Austin, TX – Texas, a whole other country, that’s a slogan used to promote tourism a few years back, and there is more truth to it than most people realize. I live in Austin, which although it is the capital of the state does not really reflect the culture of the state as a whole. The main campus of the University of Texas is located in Austin, and both the students and the professors have a huge impact on the character of the city. Austin is much more liberal than the rest of the state, but that liberalism is tempered by a conservative streak that would seem contradictory but somehow makes sense here. The local support of Ron Paul is a result of this seeming dichotomy. There have been large signs, both printed and handmade, promoting Paul for President posted around town for months, even before the race truly began. Some of the posters have slogans that sound much like the ones we are now hearing from supporters of Barack Obama, with claims that Paul inspires hope.
In this strange political cycle, Texas is in the position of king-maker for the Democratic Party nomination, and it also may lock-up the nomination for John McCain on the Republican side. Ordinarily, Texas came too late to play any kind of role in the nominating process, and in the past few cycles has been considered a Republican stronghold in the general election, so the state tends to get ignored in campaigns beyond a potential source of donations. Not this year, with a nationally broadcast debate between the two Democratic contenders along with many public events, including a large, open air gathering of supporters of Barack Obama that closed down the center of Austin for an entire day.
Last night Senator Hillary Clinton held a “town hall” meeting at the Austin Convention Center followed by a campaign rally in the Berger Center, where many area high schools hold their graduation ceremonies along with using it for various indoor sports and other activities. I had the opportunity to attend the rally and hear Senator Clinton speak. It was very enlightening for me, because I found her a much more effective speaker than I expected, the short sound-bites typically included in the news shows do not convey the emotion that she obviously feels regarding public service. Despite my skepticism, and despite the widely held cynical view of her, she comes across as very genuine in what she wants to accomplish in terms of using government to help the less fortunate.
As the events of the last 8 years have illustrated, my mistrust of the Republican Party in preserving the rights of individuals against the powerful, such as corporations or even the government itself, was very well founded. The intolerance and religious zealotry endemic in the Republican Party has also disturbed me; the embracing of the endorsement of John Hagee by John McCain is a good example of how the party includes such tendencies. I tend to vote Democratic not because I have overwhelming support for the entirety of their platform, but because I feel they are less damaging than the Republicans. This year, my choice for whom to vote in the Texas Democratic primary has been difficult, because I do not like the appearance of political dynasty that would come from a victory by Senator Clinton. The roll of the Presidents starting in the 1980s would read Bush – Clinton – Bush – Clinton, which I do not believe would be healthy for our system of representative democracy. However, I have serious concerns about Senator Barack Obama in terms of both experience along with the feeling that there is more rhetoric than accomplishment behind his candidacy. I believe that only after many trips around the sun does one develop the judgment necessary for an office like President of the United States.
There is strong support for Senator Obama in Austin, likely reflecting the large student population of the University of Texas. I have seen people standing on street corners nowhere near early voting locations holding Obama for President signs. On my route in to work through a sparsely populated area, parked beside the road was an ancient RV with “Obama for President” painted on the front and a cowboy-hatted man standing on the roof with a handmade sign reading simply “Obama”. The Clinton supporters seem to be more targeted, clustering with signs and enthusiasm on curbs near the early-voting polls, and sending emails explaining the caucus process as practiced as part of the “Texas two-step primary”.
In Austin, at least, it seems to truly be coming down to the wire. It will be interesting to see what happens when I attend the caucus tonight.
—
Cross-posted to my blog, Random Fate.