Reflecting on Ike

"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

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...

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

"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

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

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"

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.