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DES MOINES - Read reporter Beth Androuais' perspective of the Iowa Caucus as she attends a caucus.
Caucuses over
January 4, 2008, 3:36 am They called the Republicans early. It took longer to call the Democrats, but I was updated as a woman from NBC sitting behind the media risers would yell the numbers out to a man from NBC on the front media riser. Not a bad spot. All the waiting amounted to less than 15 minutes of Edwards talking. He didn't yawn. Like I thought, the fun began with the editing. I got back to the newsroom around 10 p.m., and stayed until about 2:30 a.m. during which time I drank another soda, edited the footage of Edwards and Biden and enjoyed the atmosphere of camaraderie as what seemed like the entire Des Moines Register newsroom worked together to cover the caucuses. It was fun to contribute to the coverage, especially with people I had worked with over the summer. In fact, it felt more like a party than work. Look for the work of my colleagues and myself on desmoinesregister.com or on USA Today’s website, as I hear they were interested in picking up some of the coverage, although I’m not sure what parts of the coverage. It’s about 3:30 a.m., and I’m still awake, hyped up on adrenaline and caffeine, although probably mostly on caffeine. I probably shouldn’t have had that second soda.
Waiting for the caucuses to end
January 3, 2008, 7:31pm
It’s a little after 7 p.m., and things have settled down in the room where Edwards will speak once the caucuses are over. TV folk are on laptops or chatting amongst themselves — some about the quarrels over space that occurred earlier — the tension is down, and the room is chilly, probably in anticipation of the heat from the people who will come to hear Edwards speak.
One cameraman says he hopes it will all be over by 10 p.m. Regardless of time, when Edwards is done speaking, I’ll go back to the Des Moines Register newsroom’s video editing room, where the real fun will begin: editing the videos.
On Edge
January 3, 2008, 4:54pm
I shouldn't have had that soda before I got to the hotel. I haven't had a soda in a while, and I'm starting to feel it. What doesn't help is how on-edge all the tv folk are.
I dropped from the second riser to the first to leave after I set up my video camera, and got some stern looks from a camera crew. Risers are not the sturdiest things, and I didn't realize the crew was going live. They weren't even rehearsing beforehand, and no one announced they were going live. So I froze on the riser until the shoot was over.
On the other end of the riser, a cameraman from ABC was setting up a camera, and snipped to a group of people that he was from ABC, and absolutely had to have more space. The crew he was snipping to snipped back that ABC obviously didn't care about a local news crew.
In the photo that is supposed to be visible with this post, my camera is on the far left. It's itty-bitty compared to the tv station cameras. On the right is the lovely man from ABC. He's yelling at the local tv station folks off-screen to the right.
The two Des Moines Register photographers who are here taking photos assured me closer to Edwards' appearance, the photographers taking still photos would begin this kind of behavior, too.
Yikes. I don't know what I'll do if someone tries to yell at me for something. Probably cry. I shouldn't have had that soda.
I'm going back in to check on my tripod and video camera on the riser. I'll be very careful to check first and see if anyone is going live on camera.
Waiting for John Edwards
January 3, 2008, 3:04pm
I’m at the Savery Hotel in downtown Des Moines, waiting to be let into the ballroom where John Edwards will speak to his supporters later tonight after the caucuses. I’m taking video for the Des Moines Register, the newspaper where I interned this summer. Here’s what the Washington Post said about Edwards today:
“Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, ended 36 hours of nonstop campaigning with a rally in Des Moines on Wednesday night that featured singer John Mellencamp.”
I certainly hope he got a good night’s rest last night, because it would be bad if he yawned during tonight’s speech!
The Associated Press reports Edwards could make $2 million a day if he wins the most Democrat support in Iowa, because that’s what Kerry made in 2004 when he got the most Democrat support in Iowa. Edwards got about half that in 2004 as runner-up. Either way, it would help his campaign; he’s got less money than Clinton and Obama.
The Des Moines Register’s front-page headline in the print edition and on the website is an all-caps “NOW, YOU DECIDE.”
Edwards placed a full-page ad in the paper.
From the Register’s Ken Fuson:
“You know there are too many reporters in Iowa when you see two interviewing each other about how many reporters there are in Iowa. You really know it when you see that happening more than once.”
Since it’s been done, I won’t stop to interview another journalist about how many journalists there are in town, then.
If you’re wondering about the weather here, “Oh, it’s frickin’ freezing,” said a woman who walked by my table at lunch in Panera — and no, I didn’t stop her to interview her, but I do have to say I agree with her weather assessment. Last night, weather.com had it as “feels like -1” in Des Moines. Today, it’s sunny with a bit of wind, and weather.com says the temperature is 29 but feels like 15. I’ll take 15 over -1.
Posted by: Beth Androuais
Published: Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 7:56 PM
Last Updated: Monday, April 7, 2008 at 1:07 PM |
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