Critical Thinking Breaks the Vice President Selection in 2000
As we await Vice President Harris’ selection of her running mate, here is a story from the archives that involves incredible journalistic critical thinking and reporting:
Gov. George Bush Selects his Vice President Running Mate | 2000
Details from my notes from July 2000:
NBC News’ Lisa Myers Breaks the 2000 Vice Presidential Announcement News
Lisa Myers sat in her office at NBC News in Washington, DC, thinking what can I be doing to move the vice president story forward and started to explore the remote rumor that Dick Cheney, who had the assignment of managing the vice presidential selection process for Gov. George Bush, may be selected.
She knew that the 12th Amendment to the Constitution blocks electors from casting ballots for both a presidential and vice presidential candidate from the same state, and both Bush and Cheney lived in Texas, but Cheney owned land in Wyoming.
She was curious when Cheney needed to switch his registration in order to be meet the Wyoming residency deadlines. Myers discovered it was that very day.
She called the Teton County Clerk’s office in Wyoming -- near where Cheney owned a home -- to check on Cheney’s voting registration. The person on the phone told Myers that Cheney had just left the office, and he changed his voting registration to Wyoming.
Myers breaks the story sitting in her office, thinking critically, researching deadlines, and making a phone call.
Press Conference with Bush and Cheney announcing him as the vice president candidate.
New twist: Cheney wrote in his book, “In My Time”:
“I have always suspected that [NBC News] Pete Williams had a source in the Teton County clerk’s office that he shared with his colleague Lisa Myers, because shortly after I registered to vote, she ran it as breaking news on NBC,” writes Cheney.
Salon.com: Shade story poking fun at Cheney for becoming the vice president candidate when his job was to vet the vice president candidates.
I pick me!, by Jake Tapper