United Way Speaker Series: Carville & Matalin

We had the pleasure of attending the United Way's recent Speaker Series Event featuring James Carville and Mary Matalin. The annual series is Capital Area United Way's signature fundraiser, and has featured such luminaries and Tom Brokaw and Rudolph Giuliani in the past, but we have no doubt Monday night's dinner induced the most laughter. Carville and Matalin were charming and hilarious.

Two of the most successful political strategists on the scene, the couple plays well together without seeming forced. They spoke politics, though by and large only repeated their recent stints on CNN and FOX. The most interesting aspect of the evening was watching such different personalities in action. We've long been a fan of Carville, though we found his antics in person weren't much different from his antics on television. When asked his opinion of the criminal mischief afoot these last several weeks in Austin, he admitted to having torn up a sign or two in his youth...and reminded us the statute of limitations has run out on his misdeeds.

We've also kept an eye on Matalin these many years, and were surprised by her warmth, wit, and humor. She was genuinely self-effacing when she admitted to telling Dick Cheney the morning following the famous hunting accident that it wasn't a big deal ("everyone gets sprayed" she relayed, after seeking advice from a friend who hunts quail); of course she later realized, to her horror, that her assessment of the situation was vastly inaccurate. She also told several amusing stories about being the beleaguered wife of one James Carville. Ah, but then she mentioned that her last trip to Austin was to roast Karl Rove...and we had to take a shower.

Julie Holden/flickr

Bill Wilson, President of Wachovia Bank's Central Texas Region, kicked things off with a sobering, brief speech that touched on Wells Fargo's recent takeover. Capital Area United Way President and CPO David W. Balch gave an outstanding run-down of the organization's goals:

Support education, particularly early childhood development
Improve financial stability—Balch included an interesting discussion of the problems that accompany living without a bank account
Bolster health—the organization particularly seeks to lower unnecessary ER visits...a by-product of having no primary health care

We came away from the evening feeling better informed about the good works of Capital Area United Way, amused by spending time in the presence of such an unlikely couple, and as unsure as ever about the outcome of next week's election.

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