A Little Reminiscing and a Pile of Shameful Self-Indulgence
The Texas Observer, Texas’ first and only liberal magazine, is closing its doors this week and silencing a helluva ride for rambunctious people in Texas. For 68 years it was the handbook for liberal, and some would say damn socialism, thinking in the reddest state that has a couple of first class universities.
I was blessed to be a tiny, tiny part of this endeavor that featured the likes of folks like Ronnie Dugger, Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower, Kaye Northcutt, Jake Bernstein, and a host of other weirdos, storytellers, and committed souls doing the Lord’s work. Just having a group lunch with some of them made me feel like Dorothy Parker. Although I clearly had the lowest IQ at the table, it was just barely high enough to understand the jokes, they were very kind to me. Most of the time. The price of admission was that you could not only dish it out, you had to be able to take it. They are people who took what they did very seriously but they didn’t take themselves seriously at all – my favorite kind of people.
I wrote for them a little, but it was more often I was written about, because they knew I was always good for a punch line. Even in a long stories about something like water shortages, I got quoted just to keep people from committing suicide from the desperation of it all.
Robert Leleux, author of Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy, a hysterically funny story about growing up gay in Texas with a flamboyant mother, and the tender, funny, and tear jerking, The Living End, introduced this “non-blog” to Texas. He called me a damn firebrand. Robert and I had an adoring relationship that he took everywhere he worked.
It was almost as if Texas Liberals had a secret underground profane network of like minded folks. It was also a launch pad for young writers who could take a month to research a topic and produce some of the best investigative reporting being done in the state.
I will miss it dearly. I will also miss the great merch.
I read this and was sad also. Observant and clever people are hard to come by in this world, and TO had a pile of them. This is our loss.
1It’s a loss to us non-Texans, too. My mama, a (very liberal) Texan-in-voluntary-exile, loved reading their stories about life and politics in your state. I hope someone will rise to come up with a way to fill the gap, at least in part!
2I agree with Laurel. Hope for blue Texans someone will be able to replace The Texas Observer.
3Also, love the T-shirt. I’d love to have one and maybe a few more with other “full of shit” politicians on them. Lots to choose from. Can you sell merchandise online from the salon?
Lastly, loved your article, JJ, and the “kissmybigblueass.com” blog name. Glad you’re still writing for all of us salon patrons.
Oh, man, this is sad. It goes to prove, though, that George Soros isn’t behind every good thought any Liberal ever had. Otherwise, he would be funding this thing.
4Just ordered “Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy” from Amazon. It reminds me of a favorite of mine, “Bettyville” by George Hodgman, another tale of growing up gay in the South.
5https://www.gofundme.com/f/laid-off-texas-observer-journalists-and-staff
This is not just for the staff, it’s also to show support. Read the blurb on the gofundme. There’s some hope the decision might be reversed.
6They blew past their $100,000 goal overnight and raised it to $200,000. According to the blurb in this new link, the board gave them no notice or discussion whatsoever, just abruptly pulled the plug. This whole thing sounds fishy to me.
https://gofund.me/0e53f240
7Much praise for the Texas Observer; it will be solely missed.
Now there’s this stellar reporting from The Texas Tribune.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/27/houston-jared-woodfill-gop-paul-pressler-southern-baptist/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
8Heather, I was going to post that link later this afternoon. Well worth the read – documented and researched. It’s amazing the pile of festering hypocrisy Republicans can muster under the cloud of “keeping respectability.”
9Damn shame. Sorry to hear it.
10https://www.gofundme.com/f/laid-off-texas-observer-journalists-and-staff
11“Currently, our GoFundMe will either cover the payroll and expenses to keep the doors open, or it will go directly to staff members. It all depends on whether the Board of Directors votes against closing the Texas Observer and withdraws the layoffs. Until that time, our hands are tied—the staff is having many discussions about different steps they can take to make the publication sustainable. But they can’t implement them until they know they have a board that supports them.
In addition to undoing the layoffs, the team hopes they’ll be able to move forward with a new Board of Directors that consists of people who believe in our publication, its value to Texas and the world, and its future. It also needs to include journalists with national standing and experience in supporting nonprofit organizations like ours. We also want at least one member of the staff to join the board as a voting member.
The editors’ letter to the board gave them until the close of business on Wednesday to respond. They hope to move forward with a constructive dialog about rebuilding Texas Observer’s financial future and keeping the publication alive. While they wait to hear back, please visit the homepage for more of the great articles we’ve been publishing for the last 68 years.”
12https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/29/texas-observer-closing-gofundme
13I read on dailykos about the fund raiser. Here is a link to that diary. Good news all around.
14https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/29/2161020/-The-Texas-Observer-Will-Remain-Open?utm_campaign=recent#comment_85871982
Yesterday by James Canup, Organizer
Are you sitting down? This Go Fund Me campaign, and the efforts by the staff of the Texas Observer, have just attained complete and utter victory. The 4,000 people who contributed more than $300,000 by 5:06 PM Texas time today deserve the credit for this win. Thank you.
Just now, the Texas Observer’s parent nonprofit board, the Texas Democracy Foundation, released a statement saying the board unanimously voted to rescind layoffs after seeing this successful effort to raise funds.
https://twitter.com/Joshua_Peck_/status/1641193536858075148
That’s right. The Observer will not lay off staff on Friday, and the publication will not cease the production of journalism.
Take a moment to reflect on this astonishing accomplishment that YOU made possible. Cheers to you.
Thank you.
James
15https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-observer-no-layoffs-remains-open-board-vote/
16Please update this to say that they are not ceasing publication. See above. I’m sure they could also still use contributions.
17