As a journalist you go where you’re assigned and you go where the news is. Well this past Saturday I was sent to cover the GOP caucus on Mercer Island.

There were 46 precincts at this one location, however if you’re thinking that’s a lot of people, you’re wrong.

Shove those visions of gymnasiums teaming with thousands of Democrats running around in complete chaos, chanting for Obama or Hillary, aside and picture this: 250 people, maybe five or six per precinct, sitting in neat little rows, filling out bubble sheets.

Welcome to Mercer Island; welcome to their 2008 Republican caucus.

I had no idea what to expect going into this. Honestly I didn’t really know what a caucus was until six weeks ago. When I chose which location and party to cover two questions ran across my mind: where will there be a lot of passion and where will the caucus actually matter?

Mercer Island is known for its occupants’ economic “condition.” It’s easy to understand the affluence of MI citizens when confronted with the impressive statistic that 97.7% have a high school degree, 69.1% graduated from college. Thus I hoped that the debate engaged at this caucus would be more intellectual than at other caucus locations.

In regards to the decision of which party to cover, I though I made a smart choice as well. Six weeks ago the Republican race was still wide open. Huckabee, McCain, Romney, Thompson, none had proved themselves the favorite for the GOP nomination.

Well a lot has changed since then. Now that McCain has all but received the official nod from the Republican Party, the talk among many Republicans is a lot less debate over candidates but rather looking ahead to the election in November.

In fact the first couple people I interviewed at Saturday’s caucus all admitted that they had preferred other candidates but figured it pointless, and thus would be caucusing for McCain.

While I talk to a couple interesting people, the overall day lacked the excitement I had anticipated.

The first woman I talk to was the first person to arrive. In her seventies, she was eager to tell her story about emigrating from Latvia, attend the University of Washington and becoming a precinct captain. After that I went over and talk with a reverend who was sitting alone at his precinct’s table. This man was the only African American in a crowd of elderly white people, and I must admit I was surprised to see him at this Republican caucus. Next was a middle-aged orthopedic surgeon who seemed to almost bounce out of his seat with excitement—yes, he was there for Ron Paul. And finally, I interviewed a pair of teenage girls who had just turned 18.

Then came the Pledge of Allegiance and the caucus began. Before I knew it the cafeteria at Islander Middle School was empty and the caucus leader was nagging at us to leave the building. No, she wouldn’t give us the results; however we did overhear her telling them to a friend.

If I could give advice to another group of young reporters it would be this: remember you are journalists, not just student journalists. The caucus leader on Mercer Island I think ignored us because we were students. However when I walked into that cafeteria on Saturday I wasn’t thinking I was a student. I was press. I would get my questions asked, answered and reported, no questions asked. We were mature and professional, and there was nothing student about it.