Monthly Archives: May 2008

(Community Matters) Huffington Post’s top 10 VP picks:

Joe Biden
He is Mr. Foreign Policy. He trumps any foreign policy claims that McCain brings to the table. He can hit McCain hard.

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Mike Bloomberg
Popular Mayor of NYC

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Sherrod Brown
Ohio Governor Brown is a favorite among progressives for his economic populism and outspoken criticism of the war.

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Wesley Clark
Rhodes Scholar turned four-star general and once-presidential candidate.

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Hillary Clinton
This ticket is either a dream or a nightmare. Some see it as the only way to reunite the Democrats in time for November. Other see it as the fastest way to destroy the Obama brand.

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Tom Daschle
The former South Dakota senator, Daschle has been a strong supporter of Obama’s campaign; he’s a nation co-chair and is rumored to play a big part in the campaign strategy.

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Chuck Hagel
Republican senator who has said he’s considering endorsing Sen. Obama.

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Janet Napolitano
A popular Western governor, Napolitano has settled into a second term in McCain’s very red home state. She also backed Obama early in the race.

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Bill Richardson
You know him, you love him, he’s the New Mexico governor with a heart of gold.

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Brian Schwietzer

Schweitzer has been Montana’s governor since 2005, and is currently one of the most popular governors in the country.

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Kathleen Sebelius

Kansas governor who convinced a Republican to leave his party, become a Democrat, and run as his Lieutenant Governor. Kansas is rife with stories of Republicans undergoing conversions, and Sebelius gets a good amount of credit for this.

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Jim Webb
Webb is the closest thing to a frontrunner for Obama’s VP these days. A former Republican who served as Secretary of the Navy for Ronald Regan. Webb defeated George “Macaca” Allen to become a junior senator in Virginia.

(Community Matters) Richard Florida in his new book, Who’s Your City:

America’s psychogeography lines up reasonably well with its economic geography. Greater Chicago is a center for extroverts and also a leading center for sales professionals. The Midwest, long a center for the manufacturing industry, has a prevalence of conscientious types who work well in a structured, rule-driven environment. The South, and particularly the I-75 corridor, where so much Japanese and German car manufacturing is located, is dominated by agreeable and conscientious types who are both dutiful and work well in teams.

The Northeast corridor, including Greater Boston, as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Austin, are home to concentrations of open-to-experience types who are drawn to creative endeavor, innovation, and entrepreneurial start-up companies. While it is hard to identify which came first – was it an initial concentration of personality types that drew industry, or the industry which attracted the personalities? – the overlay is clear.

Understanding regional personality types can add to our understanding of what makes regional development tick. Economists argue that technology (in the form of great universities and high-tech company clusters) and human capital (talented people) drive economic growth. But psychologists would add that in addition to skills, talent, motivation, and resources, there are personality traits and psychological capital that predispose people toward certain talents and proclivities.

Article here

Richard’s the author of two bestsellers, The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class. Steven and I got to know Richard during the 360 Summits. In fact, one of Steven’s monologues is included in The Rise of the Creative Class. Richard and his wife, Rana, now live in Washington, D.C.

Hat Tip: Andrew

(Community Matters) Hillary and Bill have just put us through five months of Atwater/Rovian politics, further dividing this country along racial and social/economic lines and lying to voters knowing that repeating lies enough often confuses voters and a compliant media. Tactics that remind us too much of Bush.

I’ve given much and promised to raise a lot for Obama’s campaign. I wouldn’t be able to raise money to retire Clinton’s personal debt or to pay Mark Penn’s firm.

(Community Matters) Bolivian land reform turns against an American/Bolivian rancher & his son. here

Patriarch Ronald Larsen

(Community Matters) Sherry Kramer’s play, When Something Wonderful Ends – on evil America and our exploitation of the Arab world – opens May 15 here. The Austin production is produced by the Rude Mechs, directed by Obie award winner Katie Pearl and stars favorite Austin actor, Barbara Chisholm.

Steven and I will be there Friday, May 16.

CMF photo

(Community Matters) Steven returned from the west coast, and we dashed off to mingle with friends at the Charles Moore Foundation’s annual chuckwagon fundraiser.

Entrance to Charles Moore’s complex, Eric Harslem of KLE Foundation at end of stairs

Good friend & foundation Exec Director, Kevin Keim on left

Mandy Dealey (far right) meeting our young friends, Charles & Tana

Ann Clarke – we’re planning to cook big, late lunches on Sundays this summer

Elisa Pimento, Miguel Rivera & Kristen Gossett

Sinclair Black & Mandy Dealey

Joe Christie and Andy & Karen White

The Moore/Anderson compound was Charles’ last residence and work space, embodying his belief that “good places matter.” The Foundation is dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of physical space – architecture, landscape, enviornment, cities, streets, homes and neighborhoods – and preserves the structures, landscape and Charles’ collection of folk art in the compound while assisting in the preservation of his architectural library and archives at the University of Texas.

Moore earned degrees in architecture from Michigan (BA) and Princeton (Masters & PhD). His thesis explored the preservation and integration of Monterey, CA’s adobe architecture while his dissertation surveyed “the presence of water in shaping the experience of place, ‘Water and Architecture.'” Moore taught at UC Berkely, became Dean of Architecture at Yale and taught at the University of Texas. Upon his death, the New York Times called Charles “one of the most influential and prolific practitioners of post-modern design.” A few years ago, Tana & I were lucky enough to stay in his west coast Sea Ranch condominium hosted by Kevin and Moore’s life long friend & collaborator, Donlyn Lyndon.

(Community Matters) Perhaps the most tasteless video ever.

(Community Matters) Super Delegates, time to take her out. She’s confirmed her willingness to destroy the party even after N. Carolina & Indiana. here

(Community Matters) The Economist endorsement of Obama as the Democratic nominee

. . . . Meanwhile, Mr Obama attracts other voters in a way Mrs Clinton never has. For every white bigot who switches sides because of Mr Obama’s skin colour, there is likely to be a white independent—especially a young one—running to support him. The data show that young people, both black and white, prefer Mr Obama. Against Mrs Clinton, Mr McCain might have swept up all the independents; with Mr Obama he will have to split them. Mr Obama has raised money from close to 1.5m individuals, far more than anybody else ever has. That will stand him and his party in good stead come November. Each of those donors will be working hard to make sure that their investment is not wasted: an army of footsoldiers to fight the Republicans.

More than any other candidate this year, he has articulated an idea of a nobler America . . . . Despite considerable provocation, he has never wavered from his commitment to bipartisanship—nor from the idea of America once again engaging with the world. . . .

(Community Matters) The National Venture Capital Association today recognized Joe Aragona with its American Spirit Award for his commitment to philanthropy and making such a difference in society. Joe has helped in very meaningful ways with so many initiatives, including the High-Tech Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund & other Entrepreneurs Foundation initiatives, Casa Montessori, Davis Phinney Foundation, Dell Children’s Medical Center, the Miracle Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. As a longtime board member of LAF, Joe’s been instrumental in it’s evolution from an important local nonprofit to a leading national cancer foundation.

Joe’s a founder of Austin Ventures and has served as a general partner since 1982.

(Community Matters) UK athletes raise money for the Everyman Campaign for Male Cancer.

(Community Matters) Yesterday met very briefly Art Wolff, Regional VP for Field Operations for the American Cancer Society. Exciting quick news about initiatives being launched in Central Texas. We’re getting together in a couple of weeks so I can learn more. Will post about it then.