Burnt Orange Report

Meeting Obama

By Andrew Dobbs

I don't know if you knew about this, but Barack Obama was in Austin last night for a fundraiser at former Land Commissioner Garry Mauro's Tarrytown home. Mauro planned the event long before last week's keynote address and was planning for maybe 50 people to join him with the senator. Last week's speech raised the stakes a bit so that he ended up with about 600 people crammed into Mauro's back yard in the sweltering August heat.

I heard about the event earlier this week and saw the event's organizer, political consultant (and great guy) Christian Archer in our office yesterday. I asked him if I could go if I promised to help out a little bit and he agreed. After helping with the throng at the registration table and running a rather frustrating errand (driving from Tarrytown to 5th and Lamar at 6:15 on a weekday- Austin residents understand the traffic situation) I got to mill around and drink a coulple of beers.

Mauro began by introducing all of the electeds and other important folks and then turned it over to Geronimo Rodriguez, a local political consultant and big time Edwards booster, who introduced Sen. Obama. Obama told some great jokes, including one about how much he loved Texas Democrats because progressives here aren't just doing it because its popular or it helps your career- you do it because you really believe it. He excited and amused the audience before stepping down to say hi to some people.

I managed to fight my way through the crush (being 6'5" and 300 pounds has its benefits) and got close enough to shake his hand and tell him that I supported him from the beginning- which is true, Byron introduced me to him months ago. I then got to have a picture taken with him (and a small group of people, but I was right next to him so I should be able to crop just the two of us out). It was exciting, it was marvelous and he is just as impressive and exciting in person as you would imagine.

I hope that Obama makes it as far as we all dream he could go- he can be the catalyst to a new progressive movement in this country. Not some movement based on outdated and ineffective liberal sacred cows but one that affirms all of our ideals. Obama is the key to all of our hopes and I am so excited to have him on our side. I will always remember last night and someday I will tell my kids all about the time I shook hands with the man they read about in their history books.