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August 27, 2008
Further Convention Comments
Quickly on Day Two -- Hillary Clinton was superb. She did more than anyone could have expected of her, and beautifully buttered the bread on the first slice of the Clinton convention sandwich. Mark Warner's keynote was not particularly noteworthy. Good content, but not well delivered. Ironically, in his own goofy way, Dennis Kucinich's remarks were probably more effective.
As for Day Three -- there were three memorable moments.
Bill Clinton. It hasn't been the easiest or most politcally flattering of years for the former president, but Clinton's address tonight reminded this student of politics why he is in a class by himself in this element. Clinton was simply masterful. He brilliantly made the case for Obama and hopefully put to rest the media's incessant obsession with the post-primary psycho drama.
Joe Biden. After being nominated and accepting the vice-presidential nod, Biden gave a heartfelt, if clunky speech. He made a few flubs and took a while to get rolling, but perhaps that's not such a bad contrast to the top of the ticket. Biden has a lovely family, and his son Beau was terrific in introducing him. Obama's surprise appearance at the end was another unusual touch.
John Kerry. Kerry was simply a different person speaking tonight than the candidate who came up short in 2004. Resolute, combative and real, Kerry pulled no punches and for our money delivered the most effective attacks on McCain of the convention. We hope the Obama campaign took note.
Posted by houtopia at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2008
Thoughts On Convention Night One
Well, the Democrats have convened in Denver, and it was an interesting first night.
Highlights? Michelle Obama. This is an extremely impressive woman. If there is one word to describe her public presence -- authentic. What Michelle may lack in conventional political polish, she more than makes up for in direct honesty. She communicated effectively about who she and Barack are and where they came from, and her very real presence held everyone's attention. The kids are beyond cute -- great looking families are a real asset in politics.
Ted Kennedy. A moving tribute from his niece Caroline, and a valiant (and perhaps final) public roar from the liberal lion of the Senate. Kennedy was in good spirits, but clearly ill. He pledged to be there in January to continue the fight for the progressive agenda he has pushed for decades. We hope so.
Low points? Nancy Pelosi. Fortunately, no one other than C-SPAN viewers saw her speech, but she was beyond lousy. Claire McCaskill. Sing-songy and phony. Has she been taking lessons from McCain?
Obama's sister was also most impressive. More later.
Posted by houtopia at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2008
Skocpol Speaks
Amen.
Posted by houtopia at 04:53 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2008
Oasis Of Self Pity
Did anyone else's jaw drop upon seeing this evening's Channel 2 story (we'll link to video as soon as it's up) about today's morning services at Lakewood Church? That's right folks, the good reverend Joel Osteen and his recently exonerated wife Victoria took to the pulpit this morning to celebrate their recent victory over "persecution" in a Houston courtroom.
Last week a Harris County jury rejected a lawsuit filed against Mrs. Osteen by a Continental Airlines flight attendant. Sharon Brown claimed Osteen assaulted her on a December 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, and sought several hundred thousand dollars worth of damages. For the record, the merits of the suit seemed at best dubious to us and we thought the jury made the right call.
That said, it is clear that Mrs. Osteen behaved very badly during the incident, as evidenced by her removal from the flight before it took off. (The jury foreman even said as much in his comments to the press after the trial.) But has she ever taken any public responsibility for her role in the matter? Of course not! Victoria was the victim of a terrible wrong, but God has seen her through. Her acting like a jerk in the first place is a minor detail, and besides, it doesn't really fit in the Sunday sermon. We guess the sermon about taking responsibility for one's own actions will have to wait for another Sunday.
We also found it particularly rich that the multi-millionaire pastoral glamour couple would spend the worhsip service wallowing in self-pity and congratulation. Never mind that many in their own congregation are likely facing real problems. Can't you just hear Reverend Joel preaching? "Facing foreclosure? Can't pay your medical bills? Marriage falling apart? God will get to you later. Today is about us and our victory over a junk lawsuit. Praise the Lord!"
Classy folks, those Osteens.
Posted by houtopia at 05:19 PM | Comments (5)
August 05, 2008
Go Coogs
The title of this post may seem an odd one, given that Houtopia is a proud and committed Texas Longhorn, but we mean it. (After all, dad is a longtime UH faculty member and we grew up rooting for the Coogs in football and basketball.) Sports, however, is not the subject of this entry.
Rather, it is the University of Houston's bid to become the state's third "flagship" university (following UT and A&M) about which we write. This ambitious goal is one being aggressively advanced by UH's impressive new chancellor, Dr. Renu Khator.
At a university event Khator hosted a few months ago at the Chancellor's residence, she told the crowd there was no reason that UH, given the vast financial and intellectual capital available in Houston, should not be a premier research university. We agree. Khator went on to tell the crowd she had very ambitious fundraising goals for the institution, and attendees left the event duly impressed.
Last week, Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg picked up the torch. She notes that Texas, for a state of its size, a relatively few major research universities (three -- UT, A&M and Rice). California, by contrast, has nine while New York has eight.
The onus for change lies with the Texas Legislature, which has historically given the lion's share of its support to UT and A&M. Falkenberg suggests UH may have a shot in next year's legislative session. We hope so.
Posted by houtopia at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)