An Interview With CBS Journalist Bob Schieffer

I had a unique opportunity today to interview one of the nation’s premier political journalists, Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer. To be in the same room to see Schieffer work is one thing, but to be able to sit down and interview him for 20 minutes is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

With a career that spans 50 years, Schieffer is CBS News’ chief Washington correspondent and he has covered all four major beats in Washington, including the Whitehouse, the Pentagon, Congress, and the State Department.

He has covered every presidential campaign as well as Democratic and Republican National Conventions since 1972. Schieffer has been to New Hampshire many times over the years to report on the presidential primary and he easily admits his fondness for the important role the New Hampshire Primary holds in presidential politics.

In this interview, Shieffer discusses some of the issues with the current presidential selection system as well as the current state of journalism and how it has changed since he began his career.

Photo by Alex Witkowicz ‘08

A Job Well Done

Thanks to all the students and staff for an early start on this particular Sunday morning, and yet another example of Benedictine hospitality being extended to the media and presidential candidates. Traffic at the main entrance of the college looked a bit like rush hour congestion on an interstate as returning students jostled for momentum in between the Edwards campaign bus and local community members headed to Mass in the Abbey Church.

Father Jonathan’s office was converted to the CBS green room, and students were successful in rounding up a few bottles of Diet Coke for Senator Edwards on a campus that is otherwise fully committed to Pepsi products. The morning’s most memorable moment came when a parent walked into the admission office where Bob Schieffer was working at the reception desk before the broadcast and tried to hand over a check for tuition. Schieffer directed the parent to the business office on the second floor of Alumni Hall, and later commented that he hoped he’d sent that parent in the right direction.

The cables, cameras, and the lights were carefully packed up before CBS producers and Bob Schieffer headed back to Washington. I had not yet made it home when a CBS producer in Washington called to tell me that they were thrilled with Saint Anselm College as a venue for political coverage from New Hampshire, and that she’ll definitely be looking to hire our students for their 2008 election coverage. Who could blame them?

Photos by Alex Witkowicz ‘08

An “Only at Saint Anselm College” Moment…

School hasn’t even begun yet, but the on campus activity has already picked up, both with students, and Presidential aspirants.

 Sunday, CBS News will broadcast a live interview from Alumni Hall with Senator John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth. Although the interview will take place while a majority of the student population of Saint A’s is just returning to campus and starting to move into their residence for the academic year, a number of students have arrived early to assist with the broadcast - myself included.

After speaking with CBS News producers in Washington on Friday, I met with Saint Anselm staff, and other students to set our schedules for the weekend. Although the CBS crew would be setting up on Saturday, students were not scheduled to report for duties until Sunday morning. With this plan, I went about my day, greeting new students during a round-robin orientation in the morning, and helping my roommate move in early in the afternoon.

And then my cell phone rang.

Bob Schieffer and his producer were on the road in Manchester, but had become lost in Manchester with some confusing directions provided by their hotel to get to the college. After speaking on the phone with Mr. Schieffer’s producer, I was able to figure out where they were, and drive to their location. Upon locating their car, and escorting them onto the Saint Anselm College campus, we met briefly with the on-site technical crew before I returned them to their hotel for a busy afternoon of preparations.

I soon arrived back on campus, and reported to the Alumni Hall office where the interview would be set. The crew had placed their cameras, lights and audio equipment but were lacking a few pieces of furniture needed to “fill out” the shot. With a shopping list in hand of: academic books, a lamp, a few end tables and flowers, I set out to do my best. My first stop was none other than the Presidents office where not only did I find our College President working, but also found everything on my list! With the assistance of the crew, Father Jonathan and I relocated several items from his office to the interview set which will be seen in the background during the broadcast on Sunday morning.

…And so goes just another day in the amazing experience that is the Presidential Primary season; only at Saint Anselm college…

CBS’s “Face the Nation” to Broadcast Live From Saint Anselm College This Sunday, Aug. 26

Saint Anselm College is pleased to host Bob Schieffer and the CBS News crew for a special live broadcast of Face the Nation, this Sunday, August 26.

Sen. John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth are this week’s guests on the program that will air from Alumni Hall beginning at 10:30 a.m. EST.

Check your local CBS listings for schedule information and be sure to tune in! Then visit the Saint Anselm College Blog for behind-the-scenes photos and reports following the program.

For viewers in the Manchester, N.H. or Boston area, Face the Nation can be seen on WBZ-TV 4.

* This will be a closed broadcast and not filmed with a live audience; no tickets will be issued.

Jennifer Donahue: McCain Understands the Granite State

In a recent opt-ed published in the Boston Globe, Jennifer Donahue, NHIOP senior advisor for political affairs, wrote about Sen. John McCain’s chances in New Hampshire given the recent shake up in his campaign staff.

“Senator John McCain just spent two weekends in a row in New Hampshire. Unlike some of the candidates who didn’t run in 2000, he understands two important things about the state’s presidential primary contest. One is the importance of the August before the primary. In August 1999, McCain solidified his base in New Hampshire, while George W. Bush all but ignored the state. McCain won the primary, though not the nomination.

The other thing McCain knows is that New Hampshire gives supposedly faltering front-runners a chance to come back. By campaigning intensely in the state, Al Gore effectively stamped Bill Bradley out in August 1999. Similarly, as insurgent Howard Dean focused on Iowa over New Hampshire in August 2003, John Kerry faced frustrated voters in New Hampshire — and ended up winning.

What McCain has in common this year with Gore and Kerry is that the press anointed all three as front-runners before the campaign began. The expectations for such “early favorites” are often based on polls taken so early that only the candidates with existing name recognition place well.

These expectations are also impossible to meet. As obscure candidates become known and gain a little ground in the polls, it suddenly looks as though the front-runner is in free fall. The money race is then affected by the press coverage and poll numbers, which make it harder for the “early favorites” to raise funds.”

To read Jennifer Donahue’s opt-ed in its entirety, visit www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/21/mccain_understands_granite_state.

Photo by Doug Minor

Watch the CNN Debates on the Web

Did you miss the original TV broadcasts of the CNN Democratic and Republican debates on June 3 and 5? CNN has made the debate coverage available to the public without restrictions - a first from a major news network.

Saint Anselm College has posted the video from the debates online for public viewing at http://saintanselm.blip.tv or you can watch the debates in the video player at the bottom of this post. Because of large file sizes, each debate is divided into four parts (Parts 1-4).

Debate Footage on CNN.com
You may also watch the debates on the CNN Web site through their video stream feed or download the debates for playback on your computer or video iPod.

• CNN Republican Debate Video - June 5, 2007
• CNN Democratic Debate Video - June 3, 2007

Saint Anselm Debate Footage

Player Directions: To skip ahead in the above player, just click the forward button. To go back, click the back button. The video starts with the democratic debates on June 3. Click the forward button four times to listen to the CNN Republican debate.

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