The Texas Observer

by REEVE HAMILTON and SUSAN PETERSON

Our Inauguration night began with two black musicians playing accordian and washboard in front of a store near New Iberia, Louisiana in 1938. The photograph, taken by Russell Lee for the long-defunct Farm Security Administration, was one of 32 historical photos of “the Black experience in America” on display at “The Road to Hope” photography exhibit that opened Tuesday night at the New East Gallery, the first stop on our whirlwind tour of Austin’s Inauguration celebrations. Austin non-profit Diverse Arts sponsored the exhibit curated by Neil Coleman and Tim Taylor (below, left to right).

Diverse Arts founding director Harold McMillan said the exhibit was about “black folks striving in America.”

“Within that struggle and pain, there’s a really rich culture,” McMillan said.

Then it was on to The Dog and Duck Pub, where Austin residents Sam Webber and Hank Cathey (below, left to right) came by looking for some Inauguration action. Cathey and Webber watched the Inauguration ceremony at work.

“We set up a TV, passed the tissues around, and had red, white, and blue doughnuts,” Cathey said. “I was really glad to see strings and poetry at the inauguration - like we’re a country with culture.”

Down the street, Austinites Natalie Johnson and Alani Mundie (below, left to right, with another attendee) were pleasantly surprised by the turnout at the MoveOn.org Inaugural Bash they hosted at El Mercado. Over 50 people attended from all walks of life, ranging in age from under five years to over 60.

Attendee Anne Williams said her hope for the new administration was universal health insurance.

“I’m unable to obtain individual health insurance because I’m a kidney transplant recipient. I can only be on a group plan.” Her prescriptions alone would cost her $2500 each month if not for her group insurance.

Her favorite moment of the inauguration? “Watching George get on the helicopter.”

Ricki Klos, who brought her whole family to El Mercado to celebrate, concurred, adding, “I’m just sad that he’s hanging his hat back in Texas.”

The Travis County Democratic Party’s celebration at Antone’s was one of the livelier ones. State Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, (below) was in attendance. She watched the inauguration with fourth and fifth graders at Sunset Valley Elementary School.

“They were very excited,” Bolton said. “They seemed to have a pretty clear sense of what they were witnessing.”

When asked if she was looking forward to being back in session on Thursday, Bolton, who was also one of the honorary hosts at a Travis County Democratic Party celebration at the Driskill on Saturday, said, “Yes. I’m going to wear way more comfortable shoes.”

Though we missed State Rep. Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) and The Bad Precedents, his band, we got there in time to hear Guy Forsyth sing, “It’s been a long, long, long, long…long time since I felt fine.”The crowd clearly shared the sentiment.

Round Rock resident Elizabeth Thompson, who was the first black student to attend her school in Buffalo, New York, said her favorite moment of the inauguration was when Obama said his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, during the swearing-in.

“He said his entire name,” she said. “He’s the embodiment of all of us. He’s telling us, ‘This is who I am.’”

We caught up with Thompson and her friend Brenda Johnson (below, right to left) at The Texas Presidential Inauguration Celebration, a black tie affair at the Four Seasons hotel, our final stop of the evening.

Overall, the revelers around Austin on January 20, 2009 were a thoughtful group. With the collective sense that many burdens of the past had been shed in a single day, though wary that many challenges lie ahead, eyes turned to the future and all the promises it holds.

As millions crowded the mall in the nation’s capitol, straining to catch a glimpse of now-President Barack Obama getting sworn in as the 44th president, in Texas’ capitol, they packed Scholz Garten.

It was standing room only — and even that was hard to come by — in Austin’s historic bar and gathering place. The location was of special significance for members of Texans for Obama, who remembered having their first volunteer meeting in the same room before Obama had even announced his candidacy.

As people jockeyed for position and ordered their beer, coffee, and breakfast burritos, cheers and applause bubbled up every time the screen flashed an image of anyone associated with President-elect Obama, but especially for his wife, Michelle.

Though the quiet that met the first images of outgoing President George Bush’s slowly gave way to scattered outbursts, the angriest hisses and jeers were reserved for shots of outgoing Vice President Dick Cheney.

But all noise faded away when Obama began his much-anticipated address. Occasionally, the quiet was broken by tearful, joyous eruptions, like when Obama said, “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.”

“I think he made a very strong speech,” said Ivan Colbeck. “Not any ordinary person could have given a speech like that with all the pressure and the whole world watching. It’s just a blessing from God that he could give that speech.”

After the formal ceremony ended, as people maneuvered and squeezed their way toward the doors, a few stayed behind to watch Bush, no longer the president, board a helicopter and begin his trip home to Texas.

Ann Patterson, a local Democratic Party Precinct Chair, was one of those who stayed behind. “I have been inspired [by Obama] and continue to be inspired by him,” she said. “I feel as blessed as I have ever been since I was born.”

On the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, one day before the swearing in of the first black U.S. President, a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. survey was released in which 69 percent of black respondents said that King’s vision for race relations had been fulfilled. But there is plenty left to dream about in Texas.

When asked if he agreed with the poll’s 69 percent, Austin NAACP president Nelson Linder quickly issued a clear response: “No.”

“It’s a partial fulfillment,” he said.  “But remember, King was trying to eradicate inequities.”

Though he acknowledged that this is an exciting and historic milestone, Lindner said, “It is not going to eradicate inequities in education, employment, or any other area across the board.”

Lindner had especially harsh words for Texas’ criminal justice system, which he called “an insult to King’s whole vision.”

While blacks make up 12 percent of the Texas population, they make up nearly 40 percent of Texas prisoners, as well as 40 percent of those on death row.

Other measures are similarly uneven. According to the Center for Public Policy Priorities, the unemployment rate of African Americans in Texas was nearly 11 percent in 2007. For Hispanics, it was 5 percent, and, for whites, it was 4 percent.

The center also found that the percentage of African Americans living in poverty in Texas from 2002-2004 dwarfed the percentage of Anglos, 21 to 8.

Among the many areas of inequity, education should receive the most scrutiny from state legislators, Lindner says.

According to official Texas Education Agency numbers, the high-school graduation rates of African-American students, 70.7, trailed the state’s overall rate for the class of 2007 by more than 7 points and fell almost 18 points short of the graduation rate for white students, which came to 88.2. The graduation rate for Hispanic students was 68.5 percent. (Even those numbers paint too rosy a picture; in a presentation given during the 80th legislative session, Dr. Albert Cortez of the Intercultural Development Research Association noted that in 2006, the attrition rate of white students in Texas public schools was 21 percent, while that of black students was nearly twice as high.)

And of course, just as many Americans thought they would never see a black U.S. president, Texans have yet to see a minority governor or speaker of the house.

By the time the Senate was called to order for the last time on Wednesday, most members were already resigned to the foregone conclusion that the 2/3 rule would be waived for the issue of Voter ID by a vote of 19-12. But, boy, were they wrong!

Dean of the Senate, Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said that a good speech could change the vote in the House — but not in the Senate. Sure enough, after a dozen lengthy speeches, just before the stroke of 7 p.m., the vote came in at a shocking 18-13.

Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, a “proud Republican” and voter ID supporter, was the lone member to cross the aisle. He was perhaps most moved by his own speech, the only Republican opposition speech. “If I thought [voter ID] was the most important issue of the day, I’d be voting with you,” he told his Republican colleagues. “But, I can’t with a straight face. And I dare say most of you, with a straight face, cannot say this is the most important issue of the day.”

Carona must have doubted the straightness of the face of Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, when he said, “The highest priority [of the Senate] may well be voter ID.”It may have been Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, who authored the resolution, but the argument was focused on Patrick, who said, ““I think it’s a proud day for our body.”He complimented the members on their civility and praised the “step forward” they were making “for Texas” toward the 3/5 rule he has been pushing since he arrived in the senate in 2007. “Two years ago, I was the lone ranger,” he said. “There are a lot of rangers today.”

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, agreed, sort of, saying that there were only two real winners, Dan Patrick and the state Republican Party.“You and I know the majority is not always right,” she said. “Today, the majority will prevail, and I am embarrassed for the state of Texas.”

Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, declared it “the full and final victory of politics over policy.”“All we proved here today is that we’re acting like the Texas House did last session,” offered Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said, “I see a special order coming on redistricting…What’s going to happen in the future? The next ten years?”

As an unpredictable counter to their arguments, Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, got up and read an inexcusably lengthy portion of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

But, it was Whitmire, adopting the “best of times, worst of times” meme, who delivered the most searing speech (though Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, came pretty close in recounting the power of the majority to oppress minorities throughout history).“The good news is I have never seen the Senate work harder the first two days,” Whitmire said. “The bad news is we’ve been working on the wrong subject matter.”

Narrowing in on Patrick, and reminding him that there were 24 years of experience separating them, he said, “You know why I think we’ve been so civil? Because we’re sad. We’re tired and we’re sad.”In reference to Patrick’s day job, “I listen to talk shows, Dan…this is a backhanded way to get at undocumented citizens.”

Whitmire wasn’t simply worrying about senators sneaking around the 2/3 rule on other pet issues in the next ten years. “I’m predicting it,” he challenged, “the pressure is going to come on this body.”

From the looks of it, that would be a pretty risky wager to bet against.

It can be safely assumed that the Senate’s move this morning to recess to discuss “procedural matters,” less than ten minutes after taking roll, is an attempt to prevent themsleves from getting a reputation as “the new House” while they hash out Dan Patrick’s contentious proposal to do away with the 2/3 rule, possibly in favor of a 3/5 rule or possibly just for select issues.

They did get one order of business out of the way.  A resolution put forward by Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, to honor Andrews, TX, was passed without objection, as eyes turned to the nearly two dozen people wearing bright green “I support WCS” shirts up in the gallery.

Waste Control Specialists LLC, who (through the transitive property) may as well be the honoree, is behind efforts to bring massive amounts of radioactive waste to West Texas.

So, here’s to you, radioactive waste.  Today is your day!

Governor Rick Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and newly crowned Speaker of the House Joe Straus emerged from their breakfast this morning to grace us with their first press conference together.

“I’m encouraged with the flow between the three of us,” Perry said.  The discussion, however, was primarily concerned with yesterday’s less-encouraging encouraging budget report.

“It’s a pretty sobering wake up call.” Perry said, “I don’t think anyone estimated it would be quite as severe as the comptroller reported.”

“This is gonna be a tough budget,” Dewhurst agreed, but he added, “The situation is a lot easier than it was in 2003.” Which will come as somewhat welcome news — somewhat — to advocates for social services and education, who saw their budgets gutted that session.

Joe Straus demurred, “Having been Speaker for 20 hours, I’m not quite up to where the Senate is on some things.”

“Texans expect the Legislature to be fiscal conservatives and to prudently spend their tax money,” said Perry, promising “a good, solid, balanced budget.”

As for using up the state’s rainy day fund to cover the $9 billion shortfall, “We’re not gonna do that,” Dewhurst insisted.  “I’m looking at 2011 just as much as 2009.”

Taken at face value, the first day on the floor of the Texas Senate was a pleasurable family affair.  The youngest of the senators’ children quietly squirmed around while their older counterparts sat loyally beside their parents and dutifully shook hands and smiled for cameras. Attendants of all ages behaved themselves and maneuvered through the ceremonial proceedings without incident.

The adults did provide a handful of their own light-hearted moments.  After Governor Rick Perry addressed the senate, Republican Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst informed the body that Perry had turned to him and asked “What do I do now, just leave?”  Over the ensuing laughter, Dewhurst added, “I did not say, ‘Get the hell out of here.’  I did not say that.”

But even the main order of business, the nominating and electing of Senator Robert Duncan R-Lubbock to the position of President pro tempore, focused on the family and became more a series of extended meditations on the relationship between legislators and their neglected progeny, as exemplified by the noble sacrifice made by Duncan’s children of their father to the world of state politics.

While recognizing and paying glowing tribute to the generosity and patience of the younger Duncan generation, Senator Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, provided a small reality check, saying, “My kids only came today because they could get out of school.  As evidenced by the fact that they left before their daddy got up to speak, that’s the only reason.”

Ellis’ was a much more eloquent speech than the one preceding it, which puzzlingly insisted that Duncan’s strength lies in the fact that he is actually the opposite of the “mumbler” who “doesn’t have any emotions” many believe him to be. Great!  Ellis made a point of emphasizing Duncan’s tireless commitment to finding the “middle ground” and ever-willingness to “compromise.”  Duncan’s nomination is “coming at a pivotal time,” Ellis said.  It is a time in which the Senate “will be making decisions where traditions are important.”

The statement was a loaded one that betrayed the tension already brewing beneath the day’s pleasant, familial surface, stemming from the morning push by Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, to change the traditional 2/3 rule, which stands to make key votes on issues like voter ID and redistricting more difficult for Republicans than they’d like this session.

“I thought Craddick politics were over.” said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.  “I thought the people of Texas sent a pretty clear signal.”  Van de Putte, who had also seconded Duncan’s nomination, had stressed his “fairness”.

As for Lt. Gov. Dewhurst’s assertion that the issue will be easily resolved, Van de Putte, who planned to spend the afternoon in meetings with Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and two unnamed senators, laughed and said, “Maybe he’s got a little of the Obama-ness.  Hope is abounding.”

Wednesday, the senators will go to work without the calming presence of their families, who they must now all but leave behind for the duration of the session.  And with the spirit of bipartisanship fading even before the first bang of the gavel, the Senate is off to a rocky start before the rules are even established.