Putting the O in Obama
An Irishman's Election Diary
By Patrick Reilly
Please allow me to introduce myself a la the Rolling Stones though I hasten to add I am at present not a man of wealth and of questionable taste. As the title suggests I'm an Irish writer following the American election race from my temporary home of Austin, Texas. For anyone who is interested this adventure began several months ago whilst on a back packing expo through Europe when the brainwave of moving Stateside to "do politics" shot into the grey matter like a Jaegerbomb. Throw in a bargain transatlantic flight, the promise of some voluntary work for Barack Obama's campaign, a newly acquired friend's residence in Austin and here I am.
My background is in journalism and without wanting this paragraph to sound like a CV or as they say here 'Resume' I worked for my local newspaper at home in Ireland for two and a half years before handing my cards in last September. For what I'm not sure but at the age of 26 I figured now was the time to challenge myself a little more. Having done some travel writing before I fancied the challenge of covering the US election from an Irish perspective. By the way my previous travel diary was based in Germany during the football/soccer World Cup two summers ago. Think dubious decisions which spoil a nation's hopes and the incumbent employing spoiler tactics to retain the crown. Perfect preparation for the race for the White House 2008.
At the time of writing I've been based in Austin nigh on three weeks. If you're expecting typical takes on American lifestyle, trains which go UNDER the ground - not in Austin actually, fat culture and Bush baiting well this column is unlikely to be for you. Well, give it a few weeks until the material dries up and cue the inevitable Austin Powers gags. There are plenty.
Firstly let me tell you a little about my new home right here in Austin. Texas is generally considered to be a red state with the majority of voters usually turning out to vote Republican. Favourite son George W Bush claimed his adopted state with 60% of the vote during both of his successful presidential campaigns. Austin though is a tad different compared to the steel and glass cities like Dallas and Houston.
"Austin is like the blueberry in the middle of a big bowl of tomato soup," said Democratic Senate hopeful Rick Noriega at a recent fundraiser. Generally considered to be the most liberal part of Texas Austonians or as the locals prefer Austonites are proud of their city's hip and trendy image. Walk along the tourist trap that is Sixth Street and you'll find t-shirts sporting the slogan 'Keep Austin Weird' which outsell the more brash rivals like 'Texas is bigger than France.' Locals wouldn't been dead wearing a stetson, tut tut, so eager sightseers have to pop into the nearest store to ape the JR Ewing look. At the moment we are in bat season which attracts thousands of tourists from all around the world to see the Mexican free tailed bats fly off the Congress Avenue bridge at sunset to munch on the local pests. Not the Republicans.
Forgive me for lapsing into Lonely Planet territory but Austin is the home of a thriving live music scene. Festivals like the recent two day Reggae extravaganza which raised money for the hungry combine the locals passion for tunes and activism. Two cans of food plus $10 was the entry fee and the crowds were enormous. The University of Texas has one of the largest campuses in the country with past graduates including entrepreneur Michael Dell and former first lady Lady Bird Johnson. Yes that was her real name.
On the political front Austin is the state capital of Texas and I've been reliably informed that its Capitol building is taller than its equivalent in Washington D.C. At least that's what the homeless guy/oracle of knowledge said to me as I waited outside. Before manning the reins at the White House George W Bush operated out of Austin as Governor of Texas for five years while indulging his passion for baseball by owning the Texas Rangers team. Ask locals what they made of his tenure and opinions are mixed. During his time in charge he oversaw a record 152 executions, "That was just the number of people who had committed serious crimes" to backtracking on his claim to serve a full term after being re-elected to office in 1998. Within a year Bush decided to seek the Republican nomination for President. "A sign of things to come."
So now we're up to speed a little on Austin and why I'm here. In the three weeks since I've got here I've attended a variety of events, all of which I shall be blogging about in greater detail in the near future.
