Today was certainly interesting, which is a mamby-pamby way for me to say it was the worst so far. However, if this is the worst day of the entire program I would consider it an huge success. Also, not all parts were negative.
C-SPAN kicked off our morning session with their taping of the Washington Journal from the auditorium. We were included in the program as their studio audience, and were able to both answer and ask questions. The program includes taking questions from callers, though it seemed not all of the callers actually had thought out questions. Some were simply long winded and a bit unorganized, while at least one was borderline offensive. (She expressed her utter surprise in seeing a black man elected president before a woman, and also voiced her belief that all the wars in the world could be ended if we had a woman president, all while claiming “not to be a major feminist or anything”). The students did a pretty good job of asking decent questions, and answered a few themselves both individually and as a whole group. On the other hand, some students were clearly using their phones to text while the program was being filmed (something brought to my attention after talking to someone who saw it on TV). This was blatantly disrespectful. However, between the lively and informed host and guests and the interesting callers, the program was pretty entertaining and even funny, depending on your sense of humor. It all depends on what you choose to take from the experience; even if others didn’t appreciate the unique opportunity presented, I enjoyed it.
C-SPAN then shot another show, Q&A, featuring a couple who aided with the Obama campaign in Iowa. This show ran a bit smoother, and I was really interested in hearing the stories of how they first became involved in politics and how they later came to play roles in the campaign. Though hesitant or unable to answer all questions (some were a little sensitive) the guests at least made an effort to give some kind of answer for all questions. Some of the students further surprised me by actually settling in for a nap, which prompted my fellow Bonnies to joke about “accidentally” stubbing their foot on the back of ones seat to jar him awake (…I’ll confess, it was only half-joking). But other than that I’d say the questions even improved. The host of Q&A, the founder and CEO of C-SPAN himself, asked individual students direct questions, which I think further engaged the group, because I know at least I was thinking about how I would answer those questions myself.
Our daily site visit took us to the headquarters of the New Democratic Network. Listening to the president and founder, Simon Rosenburg, I quickly got the impression that this was an ultra-liberal lobbyist group, though I believe at one point he described himself as “center-left”. I would have asked what scale he was using to determine this, but I think that would have been about as rude as his near-constant watch checking. He clearly wanted to make sure we knew he had better things to do, all while regurgitating information which has been around since Obama’s election. The only unique thing about his speech about how Obama campaigned well and that the political climate is changing was how he described Republicans as “not racist, but taking advantage of racial inequalities”. It was quite disappointing, especially when it is clear that party politics should be put aside in order to overcome the huge obstacles our country is facing right now.
After a short break at a nearby cafe where our little group of Bona students reflected on the day thus far, we made our way to the Chamber of commerce to hear Bob Scheiffer speak. He was certainly the light at the end of the tunnel, and gave an engaging and thoughtful speech, as well as answered questions with a positive and informative way. I can certainly see why he is so respected in his field and by the people. Unfortunately, he was not shown all the respect he deserved by some of the other students, once again, and had to ask them personally to quite down in the back of the room not once but twice. I really enjoyed his talk, and I felt bad that others did not have the decency to pay attention to this very famous and accomplished gentleman, let alone settle down enough so those who wanted to hear could.
So, today had its ups and downs. I enjoyed most of the presentations and am looking forward to another very full day tomorrow. Hopefully the second round with C-SPAN goes better. I also hope that the speakers are too focused on those students who are utilizing and appreciating the program to notice those who aren’t. It gets a little frustrating being embarrassed on behalf of people who don’t know well enough to be embarrassed for themselves.
