greatest milkshakes in the Midwest. But the best thing? The borderline racist name and the random T-shirts that read, "Now You Know You're Home."

3. Hungry Hobo (sandwich shop). Honestly, it's just these wacky names I like.

2. Awesome state senators who spend a ridiculous amount of time making sure you have more than enough interviews and material for your article, especially on caucus day, when he's probably got better things to do than shuttle Columbia students around, but instead makes CBS wait to interview him until he's sure we have all the material we need. (You rule, Senator Hartsuch!) Meanwhile, it's been a week, and you're still waiting for some random Chicago official to return an email about the CTA or security in schools.

1. Nice people at Starbucks who, when your hotel catches on fire and you run to their establishment for shelter from the cold, will offer you free pastries. That's class.

P.S. Thanks Suzanne and John for a great trip and learning experience! Also, for the hours of lost sleep just so we could get our grades back in the morning. You rawk. =]

Meha Ahmad is an undergraduate journalism student from Bridgeview, Illinois.

JENNIFER T. LACEY writes:

Only in America . . . do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures."
—Comic unknown.

"People want change."
"I have the most experience creating change out of all the candidates here."
"I know that change can come if I'm elected president."

Four Democratic candidates used the word "change" so much during the CNN debates, I could have sworn that somehow the panhandlers from State Street found a way into the election.

Change. Yep, everyone wants it, and no one is willing to make it. It takes effort. It takes concessions. It takes compromises. It takes, to paraphrase John Edwards, moving away from the "status quo." So, if we want it so bad, why is it so hard to have? I guess it's like common sense; it's just not so common.

Some words just need to have an expiration date on them. How strange it would be if we still used "courting" to discuss dating. Or "thou" and "thee." Thou going to the store, honey, would thee like anything? Sounds funny when you say it out loud, right? Why? Perhaps "thou", "thee," and "courting" are words that insinuate an amount of distance. Or authority not needed when relating. They have run their course, and now humans are finding quicker ways to express themselves. LOL. AFAIK. NSFW

I stopped using the word "resolution" years ago because I realized the word has lost impact. So I began using "committed." That's certainly a word you can't ease out of too easily, with others and your own conscience. In using the word, I found myself actually staying on course to reaching my goals.

Perhaps the candidates, with their education and vast vocabularies, could find a new word to use in the coming debates.

How about "transformation" as a start?

Jennifer T. Lacey is a graduate student in journalism from Chicago.

RACHAEL STRECHER writes:
Caucusing was one of those things I felt confident I knew about, yet when someone asked me to explain it, I'd have to reply with an overly vague description and mumble something about being similar to primaries. I can proudly say that this is no longer the case.

After following candidates and citizens and actually witnessing the thing, I can honestly say that modern politics has not lost its quirk, and in many ways, this is manifested in the Iowa caucuses. After being offered a combination razor and shaving soap by a certain campaign manager ("They're gifts for our lady volunteers, but we don't have many of those"), and listening to a voter's stories about her childhood during the Depression, I have a certain adoration for Iowans, who are always ready to talk or offer some sort of food or gift (particularly if it can persuade you to vote for their candidate).

I now understand not only the bare-bones logistics of the caucuses, but I understand what is behind it and what the folks of Iowa put into it.

Rachael Strecher is an undergraduate photography student from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

MEG WHITE writes:
After living out of a suitcase for two weeks, my northern "vacation" came to a close this Saturday.

I spent Christmas and New Year's in Minnesota with family and friends who wanted to hear all about grad school and the caucuses. I returned to Chicago for a couple of hours of class before heading out to Iowa.

After the holidays and the caucuses, it felt good to be on the El, surrounded by strangers I didn't have to talk to. I made no effort to watch the presidential debates in New Hampshire. Not only do I not have T.V. reception, but I was just too burned out on campaign talk to handle it.

I listened to them on public radio Sunday night, however.

Kucinich had filed a complaint with the FCC against ABC News for excluding him (as well as Democrat Mike Gravel and Republican Duncan Hunter) from the New Hampshire debates Saturday. I agreed with the sentiment completely. Kucinich differs on issues that the four included Democratic candidates seem to largely agree upon.

Without these issues being raised, will I have to listen to a slew of questions about "experience" and "change"? Why should we exclude voices from the Democratic debate, especially based on the results from one relatively homogeneous state like Iowa?

But I have to admit, I really enjoyed this last debate. With fewer candidates (Senators Biden and Dodd dropped out after a poor showing in Iowa), moderator Charlie Gibson didn't have to rely on buzzers or timers to keep order. So, it was more fluid conversation than stump speeches.

And Gibson's last question was a tiny piece of interviewing genius, in my humble opinion. He asked the candidates what statement, in any previous debate, they would take back if they could? Now that's a question about experience and change worth asking.

Meg White is a graduate student in journalism from Minneapolis.