Opposing viewpoints

A couple of revisions were made to these signs.

Barbara Jordan

I love this statue of a woman who stood up and made a big difference on the national political scene. She was also a fan of UT's Lady Longhorns.

Another run, coming up!

Our friend Mayor Steve Adler recently made his kickoff speech for his upcoming run for a second term. He's a good campaigner. 

Our new senator?

We attended a fundraiser in a West Austin home not long ago for Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is hoping to unseat one of our US senators. A number of our friends were there.

Taking her seat at the dais

This photo from the mid-1970s shows the seating of one of the first women to ever hold an Austin City Council seat. Her lapel button says "Uppity Women Unite." Now in her eighties, Emma Lou Linn is still a professor at a local university. The man seating her was part of the old guard.

Feel the Bern

These guys were set up to spread the word about their candidate the other day at the MoPac pedestrian bridge. 

He's stating his case!

I don't think he's for Hillary, either.

Mural for Mayor

Our friend Steve Adler ran for Mayor and won in December. This mural for him was painted on the side of a defunct Mexican cafe.

See all about it!

On election night, news crews from all over Texas were lined up outside the hotel where the victory party for the Governor's race was being held.

Wayback politics

They had to dig hard to find this one-- plus a Hello Kitty to balance it out.

Back Room Politics

In honor of Washington's fumbling and posturing that was going on yesterday (and will continue to do so) I present a detail (actually most of the painting) from a painting by Rosemary Mahoney called "Texas Two Step" at the Driskill Hotel. A plaque says:

It is said that although Texas laws were passed at the State Capitol a few blocks to the north, the real wheeling and dealing in Texas politics took place in the lobbies and back rooms of The Driskill Hotel. 

Home to LBJ's White House press corps, and the scene of campaign events and election night vigils, The Driskill Hotel has earned the reputation of being the political capital of Texas. 

Some might disagree and say more happens at the Austin Club these days or even the Cloak Room (is that dive bar still open?) but I still think about a lot of oblivious men of a certain type making the rules in some back room.

No Electioneering Beyond

In Texas at least (the only state where I've ever had a permanent residence and voted) the polling places in schools, libraries, retirement homes and other convenient spots have a boundary beyond which you can't place signs or approach voters to talk about your candidate. The officials put up a sign saying "no electioneering beyond this point." At our polling place yesterday this sea of signs washed up against that boundary. If you pay attention to the news, you will know that Democratic and Republican voters not only voted in a number of elections, including for delegates to national conventions for president and local ones, but attended caucuses where other delegates were committed for Dems. The most important thing you can learn from this picture, though, is that there is a candidate named 'Larry Joe.' What could be more Texas than that? You have to wonder if he was christened Lawrence Joseph or just Larry Joe.