Monday morning we got up early, had breakfast, and then immediately dropped of students at their internship placements. I want students to have the opportunity to work a full day before the Iowa Caucus results came in. Typically there is a dramatic difference in the campaign offices and in the field before --- and after ---- the Iowa Caucuses; and I wanted students to experience that shift/sea change. This is part of the reason behind the timing of our trip dates.
Pick up from the various campaigns was around 6:00 pm, so we could collect everyone and bring them to the Margarita's in Salem.
(This restaurant was across the hotel #RTWH2016 and site of our 2016 group dinners. Despite making dozens of phone calls, I could not find a venue for our group dinner (where we could dine from 8:00 to 10:00 pm, as a group of 32 people, with the ability to watch TV turned to the Iowa Caucus results while we ate) nearer to our 2020 hotel. So, I went ahead and booked the Margarita's in Salem again this year. Everything was perfect. Well, perfect for our class meeting and perfect for dinner. Learning what was happening in Iowa?! That was a different story.)
This is probably my favorite meeting during the week -- as it is the one where I get to hear about everyone's first day at their internship placements. For nearly all students in the class, this was their first time engaging in voter contact activities -- phonebanking or canvassing door-to-door. I loved hearing their about their adventures and misadventures in the field.
By the time we have had a chance to hear about everyone's first day, the Caucus results are (usually) starting to come in.
Before leaving for New Hampshire, students learned about the history of the Iowa Caucuses, the difference between a caucus and a primary, the differences between the rules for the Democratic and the Republican caucuses, etc. In addition to their reading and writing assignments about the Iowa Caucuses, I invited experts from Iowa to skype in and meet with our students in class (back in St Pete). See, for example, our conversation with Professor David Redlawsk, author of Why Iowa?
https://rtwh2020.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-iowa-conversation-with-prof-david.html
And we learned more about the Iowa Democratic Party Satellite Caucuses that would be run here in St Petersrburg, FL:
https://rtwh2020.blogspot.com/2020/02/iowa-democratic-party-satellite.html
On Caucus night, while dining at the Margarita's in Salem, we were able to skype in a professor at USF Tampa who traveled to Iowa with a few of his students who were working on an immersive field research project. Professor Joshua Scacco took some time out of their busy Caucus night to tell us more about what they were experiencing on the ground, in the gymnasium that night. It was exciting to connect with fellow Bulls who were on the ground in Iowa.
We also had the chance to skype with folks on the ground in St. Pete who were organizing the Iowa Democratic Party Satellite Caucus.
We ended up leaving dinner and heading back to the hotel without having much clarity as far as what was happening in Iowa. Even when we returned to our hotel in Merrimack, it was hard to figure out what was going on. We had a very early start the next morning, so, most of us went to bed without knowing much about the 2020 results. All of which seemed to make the stakes in New Hampshire that much higher.
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| Skyping with USF Tampa Professor Scacco |
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| Syping with USF Tampa Prof Scacco |
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| first, we were skyping with my laptop - when we lost connection, then we were skyping with my phone: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome! |
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| On the drive to the restaurant in Salem we were able to hear from organizers on the ground in St Pete - what was happening at the satellite caucus |
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