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NPR Online at the Iowa Caucuses
It's a historic moment for us. For the first time ever, NPR Online is sending a team to cover the Iowa caucuses. We'll describe the sights and sounds from Iowa, which is considered the first test of the Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls. But who are we, and what are we doing in Des Moines? Marcy Fine heads the NPR Online election team. She's been a news writer for NPR's Web site for the past two years. Prior to that, she worked at CNN Interactive. Maggy Sterner is a former television and radio reporter who worked for CBS News in Manila and Johannesburg. She is also our online photographer.
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Saturday Evening, January 22, 2000
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We arrived in Des Moines to find the town overrun by presidential
candidates, political activists, media-types and analysts. On every other
corner, there is a made-up-for-television face, dressed in the requisite
dark wool coat. There are no available hotel rooms, and most of the downtown
parking lots are filled with huge television satellite trucks.
Somehow, I don't get the impression that this is really what Iowa is
like.
But it seems pretty easy to get a sense of the people of Des Moines. The few
Iowans we've met were all very friendly and helpful. I do get the sense,
though, that they have done this before and are eager to get back to their
normal lives. None of the people we encountered was a newcomer to the
pre-caucus invasion. They have seen it all. And while welcoming the new
arrivals, they seem to be waiting for the visitors to leave -- especially
the candidates (believe it or not). One woman told us that she is receiving
mail from the candidates every day. And she said she'd be quite happy
when they left her alone.
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Sunday Morning, January 23, 2000
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The big news today in Iowa is the announcement of The Des Moines Register's
endorsements for the 2000 election. Not surprisingly to many, the paper
picked George W. Bush for the Republican candidate. The Register went
against the perceived conventional wisdom in selecting the Democratic
nominee, choosing Bill Bradley over Al Gore. It may not seem like a big deal
to many Americans. But since Iowa is seen as the first hurdle for
presidential hopefuls, gaining The Register's endorsement is considered a
coup here.
Don't be fooled, though. None of the candidates is halting his campaign
efforts because of The Register's endorsements. The day is filled with
campaign appearances by all of the candidates -- except Republican John
McCain, who is skipping the Iowa caucuses to campaign in New Hampshire ahead
of next week's primary.
The NPR Online team is checking out some of the last-minute campaigning and
talking with some locals and get their take on the process.
But we've been warned (by a group of Des Moines second-graders) not to take
it all too seriously. When asked by a reporter what they thought a caucus
was, each responded "a dead animal" (uh, kids: that's a "carcass.") I think
that puts the campaign frenzy into perspective.
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Sunday Evening, January 23, 2000
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We spent the day trying to check out some of the candidates' last appearances before the caucuses. Our intention was to visit all (or most) of the rallies. But we clearly underestimated the scope of the last-minute campaign efforts. The caucuses are held all over the state, and most of the presidential hopefuls were campaigning in other cities (Iowa is bigger than one would think).
We were able to get to a rally for Republican Alan Keyes that was billed as "the largest ever." But I'm not sure it lived up to that billing. Maybe I was just expecting too much after the pre-rally ads, which described Keyes as "the greatest orator of our day" and a modern-day Patrick Henry.
The Keyes faithful didn't seem disappointed, though. There were more than 1,000 people there (mostly older folks and families with young children) and each was riveted when Keyes stepped up to the microphone. The conservative Keyes drew loud applause and cheers throughout his address -- most notably when he talked about putting religion at the center of American culture and abolishing income taxes, which Keyes likened to economic slavery.
For me, the high point of Keyes' speech came at the very beginning. As he walked to the stage, the band played James Brown's I Feel Good, and Keyes suggested making it his campaign song -- if he could take out one of the o's in good and change the song's title to I Feel God. Clever, eh?.
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Monday Morning, January 24, 2000
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Well, caucus day has arrived. And so far, it's ... well, pretty uneventful. Most Iowans are preparing for the individual caucus meetings, and the candidates seem to be trying to stay out of the voters' way -- doing television interviews and greeting supporters until just before the caucuses convene.
We're also spending the day in preparation for the caucuses. We'll be visiting some of the meeting places and talking with caucus participants. And after the delegate selection, we'll be participating in an online chat with NPR political editor Ron Elving. Be sure to log in at 10 p.m. ET to find out the latest caucus information and to hear NPR's expert analysis.
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Monday Evening, January 24, 2000
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The day turned out to be more eventful than I had anticipated. We spent the afternoon checking out the sites where caucus results were being tallied and talking with Iowans about the issues that are most important to them. Along the way, we ran into several of the candidates making final appearances before the evening caucuses. Orrin Hatch, Gary Bauer and Steve Forbes stopped by the Republican tallying station at Drake University. And Bill Bradley was on hand for a moment at the Fort Des Moines Hotel, the Democratic caucus headquarters. I was impressed by how available the candidates made themselves to the people of Iowa. Clearly they view the caucuses as a crucial political event.
Iowans seem to share that perception. All of the locals we talked to were well informed and passionate about their political beliefs. And at the caucuses, we witnessed some very sophisticated debate. A number of the speakers even cited specific legislation and regulations while arguing their cases. For me, it was a revelation. I can't remember a time where I was surrounded by so many politically knowledgeable people who don't work in the news industry.
Interestingly, the Iowans we talked to see the caucus not only as a privilege and a responsibility -- but also as a right. Most people here believe that the candidates must address voters' concerns, preferably in person. And one woman we spoke with at a Republican caucus said she wouldn't consider voting for a candidate that she hadn't met, adding that she deserved to get the answers straight from the candidate's mouth. I loved the fact that this woman felt politically important enough to demand attention from the men trying to lead the nation. It was such a pure, democratic concept that stood in sharp contrast to the political apathy that seems to pervade the nation.
All in all, the evening left me more optimistic about the political future of the nation than I'd felt in a while. It seemed that things can only get better if there are voters who are so concerned, knowledgeable and active in the political process. Now, if only more voters shared the participatory role that Iowans take ...
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Marcy Fine heads the NPR Online election team. She's been a news writer for NPR's Web site for the past two years. Prior to that, she worked at CNN Interactive.
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