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June 25, 2008
Obama To Play In Texas?
For years now during presidential election season, Texas has been little more than an ATM machine for the two major parties. Ours is an enormous state (read: very expensive to campaign in), and has been safely in the Republican column, so the respective Democratic and Republican campaigns have left it well enough alone, aside from swooping in whenever possible to drag the bag for money. Needless to say, for Texans this situation has gotten old.
Could 2008 be different? In a piece by Ben Smith posted this morning on Politico, the Obama campaign strongly suggests it plans to play in Texas. Wow.
Has the Obama team gone off the deep end and begun believing their guy can win the Lone Star State? Not exactly. The campaign (wisely, in our judgment) downplays its chances to actually win Texas. Rather they are focused on influencing races at the local level, particularly legislative races, which stand to impact the upcoming battle over Congressional redistricting after the 2010 Census. Again, wow.
The Smith article mentions that Obama chief strategist David Axelrod was in Houston recently for a fundraiser (note: the bag-dragging hasn't exactly stopped), and apparently said the campaign plans to drop 15 staffers into Texas. Obama wants to drive up turnout in urban areas, which affect a number of legislative races in the Houston and DFW areas, and potentially help flip control of the Texas House.
Such talk is music to Texas Democrats' ears. Folks here have long asked how it is the party is supposed to advance in this state if it is routinely ignored during national elections. DNC Chairman Howard Dean stated early on that he was committed to party building in all 50 states, and to his credit has followed through on that promise. We can only hope the Obama folks mean what they say as well.
Posted by houtopia at 10:48 PM | Comments (2)
June 17, 2008
Texas Monthly's Advice For Noriega
Greg beat us to the analysis, but over the weekend we read a rather eye-opening piece from John Spong in Texas Monthly, penned as a memo to the Rick Noriega U.S. Senate campaign.
Spong echoes a lot of what we've heard in recent months from pols and insiders around Texas. The Noriega campaign, to be charitable, remains a work in progress. Trouble is, of course, that Election Day is now only four and a half months away, so the campaign's improvement curve must be steep indeed if there is to be a chance of victory in November. The article is harsh, but in our judgment offers some fair criticisms.
Without a doubt, fundraising is a huge issue for the campaign. To be competitive in Texas, which is geographically enormous and has nearly 20 media markets, a statewide candidate simply must be on television, which runs seven figures a week for a thorough network buy. In fairness to the Noriega camp, however, they are facing the same Catch 22 situation that has confronted most recent Democratic statewide campaigns in Texas -- to raise big money, donors have to believe you have a shot to win, but to have a shot to win, you have to raise big money. That said, the campaign has so far apparently been unable to convince donors that it is worthy of serious investment.
We think that problem is still fixable, but not for long. Rick Noriega has the potential to be a formidable statewide candidate. He is a dedicated public servant in both the military and the Texas Legislature, and has a sharp poltical and policy mind. We think part of Rick's problem is that before he was an elected official, he worked behind the scenes on other folks' campaigns. Good experience, no doubt, but being a candidate is very different than being an operative. To have a chance at success, he must surround himself with good people and then let them do their jobs. As Spong says, Noriega must listen, not just to his wife (who is also a formidable political talent), but to his team as well.
Rick Noriega still, in our judgment, needs an effective campaign message. His speech at the recent State Democratic Convention showed improvement, but frankly was still not of U.S. Senate quality, either in rhetoric or delivery. His military service is laudable and worthy of note, but cannot be the one-note Johnny of his campaign's tune. We were pleased to see his Austin speech begin to move away from mercilessly beating that drum.
The Texas Monthly piece was a bit of tough love, but could be just what his campaign needs. We still believe Rick Noriega has the potential to perform a lot better than recent statewide Democratic candidates, and has a chance to win and shock the political world on November 4th. Realizing that potential, however, means honestly assessing what's effective in the campaign and what isn't, and that starts with the candidate.
Posted by houtopia at 10:36 PM | Comments (1)
June 13, 2008
Russert Passes
We note the sudden and untimely death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and Meet the Press host Tim Russert, who collapsed and died today at his office at the age of 58.
Russert was among the elite of political journalists in this country. His Sunday morning grillings of candidates and elected officials were considered important tests and rites of passage for public officials. Thorough research of his interview subjects and their public record often made for compelling television. Russert would fire the tough questions, often using the subject's own previous statements as bullets. He and his viewers would then watch the interviewee squirm. Good entertainment with some valuable public service to boot.
While Russert had worked as a staffer for the late Democratic Senator Pat Moynihan, once entering journalism he earned a reputation for even handedness and non-partisanship. He was an equal opportunity interrogator, and it was difficult to glean his own opinions about the issues and officials he covered -- an attribute in short supply among today's "journalists".
Russert was highly regarded by his peers. We were struck watching some of MSNBC's coverage this afternoon by the outpouring of heartfelt tributes from colleagues, competitors and politicians. All spoke of his tireless work ethic and love of the political game. What a shame he did not live to see this year's extraordinary presidential contest play out to its finish.
Tim Russert will be missed. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Posted by houtopia at 10:37 PM | Comments (1)
June 07, 2008
Classy
Today the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination finally came to an end. Senator Hillary Clinton officially endorsed Barack Obama and began the healing process critical to Democrats' chances in taking back the White House in November.
Not surprsingly, Senator Clinton gave a gracious and classy speech to her supporters in Washginton. In what must have been a very painful task, Clinton rose to the occasion.
Clinton showed herself to be a formidable and resilient competitor during this nomination process. A poorly planned and executed early campaign nearly finished her off, but she rallied, finding her sea legs and finishing the primaries strong. Her supporters are understandably unhappy with the result, and while they have legitimate beefs with the media's treatment of their candidate, we don't think that's why she lost.
Clinton's team, in our judgment, simply misread the election. They chose a message of experience over change, and in assuming they would wrap the race up early, failed to plan for what happened if they didn't. Additionally, few could have imagined that Barack Obama would run the kind of campaign -- and raise the kind of money -- that he did. Thus, the race played out as it did.
Today, however is a time to thank Senator Hillary Clinton for running a good race and competing hard until the end. And we believe, perhaps contrary to conventional wisdom, that her hard-fought contest with Obama will actually help him in November. She made him tougher and better as a candidate, and prepared him well to battle John McCain in the fall.
So, one chapter of this extraordinary presidential race ends and another begins.
Posted by houtopia at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)