Well, the political season is maturing.
No longer is it an intraparty fight - now it's on to the big time.
Times have certainly changed from the days when I covered politics for the Big Seven News.
I recall one presidential story - some local reporters were invited to tag along with Morris Udall, the uncle of our present United States Senator, who was running for President of the United States.
It was 1976 - according to Wikipedia - the all knowing website.
Mo was about to campaign in Silver City.
Maybe it was because it was close to his Arizona congressional district.
So, the plane ride was free, and off we went in some "big" propeller powered plane like a Convair-580 (or the like). It was probably something like this - or maybe this plane.
Silver City here we come.
We came to Silver City, we saw, and we returned.
The most memorable part of the trip, other than I was covering a presidential campaign...I got to spend some time with Udall - who had a terrific sense of humor. And I got to spend some time with Bill Plante of CBS News - a practical jokester and fun loving guy assigned to cover the campaign. Plante, who still works at the White House for CBS, was crossing the country with Uncle Mo. They must have gotten along quite well.
It's changed a lot since then. Candidates travel in chartered jet planes. If they're important enough they have security and motorcades have replaced pickups and station wagons.
Reporters and correspondents are kept at arms length from the candidate - instead of playing poker on a cardboard table inside a crowded, bumpy airplane.
I'm not sure the public is better informed.
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