Two Years Of Politics with Nolan – A Reflection

By Nolan Cleary, Managing Editor

The year was 2020. In Sound Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg had just won the Iowa Caucuses thus kicking off the 2020 Presidential election. I was working for The Hudsonian and had been covering multiple events and rallies in anticipation of the crucial New Hampshire primary. 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was hoping to gain momentum from a win in the state, former Vice President Joe Biden had been eagerly trying to make a comeback after a disastrous Iowa showing, while Buttigieg was hoping to continue the momentum. 

I had just gotten out of a Bernie Sanders rally. My next stop was to Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s rally. I had applied to be apart of the press booth at the event. 

Throughout the rally, Gabbard gave a speech, making her case for why she was the most suited for the office. Following this, along with other reporters, I got to ask Gabbard questions. Two other reporters, looking about my age, were there. One from The Guardian, the other from The Washington Post. I was from The Hudsonian. When the time came to approach Gabbard, of all the reporters, I was specifically chosen to go first. The Guardian and The Washington Post had to wait their turn. 

That night, I texted a picture of myself interviewing Congresswoman Gabbard to our Editor-in-Chief at the time, Kevin Waltz. Waltz replied to me “Nolan, I f****ing love you.”

For the last two years, Politics with Nolan has set out to be a mouthpiece for the students of Hudson Valley Community College. A bipartisan voice for students to present their takes on pressing political issues in America. 

In a world where Americans remain intensely divided, my column has sought to portray pressing and in some cases controversial events in a nonpartisan way. 

Politics with Nolan began as a regular story for The Hudsonian. On Monday, in February 2019, I decided to attend my very first Hudsonian meeting. My oldest friend, Jacob Freehart was Layout Editor at the time. 

Freehart and I had shared a birthday, we even were been born in the same hospital and had attended Catholic Central High School together. Freehart asked me before joining “are you doing this?” to which I replied “Yeah.”

At the time, the news had been dominated by stories of a photo of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in blackface back during his college years. Our Club Advisor, Rachel Bornn believed a story on the matter might be necessary from the perspective of covering racism on campus in the year 2019. 

Having writing experience before, I got right to work, interviewing multiple students and staff. I was also asked to interview a political science professor. For me, Professor Robert Whittaker was that person. I took a workshop, as that was required for submitting a story. However, by that time, I was nearing completion. 

As someone who was an adamant watcher of CBS Sunday Morning, I’d developed a journalistic voice in my head as I wrote, the voice of journalist Ted Koppel. 

I submitted my story not thinking twice about it. In my mind, I thought I’d done a decent job. The next Monday I’d been approached by Angela, the News Editor at the time and Hailey, who was our Copy Editor. 

“Are you Nolan, the guy who wrote that story about the Governor in Virginia?” Angela asked frantically. “Yeah,” I replied. “That story was so good. What I was shocked about was the fact that you’d completed most of it before the workshop,” Hailey said. 

I couldn’t believe it. I’d never imagined my article would impress the Editors that much. “Can you write another political article for this week’s issue?” Angela asked. There was only one article I could think of. The government shutdown at the time had been dividing Republicans and Democrats. 

President Donald Trump had wanted to fund his border wall. Democrats who controlled the House at the time refused to oblige. Many public workers at airports wouldn’t be getting paid. Families were hurting, the story was practically writing itself. 

Many people tell me writing their first Hudsonian story is the most stressful experience. You only get one chance to make a first impression. For me, it was the second time. After getting praised by your peers, writing an article that impressed everyone on board, I’d now have to follow up that success. 

I decided that to deliver another article that would make the E-board happy, I’d have to make myself as ignorant as I was before. 

I submitted my article about the government shutdown the next week, only for Jake to meet me in the hallway and tell me the Editors loved my article so much, they wanted to give me a column. I was shocked. Everything was happening so fast for me. 

I’ll never forget seeing the logo on a computer for the first time. There it was “Politics with Nolan” with a picture of a donkey and an elephant, representing the two major political parties in America. As someone who’d read The Hudsonian for the past year since arriving at Hudson Valley, it was surreal to see my name in big letters. 

From there, I continued writing for the paper, providing insightful information about the latest political stories. I was asked to come to the CMA competition in Washington D.C. that Fall. I was honored, as I was just a Staff Writer at the time. 

The next week, I wrote a story about President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. We were shocked when a Presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak gave us a comment for the paper. 

In 2020 when I went to New Hampshire to cover the primary, I met candidates Pete Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard. I snuck into a press booth, getting a foot away from Bernie Sanders. The story became a column the very next week, the week of competition. 

We went to New York City for an unforgettable trip. At CMA, our issue came third, out of hundreds in the country. I’ve always wanted my column to take a unique perspective on the world. 

In almost every issue, we tackle huge national stories, but localize them, making them closer to home and more about the students of Hudson Valley Community College. I’ve done that for the past two years and I hope to continue doing that in the future. 

Looking back at the humble beginnings of our little column, I remain shocked at how far we’ve come since the publication began, and I look forward to seeing we’ve Politics with Nolan goes next.