Tonight I spent the evening at former Texas Land Commissioner Gary Mauro's house hanging out with Barak Obama. I had a great time: Obama gave a great stump speech (literally - Mauro keeps a tree stump in his courtyard for just this purpose), and the beer was the right price.

I was astounded by the turnout. With my amateur crowd estimation powers, I judged the full crowd to be around, oh, 200 people? Maybe 250? Considering the price of admission, I'd say it's pretty obvious that this guy has got a bright future ahead of him.

The event was packed like a sold out KISS concert and Obama got the reception of a rock star. Important notes from his speech:

Everywhere I go people have different opinions about different issues, but most people hold onto a set of core values. Values like: If I go to work and work hard every day, I should be able to live off of my wages; no one should have to go bankrupt just because they get sick; everyone deserves a quality education and a chance to go to college, regardless of their family's income.

After his speech I hung around for a bit and talked to various local candidates who you need to support - people like Lorenzo Sadun and Greg Hamilton. When the crowd cleared out a bit, I fought my way up front and got in a handshake as he was desperately trying to get to his car.

Barak Obama is the real deal, folks. He's smart, charming, and in eight years, don't be surprised to be wearing his t-shirts no matter what state you live in.