WCMessenger.com: Clinton-Obama debate buzz stirs Texas

There was a buzz around the Austin debate Feb. 21 between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that hasn't been felt in Texas for a long time.

That's partly because for the first time in literally decades, the Texas primary vote actually matters. But it's also because Obama's campaign seems to have struck a nerve in Texas as well as other states, particularly with younger voters, that not only does their vote matter, it's important.

The stunning rise of the articulate African-American former state senator from Chicago to front-runner status to carry the Democrats' banner into the November presidential election has electrified folks in a way that hasn't been seen since the days of John F. Kennedy's presidential run in 1960 or Robert Kennedy's in 1968.

The excitement made entry into the relatively small sports center for the debate on the University of Texas campus one of the hottest tickets in Texas. Present and former Democratic politicians and workers from across the state lined up outside, including probably half the Democrats in the Texas Legislature, plus former Gov. Mark White and former Texas Secretary of State and Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, while they waited to clear security.

The television audience - at least in Austin - for the CNN and Univision broadcast of the 90-minute debate was more than double the audience for "American Idol."

Hillary Clinton displayed a tin ear for courting the local folks, when she said "I have to confess, I was somewhat amused the other night when, on one of the TV shows, one of Sen. Obama's supporters was asked to name one accomplishment of Sen. Obama, and he couldn't."

Ouch! The reference was to popular Austin state Sen. Kirk Watson, Austin's former mayor and an Obama supporter, who on MSNBC was challenged by Chris Matthews, the host of the show Hardball, to cite some of Obama's accomplishments - and came up blank.

Watson, who was sitting in the third row at the debate, winced, while many of his friends and supporters in the audience and watching on TV cringed.

The next day, in an e-mail to supporters and on his Web site, Watson said "Some people have this horrible dream of speaking in front of a large group and suddenly realizing they're naked. Well, my worst nightmare is being unable to remember the answer to a question on national TV, and mine came true."

Clinton had a fine half-minute at the end of the debate, when she turned to Obama and said she was "honored" to be with him.

They shook hands. And she said - in what some wondered might be a prelude to a concession of the race - "no matter what happens in this contest...we're going to be fine." It drew a standing ovation.

(Clinton later said it wasn't a concession speech. And if there was any doubt, she ripped into Obama in a press conference less than two days after the debate. "Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said angrily, accusing him of distorting her positions on health care and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in a campaign mailing. An Obama spokesman said the mailers were completely accurate.)

Most of the several hundred media representatives watched the debate from the press filing room on several large television screens. Groups of photographers were shuttled into the hall for 10 minutes of furious picture-taking, and then hustled out to make room for another group.

Television anchors, reporters and producers did live shots from the so-called "Spin Room" - yes, they really call it that - adjacent to the press filing center. And after the debate various spokespeople showed up for interviews about it.

Some news anchors, complete with live trucks and portable sets, broadcast their afternoon and evening news shows from outside the sports center.

And Texas, for the first time in a long, long time, got to pretend on March 4, it will be a combination of Iowa and New Hampshire.

-----

And So On...Texas House hopeful John Sibley of Waco, the son of former state Sen. and former Waco mayor David Sibley, has withdrawn his pledge to support Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick. Sibley is challenging state Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson of Waco in the Republican primary.

The younger Sibley had earlier pledged to Craddick, but recently sent a letter to Craddick's office saying he has "come to realize that we disagree on many of the important issues in my district," including Craddick's support of private-school vouchers.

Sibley also said he had found while campaigning that district residents "were offended" by Craddick's claim to "absolute authority" made during an effort to remove him as speaker at the end of the 2007 legislative session.

Contact McNeely at dmcneely@austin.rr.com or (512) 458-2963.