Barack Obama: Faith In Texas

This is a new video, called "Faith In Texas," produced by Barack Obama supporters and featuring a montage of Obama events in Texas, with plenty of supporter pictures and even some great pictures of the candidate himself.

Here's what I like about the video:
1) It's about Texas and Texans.
2) It's about Barack Obama and his movement in Texas.
3) It has that great music from the movie "Rudy," which for my money is the best movie about Notre Dame football ever made. I spent my first two years of college at Notre Dame, at about the same time Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger was there. Those were heady days -- the campus had just gone co-ed, Notre Dame beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship, and three weeks later snapped UCLA's 88-game basketball winning streak.

It's about six minutes long, but worth every second. Enjoy!



Hat tip to the Texas Observer blog for the link.

Caroline Kennedy in Austin

Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John Kennedy, appeared in Austin today in support of Barack Obama. The event was held at Serrano's Restaurant as Symphony Square, only a few blocks east of the Capitol.

Ms. Kennedy spoke of her reasons for supporting Barack Obama, including the enthusiasm of her teenage children. She spoke of her father's legacy of a more idealistic nation. She also spoke as a woman and addressed why she thought Barack Obama would make a better president.

A couple of pictures from the event:

A standing-room only crowd, and a (TV camera) rig count of at least three awaits Caroline Kennedy in the 87-degree Texas sun.

Caroline Kennedy addresses a crowd of about 150 at Symphone Square in Austin.

Barack Obama: Boogie Back To Texas

I already posted about the Obama event at the Austin Music Hall on Thursday evening. Barack Obama came by and visited a crowd of 500 supporters who'd watched the CNN/Univision debate and then enjoyed some fine Texas music.

After Obama's speech, he shook hands with many supporters, then returned to the stage to thank the entertainers. Even though he mispronounced Joe Ely's name, he charmed the crowd and ended up singing a call-and-response "Boogie Back To Texas" with Ray Benson.

Check out the YouTube video below:

Obama-mania at the Capitol!

UPDATE: See a better YouTube video of scenes from the rally at the bottom of the post.

30,000 people braved traffic, long lines. magnetometers, and chilly night air to attend Barack Obama's "Stand For Change" rally in Austin Friday night. And stand they did. There was no seating, and so thousands of college students and senior citizens and young families with kids perched on their shoulders filled Congress Avenue, shuffling side to side on their feet as they kept warm and waited to hear Obama speak.

I was volunteering for the campaign, handling calls from elected officials who wanted to attend. We offered them tickets, of course, and even an area set-aside near the stage. They all wanted to know, though, if specific seats would be reserved for them. Uh, no, I explained, to occasional chagrin. Once there, though, everyone seemed happy and festive.

I took some pictures, none of which turned out great. My favorite one was this:


I also took a video of what 30,000 people look like. This scans from the press risers to the left of the stage, then over to 11th Street and around to look down the long sweep of Congress Avenue.

You can see the rest of my photos from the event here.

UPDATE: Here is a terrific video of scenes from Friday night's rally and excerpts from Barack Obama's speech:

George Lopez at Las Manitas

Comedy superstar George Lopez was in Austin Thursday and Friday, supporting the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama. He has been a vigorous and enthusiastic supporter and has traveled extensively.

In Austin he did a series of events, including a mid-morning coffee with a group of young Latino leaders, many of them students, at Las Manitas Cafe. Some pictures:

You can see more pictures of the event here.

Barack-in' the Austin Music Hall

Last night, millions of Americans watched the CNN/Univison debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Some pundits have criticized it as tepid, but I thought Obama did great. He had specific suggestions on specific issues, but also evoked a vision of a new way of doing politics in America. It is the latter that has excited people in unprecedented numbers, and it is the former that blunts attacks on his supposed "inexperience."

The debate was held on the U.T. campus, but the Obama campaign had a fundraiser and debate-watching party at the Austin Music Hall. The debate was broadcast on two large television screens. After it ended, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel entertained, joined by guests like Joe Ely, Carolyn Wonderland and Tim Curry.

I spent some time talking with Eve Lindsey, the owner of the Victory Grill and an early Obama supporter. Then we took a picture (left). She's hosting an event for him this coming Friday night.

About a half hour after the event, the candidate himself arrived and gave a terrific, brief speech. Some pictures from the speech:

Afterwards, he worked the line, where I got to snap the close-up of him that leads this post and then shook his hand.

Molly Ivins Nails the 2008 Election

She wrote this column over two years ago, and she passed away over a year ago, but it turns out that Molly Ivins has perfectly defined what this presidential election is about for the Democratic Party. She jabs at Hillary Clinton, but she's really talking about the soul of the Democratic Party -- and the leadership vacuum in the nation. The whole column is Molly's usual terrific writing, but here's an excerpt:

The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief.

If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, "Look, the emperor isn't wearing any clothes." Bobby Kennedy -- rough, tough Bobby Kennedy -- didn't do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.

What kind of courage does it take, for mercy's sake? The majority of the American people (55 percent) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65 percent) of the American people want single-payer health care and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86 percent) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60 percent) favor repealing Bush's tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66 percent) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending, but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

The majority (77 percent) thinks we should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment. The majority (87 percent) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. WHO ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Molly, we miss you.

Obama-Mania in Austin

I came down to the Barack Obama headquarters in downtown Austin this morning. I wanted to come by and meet some of the people, catch the energy, and even get some precinct captains' training.

Wow! The energy down here is amazing! Tons of people, tons of good karma, tons of enthusiasm.

I ran into Kath25, a DailyKos blogger who's a grad student here in Texas, and she asked me to help with live blogging the event. I did my training and am now live-blogging on both DailyKos, Burnt Orange Report and even the Barack Obama website.

Check it out.

Friday Night

I'm sitting at home on Friday night, listening to the soft tick of a slow rain on the leaves in my back yard. It's a little cold and damp, but I'm on the patio so at least it's not raining on me. I think this rain will last all weekend, if not the chilly temperatures.

It sure is an interesting time for a Texas political junkie like me. I took the evening off from trying to keep up with news shows, websites and blogs, which is what I normally do. It is like trying to drink water out of a firehose -- too much information, too much Us Versus Them, too much noise. I think we political junkies have to remember that for most Americans, life goes on without the latest crosstabs from Texas or polling from Peoria.

Out in Real America, people are seeing movies tonight, or having dinner at home as a family, or going to the movies with their friends, or lining up to get into a club to hear some live music. Their eyes don't tear up with inspiration when they watch the "Yes We Can" video or with laughter when they watch the "John McCain: Three Words" video. They don't spend an hour -- as I did today -- parsing the crosstabs from the Texas Credit Union League poll to glean insights into the possible trajectories of March 4.

Are they missing something? Am I?

Bill Clinton Stumps East Texas With ... Henry Cuellar?

I read in the Rio Grande Guardian where Henry Cuellar accompanied, and introduced, former President Bill Clinton on his swing through east Texas yesterday. This in spite of the fact that Cuellar's Laredo-based district is hundreds of miles from the Piney Woods.

"I don't know why they asked me to go, but I'll be happy to support the Hillary campaign whether it's in South Texas or whether it's in East Texas,” said Cuellar. “It's an honor that they've asked me to do this."

Maybe they wanted to use Cuellar there because nobody in east Texas would know or remember that ... well, to put it kindly, Henry Cuellar is not exactly from the Democratic wing of the Denmocratic Party. He's like Joe Lieberman, with less charisma.



I mean, seriously, are the Clinton people aware of this? Paying attention? I'm a little mystified.

John McCain: Three Words

Since I posted the wonderful "Yes We Can" video -- with CEO of Inspiration Barack Obama -- it's only fair that I also post John McCain's three-word mantra video.

Fair. Yeah, right.

(Thanks to Evan Smith, Texas Monthly editor and everyone's favorite Poll Dancer, for the link.)

Tecaboca

Sunset, Tecaboca, Friday, February 8, 2008.

I am out in the Hill Country for the weekend. I am at the Tecaboca Christian Renewal Center, on whose board I intermittently serve. Tecaboca is located in the Hill Country northwest of Kerrville, and is one of my favorite places on earth. I have been coming here, and involved with the place and its going-ons for over 35 years.

It's beautiful tonight -- not a cloud in the sky. The sunset was sublime and gorgeous, my picture capturing only a sliver of its tranquil beauty. This evening, my friend John and I went into Kerrville and had dinner at the Cowboy Steakhouse, our favorite restaurant in town. By the time we got back out here, night had fully fallen.

The moon's glow but a sliver in the western sky, its whole orb visible in the crystalline night. Stars taking on familiar patterns as they slowly wheel across the sky. The air cold and clear and so dry that breath does not fog.

Tomorrow more people come, but for tonight the only sound is the water of Johnson Creek washing over the dam.

Matthew Dowd on McCain's Chances

(cross-posted at Burnt Orange Report)

In an NPR interview this morning, "independent political consultant" Matthew Dowd -- more famous as Bush's number-cruncher -- talks about John McCain and his efforts to restore his relationships with Republican conservatives. In doing so, he all but endorses Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination -- from a Democrat's perspective.

Calling in from Phoenix (what's he doing in Phoenix? hmmm), he says that McCain needs to speak the language of conservatism, to help reassure conservatives that he "gets" them. He also notes that McCain's "brand" is as a maverick, and his campaign struggled when people felt he was not being authentic. But he says McCain's biggest hope of energizing conservatives is for Hillary Clinton to get the Democratic nomination -- "she is the most unifying force for John McCain out there right now, not himself."

On a general election campaign: "If you gave the strategists and the people around John McCain some truth serum and asked them to say who they want to run against, in a minute they'd say Senator Hillary Clinton. They think that she's polarizing, she'd motivate and unite the base of the Republican Party, she's not a generational difference and a change of a figure, she's a bit of a throwback to the past, like to a degree he is."

On Obama: "Against Senator Obama, it's a much more difficult task. It would be a generational campaign, the new versus the older, somebody that had a distinct stand on Iraq versus his stand on Iraq. I think Senator Obama is a much more difficult race, and there is not a vitriol from the conservative and the Republican base against Senator Obama, they don't sort of dislike him to their core like they do Hillary Clinton. I think they would much prefer, the McCain folks, a race against Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama, because it's hard to compose a strategy against a new guy like Barack."

Of course, this could also be disinformation and misdirection, something that Dowd has certainly learned from colleagues like Karl Rove and Mark McKinnon. And the interview does not explain why he's in Phoenix -- consulting for the McCain campaign? But his take on the dynamics of the general election is similar to mine.

What do you think?

Obama: Yes We Can

Watch this. Then watch it again. And again.




UPDATE: Go here to read comments by will.i.am (the Blackeyed Peas' leader) on how he was inspired to create the song and video, and a listing of all the contributors, including "CEO of Inspiration" Barack Obama.

Save the Christmas Mountains!

If you love the Big Bend region of Texas as much as I do, you've been by turns astonished, dismayed, and pissed off by the comical attempts of Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson to sell the Christmas M0untains in West Texas to the highest (or whatever) bidder. If you've not been keeping up with the story, here's a little background from the Observer.)

Karen Brooks at the Dallas Morning News, who has been covering the story for months, reports that the National Park Service has submitted a proposal for managing the Christmas Mountains as part of the Big Bend National Park.

Forrest Wilder at the Texas Observer blog summarizes the NPS proposal:

The NPS would manage the property as a backcountry area for hiking, primitive camping, and horseback riding. The advantages of NPS management vs. privatization, according to the proposal, are:

1. The area would be permanently protected and preserved as part of the national park.

2. Public use of the area would be assured and the public would be able to participate in the planning process.

3. The park has extensive experience in managing public use in backcountry environments including law enforcement, search and rescue and emergency medical expertise.

4. The park can provide a full range of professional educational and interpretive services which are essential to a safe and enjoyable experience in a rugged and remote area.

5. The park has an excellent resource management staff including wildlife biologist, physical scientist, geologist, botanist and archeologist. In addition, we have access to numerous NPS resource specialists and academic institutions.

It sounds like a better deal to me. If you want to help save the Christmas Mountains, go to the Environment Texas website and access their user-friendly tools to send an email to members of the School Land Board and their bosses, Rick Perry and Greg Abbott.

To inspire you, I've included a smattering of pictures of the Christmas Mountains.