The Bus Tour Stalls…Temporarily
Email ABC’s Tom Nagorski blogs from the bus in Iowa: It was about noon here in Iowa. Charlie Gibson was in a cornfield, speaking with an Eldridge farmer about the impact of the economic crisis on his business, and his family. Our crews were out following him. Then our driver shuffled over, with some distressing news. "She’s not moving," he said. We took a look. No, "she" wasn’t. Our beast of a bus (all 58,000 pounds), which has ferried us through five midwestern states this week, had her wheels stuck in the mud. For a moment we laughed.
Then — suddenly — it wasn’t that funny. We really weren’t going anywhere. In driving terms we weren’t far from our next stop (Davenport), but on foot it would have been another story. The rest of our group took a heavy chain, tied it to the rear of the bus, and pulled. Not even close. (At that moment we weren’t aware of that 58,000 number). Fortunately a big Iowa cornfield has plenty of heavy machinery, and via the kindness of our hosts a big John Deere tractor was soon at hand, and within minutes our wheels were turning again. The tour rolls on.
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And this is news?????
At least it is positive
Posted by: thetruth | October 10, 2008, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
Those big tractors are made here in Waterloo, Iowa. Deere just had a 90th anniversary celebration of its acquisition of the old Waterloo Gasoline Tractor company which featured all the models it has produced in what is now the world’s largest tractor family. Ethanol helps corn production and corn production helps sell more tractors so McCain’s being against ethanol subsidies won’t help him here in Iowa.
Posted by: bhciapol | October 10, 2008, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
When I first saw the “stuck in the mud” comment, I thought you were talking about the McCain campaign, my mistake.
Posted by: JR | October 10, 2008, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
Hey Charlie nothing runs like a Deere!
Glad to know that is the only mud you got stuck in with all the mud slinging on.
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | October 10, 2008, 2:39 pm 2:39 pm
Dear crew;
I’m so glad that everything worked out.
We are especially enjoying Charlie’s and your tour thru the heartland.
Every report has been interesting and informative.
We live in Florida and never miss the
ABC News programs.
Roz Blanch & Ina Marra
Posted by: Roz Blanch | October 10, 2008, 2:41 pm 2:41 pm
i have been a fan of a b c for fifty years but when you gave obama more ooverage then mccain ,i knew you have been supporting obama in the morning and evening .from this time on i will watch cbs .you are not supose to suport one or the other .i dont like eather one but i will take the less of the two evils other wise mccain and i am a democrat .good by paul
Posted by: paul terlinde | October 10, 2008, 3:19 pm 3:19 pm
why did you drive the bus out into mud in the first place? It looks like it’s actually been driven onto the cornfield
Posted by: Ted | October 10, 2008, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
@thetruth: No, it’s not news. But why should this blog be simply another news outlet? This is about producing the news and all the idiosyncratic and occasioned bits of the process that viewers and media critics rarely see and usually forget about. That’s why it’s interesting. From a personal standpoint, it’s why I like news blogs to begin with.
Posted by: Josh Braun | October 10, 2008, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Hey Charlie,
I heard you winding down the news tonight with the bus story. At the end you offered a small but very ernest dose of optimism for our current economic debacle. I have to say, that by the time you were finished talking, describing the resilience and fortitude of our American people, I actually felt the first real glimmer of optimism for our country’s future that I have felt in a long time. And then I had to laugh: because every morning I’ve been sitting here watching our hero, the President, speak to us in an effort to create exactly that feeling in the hearts and minds of the nation. And every morning I have walked away disappointed. He just doesn’t do it for me, and evidently I am not alone out there. Astonishingly, we watched the stocks actually drop today immediately following the President’s ‘cheer ‘em up’ speech this morning! So, I am proposing a solution: I think that YOU should be the one to give us the daily bugle, using your quiet but persuasive method of encouragement to quiet the fears of the masses, and to create that glimmer of hope for our nation of winners. Go get them Charlie – I think you are the man for the job!
Posted by: karen nicholls | October 10, 2008, 7:44 pm 7:44 pm
This mess did not happen over night.
It will take time. Words are very powerful. Don’t make it a self-fulfilled
prophsy of doom and gloom.
Report the reality and realize it all
will balance out in the end.
Realize that each person has power.
We’re using less gas – prices are falling and OPEC is sweating – which means countries like Iran is sweating.
All actions have a reaction.
We have more power than we think.
Posted by: positive thinking | October 12, 2008, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
Words are powerful. I don’t believe in
being unrealistic, but a healthy dose of
optimism is needed.
We’re using less gas – prices dropped -
which means prices of food, etc. should
drop some. OPEC (Iran and pals) are now
sweating.
We have more power than you think.
Posted by: observer | October 12, 2008, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Your biased opinions will not change our minds about the canidate that we are voting for (McCAIN) this is just one more reason not to watch your news program and watch a good station like Fox.
Posted by: Adam & Linda Schray | October 13, 2008, 8:52 pm 8:52 pm