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On the Campaign Trail
By John W. Kennedy | July 31, 2008
The great advantage to living in a swing state such as Missouri is that presidential candidates are apt to pay frequent visits. Even a city the size of Springfield (population 151,580) draws the two major party nominees. Last month, John McCain held a town hall meeting where I live to discuss the economy; Barack Obama did the same on Wednesday.
For those fortunate enough to obtain the few available tickets it’s a great opportunity to see democracy in action. Front-row seats at Glendale High School on Wednesday were less than five feet from the speaker’s podium. Regardless of your political persuasion, it’s a privilege to listen in person to either of the men who will be our next chief executive. As a journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to cover speeches by our last three presidents: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. It’s a memorable experience.
This election season, voters in Utah won’t be able to go see either candidate because it’s a safe Republican state. New York won’t attract either contender because it’s firmly Democratic. The presumptive nominees know the race will come down to the battleground states, including Missouri, which has 11 electoral votes.
A benefit of these town hall meetings is that the candidates must veer from their carefully crafted speeches to answer questions from the audience. Wednesday in Springfield, a 12-year-old boy asked Sen. Obama if Social Security would be around when he retires. I doubt if any reporter ever posed such a query.
I’ve noticed the youth of most of the national reporters covering these events. Those getting off the press bus—reporting for the TV networks, national news weeklies, major newspaper chains and wire services—appear to be mostly in their 20s.
I’m wondering how journalists who are way younger than McCain and even younger than Obama have the depth of perception to distill information for the general public about the men they are following. Then again, maybe they are the only ones with the stamina to traipse around the country day after day for months at a time. The only other people with no semblance of a normal life the past year are those two men seeking the highest office in the land.
Topics: Politics |
August 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
hmm.. thank you very much. usefull information