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.