Democratic Partiers
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
Lest we get too carried away in, you know, substantive political discourse, it’s worth noting that after tonight’s debate, the candidates each made a strong showing where it really counts. Public health care? That would be great. But senators, this isn’t Ohio. What about tacos? What about beer? And if you’re going to run in Texas, decorum would tend to recommend a fiddle in the band.
While Obama and Clinton finished duking it out on campus, they also hosted gatherings around town, to watch the debate and rally certain local supporters.
Hillary’s hundreds filled the tables at Güero’s on South Congress, booing Obama’s mild disagreements and cheering like mad at Clinton’s grand finale. There was music, food and signage, and later in the night Clinton herself grabbed the mic to thank the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Obama faithful—their faith duly tested by a $250 ticket price—were treated to performances at the Austin Music Hall by Joe Ely and Asleep At The Wheel before the candidate stopped by. His brief appearance at the party was worth the price of admission; he gave the audience his usual song-and-dance routine on hope and change, then actually sang and danced with the band.
Obama had the clear edge in bands, with his local favorites Asleep At The Wheel. Hillary’s tunes came courtesy of the more psychedelic Vinyl Dharma, a band originally from Brownsville, where Clinton is happy to tell Texans she’s spent a good deal of time. Hillary’s party gets the nod for food, with her free Güero’s a clear favorite over Obama’s no-food bar.
Little extra space remained at either the tables at Güero’s or the Austin Music Hall’s floor and balcony. We’ve seen Obama draw big crowds in Austin, but the price of entry tonight kept the crowd to a manageable size; Texans for Hillary signed up new members at a table outside, and welcomed them inside for the party.
As demographics go, both parties leaned toward the white yuppie set, but the crowds were diverse, in a way that roughly matched opinion polls. Most at Güero’s were either Hispanic, middle-aged women, or both. The scene downtown was business-casual, not campaign-shirts-and-buttons, with more people who were either African-American, under 30, or Austin mayor Will Wynn. Here is a great slide show someone put together of Obama’s Texas support.
The weirdest moment of my evening came shortly after I arrived at Güero’s, when a man who identified himself as working for the campaign spotted the camera on my shoulder and pegged me as a member of the press. Grabbing my arm, he looked around and then leaned in, and with a conspiratorial whisper told me there was a “black Hollywood actress waiting in the back, and she loves to talk to the media.” Either this was a big secret, or he didn’t think her name was particularly worth mentioning. My heart raced at the thought of Halle Berry cleverly disguised as one of the cooks, waiting for the right moment to stun the crowd and herald Clinton’s arrival. Returning the low whisper, I asked about the actress’ name, but this brought a quick end to the conspiracy. Her name was Erika Alexander, he said, then trailed off after mentioning her work on “The Cosby Show.”
With crowds that either volunteered for Clinton’s campaign or had just donated a couple C-notes to Obama’s, there probably wasn’t much to learn about how things will shake out on March 4. At both parties, politics often came down to personality.
“I’m a convert. I was leaning toward McCain until this afternoon,” said Robert Rogers, a law student at U.T. who’d initially been roped into the Obama fundraiser by a friend. Rogers was one of many downtown only recently turned into Barack-backers, and he said tonight’s events—the debate and Obama’s encore performance—solidified his choice.
Across the river at the taco bar, Lea Markovic said she went to last year’s Obama rally, read one of the senator’s books, and gradually came around to Hillary anyway. “I believe in her experience, and the fact that she’s been tested,” Markovic said. Like Rogers, her number-two choice wasn’t in Austin tonight. If Clinton doesn’t win the party nomination, she said, she’ll be pulling for John McCain.
February 24th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
It’s telling that the infinitely better funded Obama didn’t provide food for his $250-per-ticket party while Hillary took care of her supporters. That probably doesn’t count for much with a generation weaned on Quentin Tarantino movies, but when you think about the country’s troubles - predatory banks, pre-emtpive wars, increasing poverty, global warming - maybe a considerate person who looks out for others and sticks to her guns with such an uphill battle as universal health care might be the better choice. Besides, if the media bothered to tell people the truth about Senator Obama’s record, including his connection to nuclear giant Exelon and that Chicago slumlord under indictment, they’d be less likely to get sidetracked by Obama Girl gyrating her bootie on You-Tube. I’ve posted an article on thecityedition.com which goes into a lot more detail on him, including some info about his ties to the G.O.P. and Karl Rove. Click on my screen name for a direct link to the story.