September 08, 2003
Alexandra Pelosi: More Press Than Bush
Alexandra Pelosi was on the Grassroots Express for the Sleepless Summer tour, and I got to talk to her on the Portland to Seattle leg of the trip. She covered the Bush campaign, as she said, "from the minute he announced to the minute he was sworn in." The result of this candidate watching was a film documentary called Journeys With George.
Q: Differences between the early stages of the Dean & Bush campaigns?
AP: Howard Dean... Hi! [she says to the handheld tape recorder hovering very close by] ...Howard Dean has as much organized press travel as George Bush did once he got the nomination. Think about that for a second. He has just as much press, now, as Bush did once he got the nomination. Bush didn't even have this much press during the primaries. Maybe in the heat of the primaries. But I'm saying, in the summer of '99, which was when Bush was first announced and then he went out? It's amazing. [Couldn't] compare it. [...]
Q: Do you find the blogs just entertaining, or do you find them useful to you professionally?
AP: I find them really useful because, well, I'm not a conventional journalist. I'm making a movie about the 2004 presidential race for HBO, so I'm always looking for interesting little niches. Or interesting people that I'd want to talk to, or, people tell stories of what happened at their events. So you can see what's happening out in the world, and then you can go try and see it for yourself. I mean, there's things on there that wouldn't be NY Times front page headline news, so you can go read about them.
I've heard stories like, I read that Howard Dean pulled over and there was someone on the side of the road who needed medical attention, and he went and gave them medical attention. Stories like that, little things you'd never know. So I, of course, then followed him for a week because I wanted someone to get ill so I could watch him perform his duties as a doctor. [laughing] No! It was because I was like 'maybe I could see him be a doctor, because that would be good video.' So then I followed him, but no one got sick. I was really bummed. [laughing]
But those are the kind of things you don't hear about.
Q: How long have you been following the campaign?
AP: You know, I guess November was the first time I met Howard Dean. Governor Dean, governor. You've got to be respectful, Governor Dean. [...] I go spend a lot of time in Iowa and New Hampshire. I'm kind of like a professional stalker. I stalk him around, you know, that's what I do. I go to events that he's at, sort of shove the camera two inches from his face.
Q: Like I'm doing to you right now?
AP: I'm realizing how annoying it is. No, not you. But this is what I do to people, and I'm realizing how obnoxious I am. It's interesting. It's a good taste of my own medicine. You should just go do it to everybody [laughs, indicating fellow travelling press], just let them know how it feels.
Q: I think I will. ...
Ms. Pelosi's answers are transcribed from tape, my questions have been pared down to eliminate hemming and hawing. (I've never interviewed people before, I sound like a goof, sue me.) Some exchanges have been omitted, but nothing that would alter the context or meaning of what's here.
Posted by natasha at September 8, 2003 12:42 AM | TrackBackDear Natasha,
This is just to let you know that I posted an apology over at Hobson's Choice. You are right that I made a mistake.
We all make mistakes. Thank you for being willing to admit it.
Posted by: natasha on September 8, 2003 12:29 PMIt is very interesting who you ran into on that remarkable trip. I remember reading about Alexandra Pelosi after her traveling around with GWB on the 2000 campaign trail. It is interesting that Nancy Pelosi's daughter has these political jaunts -- but I guess I understand why she might be interested in politics. Very interesting interview, Natasha.....
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Posted by: soma on October 25, 2003 01:35 PMHello Natasha,
I'm trying to reach Ms. Pelosi and was wondering if you might be able to help me. I'll appreciate anything you can do. Thank you, Jessica