Texas Tribune Pageant in 2019 (Picture by Jana Birchum)
If politics is present enterprise for ugly folks (h/t Paul Begala), then the Texas Tribune Pageant is its ACL Fest. But it surely’s actually extra like homecoming weekend, the place all people who wants simply another reason to return to Austin and name it “work” flocks into city, assesses the state of our tacos and barbecue, and marvels at how Texas manages to make itself related to each election cycle. You kinda must take it in stay, is what we’re saying; after two digital years that went fairly nicely however have been simply not the identical, the pageant is again in Downtown Austin Sept. 22-24. The final day consists of the Open Congress road takeover (see sidebar), however the whole occasion is price the associated fee, particularly for college kids, for whom it is solely $50. (Common admission is $269, with a reduction for supporters of The Texas Tribune.)
When TribFest first began to roll out its 2022 audio system and applications a couple of months again, one might be forgiven for not being awestruck, as numerous the unusual panels are fixtures – legislative previews, deep dives into points like well being care or justice reform or immigration, interviews with the candidates in even-numbered years, the meat and potatoes of this type of concepts occasion and a helpful endeavor for individuals who do Texas politics for a dwelling. Then every little thing modified! What appeared like a juiceless election cycle, made impartial by redistricting that sought to freeze the present partisan splits for the following decade and left no seats in play, is now all up within the air due to the Dobbs resolution, the bloodbath in Uvalde, the revival of Joe Biden’s fortunes and the decline in fuel costs, and the conclusion that the whole state of Texas is in a extreme local weather and housing disaster, which have all made coming to Austin in September earlier than the midterms a chance to study one thing new.
The Texas Tribune, which is free to learn and solely prices for this one occasion all yr, is well-connected now within the ideas-fest circuit (TribFest occurs after The Atlantic‘s pageant and earlier than The New Yorker‘s) and might safely maintain its closing keynote slot open lengthy sufficient for it to be crammed by Liz Cheney, who can be again in prime time 4 days later on the subsequent Jan. 6 listening to, after an entire new silly but additionally scary Apesh*t scandal has engulfed the political world. There are nonetheless digital choices, resembling Thursday broadcast periods (accessible on demand all through the weekend) with America’s favourite kindly previous physician Anthony Fauci, White Home press secretary once-removed Jen Psaki, former Deliberate Parenthood chief and First Daughter of Texas Cecile Richards, and New York Mayor Eric Adams. The stay pageant hub is the Omni at Brazos and Eighth, with programming additionally happening on the two church buildings subsequent to it (St. David’s and Central Presbyterian), the Capital Manufacturing facility workplaces (additionally on the Omni), and numerous places on the Capitol finish of Congress Avenue. Listed below are among the locations the place we’ll be:
• Two applications on Friday that includes state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso – one is a session on how a pro-life state ought to change the way it views capital punishment (additionally that includes Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and moderated by the Marshall Mission’s Keri Blakinger); the opposite is a sure-to-make-news session with Moody and the opposite two members of the Texas Home committee investigating Uvalde, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and former Supreme Court docket Justice (and unsuccessful lawyer basic candidate) Eva Guzman. The panel will focus on “what they know and the way they realize it”; will Texas Dept. of Public Security Director Steve McCraw nonetheless have a job by then? (There’s additionally a Saturday morning session of El Pasoans specializing in how communities get well from mass shootings.)
• One in all our favourite matters, Texas’ booming and bluing suburbs, will get labored over Friday by a panel moderated by our buddy Steven Pedigo, director of the LBJ City Lab at UT-Austin. Usually, panels like this are simply full of politicians from the areas in query, however this one has precise land use, public finance, and planning consultants in addition to politicos, in order that’ll be enjoyable.
And this one on Saturday in all probability wants no elaboration: “Mississippi At present Presents: Mississippi Is the Way forward for Texas.”
• This one in all probability does not both: “Waterloo Sundown: Is Austin Changing into Much less Like Itself?” Mayor Steve Adler, County Choose Andy Brown, state Rep. Sheryl Cole, and County Lawyer Delia Garza (the final two additionally former mayors professional tem) have ideas!
• If in case you have any curiosity within the intersecting domains of religion and public life, you will wish to take a look at the one-on-one with theologian Russell Moore, lately on the outs with the extraordinarily troubled Southern Baptist Conference, interviewed by New York Instances faith correspondent Ruth Graham.
• This is a change: Why do not we ask some Black Texans in the event that they assume little white children are being indoctrinated into toxic wokeness by vital race concept within the faculties? Capital B, a information website specializing in Black points, convenes a Saturday afternoon panel to look at what Black Texas educators, mother and father, and policymakers should say.
• And positive, Liz Cheney. She’s nonetheless fairly terrible, however she has a extra credible declare at changing into a third-party candidate in 2024 than does Andrew Yang. Will she announce she’s working? How a lot of the session can be dedicated to making an attempt to get her to decide to a 2024 marketing campaign? Keep tuned.
See the total program at festival-platform.texastribune.org/agenda.
Open Congress Takes TribFest to the Streets
Ticketed admission to the 2022 Texas Tribune Pageant is fairly inexpensive for an concepts pageant of nationwide caliber – $269 for basic admission, much less should you’re a Tribune member, and lots much less should you’re a scholar or educator. But when that is nonetheless greater than you wish to dedicate to listening to Ted Cruz’s scorching takes and Cancun journey ideas, you may nonetheless get face-to-face with Texas’ political powers and rising stars for naught greater than the worth of shoe leather-based.
The free Open Congress periods on Saturday, Sept. 24, will take over a collection of tents on Congress Avenue between Seventh and eleventh streets, close to the pageant’s primary venues (the road can be closed, so plan your travels accordingly). This system begins with a dialogue on the way forward for Texas’ energy grid (9am, Texas Month-to-month Tent) that includes vitality executives from Vistra, Jupiter Energy, and Hunt Power Community, should you’re nervous a few repeat of 2021’s Winter Storm Uri.
A session on bail reform (10:45am, Arnold Ventures Tent) has audio system together with Texas Supreme Court docket Chief Justice Nathan Hecht. Police chiefs from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio focus on their strategy to “Preserving the Peace” (12:45pm, Arnold Ventures Tent). Legal justice investigative reporter (and ex-felon) Keri Blakinger of the Marshall Mission discusses her memoir Corrections in Ink and media protection of the topic (2:30pm, Arnold Ventures Tent).
A number of congressional candidates in November’s elections may even converse, together with Republicans Wesley Hunt and Morgan Lutrell of Houston and Monica De La Cruz of McAllen, and Democrats Greg Casar of Austin and Jasmine Crockett of Dallas (Republicans, 11am, and Democrats, 12:30pm; Punchbowl Information Tent). Apart from De La Cruz’s tight race towards Democrat Michelle Vallejo for the purplish fifteenth District, all are anticipated to win simply. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and former Texas Home Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, may even focus on whether or not it is nonetheless attainable to govern from the middle (12:45pm, Texas Month-to-month Tent).
Additionally on the schedule are one-on-one interviews with U.S. Home Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif. (9:30am, Punchbowl Information Tent), and U.S. Surgeon Common Vivek Murthy (2:45pm, Healing Tent). If you would like to listen to some non-politicos categorical their very own model of the Open Congress vibe, you may catch Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett (2:15pm, Lonestar Tent) and Saturday Evening Dwell‘s Alex Moffat (3:45pm, Lonestar Tent) within the afternoon. Extra particulars on-line at festival-platform.texastribune.org/agenda. – Claire Stevens
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