Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail
Red Blue Green Orange hmmm… so many colour to chose from on the ballots tonight. It is amazing though what happens.
One person commented on saying we should be enjoying the next 4 years as a blue government. Like that will easily happen with a minority government. All I know is that the conservatives can not mess up, because the red and orange and come together and slap them around.
Old blue eye has one, the underdog? Not really, more like the menace from the deep. What is to happen is yet to be seen, but a majority government has been removed.
Tonight has been a trip, I now know how Hunter S. Thompson feels when he was in pursuit of his knowledge. All week I have been hearing my teacher spout what I thought was nonsense and idealistic theory about the energy of election and the power of its coverage. After all I am a firm believer of seeing is believing. It has been a trip though. It is hard to explain it in these words only minutes after it happening. The whole event reminded me of a booze fueled trip to the bar. I firmly believe the events of tonight would make an excellent TV movie.
But perhaps I should start from the start.
My day began like any other day. One filled with boredom and confusion, and the task to cover the election night. I really did not want to do it, and I pushed myself out to it much like I do everyday in the morning to class. Adam and I decided to congregate and reflect a plan of attack. After all our assignment was to get to the polls, and we figured we would have better luck together.
So we tackled the polling station at bridge and church. Some people could not spare the few minutes to talk, and some gave us our time. We got some intellectual quotes and we got some I don’t know quotes. Neither of us was amused, and spent almost two hours in front of the polling station diligently. After we decided to get some dinner, and we agreed it was mediocre coverage. We headed back to my place and monitored the status after heading to both the Liberal and Conservative campaign offices.
Our night would have ended there, but my pursuit of females (particularly a first year broadcast journalism student with glasses and the Liberal’s office and yes I know Rob, but this is the truth of my leaving) pushed me to head out and of course I brought Adam with me. We went around and engaged the people, and I really wanted to hear what the Liberal head man wanted to say. So my motives changed, if I had not been urged to go back to the office I would have missed out on everything. I figured it ended there when the polls closed. How ignorant to the situation I was. I pulled out the recorded and taped the Liberal leaders defeated speech. Adam grabbed my recorder and charged at Bob for an interview. I stepped back and let him. This was his field, and his specialty and something he could be considered an expert for. He was passionate with his results, and with good reason. His renewed and new energy gave me energy. Adam turned to me and asked if I wanted to go to the Conservative camp.
Of course!
We entered there with a mission, to get an interview with Kramp. We got it and the chance for it. But the people inside I think were misinformed on the issues. We almost got into a political debate… well I kind of stepped back. Kramp allowed us five minutes. Well a group of us, and we gathered around this giant of a man. He was much taller than me, and I stood next to Adam. He held my recorder up and listened as he spoke after the first-year print journalism student asked his question. With nothing to lose, Adam took his first question. But he interrupted Kramp with questions of clarification. It was like the gods of interviewing came to Adam right then and pumped him full of confidence. He was engaging and knowledgeable in this field and he stepped up to him with me by his side as support. But Adam would not take the generic answers and asked for constant clarification, he pressed for answers and not politically trained garbage. He became everything I have never been. He became a reporter I could not be. It is hard to describe the emotion the drama, and the heated words. Kramp could not stop engaging with Adam in his questions, the campaign manager could not stop Kramp despite all his best efforts. I bit my lips in suspense and admiration. Mark could not go as far as Adam did, nor could I, nor could any other media that was out there tonight. I applauded Adam for his ability. I was honoured to know him at that moment, it was not an egotistical ‘yeah, we did it’ it was an energy booster and confidence builder. Adam and I have renewed and strengthened bonds with journalism in general. Once I mp3 everything it will be posted up.
It is amazing what you learn in a political election night. It is amazing who you meet, and it is amazing what you find out about yourself and the world around you. I might not have room in my life for the belief of god, but I understand what I do have room for. That room is for the pursuit of knowledge and the ability to connect the people to the greater truth.
One person commented on saying we should be enjoying the next 4 years as a blue government. Like that will easily happen with a minority government. All I know is that the conservatives can not mess up, because the red and orange and come together and slap them around.
Old blue eye has one, the underdog? Not really, more like the menace from the deep. What is to happen is yet to be seen, but a majority government has been removed.
Tonight has been a trip, I now know how Hunter S. Thompson feels when he was in pursuit of his knowledge. All week I have been hearing my teacher spout what I thought was nonsense and idealistic theory about the energy of election and the power of its coverage. After all I am a firm believer of seeing is believing. It has been a trip though. It is hard to explain it in these words only minutes after it happening. The whole event reminded me of a booze fueled trip to the bar. I firmly believe the events of tonight would make an excellent TV movie.
But perhaps I should start from the start.
My day began like any other day. One filled with boredom and confusion, and the task to cover the election night. I really did not want to do it, and I pushed myself out to it much like I do everyday in the morning to class. Adam and I decided to congregate and reflect a plan of attack. After all our assignment was to get to the polls, and we figured we would have better luck together.
So we tackled the polling station at bridge and church. Some people could not spare the few minutes to talk, and some gave us our time. We got some intellectual quotes and we got some I don’t know quotes. Neither of us was amused, and spent almost two hours in front of the polling station diligently. After we decided to get some dinner, and we agreed it was mediocre coverage. We headed back to my place and monitored the status after heading to both the Liberal and Conservative campaign offices.
Our night would have ended there, but my pursuit of females (particularly a first year broadcast journalism student with glasses and the Liberal’s office and yes I know Rob, but this is the truth of my leaving) pushed me to head out and of course I brought Adam with me. We went around and engaged the people, and I really wanted to hear what the Liberal head man wanted to say. So my motives changed, if I had not been urged to go back to the office I would have missed out on everything. I figured it ended there when the polls closed. How ignorant to the situation I was. I pulled out the recorded and taped the Liberal leaders defeated speech. Adam grabbed my recorder and charged at Bob for an interview. I stepped back and let him. This was his field, and his specialty and something he could be considered an expert for. He was passionate with his results, and with good reason. His renewed and new energy gave me energy. Adam turned to me and asked if I wanted to go to the Conservative camp.
Of course!
We entered there with a mission, to get an interview with Kramp. We got it and the chance for it. But the people inside I think were misinformed on the issues. We almost got into a political debate… well I kind of stepped back. Kramp allowed us five minutes. Well a group of us, and we gathered around this giant of a man. He was much taller than me, and I stood next to Adam. He held my recorder up and listened as he spoke after the first-year print journalism student asked his question. With nothing to lose, Adam took his first question. But he interrupted Kramp with questions of clarification. It was like the gods of interviewing came to Adam right then and pumped him full of confidence. He was engaging and knowledgeable in this field and he stepped up to him with me by his side as support. But Adam would not take the generic answers and asked for constant clarification, he pressed for answers and not politically trained garbage. He became everything I have never been. He became a reporter I could not be. It is hard to describe the emotion the drama, and the heated words. Kramp could not stop engaging with Adam in his questions, the campaign manager could not stop Kramp despite all his best efforts. I bit my lips in suspense and admiration. Mark could not go as far as Adam did, nor could I, nor could any other media that was out there tonight. I applauded Adam for his ability. I was honoured to know him at that moment, it was not an egotistical ‘yeah, we did it’ it was an energy booster and confidence builder. Adam and I have renewed and strengthened bonds with journalism in general. Once I mp3 everything it will be posted up.
It is amazing what you learn in a political election night. It is amazing who you meet, and it is amazing what you find out about yourself and the world around you. I might not have room in my life for the belief of god, but I understand what I do have room for. That room is for the pursuit of knowledge and the ability to connect the people to the greater truth.
posted by Michael Darling at Monday, January 23, 2006
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