January 25, 2000

An all-access writer captures
the hotel hoopla on caucus night

By Kevin Biggins
CyberCaucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa--What was supposed to be a boring night counting delegates in the tabulation room turned out to be an unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience at former Sen. Bill Bradley's headquarters at the Hotel Fort Des Moines on Iowa caucus night 2000. And I owe it all to a little tag around my neck.

5:30 p.m. - As my friends and I circled Hotel Fort Des Moines, the site of the Democrat Bill Bradley's headquarters, it was if we were attempting to find parking on a Friday night in downtown Chicago.

5:45 p.m.- When I stepped from our vehicle, the frigid winter breeze was overpowered by the warm buzz filtering through the air from the hotel. As we approached the entrance, the night's possibilities came into view. There were squad cars, satellites and media vans stretched along the entire block in front of the hotel. When we entered the doorway, we were met with a frenzy of suits and the nervous excitement that comes with final preparation. There was an aura. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could sense that this was one of the most important places to be in the country. As we walked up the stairs, I overheard a conversation between Cornel West, political analyst and Bradley supporter, and a group of young African-American males discussing the effects of today's music on the youth of America. There were top political and media figures everywhere.

6 p.m.- We checked in at the greeting table where we received our passes into the tabulation center. On the bottom of the pass, it read "All-Access." I did not initially recognize the significance these two little words would play on my evening, but I would soon learn the power of the pass! The Media Room was a magnificent sight. At the center was the enormous screen, sponsored by Voter.com. It was to be used to update the caucus results as they poured in from the precincts throughout the night. There was a stage filled with television cameras, a sea of cords and sockets, blinding light stands, and, of course, reporters.

Everywhere you turned, there were people scribbling on notepads, eavesdropping on conversations and peeking over shoulders. Oh, did I forget to mention that only people wearing the "All-Access" pass were allowed into the Media Room. I was constantly met with suspicious eyes, questioning my presence in the Media Room. But as I followed these eyes down from my face to my chest, where I donned the precious pass, I saw expressions change to ones of pleasant acceptance. Some people even looked impressed, as if to say, "Good for you son, so young and so involved."

Off to the side, a crowd gathered around six televisions, all broadcasting different networks simultaneously. The press section contained dozens of busy reporters, toggling between their laptops and cell phones as they tried to get a jump on the evening's events. In this room, nobody stood in one place for more than 30 seconds.

6:15 p.m.- Confident from our successful entrance into the Media Room, we walked through several other departments of the headquarters, mingling with the crowd that mixed students with supporters. In the Governor Room, candidate Bradley answered questions from a handful of reporters in front of the podium where he would later address the nation. One could only speculate whether it would be an address of satisfaction or one of disappointment.

6:30 p.m.- My pass and I entered the highly secured tabulation center, where my job would entail answering calls from various precinct representatives and entering the results of their caucus into a computer database. The tabulation center was just as busy as the Media Room. There were photographers browsing about, hoping for the perfect action shot of a tabulator in action. I held a pose while talking on the telephone to give a photographer just what he was seeking. I was talking to my mom.

6:45 p.m.- We were given last-minute training instructions, and I sat patiently awaiting the first call which was supposed to occur at 7 o'clock. I would be covering District 1, which included Cedar, Clinton, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott counties.

7:45 p.m.- Calls began to come in. Bradley entered the room to deliver some motivational words to all his supporters and volunteers.

8:25 p.m.- The first percentages were calculated, and Al Gore was ahead of Bradley 64 percent to 33 percent. After the results were announced, a women yelled, "Send it to the Web!" A clear indication of the way information travels these days.

8:50 p.m.- No word from Johnson County, the largest precinct in District 1. Calls were coming few and far between.

9:15 p.m.- There was a loud announcement that explained if we can get all the results tabulated by 9:50 p.m., in order to have a report for the 10 o'clock TV news, the night would be on the Democratic Party! We started to call the precincts and request that they report their results as fast as possible.

9:30 p.m.- The calls were rolling in, and the room was whirling. I had tired arms and legs. Not because they had been overworked, but because of the stress brought on by the intensity of the environment.

11 p.m.- The final results came in from Johnson County. The tabulation center was almost abandoned. Gore won 63.4 percent to Bradley's 34.95 percent, with 1.6 percent undecided. My friend and I were the last two workers to leave. Bradley's supporters saw him off as he used his last bit of energy to muster a confident smile and wave to the crowd. I received the last handshake, just before he entered the elevator.

11:15 p.m.- For most people, the night had ended, but not for those who carried the magical "All-Access" accessory. We were invited to an after-hours party in the Presidential Suite on the top floor of the hotel, equipped with bullet-proof, copper windows. Here we mingled with the likes of Rob Tully, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, and Chester J. Culver, the secretary of state of Iowa, who I earlier did not recognize and informed, "Beer is in the tub, man."

I floated around trying to fit into conversations that ranged from poll results to what were considered to be phony facial expressions of Republican George W. Bush. I finally found a topic I was comfortable articulating, the results of the two divisional football playoff games played the previous day.

12:45 a.m.- We departed from the hotel, bubbling from our night of rubbing shoulders with the political and media elite. Who ever thought a caucus could be so fun. Certainly not me, considering up until the 24th, I wasn't quite sure what a caucus was.

1:30 a.m.- My head hit the pillow. The "All-Access" pass still glimmered around my neck! God Bless America.