McCain raises $27 million in July Republican presidential candidate John McCain raised $27 million in campaign financing in July, surpassing his previous record of $22 million set in June. Democratic rival Barack Obama raised $51 million in the same month and boasts a one-month fundraising record of $55 million, although his campaign’s total cash-on-hand trails McCain’s by more than $20 million. more ›

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain distributed tire-pressure gauges labelled “Obama’s Energy Plan” to members of his travelling press corps on Monday. The tire-pressure gauges were in response to a comment that Obama made last Wednesday alleging that the amount of oil available through increased offshore drilling could be saved each year if Americans kept their car tires properly filled with air. more ›

In a video sent to donors on Friday, David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager, claimed that the Senator received 100,000 contributions in the wake of a new McCain campaign ad portraying Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity. The ad, which juxtaposes images of Obama against images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and which calls Obama the “biggest celebrity in the world,” drew ire from the Obama campaign. Plouffe told donors that, of the 100,000 contributions they received on Thursday, over 1/3rd were from first-time donors. more ›

Despite his lackluster major media performance, George Bush is still the subject of nearly 100% of Volkswagen bumper stickers and represents the butts of more than 60% of the jokes told by terrible stand-up comedians. more ›

New York Times rejects McCain’s Iraq War Essay The New York Times on Monday rejected an essay by presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. The essay was written as a response to an Op-Ed piece by Barack Obama published by the paper last week and focused on McCain’s strategy for the Iraq war. The New York Times, which endorsed McCain as the Republican candidate and has published seven Op-Ed pieces by the Senator, encouraged McCain to submit another draft. more ›

Former Texas Senator and McCain economic advisor Phill Gramm told the Washington Times on Wednesday that the economy is merely in a state of “mental recession” and that the United States has become a “nation of whiners.” more ›

Ha – I know, I know. You look at me and see a whirlwind frenzy of globetrotting and peanut serving, ocean-hopping and lavatory monitoring. I can't imagine how glamorous this game of intercontinental hopscotch must appear. Left foot, Belize; right foot, Miami. Left foot, Shanghai; right foot, New York. Well, with a layover in Chicago. And we generally switch posts at that airport because it's a hub. You get the picture. more ›

[New Austinist contributor Eric Seufert will be covering the Out of Bounds festival all week! -Ed.] Today marks the start of the sixth Out of Bounds festival—a nationally-acclaimed improv festival taking place right here in Austin. One of the acts performing in the inaugural show at The Hideout tonight is veteran sketch-troupe Hoover’s Blanket. We were able to catch up with Chris Allen, Andy Pereira, and Bryan Roberts after a rehearsal to discuss their show.... more ›

Tig Notaro is hilarious. But you already knew that. Maybe you saw her in this season's most heralded breakout TV comedy, the Sarah Silverman Program. Or perhaps you watched her perform stand-up in Austin in October with the Crackpot Comedy Tour. You may have even caught a glimpse of her on Jimmy Kimmel Live, season 4 of Last Comic Standing, Dog Bites Man, or Comedy Central's Premium Blend. And it's possible that you simply... more ›

FRIDAY [2] theatre • Improv rap group Aww Shit (Chris Trew, Cody Dearing, Eric Seufert) compose freestyle rap songs and improvise scenes based off of them at this week's Cage Match at Coldtowne Theater (11:30pm) art • Opening Reception for The Llamerret Show at Darkroom Gallery (7pm) art • Texas Biennial Opening Reception at Okay Mountain & Site 1808 (7-10pm, 301 Chicon Unit E at Third and Chicon) art • B Scene: A Night... more ›

Daily Texan writer Eric Seufert has a bone to pick with the liberal media. And hipsters. And Democrats. Seufert is a senior at UT majoring in finance, with an apparent minor in either satire or unsubstantiated hate. Or so it seems. We were on the Dillo riding to work this morning when we came across his Opinion piece in the Daily Texan. The headline: SXSW: Liberal menace. The piece goes off on several tangents,... more ›