Iowa08: Archives

MEG WHITE writes:
I was listening to National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" today (December 19), and they had a quick segment about Iowa caucus goers. During "Morning Edition," political reporter David Green had commented that in the last few caucuses, only six or seven percent of eligible voters in Iowa caucused. In response to this, the reporter invited University of Iowa political science professor David Redlawsk to talk about what these people look like.

I turned the radio up, curious to find out who I'd be meeting in Bettendorf, Iowa.

Redlawsk said caucus goers are whiter, older, richer, more educated, and more rural. That didn't surprise me, until I started thinking about it. They are whiter, older, and more rural than most other Iowans?

We're talking Iowa: 93 percent white, 14.6 percent over age 65, and the state that taught this Minnesotan the definition of rural.

Who knew Iowa could even get whiter, older, or more rural?

Who made these people boss of the democratic process?

I might be overreacting here. What state can truly claim to represent our diverse nation? And how much power does Iowa really have in choosing our next president? Not all that much, historically.

But they sure do get a lot of attention. I don't think it's too off base to suggest that environmentally dubious ethanol is still on the political table because corn-heavy Iowa makes up its mind on the next presidential candidates first.

Iowans don't like it when I say stuff like that. They say they have built up a political culture that no other state could compete with. They also say I am just jealous.

Iowans may be in better political shape for this job than other states. I intend to find that out for myself on January 3, 2008.

I do know this, however. I've lived in a couple of "purple" or swing states. And I have to say having my city swamped by reporters, the Secret Service, and candidates, not to mention my television taken over by attack ads, is not something I looked forward to on election years.

Meg White is a graduate student in journalism from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

BRENT STEVEN WHITE writes:
A friend and I were talking a few days ago about my upcoming trip to the Iowa caucuses. She expressed interest in my trip, but she was curious why presidential primaries started in a state that is not as large or powerful as, say, Illinois or California. I didn’'t have an answer.

The more questions she asked, the more I realized that I needed to learn a lot more about the process of electing our president. And even though candidates campaign months before January 3, the real race begins in Iowa.

Politics has been an interest of mine since I was a young teenager delivering newspapers. It was an absent interest, however, in high school, as I was focused on other things such as music and traveling.

Moving to Chicago changed that. It’'s impossible not to develop an interest in politics living in Chicago. Local politics is infectious. Living in Chicago for the past couple years has inspired me to become a more active citizen and taxpayer.

This inspiration led directly to my decision to attend the Iowa caucuses. I drove through Iowa two and a half years ago when my father helped me move from Portland, Oregon to Chicago. The drive took four days—four long days. I remember Iowa being very flat, sparse, and very green. The cities seemed sleepy, but I’m sure that will change on January 3.

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

BECKY SCHLIKERMAN writes:
In my mind, the Iowa caucus is loud, chaotic, and full of excitement.

Although my fantasy may not be 100-percent accurate, my expectations are that this experience will be fast paced and a great learning experience in terms of deadline news writing.

As students, we don't always understand the news-acquisition process. We report on things, but mostly things that have already happened or will happen.

This time, however, it will be different.

We will be reporting the news as it is happening. As a journalist-in-training, that is an extremely exciting concept.

But with that, I expect this experience to be my first foray into the stress and adrenaline that a reporter experiences while writing an important story as it is happening.

This experience will not only give me an opportunity to see what professional reporters go through, but I expect to be re-energized and motivated by my Iowa experience.

I want to be a news reporter who covers important issues and events, and I can't think of anything that symbolizes my dream as much as the Iowa caucus.

In addition to being thrilled about the experience, I'm excited to have picked Mike Huckabee as the candidate I'm covering, because he is currently the Republican front runner in the Iowa polls, which means his campaign will be running at full speed trying to get as many last-minute votes possible.

On caucus night, I expect his supporters will be many, and they'll be making themselves heard.

Although having a prominent figure is slightly daunting, I expect to have a great story to tell.

Yet this experience will last way beyond caucus, this semester, and even this election. I expect this class to prepare me for my future career more than any other class possibly could have.

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

MEHA AHMAD writes:
I am by no means a political junkie. In fact, politics is probably the one field I have actively shied away from, keeping my distance and hoping it keeps its own. When watching WGN, I focus on local news, entertainment, health, and weather. But the moment anchor Allison Payne reads, for example, the Dick Cheney or Richard Daley article slowly moving up the teleprompter, I can't click away fast enough.

What I do happen to know about politics is completely based on sporadic viewings of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Middle-aged (and some much more than middle-aged) white men with their power struggles and mud-slinging campaigns—whether it's in the presidential, aldermanic, or mayoral elections—don't hold my interest, especially in the last few years. The current presidential administration, I feel, is disappointing and leaves much to be desired, alienating me further. At least Bill Clinton kept things interesting.

This alienation and disinterest hasn't helped me, however, and leaves this aspiring journalist pretty much out of the loop.

So when I heard about a J-term class at Columbia that will cover the Iowa caucuses, I immediately signed up. What a fantastic opportunity, I thought to myself. Of course I hope I pass, but even if I don't, I'll walk away with a great experience.

Maybe, as an amateur in politics, I'm biting off more than I can chew, but I hope I can rise to the challenge. And no, I hadn't really heard much on presidential candidate Mitt Romney before I pulled his name from a mug depicting Richard Nixon and Elvis arm in arm. But so what? I've got Google! I've got Wikipedia! Or...er...LexisNexis. I'm not going to let my blatant political ignorance slow me down.

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

JOHN LENDMAN writes:
Much like my randomly selected candidate to cover, John Edwards, I have faith in the little guy; inspired by what impact I can make in democracy from the voice of the working class. While his contribution is on the campaign trail, mine will be in the papers.

I want my writing to contribute to our democratic society and give readers access and awareness of why these issues are important to their everyday lives. Ideally, how I report on the issues of politics will inspire a dialog in public policy and maybe even inspire voters at the polls; at least that is my goal.

My expectation for this class is to develop a passion for politics; to sharpen my focus in this field and find my niche. Ultimately, I’d like to figure out a way to get average working-class Americans interested in public policy, how it affects them and why it is important to educate oneself as an element of our democratic system.

To digress a bit, if I had to pinpoint a specific moment that inspired me, it was my seventh-grade U.S. history class. My teacher was explaining the branches of government to a classroom of unimpressed adolescents. What made this lesson plan unique was when he wrote on the blackboard: “The four branches of our democratic government: Legislative, Judicial, Executive, and The Press.” He went on to explain the power the press had as the “checks and balances” issued by the people in an adequate democracy. I took notes with my head spinning, thinking about how I could impact democracy without having to go to law school at some Ivy League institution. I joined the school newspaper the following semester.

The passion to be a journalist still hasn’t changed and I hope this class will give me a crash course toward my future.

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

BETH PALMER writes:
From a mess of paper strips piled in a ceramic mug, I picked the one with Bill Richardson’'s name. This means my first story for “Covering the Iowa Caucus” should focus on how the governor of New Mexico ranked among the Democrats as they each court support for what could sway voters in the primary elections kicking off in New Hampshire January 8.

But the story could be about how he didn't rank at all.

Bill Richardson gets virtually zero press because he’'s number four behind Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. There’'s just no room for him in pie charts and sidebars profiling the “top three.”

In Iowa, I expect a similar reaction to the one I have been receiving here from friends: “"Never heard of him."” And, if the caucus reflects recent Iowa polls that list his support at seven percent, he won'’t garner the required 15 percent support from Iowans on caucus night.

That said, a high percentage of support at the caucus could help candidates, but doing poorly doesn'’t set their fate in stone. In 1992, Bill Clinton did not have the most support in the caucus, but did go on to win the Democratic nomination and, of course, the presidency.

But Clinton lost in Iowa to a senator from Iowa. In recent years, the candidates who ended up receiving the most support in Iowa won the presidential nomination.

For Richardson to not place in the Iowa caucus but go on to win the Democratic presidential bid would be making history and also, I suspect, make a couple of sourpusses out of Hillary and Barack.

Beth Palmer is an undergraduate journalism student from Chicago.