Spinorific
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 am
After the debate, I made my way to what someone (CNN, I guess) actually labeled “The Spin Zone.” There was signage at the borders in case one accidentally wandered out.The Spin Zone was a broad hallway with a little raised platform to one side for the more professionally unwieldy camera crews, and every other inch of floor space was crawling with people holding little point and shoot cameras, fuzzy microphones, or full-on heavy digital video cameras, aimed into the air, shooting whatever their high horizon encompassed and simultaneously trying to scribble in small notepads with only one hand.
At the same time, another group of people, 35 or so, held one and sometimes two wood-staked placards aloft, each printed with the name of a campaign spokesperson, a state legislator, a university professor, or in one case, a man self-identified simply as “Expert on Texas Politics.” The signs were held by aides, and they were designed to help the people with the cameras and the notebooks find appropriate sources. No sign of Kirk Watson, sigh.
The expert on Texas politics — why advertise his name? — was doing brisk business, with a small swarm absorbing his pronouncements. In the background, a the constant hum of people muttering “sorry” for stepping on your feet.
The LBJ School’s Ed Dorn didn’t seem to be fending off any crowds so I introduced myself and asked a stupid question. Both candidates raced to claim-jump the legacies of Barbara Jordan. What ought we make of that? The obvious, Mr. Dorn answered, more forebearingly than was strictly necessary. Jordan means a lot to Austin. Same reason LBJ and Ladybird got their namechecks.
No one, by the way, tagged Bush as a Texan. He’s everyone’s problem now. So I asked Dorn what the debate said to him, and he said something that sounded smart. Said he saw two candidates appealing so uniformly and resolutely right down the middle of the American road that either could enter the general election tomorrow, one day one so to speak, and not have to change their pitch to the whole American people a whit. John McCain couldn’t say that. He can’t address the presumably necessary religious right and everyone else in the same tone, and the imbalance will hurt him.
Dorn doesn’t think the candidates did much to distinguish themselves from each other, though, and I don’t either. The minutiae over health care was uninspiring and flat, Dorn says. More important that both are committed to universal health care. Probably not a lot of minds changed tonight is what I thought as I walked out, which took something stupid-close to an hour because you don’t want to just go shoving through a crowd of mostly pretty girls holding splintery staked placards and ugly dudes holding expensive camera equipment and sharp ballpoints. I spent a moment trapped in the scrum near the “expert on Texas politics.” I heard him say “no unforced errors.” He said, “a little bit of a draw.”
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:33 am
Sen. Kirk Watson is a SNAKE and Karma is a bitch. It’s just too bad that it has to make a presidential candidate look bad.
In October, Sen. Kirk Watson voted to ignore the public and divert nearly a Billion tax dollars to convert portions of Austin existing freeways (183, 290W, 290E, 71E, and 71W) into tollways.
This double tax, of tolling drivers to use public expressways to drive to work, school and shop, benefits Watson contributors, developers he was hired to lobby for and the City of Austin, who pays Watson $450 an hour to do land deals.
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 am
I’d say the debate was even. Both candidates had strong moments. Clinton’s end remarks sounded like a prepared piece she’d been eager to insert somewhere in the evening. Altogether, last night’s debate showed Dems have two strong candidates and Democratic voters are in a pickle — how to pick just one? Meanwhile, R’s are trying to figure out if McCain’s been found out as unethical, or if it’s all an anonymous attack abetted by the New York Times.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 pm
No, Mr. Tyer, not THAT Larry. hehehe…
Thanks for pulling the curtain back on the “Spin Zone.” I thought Mr. Dorn’s remarks were poignant: “Said he saw two candidates appealing so uniformly and resolutely right down the middle of the American road that either could enter the general election tomorrow, on day one so to speak, and not have to change their pitch to the whole American people a whit. John McCain couldn’t say that.”
Obama and Hillary looked and spoke as presidential as I’ve seen either of them. The thing that really struck me was the crowd. On TV is seemed like the audience was cheering for both candidates in equal measure. The party will clearly support either candidate, as long as the winner wins fair and square and without insider trading.
On that point, I thought Hillary seemed a bit conciliatory with the “no matter who wins we’ll be OK,” thing. When her Xerox remark not only fell flat but was booed down, I think she realized she’s Texas toast, so to speak.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Hey Texas, Don’t forget that Hillary Clinton was the CEO of Wal-Mart during the time that they were being sued for sexism against women. Also don’t forget she was paid millions by pharmacies to shut her mouth about public health care. She can’t even control her husband, let alone a country. Obama is the clear choice.
All the best,
KJ
February 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I miss Molly Ivins.. it was Molly that pointed out the uniqueness of Texas politics she was quick to point out as sort of Texas’ unofficial diplomat: “Y’all need to remember that a Democrat in Texas would be a Republican in most other states” To that I would repeat teh mnatra of Texans that define it as culture unto itself: “we-ah got Jee-sus.. y’all sum bitches ain’t” Thus there is no law in Texas.. only concepts in law as when a law is ignored, it isn’t a law.. only part of a contingency plan for crushing one’s adversary.
The “we-ah got Jee-sus” model must be the reason so many laugh when driving into Texas and are greeted with the “drive friendly the Texas way” which is a sham… Texans have no reason to follow any moral construct other than the belief that traffic laws wee put in by a bunch of fagoted liberal democrats and no “true believer” can suffer that. Further, I am convinced another myth prevails: “That Jesus was the co-founder of the NRA” LS/MFT (Lord save me from Texans)