Putting the O in Obama

Victory

2008-11-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

Houston’s Fifth Ward isn’t a place you’ll find in many Texas tourist guides.

Rampant with poverty and crime this part of the city is used to being neglected. That all changed on Tuesday night as it played host to the Barack Obama victory party.

Having the official Obama headquarters in the region was a morale boost for the local community. Everyday the office would be swarmed with volunteers, mostly African American and Latino, eager to do whatever they could to help get the Senator elected.

Many had never voted before but wanted to contribute by making phone calls to battleground states or by ‘cuttin turf’ better known to you and I as canvassing.

Cecilia Chavez, 17, could have taken the easy option of paid work with a local Republican candidate to fulfill her High School assignment. Instead she opted to work for free and exceeded her volunteer hours to devote time to the Obama campaign.

“I wanted to feel like I was involved with something that mattered,” she told me. The teenager spoke for many.

Come Tuesday night and the Fifth Ward was buzzing with anticipation. Black, White, Asian and Irish (there’s always one) folks kept a close eye on the big screen as the results filtered through.

Everyone knew Obama was ahead in the polls but fears of another Florida were never far away. When you’re so closely involved with something you tend to lose a bit of perspective. Our concern was whether enough of those newly registered voters would show up.

My friend and colleague Ken Flippin who works for the Democratic National Committee set me straight, “Look man, you can only steal elections when they are close and we’ve worked too hard for that to happen.”

We all hoped he was right as we tucked into the famous fish fry.

When the first call on Texas came through it gave John McCain a slight lead of three points. Cue mass cheering and while his lead was extended to a 12 point margin by the end of the night that felt like a small victory to us. Texas will be closer in future elections as the Latino population here continues to grow in huge numbers and they generally vote for a Democrat.

Then the real drama began as the talking heads on the big screen called Pennsylvania for Obama. Ten points! It wasn’t even close and when Ohio came through the writing was on the wall.

All we needed was the confirmation and didn’t the pundits make us wait for it? In fairness the news networks likely didn’t want a repeat of 2000 by calling the race prematurely.

As we waited the Fifth Ward was hopping with media and local politicians. Then at 10pm local time as the polls closed in California the announcement came through.

“ABC News predicts that Barack Obama will become the 44^th President of the United States.”

What followed was mass joy and the biggest outpouring of emotion I’ve ever witnessed. As I gazed around there were tears streaming down the faces of elderly black women, young white men and there was the repeated chant of “We did it.”

The only comparison I can make was when our “nation held its breath” during Italia 90. I lost count of how many strangers embraced me and hugged as though their lives depended on it.

In the office I saw a middle aged black lady draping her arms around a young white girl. Every colour and creed came together as one during this unforgettable moment. It seemed to sum up Barack Obama’s whole message – unity.

When the next President made his acceptance speech we listened intently. An entire nation was hanging on his every word as he promised hope and change. Two simple but highly yearned for aspirations in a country that has been divided for far too long.

Much is expected of Barack Obama in the next four years. Can he do it?

To slightly alter his campaign slogan, Yes He Can.

Final day fever

2008-11-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today started, well yesterday, and this blog post is brought to you fuelled by copious amounts of coffee. Running on a whopping three hours sleep for the past 48 hours but hey this is election day and it's what I signed up for.
At Obama HQ here in Houston the office is buzzing with volunteers making calls into swing states, reminding them of their polling location. Nevada voters have been plagued with calls and during my stint in the phone bank last night I got some fruity responses. My personal favourite was a guy who when he picked up the phone instantly yelled down the line "I voted already" before slamming down the dog and bone. Good thing I wasn't a member of his family ringing with an urgent bulletin.
Staff have been burning the candle at both ends just like the good old college days. In the wee hours of the morning Sanjay and I were dispatched to various polling stations to distribute out yard signs screaming "Obama/Biden" and "Vote straight Democratic." At one of the polling stations we drove through a thick cloud of fog or at least we thought it was fog. Perhaps the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up on us.
We returned to work on the flyers to be distributed and organise the morning canvasses. Then a minor emergency as we discovered that the www.harrisvotes.com website was down on certain browsers. If you don't know your polling location (which many even approaching the 7pm deadline don't) you need to log on to find out. Is it simply a coincidence that the Republican controlled Tax Assessors office site temporarily downs tools on election day? Conspiracy theorist. Moi?
At 5:30 am I return to my temporary home for a quick shave, shower and coffee in that particular order. Ken and I skip out the door with adrenaline pumping in our veins to hit the polling stations with a team of chirpy volunteers. In the course of some 90 minutes this particularly disparate crew hum and chant "Yes we can" before ascending a bridge overlooking a motorway to wave Obama posters which prompted a hearty response from the motorists travelling at speed below us. Truck drivers seemed particularly keen.
We return to the office just after 10am to get the material together for the morning canvass. I'm dispatched to a heavily African American quarter of the city known as Acres Home to whack on doors and remind potential voters to well you know what. The after affects of Hurricane Ike were still much in evidence and the rampant poverty in some sections were shocking. What was most concerning was a respectable looking home lying next door to something that would look more at home in a favela in Sao Paulo.
Being there certainly took me out of my comfort zone and it served as a reminder just how tough a job the next President is going to face. Turning communities like Acres Home into a places where people want to live instead of being forced there as a force majeure.
As I type a team of lawyers are sitting directly in front of me answering calls from concerned voters. You can be turned away from the polls for the most bizarre of reasons. Voter suppression is a Republican speciality and in states like Texas people are employed specifically to 'purge' voters off the rolls.
Here's an example: On a voter registration form you're asked for your Texas drivers licence number and if you don't have it you give the last four digits of your social security number. Many people put down both just as a precaution but lo and behold the lawyers got several calls from flustered locals who couldn't vote because they had filled in both boxes. They got straight on it.
Pundits questioned whether turnout would match the grand expectations set by the Obama campaign. In Texas there have been reliable reports of sparse turnout in Republican strongholds. Theory goes that the GOP faithful have never been won over by John McCain and convinced that their man isn't going to win prefer to stay at home. Still we wouldn't in our wildest dreams expect Obama to win the lone star state this time round. Expect McCain to triumph by six to nine points.
The polls are about the close and we're gathered around a single flatscreen television to see how the States light up. I've taken refuge in a quiet office in the back to post this live update. Parties are being planned, balloons are currently bopping and there is a huge sense of expectation. Dare I say it there is some over confidence but first we have to win this thing. So let's get back to work.

Perception & Perspective

2008-11-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Spend enough time in any country and it's likely you'll start to adopt a few national traits. The locals start to think you're one of their own as you soften your g's and exaggerate your t's.
After the guts of five months in the United States they've begun to accept me...in all their various forms. In the course of this adventure I've been asked which part of New England I'm from on and whether I'm related to the Kennedy family on multiple occasions.
At it's most bizarre I've been considered more yankee doodle doo than even the natives. Allow me to explain.
One month ago my friend and fellow volunteer Sanjay were out on a voter registration drive in a shopping mall in Clear Lake. Sanjay's parents are Indian but he has spent most of his life in Texas and has a proper American accent. To my dismay he loves 'college football' and supports the Longhorns so he's pretty much as Texan as can be.
While we were signing up new voters it became apparent that I was having a tad more success than my pal. Much as I would like to think I was the consummate volunteer (and indeed I tried) it seemed as though other factors were in place. Or should I say race.
While we were working the crowd a potential voter said to Sanjay, "You're not even a citizen," which in fairness he laughed at. The problem was this person was serious and just for the record such an accusation has never been leveled at me or should I say mise - the non citizen.
Was it simply because my skin tone was considered more American? One would like to think in the 21st century race wouldn't be an issue but let's not delude ourselves and think it doesn't exist. Hence all the column inches devoted to the so called 'Bradley effect.'
Racial divisions are likely to remain whether Senator Obama is elected on Tuesday or not. Often they are present in an inoffensive way like the other day when I was chatting to a vendor who was selling all forms of Obama merchandise. He told me that he sold a bunch of Obama buttons to a guy who wanted to flog em in his local community. The buyer only wanted the pins with the happy smiling face of Obama and passed up the opportunity to acquire the Obama/Biden mugshot variety.
To quote the buyer, "I'm from a black neighbourhood and they don't want to be looking at no white people on their badges." One could argue the budding entrepreneur was a racist. More likely he was a keen eyed businessman who knew what would sell in his market. Barack Obama shifts badges and Joe Biden doesn't. Go figure.
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An often cited criticism of America and by virtue of that Americans is how insular they supposedly are. Take a quick glance at the news networks and you'll find very little in the way of international coverage unless there is a major crisis somewhere. CNN America is certainly a contrast to the one we're used to at home. During the primary it earned the title Clinton News Network by Obama volunteers and then there is Fox News or should I say Fixed Noise as some call it.
Whatever. With the general election on the home stretch there is wall to wall saturation and while I've formed a bond with my colleagues another one has been created with Chris Matthews of MSNBC. He's the only guy who can wear a red jumper and baseball hat on air and not get ridiculed. We consume the news, devour every poll and get flustered when we have to remind someone that the voter registration deadline passed a month ago.
Living in the midst of an election cycle renders everything else irrelevant. I've tuned out of football and the financial meltdown in Ireland only registered on my radar because America sneezed and the rest of us caught a cold. You lose perspective.
Then something happens and you regain your senses. For the past few weeks I've been living in the museum district of Houston but my only interaction with the said museums has been watching the silhouettes entering the buildings in the morning. One day I had a few hours to myself and paid a visit to the Holocaust Museum just round the corner from my temporary home.
Anyone who has been to a Concentration Camp will tell you how sobering the experience is. My abiding memory of being in Dachau last year was how talkative people were on the train out to the Camp. On the way back there was total silence.
Spending time in the Holocaust Museum brought me back to reality with a thump. I've learnt about Goldwin's Law recently, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwin%27s_law, and observing the media during my Stateside stint I've seen Nazi comparisons made far too willingly just to prove a point.
No words can even begin to quantify the horrors of the Holocaust and I for one am not going to even attempt to here. While in the Museum I say a plaque bearing the words 'Operation Texas' about how Lyndon Baines Johnson as a young Congressman worked to provide a safe refuge for Jews fleeing Hitler's Germany. Hundreds of lives were saved by his brave actions and it wasn't until some 20 years later that the project became public knowledge. The plaque I'm referring was subtle in size and message but it left an effect on me. Political sway can be used for good.
Later that day I told my friend Ken about 'Operation Texas' and to my surprise he had never heard of the project. Ken graduated from the LBJ school of Public Affairs so clearly the tale of the future Texan President during the Second World War remains a little known fact.
A few days later I re-visited the Holocaust Museum and Ken accompanied me. For a man who lives and breathes politics he switched his phone off for an couple of hours to take it all in. As we stepped out the door later he was completely quiet, just like the people on the train back from Dachau a year earlier.
Perspective.

'Half baked Yank twang' - Listen for yourself

2008-10-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

My stint with the Republicans attracted some media interest back home. You can check out my interview with RTE Radio 1's Ryan Tubridy by clicking on the following link.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thetubridyshow/1230776.html
The interview starts at 38.45 if you are listening using RealPlayer. For what it's worth my Dad is convinced I've acquired a 'half baked yank twang.' And here was me thinking I'd perfected my Ross O'Carroll Kelly impression. Cheers Da.
I'll be posting a proper update in the next couple of days. There is a lot to tell...

Are Republicans evil?

2008-10-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

For many the above is a rhetorical question. Not wishing to jump to such a conclusion myself I decided to find out the only way I knew how. By going undercover with the GOP...

When I informed my Democratic party colleagues of my plan their reaction surprised me. Sure, they were curious about what info a mole could discover but some were genuinely concerned about my personal safety. Surely that was going too far thought lil ol liberal me.

You may be surprised to learn the McCain camp doesn't have a headquarters in Houston. So instead I called into the local branch of the Republican party in the city and was greeted with open arms. My spiel about supporting McCain cause he is in favour of legalising the Irish Americans won em over. In my defence I didn't tell them any blatant porkies.

Did I mention I was on the Obama campaign since April? Well they never asked.

It may come as a disappointment to some readers that they weren't burning effigies of Senator Obama. What went on in the GOP office was standard campaign fare. Think phonecalls, flogging yard signs and stuffing hundreds of envelopes which I was assured is a classic Republican tactic.

Where did they differ was the type of person who volunteers for McCain's campaign. Most were women around my mother's age (sorry mum) with the occasional female in their 20's. More about them later.

Running the operation was a larger than life character and hardcore Republican who for potential legal reasons I shall refer to as Fred. Literally one of the first things Fred told me after I revealed my nationality was that he spoke to an Egyptian guy who couldn't get over America was going to elect a Muslim. It was a sign of things to come.

Not wanting to give myself away I kept a low profile and eavesdropped on conversations on my first day with my new pals. One such gem was a discussion involving a bunch of women in their 50's about an email of religious prophecies which is going round predicting McCain's impending triumph.

A lady piped up and said, "McCain isn't saved by Jesus Christ but when he gets elected he will become born again." To a casual observer it seemed to validate why he is going to get her vote come November.

Curiously none of the Republicans I spoke to said John McCain was their first choice for their party's nomination. Most preferred Fred Thompson or Mike Huckabee. The inclusion of a certain Alaska Governor on the ticket has changed all that and sales of 'Read my Lipstick' and 'Sarah Palin will make a great President' stickers were doing a healthy trade.

For my amusement I told Fred I'd been asked to register to vote about 20 times. He chuckled and said, "Well that's not something you'll be hearing much about round here." History shows that when the turnout is low it favours the Republicans and one things for sure that will not be the case this time round.

Gaining more confidence (and their trust) I got the neck to ask more questions of my hosts. Do they really believe their opponent is a Muslim?

"Barack Obama has been associated with Islam for too long for it to just to be a coincidence," said one volunteer.

They questioned Obama's patriotism and Fred was impressed with McCain's defence of Obama at a red meat town hall meeting last week.

"John McCain showed why he is a good man by defending him. Obama might say he's a family man but one things for sure he isn't getting anywhere near my family," said Fred.

Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt but the longer I spent with the Republicans the more willing they were to spew vitriol in my presence. Or maybe it was just because I was diligent at stacking the 'Re-elect Republican judges' fliers.

A lady buying a yard sign said, "Obama must be destroyed," while another said, "He hates America."

Worse was to come. Much worse.

Amidst all the hatred I struck up a conversation with the Republican equivalent of my good friend Ken. Hank as he shall be known was more balanced and raised some interesting points.

"Obama is from the east end of Chicago and has associated with radicals in the past. That calls into question his character and the American public deserves to know more about him. Is he going to be getting advice off former terrorists if he gets into the White House?"

More relevant were Hank's views on the tone of this year's election.

"Negative campaign ads work when they are done right. There will be more of them no doubt. This year's election is really a referendum on Barack Obama. Will the country be safe with him in charge?"

Twas reassuring to know they weren't all bigots. Then I encountered Jean (not her real name).

At first glance Jean has the 'butter wouldn't melt' look. Aged 24 she's the kind of girl my mother would like me to bring home. Then she spoke.

One of the more printable statements she uttered in my presence was, "I used to hope Obama would get assassinated but that would make him a martyr. Now I just hope he gets some kind of disease and dies instead."

My proverbial jaw hit the ground and it was hard to remain calm when such rhetoric was being spewed. Jean was utterly convinced Obama was a Muslim, hates America and plans to destroy Israel. Oh and he wants to kill babies too.

What was particularly disturbing was her hate filled chants geed up the handful of volunteers in the office. They genuinely believe this shit.

I tried to rationalise with her even resorting to quoting Richard Nixon (see below) but it made no difference. According to her I'm a "Post modernist idealist." She's probably right though she did omit my self righteous moniker.

After two days of absorbing all of this I reached a rather terrifying conclusion. In the whole the Republicans I "palled around with" were in the main decent people. They made sure I never went hungry and gave me a lift back to my residence each night. Well a few blocks away.

What they are though is ignorant and paralysed with fear. Obama and the media are their enemy. Anything that represents a contrast to their ideology is immediately shot down (literally according to some) and must be "destroyed."

It made me sad to be around people, a small few a similar age to me, who had so many good qualities but diluted it all but believing such garbage. No one is suggesting Barack Obama is the perfect man, he says as much himself, but to suggest he is an enemy of the state made me weep inside.

As my second day drew to a close I accepted the offer of a lift from Jean's mother. Go ahead and call me a hypocrite but it was a long walk instead! We chatted and it was evident Jean was a chip off the old block.

Still trying to reason with them as we approached my final destination near the Houston Holocaust Museum I ventured, "That museum is a testament to hatred." Not that it made any difference.

I realise this a rather lengthy post and I shall be writing more about my Republican experience in the next few days. For those of you still interested the Richard Nixon quote I gave Jean was something he said as he was departing the White House.

"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself."

Not that she got it or anything. Then again there weren't any pictures of Nixon in the Republican headquarters. He's been erased from their history and so has that sentiment he so memorably gave.

Pic: Yours truly trying to keep a straight face at the Republican headquarters in Houston.

Tantrums, tears and turkey

2008-10-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Political wonks are, my friends (McCainism), an increasingly bizarre bunch and I'm rapidly changing (Obamaism) into one.

More than a fortnight has passed since my last post and during that time I've been thrown into the deep end of the Houston election climate.
Post Ike the city is now getting back into gear and with less than a month to go till decision day there isn't a moment to spare. Put simply everyone is flat out working crazy hours, surviving on a few hours sleep and when you do pass out into the land of nod you find yourself dreaming about the election. Or maybe that's just me.

Barack Obama's campaign is unique in that they really have adopted a fifty state strategy. For the first time in years Texas has some paid Democratic staffers, 13 to be precise, with four deployed in my temporary home of Houston. That's one Obamano for every one million people in this city. Bear in mind that there were 30 Obama paid staff in Houston for the primary and there are over 300 currently in Florida.

With the numbers stacked against us the staff have to improvise to cope with the demands of such a huge state. Stress has certainly taken its toll on them and I've witnessed tears and tantrums which even Sir Elton would find hard to compete with.

A fine example is my friend and colleague Ken Flippin who works for the Democratic National Committee and like Obama he started off as a community organiser. Ken has enjoyed about as much luck this year as most of us have on the lotto. Without revealing too much he's had two laptops stolen and his car blew up. That's just the stuff he's allowed me to reveal (I think).

Despite the personal misfortune Ken's relentless enthusiasm continues to amaze me. A couple of hours after his latest laptop was pinched he was working on voter registration strategies and speaking passionately about how we're going to win this thing.

"If I was a Republican," he recalled, "then maybe I'd be rich but I doubt I'd be happy. What Obama is doing and what he is going to do in office makes me think so what if things aren't perfect for me now. What we are doing is far more important than my own personal stuff."

Amen to that.

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Assuming things don't go pear shaped in the next 26 days Barack Obama will become the next President of the United States. A major factor in that will be the millions of people who have registered to vote for the first time in this election.

Last Monday was the final day of 'voter reg' as we have deemed it and there were over 50 separate drives in Houston. I was dispatched outside a Half Price bookstore in Rice Village for my afternoon shift and went through several books.

Although this was a non partisan registration drive it was pretty obvious to me, minus my Obama shirt, who people were signing up for. When the turnout is high it favours the Democrats and 70% of new voters go for the boys in blue. Over 1.5m people have signed up in Pennsylvania contributing to his advantage there while he is leading the way in North Carolina, a state the Democrats haven't won since 1976. That's the last time Texas went blue so maybe it's an omen.

Back to my stint at the bookstore where I was pleasantly surprised that most of the people I spoke to were already registered. And of course I ran into a fellow Irishman who hails from Mayo who later joined me for our pubcrawl voter reg drive. See below.

Whilst I was signing up new voters I was approached by a bunch of folks from California who were in town for a few days. One of their crew asked me to recommend a good place to eat so I pointed out my favourite Turkish restaurant just round the corner.

His reply said with a totally straight face was, "I love turkey. That sounds really good. Thanks man." He continued to tell his friends about how much he loves turkey at Christmas all said with a beaming west coast grin. I simply didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise.

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After tucking into my kebab (minus the turkey) our voter reg team hit the pubs to sign up some punters. Along with my new Irish friend Seamus we signed up hundreds of people before the clock struck twelve.

Our original plan was to have a drink for every voter we registered but it became pretty obvious that we'd be broke and likely in a hospital within an hour. Some people simply refused like a young barman with Irish American roots but when I told him I was a Paddy and that people were killing each other for the right to vote in Zimbabwe he promptly got onboard.

Telling people you HAVE to vote in Australia also worked as did 'you get the government deserve' line. By the time the cards were counted the next day all of us combined had signed up almost 1,300 voters.

The cards had to be turned in by 5pm at the latest although there were rumours circling that the deadline was noon. Not true but it served to put the fear of God into us.

Ken and I organised all of the cards by deputy registrar number, no easy feat, and then checked through em all for errors. Cards can be rejected for the smallest of reasons like the box for US citizen not being ticked or a poorly legible drivers licence number. We got on the phone to the voters to fix any mistakes.

Anyway we turned in our cards bang on 4pm and could relax. Or at least we thought we could. Some other registrars came in with a stack of over 2,000 cards at 4.45 and these all had to be sorted. Fortunately the staff working at the Tax Assessors office complied and helped out sorting through the cards.

Later on as we dotted the i's and crossed the t's a man who is a senior staff member walked in and remarked, "Oh you're fixing the cards then." Bear in mind the Tax Assessors office is currently Republican controlled. Go figure.

We worked well past the deadline on the cards and this gentleman later returned to the room and suggested that rejection letters should be sent to the remaining people whose cards we were still working on. His staff declined the request and continued to process the cards. Maybe they see the writing on the wall and want to hang onto their jobs when, as expected, the Democratic candidate is the new tax assessor after the election.

My friend Ken said in a rather sarcastic voice to the Republican guy, "Isn't it great that so many people want to vote in this election?" Even for an American I think the Republican spotted the irony.
Pic: Ken Flippin and I holding hundreds of voter reg cards

Reflecting on Ike

2008-09-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

"Just like Tina Turner, I was slapped around by Ike but I survived," is the new catchphrase competing with "y'all" and "howdy" round these parts.

More than a week since the hurricane pulled into town Houston is slowly getting back to normal. Ike may have spared downtown from the expected devastation but other areas of this state were not so lucky. Parts of nearby Galveston have been practically wiped off the map causing many deaths. Remnants of local businesses found floating miles away from their original home have become a depressingly familiar sight.

Broadly speaking the evacuation effort was a success. Local government issued a dire warning for residents to leave Galveston or face "certain death" and a curfew was implemented in Houston. Of course in the event of any natural disaster some die hards refused to leave their homes but lived to tell the tale. They were the lucky ones.

For those who survived the tragedy unfolded not during the storm but after Ike passed. Carbon monoxide poisoning has been responsible for several deaths in particular the dreadful loss of four year old lad Joshua Aguirre. The youngster died after a fuel operated generator was left running in his family home and he inhaled the deadly fumes while sleeping.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6006076.html

At these moments politics and electioneering are put into perspective. Direct campaigning has been suspended indefinitely while the local Obama headquarters remains boarded up. Political volunteers have been making calls to check on supporters of Barack and blockwalking local housing estates. We've been handing out flyers with essential post hurricane information to every home - regardless of their political persuasion. Petty politics go out the window in the aftermath of a disaster or at least they should.

As for my own hurricane experience it was relatively uneventful. Cooped up in a friend's house in the museum district we gazed out the window (from a safe distance) and listened to the storm. Our greatest drama was being sans power for over a week but hey we talked more, read books and improved our skills on the grill. Oprah and Dr Phil can wait for a while.

Natural disasters seem to bring out the best in human nature. My host told me he had never spoken to his neighbours more than in the past week, generators were shared and community barbecues were a welcome distraction. Texans are a resilient bunch. With a history of hurricanes they have to be.

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I shall be resuming the normal political musings in the next few days on this site. Many thanks for the several emails of support and concern from readers which are always welcome. There will be some media content attached soon so keep clicking back for the latest. 42 days to go.
Pic by Art Cizek

Hunting Anderson Cooper

2008-09-12T20:20:00.001-07:00

Day one of journalism school you are taught many things. Dog bites man - not a story, man bites dog - that's a story, be assertive, put people first etc.

One thing that didn't come up during that heady day way back in 2001 was what to do in the event of an emergency. Specifically a hurricane. Stranded here in Houston where Ike is gathering momentum my friend and fellow Obama volunteers Art were at a loose end. What to do with so much free time?

Then the answer appeared to us in the shape of a silver haired reporter. His name was Anderson Cooper and our challenge was to track him down.

The CNN hack is based in Houston for Ike and spotting him on TV awoke us from our slumber. Much as I would like to say it was the case of a fellow journo meeting another that appealed to me in our quest it was Anderson's repeated pointers to an all night bar during his broadcast which drew me in.

Onwards we went past the boarded up stores and houses. Downtown Houston is a ghost town at the time of writing. Thousands have fled the city but a hardy/foolish few remain to ride the storm out.

Up in the historic district my colleague and I spot the Budget rental truck. We've found the place and Anderson is in the vicinity. But where is he?

To alleviate the boredom we visit some bars, soda water for me, something else for my buddy. One lady working a local watering hole tells us her joint will remain open till 2am - regardless of the weather.

An hour ticks by and no sign of the silver fox. Has Anderson got a dose of the nerves? Then in a blink of an eye he appears with the trademark figure hugging t-shirt and combat trousers. His broadcast flies by and he takes refuge in the CNN garage. Autograph hunters abandon but we're far too cool for that.

AC appears in my eye line and figuring this is my last day on earth I approach him. He's far from the Prima Donna and enjoys the banter. Turns out Anderson spent a month in my home country to interview the IRA back in 1995. His favourite haunt, the Shelbourne of course.

Knowing he's a busy man I skip to the important questions, his views on Sarah Palin? Who will win the election? No, the far more important, where do you buy your t-shirts?

Anderson is quite the style icon and when dispatched to the disaster zones never fails to dress for the occasion.

"I get my t-shirts at Urban Outfitters and I have about 20 of them!" quipped the reporter.

Chancing my arm I asked why Anderson always gets the "shitty deals" and why do we never see Larry King or Lou Dobbs in the disaster zones. Something to do with braces and hair pieces going a flying maybe?

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to see Larry King out here," laughed the journalist.

A few more stories about his time journeying round Ireland and the relaxed host appears at ease with the public. He even enquires whether this is my first hurricane. Sure is sir. Let's hope we both survive it.

And we are back...

2008-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Not with people who look like things (Simpsons joke there) but on the campaign trail here in Texas. Let me bring you up to speed with what's been shaking on the ground in the last few months.

My first stint working on the Obama campaign ran its course at the end of June and coincided with the Senator landing the Democratic nomination. Yes I'm taking all the credit. After returning home for the summer I kept in contact with my newly acquired friends in Texas and lo and behold I've returned to witness some history in the making.

One significant difference between now and before is my location, I've been transferred from Austin to Houston a la Eric Cantona. That said Austin is a tad more inviting than Leeds could ever dream to be. As for Houston, well it's hot and full of conservatives. Hence the challenge ahead.

Democrats are mobilising together in a way not seen for decades in the lone star state. Austin, with its liberal reputation has always voted blue but Houston is now up for grabs. Post Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as many as a million African Americans crossed over from New Orleans to this city and there has been a relentless drive to get them registered and vote Democrat come November.

Election fever was clearly evident during my last adventure Stateside. Three months later and it's clear how much this year's race has mirrored the public interest. Drive downtown and you'll spot Obama/Biden yard signs, bumper stickers with the new buzz word 'Obamanos' to the more peculiar 'When Clinton lied, nobody died.'

You have to go far back as 1976 and the era of Jimmy Carter, flared trousers and Abba before this state was blue. Years of Republican dominance ensured that Texas was viewed as the ATM of the Democratic party - put simply buckets of cash was raised here but none was spent on campaigning in Texas.

Barack Obama's historic campaign has changed all that. Obama for America has 11 full time staffers in Texas with Houston alone having three of them. Combine that with a volunteer network in the thousands and it's no surprise that Democrats are quietly confident of making this state competitive and a potential battleground one in future elections. Watch this space....

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At the time of writing Hurricane Ike is headed our way. Preparations are already under way to prevent a disaster of Katrina proportions. Just this morning I saw houses being boarded up and certain parts of the state have to be evacuated. Those 'I Like Ike' buttons are being buried as we speak.

Locals here are used to such lark and seem curiously relaxed about it all. Their attitude has rubbed off on me even though my only hurricane experience was the storm of abuse accompanying 'Bertiegate' last year.

Obama volunteers are a resilient bunch and smart as shit too. When news of the hurricane emerged our team leader suggested we get a donor to give us some water and supplies and head down to the various shelters kitted out in our Obama shirts. The reason - register as many new voters as possible so we have registration cards in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

As a wise sage once said, 'A problem is just an opportunity in disguise.'

I shall be updating the blog during Ike so click back for the latest.

Parallels with 68' and now

2008-05-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

"I think we can end the divisions within the United States. What I think is quite clear is that we can work together in the last analysis. And that what has been going on with the United States over the period of that last three years, the divisions, the violence, the disenchantment with our society, the divisions - whether it's between blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups or in the war in... - that we can work together. We are a great country, an unselfish country and a compassionate country."

You could be forgiven for thinking the above quote is attributed to a certain young Presidential hopeful from Illinois. The emphasis on change, tolerance and unity are pure Barack Obama and symbolise his brave message circa 2008.

In fact those words were uttered by the late Bobby Kennedy only moments before his tragic death in June 1968. You may have noticed I didn't complete the "war in" sentence of his last speech. Of course Senator Kennedy was referring to Vietnam but fast forward four decades and replace the Asian country with Iraq and the similarities are to put it mildly, scary.

Bobby Kennedy has again been in the news following "that" unfortunate remark by Hillary Clinton last week. With the 40th anniversary of his untimely death fast approaching his life and legacy are regularly being featured on television programmes and newspaper editorials.

Many point to the chilling parallels of 1968 and its relevance to the present day. Then as now the United States was involved in a deeply unpopular war, the divide between the rich and poor was wider than ever and there was a sense of disgruntlement with the powers that be.

Then along came a candidate who promised hope and change. He inspired people and crossed the racial barriers by just being himself. Young people adored him and volunteers signed up in huge numbers to assist his campaign from coast to coast.

Some said he was too young. RFK was only 42 at the time of his death - some four years younger than Barack Obama is now. Regardless of their tender years people saw in them a vision of what could be.

Enough with the history lesson. We all know what happened forty years ago in Los Angeles. I raise these points because of an experience I was fortunate to share a couple of days ago with a friend of mine.

Neither of us had seen the Emilio Estevez biopic 'Bobby' so we watched the movie which by the way is a quality piece of work. In keeping with our RFK themed evening we watched all the DVD extras and at one point Senator Kennedy was making a speech about unity, hope and change. My friend, who is a keen Obama supporter, turned around and we exchanged a knowing look. No words needed to be said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKlzr2fuCM

For Bobby in 1968 read Obama in 2008.

How can I come to such a conclusion? As I have seen the impact he has made in this country during my short time here. A couple of examples spring to mind such as the voter deputization drive in Houston a few weeks back. Dozens of people of all colours and backgrounds kept turning up to help register new voters. Black students, white graduates, Asian Americans and even a 37-year old man who preached apathy before but now pounds the streets signing up new 'Obamanos.'

Another incident sticks in my mind and it occurred right here in Austin. Nabbing people waiting for a bus an elderly black man approached me. Clearly spotting my Obama shirt he told me that he had never voted before in his life but wanted his voice to be heard in this year's race.

Returning to the Bobby Kennedy theme I'm currently reading a biography of the late Senator by Jack Newfield. A passage from the introduction stands out where the author witnesses the massive turnout in the California primary in 68.'

"All my life I have heard the clichés of cynicism and white superiority, blacks don't vote, Puerto Ricans don't vote, Mexicans don't vote, immigrants don't vote, the unemployed don't vote," Newfield wrote.

"And on this day, I had the precious experience of seeing this elitist theory disproved."

"On this day, the voter turnout in Watts and East L.A., would be higher than in affluent Beverly Hills. Poor people voted when they had somebody to vote for. They did not vote when they thought neither candidate would better their daily living conditions. And usually they were right."

And it's for those same reasons that Barack Obama is Bobby's heir apparent.

Public Service, Publicity & YDD's

2008-05-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

As all my loyal readers (both of them) know I was a slave for puns and clichés during my stint as a tabloid journo. It will come as no surprise then that I wanted to start this week's column with the chestnut 'A week is a long time in politics' but reluctantly declined on grounds of taste and common decency.

Seven days is quite a trek in the field of administrative jousting...

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Houston lies some three and a half hours away from my adopted home of Austin and it was in said location where I recently spent three days and nights. First up was a fundraiser entitled 'Party like a Rockstar' for 'Planned Parenthood' or at least that's what I and my acolytes thought.

Turns out it was a 'pre-party' for the 'Rockstar' bash being held in August. This particular pre-party was on the modest scale - only about 500 people and a DJ spinning the discs in a swimming pool. Restrained American fare and all that.

Mentioning the title 'Planned Parenthood' always rouses debate. Despised by the fundamental right the organisation or should I say organization promotes pro-choice and reformed sex education. Their members lobby congress on these issues and are concerned with making health care more affordable for average Americans which is a key topic in this year's election.

With their more liberal views 'Planned Parenthood' staff and supporters traditionally vote Democrat and the event I attended was as much about cementing that base as it was about raising coffers.

'PP' are famed for their goodie bags which invariably feature condoms, lubricant and erm, after dinner mints. You tell me.

Figuring it was the 'Party like a Rockstar' event my comrades dutifully followed the rules and get dolled up in the required garb to ape our icons. Unfortunately Johnny Cash and a local Texas musician whose name escapes me stood out from the suits mostly in attendance. For your information I went as Bono in POP TV mode. Think slicked back hair and oversized sunglasses. Well at least I had the accent. Just.

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Every Democratic volunteer whether they are for Clinton or Obama are all involved in one huge task - voter registration.

As much as this year's race has got people excited about politics once again the reality remains that millions of Americans have never voted in their lives. If there is one issue which can swing this campaign in favour of a Democratic candidate it is getting as many new voters to turn out and tick blue right down the ballot in November.

History dictates that when the turnout is low it favours a Republican but when it's high the Democratic party takes the White House. That's why weekends are generally devoted to voter registration.

Before you can sign up new voters you have to get deputised which is akin to being baptised though the water in this case is chilled. Generally it does end up on your forehead such is the heat here.

On my first attempt I signed up six new voters including two lads who will turn 18 just before November 4th. Over the weekend in Austin I doubled this tally by employing the tactic of nabbing people at various bus stops.

Most people are engaging and seem enthusiastic about Barack. Houston has more Republicans than Austin so there was the odd unprintable comment about Senator Obama flung in my direction.

One unsavoury incident remains ingrained in my memory and it occurred over the weekend. A fellow volunteer and I were pencilled in to register voters outside a 'Dollar' store in a poor part of Austin. Our strike rate was impressive - two new voters in the space of five minutes before we were approached by a police officer. She duly rang the owner of the block of shops who started cracking up laughing when he heard we were there for Barack Obama.

Despite pleading with the officer that we were entitled to be there she said her boss was a Republican and wanted us gone pronto. Fair enough we were on the guy's property and he can choose who he wants to be there but herein lies the problem.

Both of the voters we registered were staff working in the owner's shops and they were keen on Obama. The shoppers we stopped were equally pumped about the young Senator.

They're the ones who are fuelling this economy and have to shop in the less expensive stores as it's all they can afford. With their social background these new voters are always going to vote Democratic as the wealth is distributed more evenly. It's the rich owners who vote Republican as they've been getting generous tax breaks for the past eight years.

This whole incident summed up just what has been going on in this country for far too long.

The rich are suppressing the poor for their own selfish gain and now they're running scared as someone has the Gaul to challenge the status quo.

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My Stateside antics have generated a few column inches back home. In the past week I've been featured in two newspapers and spoken on two national radio shows. I'll be uploading both of my interviews as and when I get the mp3 files emailed to me. Thanks again for the comments and emails which are greatly appreciated.

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Still with me? You've made it this far as you want to know what YDD's are don't you? I'm afraid it has nothing to do with WMD's as for a start you can actually find plenty of YDD's dotted around the country

Allow 86 year old Kitty Clark to explain, "A YDD is a Yellow Dog Democrat. I'd rather vote for a yellow dog than a damn Republican."

Kitty is a delightful lady whom I encountered last week at a Travis County Democrats event. A loyal Democrat her whole life Kitty favours Hillary but loves Barack too.
Sadly she declined my offer of a dance on account of her dodgy hip. Maybe she'll take up my request if hopefully her party reclaims the White House in November.

Shelby & Bertie

2008-05-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

At first glance Shelby Knox and Bertie Ahern would appear to have nothing in common. To make some tenuous connection between the two would be daft and indeed the only reason I mention them is that both have registered on my radar during the past seven days.

Ms.Knox is a precocious young lady who hails from Lubbock, Texas. Before her star came into ascendance the city was best known as the home of rock n' roll legend Buddy Holly. Shelby has helped change perceptions of her former home by bringing an important issue to attention - sex education.

Fed up with the outdated teaching methods which preach abstinence over safe sex a teenage Shelby decided to do something about it. She joined a youth movement which gave people her age a say in local government affairs. On her side were alarming statistics revealing Lubbock as having one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the country. Clearly the curriculum mantra wasn't working.

On the flipside was Shelby's conservative upbringing and southern Baptist religious views. In a rite du passage story the teenager battles the system and has to confront her family and pastor with her desire to buck the established trend. Her efforts were caught on camera and turned into an award winning documentary entitled 'The Education of Shelby Knox.'

Check out the trailer on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULyq-9SMFH8

This was back in 2005 when Shelby was still in high school. A couple of Sundance Film Festival awards later and Shelby has just graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Texas right here in Austin. Currently she works full time as a speaker and organiser with progressive organisations to promote sex education, women's rights and youth empowerment. Last month she was invited to address the House Committee on oversight and reform on the effectiveness or lack of it of the abstinence only programs.

May I take this moment to remind you that Ms.Knox is but only 21 years old. Yes. 21.

With such an impressive CV you might expect Shelby to have an ego the size of Greenland. Not a bit of it. Having heard all about her meteoric rise I must admit to feeling a tad daunted when I met Shelby last week.

She's passionate about her views without forcing the issue and broadcasts her support for Hillary Clinton minus the accompanying rhetoric. So far the school sex education system remains unchanged and Shelby has encountered staunch resistance from conservative Christians better known as the 'Bible Belt.' Her crusade for proper sex-ed continues.

Currently Shelby lives in New York city and as she puts it with "an older patron who asks me to look after her diabetic cat." I'll let you in on a secret that "older patron" is none other than 60's feminist icon (and hero to many journalism students) Gloria Steinem though Shelby would be far too modest to name drop. More important to her is ensuring teenagers deserve better than the "if you have sex before marriage you are a dirty toothbrush" diatribe.

It would be easy to imagine Shelby with all she has achieved to, as we say back home, "have her head up her arse." Seeing her nervous reaction to her appearance on 'Jon Stewart's Daily Show,' her delight with her new shorter hairstyle to her enthusiasm to hopefully explore Europe in the future reminded me that she is just like any girl her age.

Her appearance on the Daily Show can be seen at: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=167331&title=the-global-war-in-your-pants

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So I couldn't reach the end of the column without giving a mention to our now former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. The Dubliner was Stateside to address Congress with the words "Ireland is now at peace" last week. His appearance here barely raised a blip in the American news media which as I have come to discover is very insular.

Bertie made his announcement to step down just as I boarded the plane to the U.S. Typical, the biggest news story of the year happens just as this hack decides to skip the country. Legally I may add.

Drumcondra's most famous native was of course a political protégé by the age of 17 when he hung election posters on lampposts outside his local pub 'Fagan's.'

By 25 he was an elected T.D.

Maybe he and Shelby do have something in common after all...

"Pleased to meet you"

2008-04-29T14:30:00.001-07:00

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.