Scenes from St. Paul

Editor’s note: Allie Harrison is a former president of the UM College Republicans and former ASUM senator. She is volunteering at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., working as an aide for CNN. This week, she will offer daily behind-the-scenes glimpses of the convention. 

Every minute of the Republican National Convention is scripted, right down to the time it takes someone to walk across the stage. 

Washington Center director Eugene Alpert says, “It’s like Disneyland for political junkies.”

While I’m not a personal fan of Disneyland, I do agree that a convention is a wonderland. There’s a lot of glitz at first glance, but the real show is behind the scenes.

Through the Washington Center, a nonprofit organization that provides students opportunities to work in and around politics, I was appointed by UM President George Dennison and have gotten a backstage pass to witness what really happens at the RNC.

After one day, the convention has already been quite a ride. 

But one thing irks me. I’ve discovered a new type of person here. I refer to them as VSIPs: Very Self-Important People. How does one spot a VSIP? Likely, they’re wearing sunglasses inside poorly lit buildings. As my supervisor says, “The sun shines on them all the time. They’re cool.” And they’re everywhere, politicians and media personalities alike.

But I’ve also seen another side here. At a media party on Saturday, I ran into former Sen. Conrad Burns. After seeing Montana Republican Party Chairman Erik Iverson and Steve Daines, candidate for lieutenant governor, I felt at home again. 

Most people from other states don’t have personal relationships with their representatives. They can’t. This revelation has given me a newfound appreciation for Montana, especially among VSIPs.

I’m doing fieldwork this week with CNN, distributing credentials to CNN staffers so they have access to the convention site and to certain parts of the convention center. There’s a huge perimeter surrounding the area aligned with security checkpoints.

Not to say that everyone at this convention is a VSIP. Willie Lora, an Emmy Award-winning CNN photojournalist and the bureau chief and executive producer of CNN en Espanol, let me take pictures and is showing me the ropes of photojournalism. He let me sit in on shoots and taught me the editing process. I’m learning from the best in the business, because he’s taking the time to teach me. That’s a real VIP. 

My experience so far has reminded me that character matters most. Everything else is just a facade. That’s what it means to be behind the scenes at a national political convention. What you see on TV tells you nothing about what’s actually happening. It’s watching the personalities and backdoor deals at work before the convention ever happens that matters. It’s the behind-the-scenes gearshifts that let viewers enjoy the rides from home.