UT Rec Center to Host Obama-Clinton Showdown

UPDATE: The Statesman has just released information from Hector Nieto of the Texas Democratic Party that attendance to the Feb. 21 Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton debate will be by invitation only.

Well, while we were all was guessing The LBJ Library, Hogg Auditorium or The Frank Erwin Center, UT has announced that the February 21 Democratic Debate will officially be held at The Recreation Sports Center.

Yes, this no name building (on San Jacinto, between the Social Work Building and the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletics Center) will host Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in their first debate since Super Tuesday and the first debate since Obama's impressive sweep in eight straight contests.

With the momentum Obama has received in the last few weeks, Clinton's campaign is looking to Ohio and Texas (and the two debates between now and March 4th) as the opportunity to slow down the Obama surge. Clinton leads in the polls in both Ohio and Texas and right now is favored to win both states by narrow margins. That margin is slimming, time (and money) are against Senator Clinton--expect this debate to be hyped by all the major media outlets within the next week.

The time of the event was also announced for 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. CST.

The debate will be hosted by The University Democrats and is presented by The Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation on behalf of the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the LBJ Library, CNN and Univision.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By patrickdentler in News on February 13, 2008 10:55 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

mdahmus

"Like me voting for Nader made a gotdamn bit of difference in 2000"

"I voted for Nader. Tee Hee, Ain't I The Dickens?"

nickl

is this what democracy looks like?

boxingoctopus72

The Erwin Center is booked that night, and Bass Concert Hall and LBJ Auditorium are under construction.

M_Twilson

that said they could put it in a bigger place.

M_Twilson

That's how parties work. Reward the faithful. otherwise why would you register as a party member. Get over all this party bashing, that's how shit works. Loudmouth you sound like communists trying to get rid of capitalists and then wondering what happens when then economy goes to shit.

batlady

How 'bouts a big throwdown watch party in, say, Republic Square park? Maybe the Alamo folks can roll out the inflatable screen.

LoudMouth

I'm gonna paint myself white and put on an old woman wig and see if they'll let me in as a Johnson.

JohnM

I'm gonna go run on a treadmill in the same building as the debate, and watch it on their closed-captioned TVs.

Does this building even have a room for a debate? Will they debate in the weight room, or in one of the racquetball courts?

LoudMouth

Stop whining.

Trancereducer

bclm, I'd like to see you try to shut me up. Easy to talk trash on the internets, isn't it?

Like me voting for Nader made a gotdamn bit of difference in 2000...about as much difference as the corporate approved candidates we're being given a "choice" of voting for in this election.

I agree with you by the way. Keep the riff-raff out. People have already proven that they're unable to control themselves at presentations at UT.

ESeufert

I've called all my contacts for tickets to no success. I think this is reserved for big-time donors and politico types.

LoudMouth

Not even poor people, just regular Americans and anybody that hasn't made up their mind on who they're going to vote for.

LoudMouth

The problem I have with invitation only is that only the people that have spent a lot of money on Obama or Clinton's campaign will be invited and if they've already given money to support one or the other, they've made up their mind who they're voting for. I doubt Clinton and Obama people will be scouting Section 8 housing looking for people to invite to the debate.

causal observer

TEXANS FOR SECESSION! BYAAAAAARRRGGHHHH!!

bclm

Seriously, trancereducer, shut up-people in Austin have always hated him and voted against him. And youre probably one of the fools that voted for Nader in 2000. Seriously, I think *everyone*-right wing and left wing, have lost their minds in America the past few years.

I think invitation only is the best way to go for this-I think if it wasnt, it would be a lot of hooting people disrupting the debate to give support to their side.