It’s always tricky to deal in stereotypes.
While most have some elements of truth to them, almost anyone you ask will tell you that he or she is an individual who doesn’t want to be bound by generalizations based on race, economic background or culture.
Yet in my nearly 30 years of covering politics, general trends can’t help but emerge.
And that makes this presidential cycle of firsts all the more perplexing.
Generally speaking, republicans have been the more organized of the parties.
Republicans are the ones with the lap tops and cell phones and aides more than happy to help a reporter find this piece of information or that sound bite.
Democrats, normally the more grass roots oriented of the two, can often appear more disorganized, undermanned and under funded.
A reporter’s trip to “D” headquarters over the years often led to a lone retired school teacher manning the phones and looking for help.
“I’ll try to find someone to help you, but you know it’s just me here.”
Yea, I know.
On Election Night republicans are the ones with the catered food, but democrats usually have the better food, often Italian and always homemade by someone’s grandma.
Republicans are wine by the glass: democrats are beer by the draught or shots poured into plastic.
Is that true for every candidate in every race?
Of course not.
But true enough often enough that veteran reporters usually know what they are in for before they ever walk out the newsroom door.
So what of this year, when Obama and Clinton battled it out in the primary for the distinction of being the first African American or woman to lead a major American political party?
Do the old wisdoms hold true?
John McCain came to Erie to start two days of campaigning in Pennsylvania.
The media releases were few and far between; often instructions were being given at the last minute as to what the press was to do and when it was to do it.
The decision was made to close the GE visit to local reporters, with the exception of one pool camera that would provide video for the others.
The media was told about a news conference to be held at McCain’s hotel; local reporters were told only after they arrived that they would not be invited in.
All in all, it was not very “republican” of him.
And who has the reputation of embracing modern technology, the intellectual who might absent mindedly walk into traffic immersed in his Blackberry?
That’s right, it’s democrat Barack Obama, and while the Illinois senator has been more open with reporters on the campaign trail, I’ve yet to see him offer them any spaghetti and meatballs from his grandma.
That’s why stereotypes can be so tricky.