August 2008 Archives
I write this on a plane heading out of St. Paul, Minnesota to Memphis, Tennessee. Mother Nature has caused an unexpected turn of events and Hurricane Gustav is currently on a direct path to slam New Orleans. This would be the second major hurricane to hit New Orleans in three years and many fear that Gustav will be Katrina, Part II.
Due to this turn of events, the Republican Party has decided to greatly scale down the events at the convention because they do not want it to appear that they're partying while the Gulf region is submerged under water. President Bush, who was expected to speak to the convention tomorrow, will monitor the storm from a government facility in Texas. It's probably not a bad thing that a highly unpopular president can skip his party's convention.
Let's go back to why I'm on the flight. With the convention on hold, I realized last night that St. Paul is not where I need to be. I want to report on the people affected by the storm and so I'll be in Memphis. Memphis is the destination for over 1500 evacuees coming by train from New Orleans. My goal is to report on their stories, to capture what it's like to leave everything behind and hop a train and head to a completely new city. Who's waiting for them? Where do they plan to go? Do local Memphis residents want them around? I'll be looking for younger people and those with young families. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm happy NBC is giving me the opportunity to tell this important story.
I often tell people that Hurricane Katrina was a defining moment in my life. I realized that there was still a lot of work left to do in America. Call it my own civic reawakening if you will. After watching MSNBC and seeing bodies floating down the street, and thousands of the poorest people in America receiving little or no care, I realized that inequality still exists on a huge scale. It changed me and I hope that my reporting about the people affected by this storm will open your eyes to the hardships faced by the people in this country who live in the Gulf Coast region.
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For the next few days, Luke will be blogging from the Gulf Coast, where he's headed to report on the storm. I'll continue the updates from here. In a news conference a few minutes ago, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis announced that tomorrow's formal program is no longer on. The party will stick to "essential activities": the call to order, receiving the rules committee report, adopting the rules, electing the party officers and approving the party platform. I'll be following all that, and Luke will be tracking the feeling on the ground as Gustav makes landfall, so check back for frequent updates.
How quickly the story changes. Twenty-four hours ago, it was all about a small-town mayor making it to the big-time. Bristol, Piper, Willow, Track and Trig. Then came a Category 3 hurricane.
Now the storm is the story and our operation here is in flux. Who will be sent to the Gulf? What TV time will St. Paul get? How can the GOP have a party here if Louisiana is being hammered by Gustav? Will the storm be a reminder of Katrina, federal incompetence and personal tragedy? Or is there some way McCain can emerge from Gustav a hero? What pictures will dominate the week?
The security sweep of the Xcel Center, our new home at least for now, started at 4pm yesterday. Second stop out of the workspace was to Old Navy with a producer from Nightly News for extra clothes. In case.
Then the regrets started to roll in. Texas governor Rick Perry, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, President Bush, Vice President Cheney. Today, John McCain travels to Jackson, Mississippi to tour the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency with MS governor Haley Barbour.
First off, I want to apologize for not updating my blog after Obama's speech on Thursday. Getting out of Invesco Field took forever due to security. I walked with some Today Show producers along a freeway for three miles in order to get out of the chaos. Those who took buses had to wait up to 3 hours! Anyways, I had an early flight to St. Paul and still hadn't packed. Friday was a travel day so here is a brand spanking new entry.
Obama Reaction: I thought Sen. Obama delivered a very strong speech. He essentially said to John McCain, "Okay buddy, you want to play hardball? Let's do it. Here is why I'm different. Here is how I am going to get what I say done and, by the way, you aren't so hot yourself." After weeks of not responding forcefully to McCain's attacks, Obama returned the fire and had some classic lines. My absolute favorite was: "John McCain says he'll follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." Knowing John McCain, there will be some doozies in his St. Paul speech. I'm interested to see how the theatrics of the night played with swing voters. What did the 35-year-old white male firefighter from Akron, Ohio think about the fireworks and score music at the end? Was it overdone or did it convey a strong message of change with the help of pyrotechnics?
St. Paul: I originally thought that there wouldn't be a lot to cover at this convention, but that idea went out the window yesterday when McCain announced Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. McCain obviously made this decision to shake up the race. Palin was on nobody's radar (if anyone says they thought it was going to be her they are lying) and hence nobody really knows much about her. My thoughts on the pick are as follows:
1. Why did John McCain essentially negate his strongest credential: experience? The most interesting line to me about Palin comes from the New York Times: "Ms. Palin appears to have traveled very little outside the United States. In July 2007, she had to get a passport before she visited members of the Alaska National Guard stationed in Kuwait, according to her deputy communications director, Sharon Leighow. She also visited wounded troops in Germany during that trip." Think about how unbelievable that line is. Somebody who is a heartbeat away from the presidency didn't have a passport till July of last year. It will be interesting to see if the Obama campaign plays on that. McCain could counter that only elitist people have passports because only rich people can travel outside of the U.S. Can't wait for the ads!
2. People who I trust that know John McCain tell me he's very big on trust and on personally knowing somebody's character. McCain hasn't known Palin that long, yet he is casting his lot with her. I don't get it.
3. Does McCain honestly think that the GOP can create Palin as a "small-town small business owner?" If the answer is yes, then I understand the pick a little more. Palin can be seen as the representation of small business owners from small towns all across America. Yet will these voters really see somebody from Alaska as one of them? We'll see.
After this pick, I can't wait for the VP debate on October 2. Biden must be somewhat subdued because the public does not like to see a woman get berated by a man on national TV (history majors, look up Lazio v. Clinton 2000.) Take care and REGISTER TO VOTE!
PS: Upset city on college football today. VA Tech got beat by East Carolina, Pitt by Bowling Green and Michigan is in a heck of game with Utah. One day in and the upsets are already rolling!
John Mccain taps Sarah Palin, Alaska governor and self-proclaimed "hockey mom" of five, as his running mate. Check out Palin's speech here. Luke and I are wheels up to St. Paul. More from there!
We leave the RF Ready Room, the workspace for correspondents and producers who are doing live shots on the field, and push through the crowds along the stadium's perimeter. John Kerry's entourage swings past us.
We stop to talk with Savannah Guthrie, an NBC correspondent who is hoping for an interview with civil rights pioneer John Lewis. Lewis is the last living speaker at the March on Washington and today is the 45th anniversary of the march.
Tonight is part rally, part rock concert, part grassroots organizing event. Colorado state director Ray Rivera encourages supporters in the stadium to text the DNC. Before Luke interviews her, Alabama delegate Lakeisha Chestnut texts furiously and then faces the broadcast to try and find her message in the ribbon on screen. Lakeisha is a single mother of three from Birmingham who has spent ten years of her life working in campaigns, is getting her college degree and plans to go to law school.
We park ourselves in back of the Massachusetts delegation for a good view of the speech and the staging. According to The New York Times, the Obama campaign's staging expert studied photographs of Kennedy's 1960 outdoor acceptance speech at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for inspiration. Directly across from us at the top of the stadium, snipers are tiny next to a bucking Denver Bronco.
A tribute video narrates what it calls 'Obama's search for self.' We see Obama shot from the back, walking down an empty hallway. "By discovering his own story," the narrator says, "he would come to know what was remarkable about his country."
Obama and his family are sitting with supporters from swing states and the language of the night has been economic populism. "In Washington," Obama says, "they call this the 'ownership society' but what it really means is: 'you're on your own.'
Rather than making a plea for unity, Obama goes after McCain in predictable ('It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.') and somewhat unpredictable ways. ('John McCain likes to say he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.)
Mostly, though, the night is about event and emotion. For Obama, the narrator of his video says, "It was always about trying to move people." And as he finishes speaking, fireworks boom, streamers fall in ribbons on the stage and we are covered in outdoor confetti. The crowd yells furiously, waving small flags and blue 'Change' signs. To my right, Daily Show correspondent John Oliver jumps up and down wildly for the cameras.
More on the speech to come...
While Joe Biden
The most significant line of the night was: "Sixteen years ago . . . we prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief." By directly comparing himself to Obama, he reversed the past seventeen months of casting doubt on Obama's readiness to lead. Personally, Clinton amazes me. No matter what he does or whom he upsets, he always manages to come back and be accepted. By ripping Obama for the past seventeen months, Clinton had burned many bridges. Amazingly they were rebuilt tonight.
On to Biden. To me, the speech sounded like an intervention. My colleague Domenico Montanaro gave me the title, "an intervention for the country." And that is what the speech was. It wasn't fiery or loud. It was calm, cool and almost pleaded for a Republican-free America.
The star of the night was Beau Biden. Maybe I'm biased towards sons who talk about their fathers, but Beau Biden straight dominated and owned the room. He was personable, authentic and came across as a leader. I'll say tonight: Beau Biden just launched his 2014 Senate campaign. Obama came out at the end and looked hip with the mike in his hand and not speaking behind the podium. Obama gave a little teaser to the adoring crowd but clearly all was saved for tomorrow's performance.
Well, I got up at 3:15am this morning to do the Today show, so I am checking out. I'll be back tomorrow, live from Invesco Field for one of the most highly anticipated speeches of the 21st century.
REGISTER TO VOTE IF YOU ARE 18
This morning, Luke appeared on 'Morning Joe' to share his thoughts about the Democratic convention. Watch his appearance, which includes video of his impromptu meeting with former president Bill Clinton.
Another busy day today
but the night was capped with an unbelievable story. I rush to the Pepsi Center
and get in the doors just before Senator Clinton's speech. After the speech,
the press scopes out the second floor to see President Clinton and try to get a
comment from him.
After about 15 minutes
of waiting, I see the trademark white hair and President Clinton walking down
the hallway flanked by at least a dozen Secret Service guards. I quickly jockey
for position on the left side of the hallway and avoid the Secret Service's
attempt to move me out of the way. I catch Clinton's eye and promptly put out
my hand. Not only does he shake it, he gives me a big bear hug.
He stops in his tracks
while a blitzkrieg of flash bulbs go off and asks me, "How'd my girl
do?" I respond, "Well, Mr. President. Judging from the crowd's
reaction, pretty good." He then says, "She did great, I'm so proud of
her. She hit a home run. Home run. Home run."
I walk with the
president and long-time Clinton friend and trusted advisor, former chairman of
the Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe. We board the elevator with a
dozen Secret Service agents and proceed to exit the building. On the ride down
I mention to McAuliffe that Senator Clinton seemed sad at the end speech and
ask if her speech would give her closure. He responds, "She was over this
a month ago."
A little while later,
President Clinton's communications director Matt McKenna says the rest of the
ride is "off the record." We exit the elevator and President Clinton
enters his SUV, after taking a picture with some admirers. He then gets out of
the car and goes to another part of the Pepsi Center.
It
was an incredible experience and one that I will not soon forget. All eyes will
be on the 42nd president of the United States tomorrow night when he addresses
the convention and one can only imagine what type of speech he will give,
supportive of Obama or supportive of his Democratic Party. If you're 18,
REGISTER TO VOTE.
Well, another busy day
in Denver. The convention kicked off in full force with rousing speeches by
both Senator Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama. While Michelle Obama's speech was
certainly the focus of the night, the evening belonged to Kennedy.
Introduced by his niece
Caroline, Senator Kennedy trudged across the stage and delivered one of the
most powerful speeches in recent days. He gave what may be his last address at
a Democratic convention, tying the past to the present with his best effort to
inspire a new generation. His speech brought tears to young and old in the
hall. I am usually pretty kept with my emotions but I will admit I teared up
when I saw Kennedy deliver his last line. He promised to be in the Capitol when
the new President Obama addresses Congress. No matter what your political
leanings are, you have to hope he can keep that promise.
I
did a bunch of work today but my mom always told me "never to bury the
lead" and for this writer, the lead is and was Kennedy. More tomorrow. If
you're 18, REGISTER TO VOTE.
Exhausted. That is the word that truly describes what this day was like. The Sunday before the convention starts is known in the media world as the "chaos before the storm." Every single media outlet, print, radio and television, all converge on the convention grounds and set up to their exact specifications. The trucks and cameras have been in place for weeks but on Sunday every reporter, journalist, technician decides to officially check in. As for me, I was completely swamped. The day started at 8am for the 35-minute car ride to the Pepsi Center. Amazingly, the Secret Service closed the exit off the highway for the Pepsi Center, so Sarah had to drive in detour circles before we finally got to the NBC News tent. Once we arrived we had a production meeting for possible story ideas this week (send in your ideas to asknbcnews@nbcuni.com, put 'story idea' in the subject header.) After that we hit the road. I will list the schedule because my play-by-play will bore you to death with all the stuff I did today. 10:30am: Interview with young delegates about the Senator Obama's decision to tap Senator Biden as VP 1pm: Head to the Big Tent blog event 2pm: Access Hollywood interview with Maria Menounos. 3pm: Hardball interview with Chris Matthews 4pm: Shoot an interview with mybarackobama.com creator Chris Hughes for the Today Show 5pm: Shoot an interview with the head of the Students for Barack Obama website 6pm: Back to the tent to organize tomorrow 7pm: More meetings 8pm: Blog for iCue Needless to say it was a busy day. As for what is important tomorrow: Monday's theme at the convention is "One Nation, hearing from the people who know Barack Obama best." What the party is going to do is try to explain Obama's diverse history and how it will help him in running the country. Michelle Obama (his wife) will speak, as will his half sister and brother-in-law. The night will ultimately try to paint a picture of a man seasoned by his very different upbringing in a postive way. It will seek to introduce Obama as man who has lived in so many different worlds that, in this global age in which we live, there can be no better man to lead the country. It's a tough thing to pull off, especially since some people have seen Obama as "not fundamentally American," as Clinton strategist Mark Penn now famously wrote in an attack strategy memo. Either way, definitely tune in. There is a lot of pressure on Michelle Obama to give a speech where she appears as a first lady. A president's spouse has become a bigger deal in recent elections with the advent of 24/7 cable news and the Obama campaign knows Obama has to give the speech of her life. Take care, and if you want to see me on the squawk box, tune in to MSNBC at 1pm. Peace, and if you are 18, register to vote!!!
Just want to add a few details and pics to Luke's description of Pepsi Center purgatory.
There are two lines, one for media and hapless Democratic party regulars; the other for those of us hauling gear (including, apparently, enormous sandwich boards, which the guy in front of me gingerly sets at the feet of Agent #1 and which, I discover later, advertise CNN Ice Cream.) Ice cream?
Since the Sony mini DV camera, tripod and laptop I'm carrying put me in line #2, I smile at Secret Service and wait. We are asked to form three lines, ushered into the equipment area, unpack our bags, turn our cameras and laptops on and file out. An agent brings in a dog to check for bombs and then several agents hand-search our equipment, row by row, while we trudge through the magnetometers.
I just got to Denver
after a fantastically efficient 3 hour and 40 minute plane ride from New York.
The city is buzzing with convention fever and I feel it as soon as I step into
the baggage claim of the airport. Dozens of people hold signs representing
different news organizations, interest groups and state delegations. My hotel
is about 30 minutes away from the Pepsi Center (home to the Denver Nuggets and
Colorado Avalanche) so the daily trek will definitely be interesting.
Upon getting to the
Pepsi Center, I am greeted by a line six blocks long to get through security.
It looks like a line to buy Pearl Jam tickets. Security, as one might
expect, is extremely tight. Bomb-sniffing dogs accompany secret service
agents with bulletproof vests and machine guns. Agents pat you down as you
enter and make you turn on all your electronics to prove they aren't bombs.
Once I get through
security, an NBC runner in a golf cart picks me up. "Runners" are
young people between 19-22 who help out in all things production. If you have
free time next time there is a big event (Olympics, Convention etc), apply to
be a runner. I'm now in the NBC production tent and it's the size of those you
see at the circus. It's a war room. There are tables of phones, computers,
cameras and dozens and dozens of people trying their best to look important and
busy.
So now that I got the
play-by-play out of the way, let's get to the business of the day and maybe eat
some hay. I just may lie by the bay - ok that stunk.
The big news of the day
is that Senator Obama picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate.
There are a few reasons why Obama did this. By adding Biden to the ticket,
Obama is able to counter criticism that he lacks foreign policy experience.
Senator Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is
widely considered to be one of smartest government officials in regard to
foreign affairs.
Secondly, Biden has been
in the Senate since 1972, so he gives the ticket Washington experience. Some of
you might ask: if Obama's campaign is about "change", why have a
running mate who's been in Washington for 36 years? The answer is quite simply
that Obama has been dogged by negative attacks from John McCain, who's
questioned whether or not he is ready to lead. Having Biden on the ticket
brings a sense of leadership that Obama does not have after only serving in the
Senate for three years.
Finally, Biden is a
spirited, aggressive individual who will protect Obama from partisan attacks
and will allow him not to have to directly respond in an angry manner.
Basically Biden is a German shepherd who can bite for Obama if necessary.
The most important
element of the announcement is that Senator Clinton enthusiastically supports
the decision and brought no attention to the fact that she may have wanted the
position.
Okay, that's it for
today. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about Day 2 from Denver. Keep watching
and check me out on MSNBC tomorrow at 5pm EST (shameless self-promotion).
Remember, if you're 18, REGISTER TO VOTE.
The trip from Denver International Airport to Golden, CO (my
midnight home for the next seven days) is a high-speed tour through a divided
America.
I pass the I-25 turnoff for one of the reddest cities in the
country, Colorado Springs, home of the U.S. Air Force Academy and more than 100
evangelical organizations and megachurches. In 2004, votes for George W. Bush
here more than doubled ballots cast for rival John Kerry.
I also swing past signs for one of the bluest,
Boulder, Colorado, by lore awash with hippies and tree-hugging trustifarians.
(No evidence to confirm from the highway.) In 1975, Boulder County Clerk Clela
Rorex was one of the first in the country to grant same-sex marriage licenses,
before state laws were passed that prevented it.
I-70, which is lit up by roadside shopping plazas and the tail
lights of the cars I cruise by, is somewhere in between. Stopping for a
sandwich, I see a sign for an RV "Resort." I buy extra DV tapes in Best
Buy from a helpful guy with tribal piercings.
Colorado has voted for a Democrat for president only once since
1964, and that was for the guy who'll speak here on Wednesday night, Bill
Clinton. He won here in 1992, helped along by Ross Perot. But in the last few
years, Colorado has elected a Democratic senator (Ken Salazar) and governor
(Bill Ritter), and both will be featured at the convention this week.
So who'll win "Colorful Colorado"? (Street signs,
license plates and the tourist maps I pick up in the lobby remind me that
political identity here is in flux.)
A poll last week by Public Opinion Strategies shows John McCain
leading Barack Obama here by three points; other recent polls have been even
closer. The Obama campaign is convinced winning once safely red states like
Colorado is possible, and the 50,000 of us who are descending on Denver are a
testament to the state's importance to the campaign.
The Secret Service sweep - more on this
later- should be winding up, so I'll sign off. Next time you hear from me, I'll
have credentials in hand.
Top of the morning. My name is Luke Russert and this is my first official blog entry. I have been assigned by NBC News to be the special youth correspondent for the 2008 elections and beyond (or until I'm too old.) Anyways, this is a space where I will be checking in on a day-to-day basis to give you, the reader, an insight into what I am seeing and hearing on the ground. Helping me along in this glorious adventure will be NBC iCue producer Ms. Sarah Blackwill. Sarah has blonde hair and mine is brown so it's easy to tell us apart. First up is the Democratic National Convention from lovely Denver, Colorado. This convention is going to be pivotal for Senator Obama as he heads into the final months of the campaign. Obama has recently dipped in the polls and his once sizable lead has been cut by John McCain to under 3 points (within the margin of error) in numerous polls. Obama will be looking to define himself as the candidate most qualified to deal with the lackluster economy and will also try to appear presidential. The most important thing Obama will do is try to win over former supporters of New York Senator Hillary Clinton who have not warmed up to him since the end of the primaries. How will he do this? Obama plans to give Senator Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, primetime speaking roles on the second and third nights of the convention. Obama is banking on people seeing the Clintons say nice things about him and then feeling comfortable enough that they just might go out a cast a vote for him. Take care and enjoy being back in prison, I mean school, and I'll be your eyes and ears on the ground. Also, and I'll be saying this at the end of every post: IF YOU ARE 18, GO REGISTER TO VOTE!
For the next two weeks, we'll be reporting from the political conventions, so drop by frequently for our thoughts on the politics, the outsize personalities and (yes) the parties. Next stop: Denver.
