YES WE CAN!!!!!

Feb. 5, Super Tuesday, started at noon; in which, I was able to pick up my pass for the Barack Obama rally. The pass in which people from around the world were denied, and a pass I probably, if I wanted to, could sell on the street to pay off some college debt.

But after receiving this pass, I would end up finding out some details on organization. When the campaign peoples say check in time is at 12 what they really mean is you can show up at 12 till the time for secret service to do their sweep (this was about a two hour break for the Obama rally). Pretty much all you do from the time you get your pass till you have to leave is well nothing, unless you're in the main ballroom (My pass was only for the Filing Center, which is the press only room across the hall from the main ballroom.). So, I went back to school and waited impatiently for the event.

Let the craziness began.

I went to the rally planning on doing a story on the media covering the presidential race. Great story right, I know. But, instead a different story decided to fall into my lap. After interviewing numerous politicians and interviewing journalists about their experiences on the campaign, we started to hear the same song from a certain group of journalists. From noon till around seven o'clock the foreign press were forced to sit in the hallway as spectators looking in on all the other journalists working. When they were able to obtain entrance it was still not easy. They were told not to film in the main lobby area, but they could film in the Filing center (Complete opposite of what I was told). Of course no one followed the rules and everyone just filmed in the lobby anyway. Still it was tough for them to get decent interviews. For by the time they got in most of the major politicians had already gone inside; instead, the foreign press had to interview local folks who had taken a few trips to the cash bar.

After getting away with taping in the lobby, the next obstacle came; like me, the foreign press was not allowed to enter the main ballroom. Not only were they not allowed in, they were only allowed to film or photograph through two doors in the back. These doors were not just in the back but on the side. So imagine 20 to 30 members of the foreign press trying to vie for that one spot in order to see. When I say one spot, I mean one spot that only one person can stand and film. This spot of wonderful, semi-obstructive view was right against the door hinges, but do not go passed the hinges. If you were to cross the door hinges one of two things would happen: you were told no press unless you have the right credentials, or security was called.

So here I am standing next to 20 to 30 odd members of the foreign press and a couple members of the media that did not get the all mighty event press pass. We all tried at some point to get into the ballroom, and we all failed. We were told we were not allowed to go in. The Italian reporter actually had security called on him; in which, he cursed, I believe, in Italian at the guard. But then a miracle, I use that term loosely, happen, in actuality it was just security going against everything they said for the past seven hours. The press, who only received passes to the Filing Center, were allowed in.

Pretty much it went like this, okay you guys can come in. Then out of nowhere we were running for a spot alongside the risers to catch Obama's speech. That event later made me realize there are two types of media for a presidential race.

1) The ones who have everything and do not have to rush at all (ex. Andy Shaw, ABC 7 reporter, for most of the time was sitting against a wall talking on his phone.)

2) Everyone else. The ones who have to run for the spots left over. The ones who have to argue, persuade and wait to get in. The ones who once in take chairs to stand on so they can see and maybe get that one shot. These people were the foreign press.

So after all the troubles the foreign press received, they were able to get into the ballroom. Because they entered the ballroom, I was able to enter the ballroom.

So if Tuesdays events were part of Obama's speech, it would go something like this, I believe.

When I hear that the foreign press cannot get into my events to take my pictures and interview my constituents. I think about the Italian reporter and cameraman fighting every obstacle to get in and being denied every time, but when I am about to speak I let them in after telling them they could not all night. Do not tell me they cannot get in. I will eventually let them in when I see fit. So, yes they can get in.

AUDIENCE: *CHEERS* YES THEY CAN!!!! *CHEERS*