Post-Election Analysis of 2004 U.S. Elections: U.S. Political System and Practice - NEA Reporting Tour

March 28 - April 10, 2005, Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, North Carolina; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Program Officer: Algis Silas
Telephone: 202-504-6317, Email: silasa@state.gov

A group of five NEA journalists from Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, and the West Bank visited Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, North Carolina; Des Moines, Iowa; and Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota.   The purpose for the tour was to increase the journalists' understanding of the U.S. political process, focusing on local, state and federal campaigns; the role of grassroots organizations during elections; the U.S. media coverage of the 2004 election cycle; and to increase their understanding of the Arab American communities' involvement in the U.S. political process.

In Washington, D.C., the group met with political experts to receive: an overview of what transpired during the 2004 election cycle concerning the presidential national campaigns; an overview of 527 independent expenditure organizations' 2004 activities; and an overview of the 2004 U.S. Congressional elections and a status report of the current political landscape for the 2006 U.S. House and Senate campaigns.  The journalists also met with Arab and Muslim American interest groups to discuss the organizations' roles and activities within their communities in the U.S. with respect to the 2004 U.S. election cycle.

The journalists' schedule included meetings with: Rick Reed, Partner of Stevens Reed Curcio and Potholm and Mark Putnum, Founding Partner of Murphy Putnum Shorr and Partners to receive a sampling overview of 527 Independent Expenditure Organizations' 2004 activities from the Republican and Democratic perspective; Donald Lambro, Chief Political Correspondent with the Washington Times; George Salem, Chairman, Valerie Smith, Program Manger and Jennifer Salan, Communications Director of the Arab American Institute (AAI); Stuart Rothenberg, Editor/Publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report; and Corey Saylor, Government Affairs Director and Dr. Nihad Awad, Executive Director with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).  The journalists also participated in a Capitol Historical Society briefing and tour of the U.S. Capitol.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, the journalists were exposed to a Southern political perspective.  Some of the meetings included visiting with Professor Ferrel Guillory, Senior Fellow from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who provided an overview of the current political situation of North Carolina and Southern politics with respect to the 2004 U.S. elections results; Mac McCorkle, Advisor to North Carolina Governor Michael Easley, to hear the Democratic Party's perspective about the 2004 local, state and presidential campaigns in North Carolina;  Christopher Mears, Political Director and Special Legal Counsel with the North Carolina Republican Party, to receive and overview of the North Carolina Republican Party's 2004 election activities and a look toward the North Carolina 2006 U.S. Congressional elections.  The journalists also visited the North Carolina State Capitol Building and the Legislative Building, and met with Raymond Beck, the Capitol Historian, who shared with the group, not only the historical importance of the state capitol building, but also the fact that it is haunted.

Next, the journalists visited Des Moines, Iowa to gain a better understanding of the Iowa Caucus system.  The journalists received an overview of the Iowa Caucus system and what transpired during the 2004 election cycle from academic, political, journalistic and activist experts.  The journalists' schedule included meeting with: Professor Basil Talbott, University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Newman Abuissa, Member of the Arab American Institute's American Leadership Council in Iowa City; Jim Lewers, Managing Editor, and Rob Bignell, Editorial Page Editor with the Iowa City Press Citizen; Eric Woolson, President of The Concept Works, and Gentry Collins, former Executive Director of the Iowa Republican State Party; Kathie Obradovich, Political Editor with The Des Moines Register; and Gordon Fisher, Former Chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party.  The journalists also received a briefing and tour of the Iowa State Capitol.

The concluding porting of the tour included visiting Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, to expose the group to a Northern Midwest political perspective.  The journalists met with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly to discuss how the Democratic and Republican national parties serve U.S. cities such as St. Paul.  The group also met with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's Communications Director Brian McClung and with the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party's Communications and Research Director, Bill Amber, to discuss what transpired in Minnesota during the 2004 election cycle and to receive an update of the current political landscape of Minnesota politics.

Finally, on the last evening of the tour, the journalists were able to cover Senator Hillary Clinton's keynote speech during the 2005 Democratic Farmer-Labor Party's Hubert H. Humphrey Dinner.  Prior to Senator Clinton's speech, the group of journalists was able to interview the following six Minnesota elected officials or former politicians: Congressman James Oberstar; Chris Coleman, Candidate for Mayor of St. Paul and former St. Paul City Council Member; Hubert H. Humphrey III, Former Minnesota State Attorney General and Minnesota State President of the American Association of Retired People; Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Ryback; County Commissioner McLaughlin, Candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis; and Attorney General of Minnesota Mike Hatch.