The dozen or so speakers at the rally, including representatives from Equality Texas and "straights for gays" alliance Atticus Circle, supplanted vitriol with grace and tact. Instead of an angry backlash against those who supported California's Prop 8, the focus was on family, respect, and the need for our entire community, regardless of sexual orientation, to demonstrate to others that the only "gay agenda" at hand is, simply and genuinely, to be granted the right to love....

Texas statewide turnout of voters in 2008, in millions: 13.6 8.0 Turnout in 2004, in millions: 7.4 Margin by which McCain won Texas in 2008: 11.8% Margin by which Bush won Texas in 2004: 24% [info] Margin by which Obama won Travis County: 30% Other major counties in Texas that Obama won: Dallas, Harris (Houston), Bexar (San Antonio) [info] Number of these counties that Kerry won in 2004: 0 Margin by which Proposition 2,......

wednesday181/flickrOn the morning after the elections, it's still hard to believe that history was made last night. With a landslide victory all but apparent, CNN called the outcome just moments after West Coast polls closed. Senator John McCain conceded with an address that may have been his most humble and accepting of the entire campaign season. Waving down the occasional boos from the crowd gathered in Arizona, he congratulated his opponent and urged his supporters......

We're just sayin', but the scenes being played out on TV stations around the country are not unlike the end sequence in Return of the Jedi.......

Matthew Dowd/ABC NewsBack in 2004, everything moved fast. John Kerry claimed he voted for 87 billion dollars of war funding before he voted against it, and the George W. Bush campaign was on top of it, quick as a grackle on a sticky candy wrapper. And Matthew Dowd, Bush’s polling strategist to political stars such as Lloyd Bentsen and Bob Bullock, was there, watching the numbers minute-by-minute for the Bush campaign. Dowd is much less......

AP20-year-old Ashley Todd, originally from College Station, Texas and working for the McCain campaign in Pittsburgh, gained national fame yesterday after claiming that she had been assaulted and robbed, allegedly by an Obama fan who noticed the McCain bumper sticker on her car and "became enraged." What made the story even more sensationalistic was the fact that the assailant, whom she initially described as a 6-foot-4-tall black man, also reportedly carved the letter 'B' into......

Tensions are flaring with so little time left before the elections, and here in Central Texas it's the cars that are suffering as a result. Burnt Orange Report reader wagwa had his Honda Civic trashed while out in western Hays County over the weekend, with vandals heaving a rock through the back window and spray painting what looks like "OBAAH" on the driver's side door. Not to be left out (so to speak), UrbanGrounds, a......

We've followed Crawford, the Austin-made documentary about a tiny Texas town thrust in the international spotlight after would-be President George W. Bush relocated there to perfect his wholesome good-old-boy image, since it was but a work in progress. After a tremendous world premiere at SXSW, Crawford went on to screen at festivals worldwide and earned plenty of praise — it inspired multiple standing ovations at SXSW, had Texas Monthly calling director David Modigliani "one......

Gov Palin preps for tonight’s debate/AP Photo/Palin CampaignIf there's a take-away from the current election season, it's that Texans love rooting for the underdog. In this case, make it the lipsticked underdog. While the rest of the country has started scratching its collective head over the selection of Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Texas conservatives seem to have embraced the Little Small Town Mom Who Could as one of their......

PatCastaldo/flickrThree debates remain before November's big election, and while the polls currently skew in favor of the Dems, nothing is for certain in this modern age of perception-shifting SNL skits and maverick Hail Mary political maneuvers. And because there's nothing quite like reveling in the democratic process with your fellow boozed-up Austinites—whether their affiliations lean blue or red—we're maintaining this list of places where you'll be able to catch the debates in a public setting.......

Following last night's Fantastic Fest/U.S. premiere of Zack & Miri Make a Porno, the Alamo Drafthouse hosted the final round of their year-long Air Sex Championships. The result was anything but ordinary. After the jump, we've reposted some footage that Spout captured from the evening's festivities. The potentially NSFW clip features, among other interesting things, what we can only describe as a fitting homage to our esteemed GOP Presidential+VP candidates.......

(Austinist) Editor's Note: Our siblings over at DCist have been given the opportunity to cover this year's historic Democratic National Convention, taking place in Denver this week. Since this is a matter of considerable importance and one that I believe our readers are interested in, we'll be sharing their occasional broadcasts throughout the week. All posts are by DCist editor Sommer Mathis, an official member of the DNC's prestigious state blogger corps. One day down......

(Austinist) Editor's Note: Our siblings over at DCist have been given the opportunity to cover this year's historic Democratic National Convention, taking place in Denver this week. Since this is a matter of considerable importance and one that I believe our readers are interested in, we'll be sharing their occasional broadcasts throughout the week. All posts are by DCist editor Sommer Mathis, an official member of the DNC's prestigious state blogger corps. DCist is......

With literally hours remaining until Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama announces his running mate (via text message, no less), the internet is abuzz with last-minute speculation. Among the names now being bandied about is Texas Congressman Chet Edwards, an A&M and Harvard grad with a political career dating back to the early eighties. Though a less likely contender than more prominent figures like Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, Bayh, Kaine, and Sebelius, Edwards is nevertheless among......

Dubbed “The Impact of Partisan Politics,” next Friday's panel discussion assembles four area political and community leaders for an informed and civil discussion that will touch on November's presidential election, the economy, national security, and health care—all matters that have, of late, been the subject of intensified public opinion. ...

meme!/flickrThe Democratic Party hasn't been a strong contender in Williamson County since, well, the Gipper took office, but it's nevertheless staging a valiant effort this election year. The new campaign headquarters for Willco's Democratic candidates opened this past weekend to some fanfare, despite being largely overshadowed by the convention of marauding liberals in downtown Austin. They're now up and running, and could use your donations and/or volunteer time. The list of things needed (some of......

From KSAT: More than 1,000 calls poured into the Bexar County Elections Department on Monday from voters wanting to know where they could vote in Tuesday's primary. Problem is -- Texas isn't holding a primary on Tuesday, like more than 20 states are. "The voters think they're actually going to the polls (Tuesday) because it's Super Tuesday," said Bexar County Elections Commissioner Jacque Callanen. "It's all over the national media and the local media that......

Tonight's massive Super Tuesday election returns should make for some top notch TV watching, but there's no reason why you should spend the evening yelling at political pundits by yourself. Whether you're a hardcore democrat or republican, plenty of your like-minded brethren are getting together around town to watch the returns and collectively celebrate (or commiserate). Besides the formal meetup spots, you'll probably stand a decent chance of catching some prime time coverage at Brown Bar and the Cloak Room....