Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer & Attorney : Jamie Spencer Law Firm : DWI, DUI, Drug Possession : Serving Georgetown, Round Rock, San Marcos, Travis, Williamson, and Hays County, Texas

The Austin Obama ’08 campaign called me tonight to tell me they had moved tomorrow’s Town Hall Meeting to a bigger room in the Austin Convention Center, and, more importantly, that they had 2 tickets for me. I was on the waiting list after being turned down for tickets this afternoon. Realistically, I thought there was no chance.

The friendly folks at Obama headquarters seemed unsure of how attendees would be allowed to submit questions, but I thought I’d get a head start, and take some typed out already, in the hopes that would increase my chances of actually getting to address him.

I was originally thinking about asking him whether he would consider using the bully pulpit of the presidency to speak out against lengthy – as in decades long – sentences for low level drug offenders.

I looked at the tickets, however, and noticed that they say: A Town Hall Meeting to discuss strengthening America’s Economy. So I figure I need to at least tilt any proposed question to the economy. I suppose I could ask whether he would consider using the bully pulpit of the presidency to educate the American people about how much incarcerating folks is costing them in tax dollars, but I’m not sure they would select that. Yes, I’m bucking for a good question, but also one I think they will ‘like’.

Basically, I’m asking for suggestions, and here’s what I’ve got planned so far. I got the basic premise of the question from my wife. (The initial sycophancy is my idea.)

Senator Obama:

I’m a criminal defense attorney here in Texas, and I’m an admirer of the legislation you spearheaded in Illinois to help ensure that innocent people not be given the death penalty. Since this meeting is about economics, could you talk a little about how expensive death penalty litigation by the State is, and whether or not America as a whole might consider abandoning it entirely?

I’ve got to work on that, I know. Feel free to comment, and help me tweak it. Or suggest something entirely different – but I would like to focus on criminal defense, and I think the topic of the meeting means I need to focus on the economic aspects of some of this too.

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Criminal defense lawyer blogging might seem a logical place to launch frequent partisan political conversations; yet I have rarely, if ever done so. Trust me: it’s not that I fear my political views might alienate clients… after all, in Austin, Texas a defense attorney could anger all the Republicans in town and still do quite a healthy business.

It’s that generally speaking, I don’t find candidates of either party addressing issues that concern me professionally, or folks that become my clients. Or perhaps it’s that they don’t address those concerns in a positive way. Let’s all be ‘tough on crime’ right? And to heck with those pesky amendments, and that ole Bill of Whatever. That attitude comes in spades from both parties.

And tonight’s not necessarily different, except that it’s Saturday night, and frankly I don’t care if this post is a little ‘off topic’.

I was thrilled to see Barack Obama win tonight’s primary, and I wish him well on Super Tuesday. I’m old enough to be well outside that youngest ‘under 30’ demographic that supports Obama the most. But I must be young (and foolish?) enough to embrace his message, and the message that his potential election would send to the world.

Iowa was a surprise, but New Hampshire a bitter disappointment, especially considering the pre-election polls. I was worried after New Hampshire that the rumors were true. America wasn’t ready for a black President. Never mind that he’s the best candidate. Somehow, we just aren’t ready. Depressing.

Well, back on the bandwagon is the wrong way to say it, because I’m no newcomer to the Obama movement. [See my previous letter to the editor in the New York Times defending him against accusations in Maureen Dowd’s column. And for those wishing to make sense of it… NYT Select subscribers can read the original column here; non subscribers here.]

But I am back to being somewhere between depressed about America, and euphoric about tonight’s results. As Obama himself said in his victory speech, it’s a tough road ahead. But it’s back on track, and that’s the first step.

Other Austin Texas blogs on tonight’s SC primary results: coming soon and/or email me and I’ll hook you up with a link. Or, just leave a comment. And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging…

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