Category Archives: Speeches
In Austin, we build bridges, not walls
Austin gathers this morning as a united community in a divided country.
I understand that you’re angry and scared, hurt and confused. Many of us are. Including me. I want you to know that you are not alone.
I also know that you are strong, determined and resolved. That you are prepared to protect your rights and your friends, neighbors and families. Again, I want you to know that you are not alone.
We do not know how the Trump presidency will play out. We do know enough, based on what has been said this past year, to be anxious about the possibilities.
In this time of uncertainty, I stand here certain about one thing: Austin will not waver.
What disruptive leadership means to me
SXSL: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Monday, Oct. 3, 2016
White House South Lawn
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which is why Austin is proud that one of our greatest traditions, SXSW, is being imitated in a sense, right here at the White House.
What makes SXSW in Austin great is that it reflects the soul of our city and people who live there. In Austin, that means keeping things weird and constantly adapting and innovating.
It’s where Willie Nelson re-invent country music by playing to audiences of kickers and hippies. It’s where Whole Foods reinvented the grocery store, Alamo Drafthouse re-invent dinner-and-a-movie date night, and Michael Dell reinvented the assembly line in his dorm room at UT.
South By South Lawn will be successful, here, if it reflects DC. And DC is special, too. It’s where being in high school debate rivals Texas football, where Model UN is considered serious job training, and where bragging about a subcommittee staff appointment is a great way to strike up a conversation late at night at a bar on U St.
Frankly, DC is far weirder than Austin ever thought of being. Continue reading
Johnson-Jordan Dinner remarks – The Taco Truck Speech
Saturday, Sep. 17, 2016
Friends, fellow Democrats, I am glad to be with you here tonight. Looking out at all of you, I see those who represent the hard-working people of Texas. I see people who fight in the trenches for social justice, for reproductive freedoms, for workers rights, for economic equality.
So when Donald Trump accuses Democrats of being the elites, of representing wealthy insiders. I can’t imagine what he’s talking about.
Please excuse what I’m wearing. I’m not trying to put on airs (or do a parody of my now friend Mike Martinez’s campaign video). The thing is, I just came from a function for the ballet. This, obviously, is why I’m wearing a tux. I mean, It’s after six. I’m not a farmer.[1]
But seriously, the issues facing this country could not be more important, the situation could not be more dire. You are in the trenches and you deserve great oration. You deserve the likes of Churchill, Ecclesiastes, Lincoln, Grapes of Wrath, Pericle’s Funeral Oration, Hebrews, and, of course, St. Crispin’s Day Speech… and even 30 Rock…
But today, I speak from the heart. I want to put things plainly and simply. This is no time for to be dramatic. It’s important for me to put this in my own words.