As a reader and reporter, I’m looking for — and sometimes finding — lots of stories I’d like to see told.
Begin with the extraordinary security. Amtrak passengers face luggage and ID checks on the rails into town. Motorists encounter selective screening as they approach the bridges. Hotel guests send bags through airport-style detectors. Barriers transform busy streets into sidewalks of NYPD blue.
The deeper story on security is the way the extraordinary is becoming ordinary. We show our IDs on street corners. I’m looking for stories about the new reality of access granted and denied, inside the arena and out.
Protestors hit the streets before the convention began, and are still marching now. As a child of the ’60s, I get excited by marches. I’m looking for stories about the people, causes, sponsors and history of convention dissent.
On the floor, about 2,500 delegates do their nominating amid well-produced entertainment. After hours, delegates and 15,000 journalists mix it up and party with lobbyists, contributors, and hangers-on. I’m looking for stories about what they’re all up to, who pays for it, and how this trade show shapes policy.
The GOP platform, like its Democratic cousin, has been hustled off stage like a necessary but unpleasant relative. I’m looking for stories about the ideas and struggles lurking out of view.
After months on the road, the GOP has brought its act right off Broadway. The big act in November nears. Time for a review. I’m looking for stories probing citizen views of the campaign.
While the show goes on, New Yorkers parade as usual. On the Avenue of the Americas at 36th St., an old woman in a straw hat with a flower navigates the rush of businessmen and young college women. Hassidic Jews in long, black coats stroll among the homeless and the well-heeled. I’m looking for a few stories about this kaleidoscope.
Finally, I’m listening to such colleagues as Joey Kennedy, editorial columnist of the Birmingham News, who says: “When the people who run the nation gather, it’s important.” I’m looking for stories that tell me why.
