CNN Comes To Garden City

Gary Tuchman, CNN News

The Red Zone
By John Spuhler, Garden City Mayor

Would it be surprising to know Rich County and Garden City are the reddest county and the most Republican city in the reddest state in the United States?

The Cable News Network, better known as CNN, wanted to know what area of the country represented the largest percentage of registered republicans and after some research they determined by a slim margin Rich County was it.

Gary Tuchman CNN correspondent for the Anderson Cooper 360 show went to the census data and determined the Garden City area to be the most populated area so he gave me a call after first calling the Garden City Library. When Gary introduced himself from CNN, my response was similar to a protective dog who has a stranger at the door. My hackles were up. It is probably a similar reaction that a liberal democrat would feel if Fox News showed up in the bluest of blue counties.

Gary’s charisma, demeanor as well as the explanation of the project and an opportunity to promote Garden City provided a level of assurance for me to say yes. Gary’s instructions were find ten people from Garden City both young and old, men and women, who were registered Republicans and were interested in matters of politics. We would evaluate performance of the candidates from the republican debate held Wednesday October 28th on CNBC. Sounds easy?

It was interesting, and understandable that some of the people I called to participate told me they were not interested and here is why. In our politically correct cultural the various media mediums demonize conservative opinions that are contrary to the masses. Taboo subjects and terms are growing like invasive weeds choking free speech. I was able to locate the individuals who I felt would represent the city and the county well.

I met the producer of the show, Elise Miller, an amazing young woman from New York City. Elise coordinated the event with precision and showed up with the CNN crew Wednesday afternoon. Chuck Stocking and his company Bear Lake Cabin Rentals put the CNN crew up in one of his beautiful homes overlooking the lake and we were set for a debate party or lynching, I still was not sure if I had been duped. The event was exactly as CNN advertised, no zinger questions, no deception, just pizza and political conversation about the candidates.

Gary wanted to know who we were voting for prior to the debate and asked questions following the debate if then had a different opinion. A live feed with a short segment happened just following the debate and a longer segment was aired the night following. I was very impressed by the kindness and professionalism of the crew from CNN. I received follow up calls and emails from Gary and Elise asking if he felt we were treated fairly. Gary, told me he wanted to come out with his family in the summer. My personal introspection following the event will help guide me in the future. My first response was hackles up and instant judgement at the motive of CNN and their big city crew. However I believe we all can be better served by having our ears open and allowing our intuition to guide us before we let cynicism rob us of opportunity.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy the fun and informative night with those who attended and represented Garden City and Rich County with class. Thank you to Druci Wadsworth, Ken and Donna Hansen, Rich Monk, Chuck Stocking, Pat Argyle, and Bob and Jill Peterson.