Young, With Heart
State Rep Mark Strama, D-Austin, is back with his biennial Campaign Academy, and this year it's bigger than ever --forty participants. See earlier post.
We stopped by to see what was going on, and to make sure the youngsters weren't secretly making Kathie Lee Gifford brand clothing. (OK, that joke might pre-date the Academy kids.)
Seriously though, the participants not only seemed to be having a lot of fun, they were impressive in the way they came up with ideas and bounced them off of each other and provided social networking expertise to Strama, who admits he doesn't know much about the Facebook world. (I hate the new profile layouts, btw.)
Campaign academy students discuss ways to outreach on Facebook and Myspace.
Strama asks the group for an update on "Stramarama", a fundraiser they have planned for late July.
They are hearing from a diverse bunch of lunch speakers everyday. Today it was former judicial candidate John Lipscombe.
In the afternoon, the group dispersed to go blockwalking. We went with one pair to drop off literature about an East Austin block party. They were pretty fast walkers, especially when you consider we have to run in front of people to get a good shot of them walking and talking.
I asked a lot of the participants why they were spending their summer this way, and the general answer was that they - like most who wind up in politics - love this stuff. The television story is on in about an hour... KVUE at 6pm (now in HD!!!!)
The Best of the Obama-Bashing Bumper Stickers
The Texas GOP got more than 1,300 entries in the contest for their official 2008 bumper sticker slogan. They have narrowed it down to five finalists:
Obama for Change? That's all you'll have left in your pockets!
Obama won't change me -- I'm voting GOP
High gas prices? Thank a Democrat this November
Barack Obama? Liberal like McGovern, Prepared like Carter
Barack Obama -- The Audacity of HYPE
OK to vote on your favorite, click here. The deadline to vote is 12pm next THURSDAY, July 3rd. Have fun..
It Was Way Back In Eighth Grade...
Happy 29th Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Watson! I always enjoy Fridays because the Slate political gabfest updates every Friday, and I get a "Watson Wire" (the State Senator's weekly newsletter) in my inbox. They are a mix of personal life and policy, and this week, we get a story from way-back-when:
While we started dating when I was 14-years-old, she turned me down the first time I asked her out.
It was Boswell High School Homecoming. 1972. I worked up some courage, caught up with her near the library, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "Liz, will you go to homecoming with me?" Without hesitating, she looked me equally straight in the eye and replied, "No. I'm waiting on someone else to ask me."
My father sort of warned me that might happen. When I was in the eighth grade the year before, he and I were driving home past the house Liz grew up in. I pointed to her house and proclaimed, "Daddy, you see that house? That's where Liz McDaniel lives. Next year, I'm going to date her."
He shook his head and said, "Son, I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Liz and I have known each other since we both attended Saginaw Elementary School in Saginaw, Texas. I initially got goobered up over her when I was in the sixth grade and she was a seventh-grade cheerleader. I remember distinctly going to my first pep rally in the Wayside Middle School gym, which was exciting enough in its own right. But when she came running out on the floor, well, let's just say she had me at "Go Wildcats."
Anyway, I'm thinking that I can declare a victory now that we've been married 29 years. Besides, I'm obviously over the fact that she turned me down for the first date.
About Face: Mansion Fire Politically Motivated
Last Monday, when State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado was asked by Fox 7's Crystal Cotti whether the fire might have been politicaly motivated, he said no.
This morning, when releasing a description of the man throwing a fireball at the front of the mansion, he said the arsonist "may be known to get angry and express strong opinions about the government, Governor Perry himself, the death penalty, the renovation of the mansion or other political issues."
Inside the Governor's Mansion
The Governor's Office released photos today of the Sunday morning fire's damage to the inside of the historic landmark. And props to the Gov's office for using Google's photo program, Picasa, which is awesome. Click here for all the photos.
The second floor hallway of the Texas Governor's Mansion. COURTESY: Governor's Office
"Not Politically Motivated"
The state fire marshal says the arson that destroyed most of the Texas Governor's Mansion was "not politically motivated", but didn't say anything beyond that.
