Way back in January, before we'd officially said goodbye to Howard Dean and hello to John Kerry, we sent the three winners of our YM Goes to the Polls essay contest to New Hampshire to cover the Democratic primary. After a week of chasing John Edwards to get a quote, shoving aside CNN cameramen to get to Gen. Wesley Clark, and standing in the freezing cold to hear Joe Lieberman describe the phenomenon that was "Liebermania," they'd become seasoned political reporters. We were so proud (sniff). That's why we brought Laura Rice, one of the three, to New York City to cover the Republican National Convention. She braved 90 degree heat, angry protestors and hordes of Republicans to bring you the true story of what happens when a political circus comes to town. Don't say we never do anything for you.
Sunday, August 29
I'm in New York City for the Republican National Convention and the first thing I realize is that so are several hundred thousand party members — and their opponents. We started our coverage with a demonstration organized by United for Peace and Justice, because really, there is no better way to kick off four days of GOP political speeches than by joining a huge, surging crowd intent on tossing the Republicans out of power.
We joined about 400,000 people who were protesting George W. Bush's policies on everything from Iraq to women's rights to the environment. It was actually kind of festive — there was even a guy blowing a conch shell, and yes, it was as weird as you'd imagine — with tons of people carrying signs and yelling slogans like "This is what democracy looks like!" The most amazing thing about the crowd was how diverse it was. There was no typical protester: There were college kids wearing Abercrombie and 60-something hippies who looked like they hadn't changed their clothes since Woodstock. Almost everyone was friendly and well behaved.
Hannah Winckelmann, a 14-year-old high school student, came with her family. "It's important that people pay attention to what's happening in the world," she said. "And that we let the world know how we feel." Kate Hirschmann-Levy, 24, who was volunteering at the event, agreed. "You just start looking at all the problems out there and it's scary," she said. "It's so overwhelming and you just go 'Oh my god!' So pick one issue that means something to you, and get informed and active about that."
Veteran civil rights campaigner the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was giving a press conference where the march ended, also had some advice about becoming part of the political process. "Vote," he told me. "You need to vote to keep college tuition down, and you need to vote so [kids like you will] have jobs when they leave college. America is only an idea unless you take action." I'm not eligible to vote for another two years, but it's still a great message.
Post-protest, we headed over to a fancy soiree for the Republican delegates, their kids, and GOP volunteers at the Roseland Ballroom, which is about as glamorous as it sounds. Here's what I learned: Republicans are lacking in the celebrity-endorsement department. Remember Ben Affleck hanging out with the Democrats at their convention in Boston? Yeah, well the Republicans got Stephen Baldwin. He's not even the second most famous Baldwin brother! "R: the Party," which was being hosted by the Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara, wasn't exactly welcoming to reporters — which is unusual for a celebrity-attended event. We'd been told we'd have time to snap some pictures of the girls, the stars, and the party. But instead, we were literally put in a pen made of crowd-control barriers so we could take pictures of the Bush girls on the red carpet without, say, breathing on them. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of shoving during the girls' arrival (New Hampshire flashback!). They stood awkwardly on the red carpet, giggling for the cameras while their press handler screamed at them to smile and a guy with a TV camera begged them to tell him who they were wearing. We'd been warned not to ask questions, and apparently the girls had been told not to answer any. After Jenna and Barbara headed inside, security told us to scram. At least we weren't alone: The Washington Post was among the pissed-off media, and when they asked why they were not allowed in, Susan Whitson, the Bush daughters' spokeswoman, told them, "We can't have press just wandering around in the party." No comment.
And that's pretty much what the Republicans outside the party said when I tried to interview them. So far, they've been a lot less chatty than their Democrat counterparts, but I'm not giving up...
Wednesday, September 1
After several days of trying to get a real live Republican to give me an interview, I hooked up with Princella Smith, 20, winner of MTV's "Stand Up and Holla" essay contest. It was worth the wait. Princella, who won a chance to speak at the convention, seems to have become the unofficial representative of young people for the entire Republican party. Her job is to energize America's youth on behalf of George W. Back in her home state of Arkansas, Princella is the head of the local chapter of the Young Republicans, and she's the youngest member of African-Americans for Bush.
As a black female, the question she says she's most frequently asked is, "Why Republican?" (African-Americans and women generally vote Democrat.) "I think that African-Americans, especially over the last thirty years should have made more progress," Princella explains. "Republicans focus on education, like vocational training or college, to train people for jobs. That is the best way to make progress. I also think that the Republican party is the party of compassion and strong values." Mostly, though, Princella is focused on getting out the vote. "This is a very close election people! Right now young people have a turnout of under thirty percent," she says. "If we raise that to even thirty-five percent, we could swing the election." Princella is doing what she can to swing the election for George W. Bush, and he's lucky to have her on his side.
After I said goodbye to Princella, we headed off to a taping of The Daily Show, where the guest was Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director. Before the show, I asked host Jon Stewart if he preferred celebrity guests or politicians, and he said, "You obviously have never seen the show, since I actually sleep through the interviews." Yeah, right. But he did just about beg Bartlett to get the president on the show. Bartlett's response? "Tell me why the president should go on Comedy Central." Okay, then. Guess Dubya won't be showing up any time soon.
Next week... At last, a real Republican delegate speaks, and I review the speeches.
