Ran into Ron Kirk just now at the Lakewood Starbucks. Our former mayor and one-time Democratic U.S. Senate candidate (and, of course, a real big Barack Obama worker) did a double-take upon seeing his favorite Dallas Observer columnist, latte in hand. He said, “Oh, man, this is Election Day. Don’t ruin it for me.”
Such a kidder. Loves me. Just loves me.
Kirk said he will not be at Brooklyn tonight but may drop by the Obama rally at Gilley’s. In case you're looking for him.
On my way downtown I discussed Kirk with another Dallas journalist, and we both agreed that an Obama victory may be heaven-sent for Kirk -- the one thing that could finally cleanse him of the odor of Dallas City Hall.
Dallas City Hall is the non-partisan mutual-denigration-society crawfish bucket nobody ever really climbs out of. When Kirk was running for the Senate, I got calls from black radio in St. Louis asking me why black people in Dallas didn’t like him. They were talking about Al.
This morning my fellow journalist and I agreed that people far away never understand the real explanation of Dallas politics -- something in the water, something funky.
If Kirk has positioned himself properly, an Obama win may be the thing that finally makes people forget he was ever in Dallas. Fine by me. When I look up and see the soles of the shoes of somebody making it over the wall, my instinct is to reach up there and give the lucky bastard a boost. --Jim Schutze
