San Antonio Current — November 4, 2020

NOV. 6 - NOV. 17, 2020

MISSED TARGET

DEMOCRATS HOPED TO PAINT THE STATE BLUE IN 2020. HERE'S WHAT WENT WRONG.

MODELO MADE IN MEXICO

Visit www.SanAntonio.gov/Arts

for the line-up of upcoming Virtual Public Art Conversations

Join The

conversation On New Public Art Projects

The Department of Arts & Culture is hosting a series of Virtual Conversations to share the latest on new public art projects and get feedback. These meetings will be held virtually, to meet COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

Learn How You Can Be Part Of The Discussion

sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

3

DINE-IN • TAKEOUT DELIVERY

CALL (210) 737-8646!

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YOUR CITY THROUGH OUR LENS S A C U R R E N T. C O M / S L I D E S H O W S

SHE’S GOING TO WORK. VIA HAS A PLAN TO GET HER THERE.

In San Antonio, people need to go to work, shop, care for family and stay connected. That’s where VIA can help. We have a plan to improve the transit system by decreasing wait times, shortening travel times and adding innovative services like ride share. All to help reach the goal of moving people quickly, reliably and easily. See how the plan works at KeepSAmoving.com.

4

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 20-23 /// November 6 - 17, 2020

26 Music

Publisher: Michael Wagner Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin

Music Picks

Editorial

Digital Content Editor: Kelly Merka Nelson Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Food and Nightlife Writer: Nina Rangel Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Chris Conde, Daniel Conrad, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martinez, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney, Leah Thompson, Abe Asher Editorial Interns: Emily DiTomasso, Brianna Espinoza Trevor Flynn, Katie Hennessey, Dana Nichols, Deanna Wilson

Advertising

Advertising Director: Michael Wagner

Marketing and Events

Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni Events Manager: Chelsea Bourque Sales & Event Coordinator: Sky Hawkes Marketing Interns: Julia Bentley

Creative Services

Graphic Designer: Samantha Serna Production Interns: Pedro Macias

Circulation

Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Euclid Media Group

Chief Executive Officer: Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers: Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services: Stacy Volhein Digital Operations Coordinator: Jaime Monzon Senior Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising: Voice Media Group (888) 278-9866, vmgadvertising.com San Antonio Current 915 Dallas San Antonio, Texas 78215 sacurrent.com Editorial: (210) 227-0044 / Fax - (210) 227-7755 Display Advertising: (210) 227-0044 Fax: (210) 227-7733 Classified: (210) 227-CLAS / Fax - (210) 227-7733 The San Antonio Current is published by Euclid Media Group

Twitter / Tony Gonzales

12 Feature

Missed Target Democrats hoped to paint the state blue in 2020. Here’s what went wrong.

07 News

The Opener News in Brief

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Glitter Political

Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran Wants District 3 to Recognize Its World- Class Status

San Antonio-raised CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell worries about Trump’s attack on journalism

17 Calendar Calendar Picks

19 Arts

Political Superpowers

San Antonio artist David Alcantar puts Superman at the center of his ongoing art project

21 Screens

To Be Continued?

10 movies progressives should watch after the election — depending who won

23 Food

Birria Bandwagon

San Antonio’s flood of new birria options offer varied interpretations of the Mexican stew

Spirited Hustle

Startup distiller Ranch Brand is building its brand, pandemic be damned

Viva Vesuvio’s

Italian food truck and art gallery in King William ‘crazy enough’ to open amid pandemic

On the Cover: Designer Samantha Serna devised this visual representation of Texas Democrats’ inability to land a massive win in the Lone Star State.

M

H

In another sign everything is going smoothly in the Texas attorney general’s office, all seven whistleblowers who requested a criminal investigation of AG Ken Paxton for bribery and abuse of office have left their jobs. Deputy First Assistant Attorney General Ryan Bangert — the last whistleblower still employed in Paxton’s office — resigned last Wednesday, calling it an “honor and a privilege” to serve. Paxton, who’s also under indictment for securities fraud, denies all charges of wrongdoing.

H

The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) voted unanimously last week to reverse a rule change that would have let state social workers discriminate against LGBTQIA+ and disabled clients. The council made the change at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott’s office two weeks ago. However, it changed course after an outcry from activists and lawmakers.

State Sen. Jose Menendez complimented the council for “stand[ing] on the right side of history.”

H

One knock-on effect of the COVID-19 pandemic may soon have serious consequences for the region. Due in large part to canceled donation drives at places like schools, South Texas is facing a blood shortage — with the San Antonio-based South Texas Blood and Tissue Center short hundreds of donations daily in October. If the shortage continues, hospitals may have to refuse treatment to certain patients or transport them to other facilities.

A new sculpture by Mexican artist Sebastian was unveiled in downtown San Antonio last month, and it’s timely: standing at 33 feet at the San Pedro roundabout, the Door of Equality (La Puerta de Igualdad) symbolizes the ongoing struggle for justice and light. The sculpture is Sebastian’s second in the city, following the Torch of Friendship (La Antorcha de la Amistad) sculpture gifted to San Antonio by the Mexican government in 2002. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Tyrants hear only their own voice.

Democracies rely on the voices of the people, even when those voices are narrowly divided. Trump is not fighting for more votes; he is desperately fighting to obstruct our democracy.”

— U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett,

D-Austin/San Antonio, on Trump’s premature declaration of victory.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Twitter / Bryan Babin

ASSCLOWN ALERT

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin The following is Assclown Alert, a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Look, we get it. Trump doesn’t like to be criticized, and Republican officials are averse to his Twitter lashings and super-mean nicknames.

After all, why risk making yourself a target for a bully and his base?

But there’s a difference between being a coward like, say, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who bites his tongue every time Trump steamrolls over another Democratic norm, and being the kind of assclown who dishes up praise for the prez’s autocratic moves.

Enter Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Babin of the bustling East Texas metropolis of Woodville.

Turns out Donald Trump’s border wall — y’know, the one Mexico is supposed to pay for — is instead costing U.S. taxpayers billions more than initially promised thanks to nobid contracts that have largely gone to firms supportive of Trump and the GOP, ProPublica reports. All in all, fencing built under Trump cost Americans five times as much as what it did under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the nonprofit investigative journalism site found.

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, trusts in God but not those shady Democrats.

M

(They’ve got a Walmart Supercenter, you know.)

Babin didn’t join his GOP brethren in staying silent as Trump falsely crowned himself election victor early Wednesday while multiple battleground states continued to count votes.

No sirree. Babin sat out the craven clam-up and pledged his fealty with a full-on bootlicking.

Shortly after the presidential pronouncement, he fired off a tweet praising Mango Mussolini’s efforts to monkey-wrench the election and warned us to be wary of those shifty-eyed Democrats.

“My trust is w/ @realDonaldTrump & his legal team to leave no stone unturned. I trust in God, but I don’t trust Dems,” Babin wrote. — Sanford

Just before Tuesday’s election, deaf voters in Bexar County said they faced inadequate access to voting centers. During early voting, those looking for sign language interpreters were told that the service was only available at a single voting site. “It is the law to have equal access to vote,” No Barriers Communications Executive Director Kay Chiodo said. “Simply put, deaf voters don’t have it.” — Abe Asher

The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Conservation Society canceled plans to for a fall heritage fundraiser at La Villita over rising COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations rates.

People who purchased a ticket for the event can take a refund, donate the money, or apply it to a future Conservation Society event.

Screenville Films

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

news GLITTER POLITICAL

Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran Wants District 3 to Recognize Its WorldClass Status

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

O

n July 5, 2015, Councilwoman Rebecca J. Viagran gave a speech in Bonn, Germany, when the San Antonio Missions were formally recognized as a World Heritage Site.

“The world now knows what we, in the South Side and the City of San Antonio, have always known,” she said before the 21-country committee, “that we have a world treasure in our very own backyard.”

Over an afternoon video chat, Viagran, 46, tells me that of all the experiences she’s had representing District 3 on the San Antonio City Council, that day stands out the most.

“I cried, then, too,” she says, eyes welling with tears.

Changed and motivated by the experience, Viagran brought that same message home to her constituents.

“We have to own that value and that worth in ourselves, and really demand more, because we are world class,” she says.

Now in her fourth and final term on council, Viagran says she’s proud of all she’s accomplished over her seven and a half years in office — even though COVID-19 has taken center stage during her closing stint.

In March, Viagran was one of the first public faces to precautionarily quarantine. At the time, it seemed to bring the reality of the impending health crisis that much closer to home. She had just returned from a meeting in the nation’s capital, where she and other leaders had met with Vice President Mike Pence.

After she and her colleagues put the finishing touches on the 2020-2021 city budget in September, she reflected on the economic, political and public health repercussions of the coronavirus crisis.

“I was ready to get all of this money for my district, and for programs, and for outreach, but we have to focus on our COVID response,” she says. “We’re still going to get a public safety substation in the district.

But [this] is not the way I had envisioned going out of my tenure.”

I ask her what the COVID experience taught her about flexibility in leadership.

“What it’s taught me is you have to be ready for anything,” she says. “And that just when you think it is tough, it can always get tougher. Just when we thought COVID and [the] pandemic was tough, then all of our businesses [started] shutting down. There are always tough decisions. [But] leaders lead. Especially local elected officials.”

She draws a sharp contrast between council’s work during the latest pandemic surge and that of federal lawmakers.

Jade Esteban Estrada

“They’re having debate after debate about stimulus bills. Local officials? We don’t have that luxury. We have to do something.”

Viagran says she doesn’t want San Antonians to see the health crisis as something that redefines the city in negative terms.

“Let’s take what COVID-19 magnifies and turn it into our new revolution, our new story of San Antonio,” she says.

While the pandemic brings myriad hurdles, Viagran says the most challenging time on council was her entire first term. During those two intense years, she dealt with the nondiscrimination ordinance, the Mission Trails rezoning, the resignation of Julián Castro as mayor and the installation of his appointee, Ivy Taylor, as successor.

Over the years, Viagran has been both praised and criticized for sharing her faith on the dais, once being told that she wasn’t a good Catholic, then on a separate occasion that she wasn’t Catholic enough.

Despite the flak, Viagran says her devotion continues to inform her decision making.

“I stick with the tenet of you ‘Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself,’” she says. “We’re going to have to reach out with compassion. We have to reach out with empathy and with grace — a lot of grace. Grace that people have in dealing with me,” she says with a gentle laugh. “And then grace that we extend to others, because everyone is going through something and we don’t know their story. So, we have to extend kindness and reach out.”

I ask Viagran if she was ever pulled aside and given

any council-maneuvering advice prior to taking office.

“Yes!” she says enthusiastically. “Learn how to count to six!”

Shifting from that sage advice, I ask her what wisdom she’d pass on to her successor about representing the city’s largest district.

“I would tell my successor in District 3 to be very clear when you’re talking about the South Side and the Southeast Side, because I-35 is our differentiator [between] the South and the Southeast Side.”

Does the dais have a different feel now that there is an elected female majority?

“Absolutely,” she affirms. “It does. I love it. The energy level is there, and [we are] really amplifying one another’s voices, and encouraging one another.

We just have to look at each other sometimes to know that one councilwoman needs backup from another councilwoman. We know the key words to home in on when somebody is not listening [or] when somebody is trying to dismiss them.”

Pre-COVID, women on council would greet each other with hugs. “But, unfortunately, we don’t do that now,” she laments.

I ask if she’ll seek higher office.

“I never count anything out,” she says. “Absolutely.

I am willing to serve in a higher-office capacity, and I believe that I’m going to continue to serve this community, and I think, the community at large. Whether it is mayor, whether it’s county, whether it is state rep, I think I can move within all of those areas. I think eight years [on council] and just growing up where I have has trained me very well.” sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

9

Approximately 70% of total hospitalized cases of COVID-19 are likely to have some type of underlying condition (the other 30% either do not have an underlying condition or their status is unknown).

CHANGE TODAY FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE. Make Changes • Reduce Risk • Take Control

DID YOU KNOW?

Over 34 million Americans have diabetes – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Over 88 million adults in the United States have prediabetes.

The City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department has assembled the Diabetes Prevention & Control Program to fight diabetes. Whether you are at risk for type 2 diabetes or if you have already been diagnosed, we have a program at NO COST to you!

We can help you: · Make lifestyle changes to help prevent or delay the disease · Work with family members to reduce your entire family’s risk · Manage the disease if you have already received a diagnosis. We’ll teach you how you can take control of your health and safely manage the symptoms of diabetes.

Call 210-207-8807 or visit diabeteshelpsa.com for more information.

6

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

H

In another sign everything is going smoothly in the Texas attorney general’s office, all seven whistleblowers who requested a criminal investigation of AG Ken Paxton for bribery and abuse of office have left their jobs. Deputy First Assistant Attorney General Ryan Bangert — the last whistleblower still employed in Paxton’s office — resigned last Wednesday, calling it an “honor and a privilege” to serve. Paxton, who’s also under indictment for securities fraud, denies all charges of wrongdoing.

H

The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) voted unanimously last week to reverse a rule change that would have let state social workers discriminate against LGBTQIA+ and disabled clients. The council made the change at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott’s office two weeks ago. However, it changed course after an outcry from activists and lawmakers.

State Sen. Jose Menendez complimented the council for “stand[ing] on the right side of history.”

H

One knock-on effect of the COVID-19 pandemic may soon have serious consequences the region.

Due in large part to cancelled donation drives at places like schools, South Texas is facing a blood shortage — with the San Antonio-based South Texas Blood and Tissue Center short hundreds of donations daily in October. If the shortage continues, hospitals may have to refuse treatment to certain patients or transport them to other facilities.

A new sculpture by Mexican artist Sebastian made was unveiled in downtown San Antonio last month, and it’s timely: standing at 33 feet at the San Pedro roundabout, the Door of Equality (La Puerta de Igualdad) symbolizes the ongoing struggle for justice and light. The sculpture is Sebastian’s second in the city, following the Torch of Friendship (La Antorcha de la Amistad) sculpture gifted to San Antonio by the Mexican government in 2002. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Tyrants hear only their own voice.

Democracies rely on the voices of the people, even when those voices are narrowly divided. Trump is not fighting for more votes; he is desperately fighting to obstruct our democracy.”

— U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett,

D-Austin/San Antonio, on Trump’s premature declaration of victory.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Twitter / Bryan Babin

ASSCLOWN ALERT

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin The following is Assclown Alert, a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Look, we get it. Trump doesn’t like to be criticized, and Republican officials are averse to his Twitter lashings and super-mean nicknames.

After all, why risk making yourself a target for a bully and his base?

But there’s a difference between being a coward like, say, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who bites his tongue every time Trump steamrolls over another Democratic norm, and being the kind of assclown who dishes up praise for the prez’s autocratic moves.

Enter Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Babin of the bustling East Texas metropolis of Woodville.

Turns out Donald Trump’s border wall — y’know, the one Mexico is supposed to pay for — is instead costing U.S. taxpayers billions more than initially promised thanks to nobid contracts that have largely gone to firms supportive of Trump and the GOP, ProPublica reports. All in all, fencing built under Trump cost Americans five times as much as what it did under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the nonprofit investigative journalism site found.

U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, trusts in God but not those shady Democrats .

M

(They’ve got a Walmart Supercenter, you know.)

Babin didn’t join his GOP brethren in staying silent as Trump falsely and prematurely crowned himself election victor early Wednesday while multiple battleground states continued to count votes.

No sirree. Babin moved beyond the craven clam-up and into full-on bootlicking. Shortly after the presidential pronouncement, he fired off a tweet praising Mango Mussolini’s efforts to monkey-wrench the election and warned us to be wary of those shifty-eyed Democrats.

“My trust is w/ @realDonaldTrump & his legal team to leave no stone unturned. I trust in God, but I don’t trust Dems,” Babin wrote. — Sanford Nowlin

Just before Tuesday’s election, deaf voters in Bexar County said they faced inadequate access to voting centers. During early voting, those looking for sign language interpreters were told that the service was only available at a single voting site. “It is the law to have equal access to vote,” No Barriers Communications Executive Director Kay Chiodo said. “Simply put, deaf voters don’t have it.” — Abe Asher

The City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Conservation Society cancelled plans to for a fall heritage fundraiser at La Villita over rising COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations rates.

People who purchased a ticket for the event can take a refund, donate the money, or apply it to a future Conservation Society event.

Screenville Films

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

Full kitchen and bar menu available Open 7 days a week • Explore our Garden!

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8

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an Order that prevents evictions for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 effective until December 31, 2020.

To be protected from eviction, qualified renters are required to act by providing their landlord a declaration form that follows the CDC's Order.

For housing assistance, more information on the CDC's Order ot to receive a copy of the CDC's form, call 210.207.5910 or visit: https://covid19.sanantonio.gov/evictions

A landlord who violates the CDC's Order could face federal penalties including a fine up to $100,000 per event and one year in jail.

news GLITTER POLITICAL

Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran Wants District 3 to Recognize Its WorldClass Status

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

O

n July 5, 2015, Councilwoman Rebecca J. Viagran gave a speech in Bonn, Germany, when the San Antonio Mission Trail was formally recognized as a World Heritage Site.

“The world now knows what we, in the South Side and the City of San Antonio, have always known,” she said before the 21-country committee, “that we have a world treasure in our very own backyard.”

Over an afternoon video chat, Viagran, 46, tells me that of all the experiences she’s had representing District 3 on the San Antonio City Council, that day stands out the most.

“I cried, then, too,” she says, eyes welling with tears.

Changed and motivated by the experience, Viagran brought that same message home to her constituents.

“We have to own that value and that worth in ourselves, and really demand more, because we are world class,” she says.

Now in her fourth and final term on council, Viagran says she’s proud of all she’s accomplished over her seven and a half years in office — even though COVID-19 has taken center stage during her closing stint.

In March, Viagran was one of the first public faces to precautionarily quarantine. At the time, it seemed to bring the reality of the impending health crisis that much closer to home. She had just returned from a meeting in the nation’s capital, where she and other leaders had met with Vice President Mike Pence.

After she and her colleagues put the finishing touches on the 2020-2021 city budget in September, she reflected on the economic, political and public health repercussions of the coronavirus crisis.

“I was ready to get all of this money for my district, and for programs, and for outreach, but we have to focus on our COVID response,” she says. “We’re still going to get a public safety substation in the district.

But [this] is not the way I had envisioned going out of my tenure.”

I ask her what the COVID experience taught her about flexibility in leadership.

“What it’s taught me is you have to be ready for anything,” she says. “And that just when you think it is tough, it can always get tougher. Just when we thought COVID and [the] pandemic was tough, then all of our businesses [started] shutting down. There are always tough decisions. [But] leaders lead. Especially local elected officials.”

She draws a sharp contrast between council’s work during the latest pandemic surge and that of federal lawmakers.

Jade Esteban Estrada

“They’re having debate after debate about stimulus bills. Local officials? We don’t have that luxury. We have to do something.”

Viagran says she doesn’t want San Antonians to see the health crisis as something that redefines the city in negative terms.

“Let’s take what COVID-19 magnifies and turn it into our new revolution, our new story of San Antonio,” she says.

While the pandemic brings myriad hurdles, Viagran says the most challenging time on council was her entire first term. During those two intense years, she dealt with the nondiscrimination ordinance, the Mission Trail rezoning, the resignation of Julián Castro as mayor and the installation of his appointee, Ivy Taylor, as successor.

Over the years, Viagran has been both praised and criticized for sharing her faith on the dais, once being told that she wasn’t a good Catholic, then on a separate occasion that she wasn’t Catholic enough.

Despite the flak, Viagran says her devotion continues to inform her decision making.

“I stick with the tenet of you ‘Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself,’” she says. “We’re going to have to reach out with compassion. We have to reach out with empathy and with grace — a lot of grace. Grace that people have in dealing with me,” she says with a gentle laugh. “And then grace that we extend to others, because everyone is going through something and we don’t know their story. So, we have to extend kindness and reach out.”

I ask Viagran if she was ever pulled aside and given

any council-maneuvering advice prior to taking office.

“Yes!” she says enthusiastically. “Learn how to count to six!”

Shifting from that sage advice, I ask her what wisdom she’d pass on to her successor about representing the city’s largest district.

“I would tell my successor in District 3 to be very clear when you’re talking about the South Side and the Southeast Side, because I-35 is our differentiator [between] the South and the Southeast Side.”

Does the dais have a different feel now that there is an elected female majority?

“Absolutely,” she affirms. “It does. I love it. The energy level is there, and [we are] really amplifying one another’s voices, and encouraging one another.

We just have to look at each other sometimes to know that one councilwoman needs backup from another councilwoman. We know the key words to home in on when somebody is not listening [or] when somebody is trying to dismiss them.”

Pre-COVID, women on council would greet each other with hugs. “But, unfortunately, we don’t do that now,” she laments.

I ask if she’ll seek higher office.

“I never count anything out,” she says. “Absolutely.

I am willing to serve in a higher-office capacity, and I believe that I’m going to continue to serve this community, and I think, the community at large. Whether it is mayor, whether it’s county, whether it is state rep, I think I can move within all of those areas. I think eight years [on council] and just growing up where I have has trained me very well.” sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

9

Relax responsibly . Corona ®

® Hard Seltzer Spiked Sparkling Water with Natural Flavors. Imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL *Not a low-calorie food. †Under FDA regulations, carbohydrates of 0.5 g per serving or less are declared as zero.

Per 12 fl. oz. serving of average analysis: Calories 90, Carbs 0 grams, Protein 0 grams, Fat 0 grams

10

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

news

Same Day

San Antonio-raised CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell worries about Trump’s attack on journalism

Delivery & pick up

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

B

orn into a military family, CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell grew up in San Antonio and attended Douglas MacArthur High School.

In her current position, O’Donnell, 46, has covered the 2020 Democratic and Republican National Conventions and interviewed newsmakers such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

After a career that started in print journalism, she jumped to television news in 1999. Since joining CBS in 2011, she’s held down positions ranging from chief White House correspondent to CBS This Morning co-anchor. She also serves as a correspondent on long-running news magazine show 60 Minutes.

We caught up O’Donnell before the election.

What keeps you up at night about what the media could get wrong during this election?

To be honest, what keeps me up at night is not that the democratic process will be rigged or that there’s fraud. What keeps me up at night is foreign interference.

It’s not my own personal view. It is based on my reporting, and I think it’s the one thing that has not received a great deal of media attention, just because there’s so much going on. But, for the past year, I’ve been speaking with top intelligence and law enforcement officials, who continue to be concerned about foreign interference. We saw it in the 2016 election. The efforts to sow division and chaos, and this year they’re at it again.

The top actors are Russia, China and Iran. The officials that I’ve spoken with are most concerned that on Election Day there could be a cyberware or ransomware attack. So, that in the process of, let’s say, the Secretary of State of Texas conveying the results to the Associated Press or to other media organizations — because that information is conveyed

when you order online or on our mobile app before 5pm*

Courtesy Photo / CBS News

Curbside Pick Up Available at Select Locations!

over the internet — that there could be a cyberattack.

Are you concerned that, because of President Trump’s rhetoric over the past four years, he’s harmed Americans’ understanding of the importance of journalism?

Yes. I’m sitting in the chair now that Walter Cronkite held for more than two decades, and he was known as the most trusted man in America. As I was preparing to take over this role, anchoring the CBS Evening News, I went back and read his autobiography. Spent a lot of time talking to people about Walter Cronkite. One of the quotes that he said was: “Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.” And I thought, “Oh, wow.” That says it all, right?

You need an informed electorate to make democracy work. Not only so that we vote for the right type of person, but also so that we hold those people accountable. That’s what journalism does. I mean, think about the greatest moments in journalistic history, and I’m only talking about modern history. Watergate.

Investigations into the Clintons and things they were doing. The journalistic work that exposed abuse in the Catholic Church and demanded accountability, and that fundamentally changed the church. The #MeToo movement. I mean, all of these are examples of — probably the most high-profile — but there are many more examples of incredible journalistic work that has created change. ... It saddens me that there has been an attack on journalism.

This interview was edited for clarity and length. To read a longer version, visit SACurrent.com and search “Nora O’Donnell.”

We encourage you to order online or download our mobile app for quick and easy delivery or in-store pick up.

twinliquors.com *Some restrictions apply. You must be 21+ to shop and order online, receive delivery, or pick up in store. All deliveries require in-person verification of a legal photo ID at point of delivery. Orders will NOT be left unattended. Limited delivery area and pick up only available at select locations. All in-store promotions and pricing do not apply to online order. Exclusions apply. Please drink responsibly. sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

11

news Missed Target

Democrats hoped to paint the state blue in 2020. Here’s what went wrong.

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

D

emocrats spent big and dreamed even bigger in Texas this election cycle. And, once again, they fell desperately short.

Emboldened by promising polls and a 12-seat gain in the Texas House during 2018, the party had hoped to crack Republicans’ long dominance here, winning their first statewide office in nearly three decades and racking up the nine seats needed to pull the House under their control.

Neither of those things happened, and in the end, Democrats lost one seat in the House and replaced it with a single gain, leaving the party where it was in 2018. The San Antonio seat of incumbent State Rep. Steve Allison — one Dems had targeted to flip — remains in Republican control with challenger Celina Montoya falling seven points short.

“At the end of the day, they were trying to run against incumbents,” said veteran Democratic political consultant Laura Barberena. “If you’re going to beat an incumbent, you have to give people compelling reasons to vote against them. In the absence of that, you’ve got to drive turnout, and I just don’t think that happened.”

Despite a rush of outside spending and a rival with a smudged record, Chrysta Castañeda, a Democrat seeking a slot on the important oil-and-gas regulatory body the Texas Railroad Commission, fell 10 points shy. Many observers had given her the best hope of breaking the Dems’ nearly 30-year losing streak at chasing statewide races.

The outcome for the Lone Star State’s national offices were just as grim.

Democrat MJ Hegar, a decorated Air Force helicopter pilot, forced three-term incumbent John Cornyn to burn through a massive reelection war chest that started at $12 million before the race was underway.

Even so, he beat her by 10 points.

Gina Ortiz Jones, a Democratic rising star, lost a close race to political novice Tony Gonzales to represent retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Will Hurd’s sprawling 23rd District, including part of San Antonio. She’d come within 900 votes of winning the same seat in 2018, making the defeat all the more painful.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Chip Roy bested former state Sen. Wendy Davis to hold his spot representing the 21st District, which includes San Antonio and the Hill Country. Democrats targeted the seat, sensing that Roy, a controversial Tea Party firebrand, was a poor fit for the district’s increasingly suburban demographics.

While President Donald Trump’s six-point win over Joe Biden this election cycle was the second-closest statewide race for the White House in the past quarter century, Democrats’ much-vaunted momentum in the suburbs seems to have stalled, said Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson.

“I think Democrats’ success in 2018 in the Texas House was picking the low hanging fruit,” he said.

“It was also a period when change was coming to 12

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

Sanford Nowlin

the suburbs, in that voters there were looking for more balance and not just Republican candidates all the time. But it doesn’t look like that continued this election cycle.”

Trinity University Political Science Professor Juan Sepulveda said Democrats had reason to be excited about 2020, especially with new Latinx voters joining the rolls. However, he said they were overly optimistic about how another demographic change would help their chances: the influx of new voters from outside the state.

“The data shows that many of the people leaving California, Oregon or Washington are leaving because of taxation and some issues that are likely to drive them to the Republican Party,” he said.

Bright spots That’s not to say Tuesday’s election was devoid of victories for Democrats.

Texas Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, beat State Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, by a three-point margin in the race to represent District 19, a sprawling Democratic stronghold that stretches from San Antonio through West Texas.

Beyond painting the district blue again, Gutierrez’s victory ends the 19-seat supermajority that had allowed Republicans to bring bills to debate in the full Senate without support from across the aisle. That’s a loss for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who’s used the supermajority to force the chamber hard to the right.

What’s more, observers say, Tuesday’s results show Republicans had little success in the state’s growing urban areas. Even though San Antonio-area progressives felt a sting from the losses by Jones and Davis,

Democratic Senate candidate MJ Hegar addresses reporters during a recent stop in San Antonio.

M

the three Democrats representing the rest of the city’s congressional delegation — Joaquin Castro, Lloyd Doggett and Henry Cuellar — handily won reelection.

Indeed, in Bexar and the state’s four other largest urban counties with dependable Democratic majorities, 2.6 million voters cast ballots for Biden, up from the 1.9 million who did so for Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to an analysis by advocacy group Progress Texas.

Here’s the problem: that gain was at least partially offset by increased turnout for Trump in rural counties that skew Republican. This cycle, 2.3 million in those counties turned up to support the president, compared to 2 million in 2016, according to the same analysis.

Those results are more indicative of the divided nature of the electorate than Democrats’ failure to mobilize urban and suburban voters, argues Ed Espinoza, executive director of Progress Texas.

“Just because things didn’t go our way doesn’t mean it wasn’t a competitive election,” he said.

“When you look at the trend, it’s going in the right direction.”

Rethinking the ground game Even so, political observers say some of the high-profile defeats this cycle point to problems the Democratic Party still needs to overcome.

For an understanding on where things went wrong in 2020, GOP political strategist Matt Mackowiak sug-

Twitter / Roland Gutierrez

Roland Gutierrez, who won a seat in the Texas Senate, meets potential voters in San Antonio.

M

gests Democrats look at Jones’ District 23 race, which many favored her to win.

Jones largely ran a virtual campaign in response to the pandemic, relying on Zoom meetings and phone calls to interact with constituents. Meanwhile, her opponent made frequent appearances across the massive district.

The Gonzales campaign knocked on 27,000 doors in the past six weeks and the candidate himself visited all 29 districts in the county twice in the past two months alone, according to Mackowiak.

“Showing up during the race is important,” he said.

“If you’re not showing up to talk to the constituents when you’re running, they know you’re not going to show up once you’re elected.”

To be sure, Gonzales repeatedly made the false allegation that Jones lived in Washington D.C. instead of the district, even though she actually resides on San Antonio’s West Side. Absurd as the claim may be, observers say it was hard for Jones to effectively rebut it when she wasn’t visiting counties around the district.

As most expected, Democrats landed wins in many counties along the border, but data suggests that the party didn’t invest enough resources in South Texas or reach out meaningfully in heavily Latinx areas outside the big cities. Biden picked up a combined 17 percentage points in the state’s 28 counties near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. In contrast, Hillary Clinton commanded a 33-point margin in those same counties in 2016.

Experts argue that slide came because national

Democrats failed to launch a significant organizing program in deep South Texas. The party, they add, simply can’t keep assuming the state’s Latinx voters will continue supporting the party without meaningful outreach.

“Both parties have taken this group for granted,” said Purdue University political science professor James McCann. “Republicans have largely assumed they don’t have a chance with winning with Hispanic voters, while Democrats just assume they’re reliably going to vote Democrat. Both of them are wrong.”

McCann is co-author of Holding Fast: Resilience and Civic Engagement Among Latino Immigrants, a book based on a national study of Latino communities that argues first-generation Latinx immigrants are eager to engage in politics but don’t share Black Americans’ strong identification with the Democratic party.

In the wake of the election, the thesis seems prescient.

Tailoring the message Whether it’s Hispanic voters in the Rio Grande Valley, suburban voters in swing districts or those in rural counties, political observers say Democrats can’t simply rely on mobilizing tried-and-true voters if they want to build on 2018’s gains.

Some point to Beto O’Rourke’s campaign that cycle as a potential model. His narrow-miss U.S. Senate campaign took him to every county in the state, energizing progressive voters who feel overlooked and convincing persuadable non-Democrats that the party isn’t a socialist cabal intent on outlawing red meat and hunting rifles.

“As much as we’ve gotten good at turnout, we’re going to have to get better at persuasion,” Espinoza of

Twitter / Tony Gonzales

Republican congressional candidate Tony Gonzales on one of his many visits to counties in the district he ran to represent.

M

Progress Texas said.

Still, Espinoza acknowledges that many voters make their decisions based on identity rather than policy issues. And when it comes to urban versus rural Texans on matters of identity, there’s a “Grand Canyon-sized gulf.”

Republican strategist Mackowiak said until Democrats can find a message that lines up better with Texans’ interests in gun rights, individual liberties and other issues that veer from the national platform, they’re unlikely to expand their appeal.

“The national Democratic Party platform is not a winner in Texas,” he said. “It may be a winner in liberal places like New York and California, but it’s not working in Texas districts that Democrats need to win.”

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa acknowledged that party must do some soul searching in Tuesday’s wake and identify new strategies. Nonetheless, he’s not counting 2020 as a defeat.

“Any pundit who claims ‘Democrats lost Texas’ can’t see the forest for the trees. We have been making ground year, after year, after year, because we have been fighting for this,” he said. “Every newly registered, first-time young voter will be even more prepared to vote in the next election. When everything has been stacked against us—gerrymandering, voter suppression, voter intimidation — we did not give up.

We will not give up after the closest we’ve come in a generation to delivering our electoral college votes to a Democratic presidential candidate.” sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

news Put up or shut up Even though this cycle proved disappointing for state Democrats on many levels, they’re going into the 2021 legislative session with a considerably stronger hand than they had in 2017 — and at least a slightly better one than they did in 2019.

Republicans retained their House majority, but it’s still slim, meaning there’s more pressure to work across the aisle than in years past. Gutierrez’s Senate win will force the GOP to sway some Democrats if it wants to bring legislation up for full debate. Otherwise, Patrick will need to enter another partisan scrap to change the rules.

Beyond that, the session will also be put-up-orshut-up time for the controlling party, according to Lege watchers.

State lawmakers face the daunting challenge of crafting a new budget at the same time as they shore up revenues put through the meat grinder by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, cities such as San Antonio are expected to push for police reform and LGBTQ+ activists are determined to force a conversation on the statewide lack of anti-discrimination protections.

Political observers don’t expect Republicans to rise to the challenge by finding new sources of revenue or innovative solutions. That’s likely to mean further deep cuts to education and other programs favored by Texans of both parties.

What’s more, top-of-the-ballot Republicans will enter the 2022 election year with new vulnerabilities.

Polls show Gov. Greg Abbott’s popularity has plummeted due to his confusing, stop-start approach to handling the pandemic. What’s more, observers warn he’ll likely face a challenge from the right, perhaps from social conservative Patrick, which could further damage his prospects.

Should Patrick instead choose to run for reelection as Lt. Governor, he’ll be lugging baggage such as his failed bathroom bill and recent pronouncements that old people should be willing to die from COVID-19 to save the economy. Even though Patrick outspent his Democratic opponent Mike Collier six-to-one in 2018, he eked out less than a five-point win.

And then there’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose latest scandal involves a raft of top aides calling for his investigation for bribery and abuse of office. And that’s on top of the five-year-old securities fraud indictment his legal team has been dragging out to avoid trial.

If Paxton’s political career survives into 2022, he’ll likely face a challenge from within his own party, creating yet more GOP turmoil.

Democrats may not have been able to recast Texas as a blue state or even a purple state this go-round, but observers say Sen. John Cornyn’s 2018 warning that the state is no longer “reliably red” should be no less of a warning to the GOP going forward.

While Democrats are retooling their strategy in the wake of 2020, SMU’s Jillson says Republicans would be well advised to do the same. The state’s demographic changes may not have brought a blue wave this cycle, but they’re real and they’re not yet done.

“You can’t continue going along with Dan Patrick on all of the issues and expect to be able to win Hispanic and Asian voters,” Jillson said.

Sanford Nowlin

sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

calendar

FRI | 11.06 SUN | 11.15

face in the American system. Directed by Rudy Ramirez, the show explores life as an individual who flows across a river

border, moving between languages and seeking a place in a

society that “demands sacrifice at the altar of citizenship.” In past years, the play has won multiple B. Iden Payne awards,

TH EATRE

was an Austin Critics Table Award recipient for Excellence

SQUEAMISH

in Direction and was named one of Robert Faires’s Top 10

The Public Theater of San Antonio is delivering a bloody

Theatrical Treasurers of 2018 in the Austin Chronicle. To say

nightmare on the heels of the spooky season with its virtual

the least, the one-person performance starring Valles is set

one-person production of Squeamish by Aaron Mark. The

to open eyes, hearts and minds. The show will be lives-

free-flowing play follows the troubled thoughts of Sharon,

treamed each night except for Sunday, which will feature a stream of a pre-recorded performance. $15-$20, 7:30-9 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Teatro Audaz, (210) 401-7060, teatroaudaz.com — Brianna Espinoza

SAT | 11.07

Courtesy Photo / Diwali SA

SPECIAL EVEN T

DIWALI The Diwali SA Festival of Lights will return virtually for its 12th annual installment as a reminder to celebrate light over darkness during difficult times, including the current pandemic. On November 7, participants can learn about San Antonio’s sister city relationship with Chennai, India, and Indian Culture through art, music, food and dance, all from the comfort of their own homes. The cultural side of the event will also include a plethora of activities, such as yoga, Bollywood Zumba, cooking, music and Kolam — a form of art using rice flour to create intricate designs in doorways.

Attendees will also be able to shop for Indian food, clothing, jewelry and more through online vendors. The festival is co-hosted by the City of San Antonio and partially funded by the Department of Arts and Culture. Guests can participate via diwalisa.com, Facebook Live, Instagram Live and YouTube. Free, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., various websites. — Emily DiTomasso

THU | 11.12 SUN | 11.15 TH EATER

(UN)DOCUMENTS (Un)Documents, the first full-length solo show by actor and Courtesy Image / Public Theater of San Antonio

poet Jesús I. Valles, aims to evoke the challenges immigrants

a psychotherapist and recovering alcoholic who’s lost faith in her practice. A nephew’s suicide pulls her down from

Facebook / San Antonio Botanical Garden

SAT | 11.15

Upper West Side NYC to the South Plains of Texas, where she grapples with a family history of depression by embracing her worst fear: blood. Things get ghoulish as cutting ensues.

SPECIAL EVEN T

It’s a fairly dark turn for actress Ginger Gamble Martel, who audiences may recognize from numerous musical theater

BONSAI WEEKEND

roles in San Antonio, most recently as The Acrobat/Mom 4 in

In conjunction with its “OrigamiintheGarden²” exhibition,

Matilda at The Public. Originally slated to open October 15,

which features metal sculptures imitating the folds of paper

a Do Not Work designation from Actor’s Equity Association

origami, the San Antonio Botanical Garden is celebrat-

briefly looked like it might quash the production as the

ing another hallmark of Japanese culture with its Bonsai

union clashed with the non-profit theater over its COVID-19

Weekend event. The practice of bonsai works to mimic the

protocols. The drama is mostly back on stage now, as The

look of full-grown trees at a tiny scale. The San Antonio

Public announced a renewed relationship with AEA, though

Bonsai Society will showcase a variety of bonsai throughout

the theater’s board of directors placed CEO George Green on

the garden galleries on Saturday, November 15, and society

leave before parting ways with him at the end of October.

members will tend to their trees and answer questions about

$25-$35 per device, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays, 2 p.m. Satur-

bonsai care and the exhibition. $3-$15, 9 a.m-5 p.m., San

days-Sundays, November 6-15, Online, (210) 733-7258, thepub-

Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, (210) 536-1400,

licsa.org. — Trevor Flynn

Facebook / Teatro Audaz San Antonio

sabot.org. — Laura Morales

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

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CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

arts

Political Superpowers San Antonio artist David Alcantar puts Superman at the center of his ongoing art project

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

A

s the final votes rolled in for the 2016 presidential election, local artist David Alcantar found himself upset, mostly for his wife and young daughter, that the United States had chosen as its new leader someone who “appeared to be contrary to American principles and ideals.”

“I was asking myself, ‘How could this country elect a person of such character?’” Alcantar said.

“What was the negotiation that had to take place in order for this to happen?”

The answer Alcantar finally landed on was that in Donald Trump, Americans were looking for a savior — someone outside the political establishment who would rescue them from their hopeless situations.

“They put a lot of faith in this man,” Alcantar said. “In my opinion, everything that he promised hasn’t turned out to be true at all.”

As a direct result of the 2016 election, Alcantar decided to start a new artistic endeavor, the Superman Project. The undertaking began as a way to question the idea of heroism and the desire for salvation. Who better, Alcantar thought, than Superman to represent everything a superhero should stand for?

“The relationship between America and Superman is actually quite interesting and enduring,” Alcantar said.

“Superman is a fictional character. He doesn’t exist in the real world, but we respond to the idea of him as if he were a real person.”

The Superman Project started with what Alcantar knew best — visual art. He drew and painted pieces that focused on Superman’s iconography as it relates to political discourse. In one drawing, Superman tells Trump how much he trusts him as president. Then, Trump responds with his infamous “Grab ‘em by the pussy” monologue.

In another piece, Superman stands boldly, fists clenched as he says, “It was Krypton that made me Superman, but it is Earth that makes me human.” Behind him, text from the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act speaks to the policies the Trump administration has passed

David Alcantar

making it harder for legal immigration to take place. The irony, of course, is that Superman is an undocumented immigrant.

“Superman wasn’t even born here,” Alcantar said. “He’s not actually an American, but we claim him very readily and happily as our hero and champion.”

Over the past four years, the Superman Project has evolved depending on what has taken place during the Trump administration. For example, Alcantar’s ears perked up when rapper Kanye West visited the White House in October 2018 and compared a Make America Great Again hat to Superman’s cape. Alcantar riffed on the incident, drawing West wearing the MAGA hat and saying, “This hat gives me a different power in a way ... It made me feel like Superman … You made a Superman cape for me.”

Above West is a drawing of David Alcantar Superman breaking through a curtain to the chants of, “USA! USA! USA!” “It’s been difficult to keep up with everything that has happened since Trump took office,” Alcantar said. “But when Kanye explicitly mentioned Superman, it was perfect, so I knew I had to use it. I would say my artwork for this project became more refined as the presidency continued.”

As Alcantar developed his artwork, he also expanded the project into performance art and

writing, including an unpublished editorial titled “How to be a Superman in a Lex Luthor Presidency.” In 1986, comic book writer and artist John Byrne re-envisioned the villain Lex Luthor as a rich and powerful businessman in his Man of Steel series, modeling the character after Trump. In the article, Alcantar shared how helpless he felt when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died in late September and how he worries it will change the country moving forward.

“So many of the world’s problems would be but nuisances if there were a Superman,” Alcantar wrote. “But there is no Superman. There is only us — mere mortals.”

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Alcantar added another component to his Superman Project. He titled the performance art piece “The American.”

As part of the performance, the mild-mannered artist runs throughout the city wearing a Superman T-shirt and tiny red shorts while waving a massive white flag with the word “Vote!” emblazoned on it.

Alcantar hoped his runs would encourage voters to get to the polls.

“The message that I wanted people to get is that the power that they seek rests within,” he said. “It is their own doing that is going to determine whether they get saved or not.

Fundamentally, that’s the lesson of Superman.

He doesn’t want to rescue you. He wants you to rescue yourself.”

To see more of the Superman Project, visit Alcantar’s Instagram page at Instagram.com/davidmalcantar.

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

10 movies progressives should watch after the presidential election — depending who won

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t’s a few days after the 2020 presidential election, and there’s a good chance Americans don’t yet know who the next president is. This article is being written a few days before Election Day, so we’re not sure if the undecided race is because it’s going to take a few more days to tally up the votes or because the current president is making good on his word and refusing to concede.

Nevertheless, if we’re going to have to wait around for the results of one of the most critical elections in the history of this country, we might as well watch some movies, amirite?

So, here are 10 recommendations based on the election outcome or lack thereof. We included three movies to watch if Donald Trump won reelection, three if Joe Biden was victorious and three if the election really did turn into a clusterfuck and we’re in this for the long haul. Just for good measure, we tossed in a bonus pick in case we all woke up this morning floating around in some sort of vacuous, time-sucking blackhole vortex where neither light nor screams can escape.

If Donald Trump Won First, take a deep breath. The world is not going to suddenly end if Wednesday morning came and Donald Trump is in for a second term. Take the day off, wallow in your sorrows and imagine what the next few years will look like. Start with writer-director Lars Von Trier’s 2011 sci-fi drama Melancholia. It was inspired by the Danish provocateur’s own experience with depression. Set against the backdrop of a lavish wedding, the second half of the film focuses on humankind’s impending extinction. A newly discovered planet is on a collision course to hit Earth. Seems like if something like this were to happen during a second Trump term, he’d tell everyone the astronomers are wrong and that the planet barreling toward us is going to disappear like a miracle. As an alternate, you could also go with Gaspar Noé’s trippy 2018 thriller Climax about a dance troupe that goes insane after they ingest LSD-laced sangria, which appears to be the same concoction Trump drinks before making immigration policy. If those two

screens

To Be Continued?

Melancholia / Magnolia Pictures

suggestions don’t work, try the Oscar-winning 1960 drama Elmer Gantry, adapted from the book by Sinclair Lewis. It tells the story of a charismatic con man who fakes his way into becoming a powerful preacher, disregards science and marvels at his crowd size. Now, where have we heard that one before?

If Joe Biden Won For most of our readers, things will be a lot less stressful if the former veep and his running mate Kamala Harris already have their tickets punched for the White House.

So, let’s start the movie marathon off with the obvious sequel for this occasion, Rocky IV. Russian boxer Ivan Drago kills American hero Apollo Creed only to have the Italian — or in this case Scranton — Stallion get vengeance by knocking him out in the final fight.

Vladimir Putin will be displeased. Of course, hardworking journalists have been dragged through the mud during the Trump presidency, so let’s finally drop all the “fake news” bullshit and revisit the Oscar-winning 1976 drama All the President’s Men to remember how important a free press is to this country.

The film follows Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they uncover the Watergate scandal, which leads to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Finally, as a romantic comedy, 500 Days of Summer is somewhat of a bummer, but there’s a scene where Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s

character sleeps with the girl of his dreams and wakes up dancing to Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams (Come True).” Here’s hoping that’s what our Wednesday morning feels like.

If the Race Isn’t Over

Let’s say the election ended up being closer than most pundits imagined. Either states are still counting ballots, or the country is gearing up for another Bush V. Gore-like court fight. Whatever the case, let’s pass the time with a few movies centered on sports rivalries: 1984’s The Karate Kid, 1996’s Happy Gilmore and 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Remember, in all those movies, the good guy wins.

If We’ve Dissolved into Cosmic Particles and No Longer Have Access to Our Streaming Services Watch any nonsensical or esoteric material you can find, from Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! and The Fountain to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. May we suggest, however, a piece of mind-melding cinematic art from France? The 2012 fantasy Holy Motors is an aimless cinematic experiment. We won’t begin to explain what the film is about, but it’s basically like watching one man act out a bizarre performance piece, which, in a sense, is exactly what we’ve been doing for the past four years.

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

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22 CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

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Garnish with espresso beans.

food

Birria Bandwagon San Antonio’s flood of new birria options offer varied interpretations of the Mexican stew

BY RON BECHTOL

B

irria is having a moment in San Antonio.

Make that a mega moment. From humble origins in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Michoacan as a rustic and chile-laden stew — usually of goat or long-in-the-tooth lamb — a new and improved birria, by way of California, is now the stuff of 30-minute-y-mas lines. It can even come in fried tacos stuffed with cheese or paired with ramen.

Though you might not know it from the current craze, San Antonio has long had worthy sources of birria, although crafted from recipes that didn’t make a detour through the Sunshine State. Goat birria is an enduring staple at Cascabel Mexican Patio in Southtown, while Guajillo’s on Blanco uses lamb in its preparation. Both are served with corn tortillas and condiments for assembling your own tacos, should you choose.

But it’s also good to admit that food changes over time. I’m leaving the birria and ramen combination in the jury’s-still-out column for the time being. However, with cheesy beef birria challenging goat and lamb at many locations in San Antonio, it’s worth investigating the new crop of restaurants serving it up.

There will likely be a line at the El Remedio truck on Culebra Road. The ordering process is efficient, though, and you’ll be given a buzzer to alert you when yours is ready.

Among the offerings is a birria tatemada, and though that recipe is typically thought to have originated in Jalisco, El Remedio’s roots are in Michoacan via Los Angeles. Clearly, multiple influences may have crept in.

What you get is a bowl of shredded beef birria, a separate cup of mildly flavorful caldo and a brace of gorgeous corn tortillas that have been bathed in the caldo before being griddled. The beef itself is a little fatty, so it appreciates the accompanying salsa and lime and the comfort of the tortillas. Think of the caldo as a chaser.

El Remedio also offers the currently crave-worthy quesitacos — sometimes called quesatacos — served in griddled tortillas filled with birria and melty cheese. Since this rendition isn’t as chile- and spice-forward as many, the cheese and frying are welcome. So is the addition of chopped onion and cilan-

Ron Bechtol

tro — just pry open each taco, insert and eat.

Operating out of a former take-out pizza joint on South Presa Street, Birria Barrio leads with what they call quesabirria, served with consomé. Theirs is a good balance of shreddy beef and melty queso, and the salsas are potent. You can dip your taco in the modestly spiced consomé — a ritual I don’t quite get, but whatever floats your bowl. On the menu, too, is a Keto taco with a “queso tortilla.” There’s also Tapatio brand spicy ramen — available at your local Walmart — with added birria. I remain unconvinced when it comes to that offering.

Birrieria Estilo Jalisco hides behind a drivethrough clinic on Nacogdoches Road. Top of menu there is a version of two quesabirrias, one soft, one crispy. I failed to specify, so can only assume that “soft” is the default. The handmade corn tortillas are fragrant and good, but not much is gained by adding unmelted cheese to the birria inside. Maybe go for crispy. The beef-only birria burrito adds beans, so it’s marginally more satisfying.

Best of all, though was the birria “plate” with goat. What you get is a bowl brimming with chivo — yes, a few bones, but some cracked so the marrow contributes — afloat in a rust-colored broth. The flavor might not be as chile-heavy as the color suggests, but the spicing, popping with cinnamon, makes this a dish worth driving for.

Back on Culebra, just a few blocks west of El Remedio, sits longtime restaurant Birrieria y Taqueria Ay Arandas. Its menu board, offering cow in forms from brains to eyeballs, deserves some kind of cultural commendation. Sitting apart is the apparently new placard touting quesatacos, but I was already up to my own eyeballs in those, hence my order of birria de borrego, translated as “stew lamb chops.” With its elevated levels of both cinnamon-heavy spicing and chile, it was one of the better bowls I tasted, no cheese required.

Quesatacos did make one final appearance in this investigation, these at the hands of Chef Ernie Bradley of Cherrity Bar’s Kuriya Ramen. With a foot in both culinary cultures, if anyone ever wanted to make the ramen-birria arranged marriage work it’s certainly Bradley.

The chef is developing a truck concept called La Tienda de Birria, set to open at 930 N. New Braunfels Avenue, and he’s been testing it at pop-ups, including the Noche de Birria that I attended at Dorcol Distilling & Brewing in September.

Not unsurprisingly, his is the cheffiest — in the best sense — rendition of the bunch.

Bradley applied asadero and manchego cheeses to crispy and lacy effect — and the filling is goat, cementing my preference for the randy carne.

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

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Chris Ware (left) and West Stone built their new liquor brand on their extensive beverage-industry experience.

a

Spirited Hustle

Courtesy Photo / Ranch Brand

Startup distiller Ranch Brand is building its business, pandemic be damned

BY NINA RANGEL

W

hen it comes to the booze business, Chris Ware and West Stone are seasoned pros.

Together, the two San Antonians have nearly three decades liquor-industry experience, from national sales to slinging drinks behind the bar.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the duo took their next big professional step and launched their own brand: Ranch Brand Wine & Spirits.

They launched the business in June after Stone was laid off from his job as national sales manager for San Antonio-based distiller Seersucker Gin. “We had been thinking and talking about Ranch for a while, about creating this line of products, and I sort of got pushed off the cliff. It was time,” Stone said. “I called [Ware] and said, ‘Hey, I think I want to do this. Do you want to do this with me?’”

On June 1, Ware — who managed accounts in six Southwestern states for the same local distillery — quit to join Stone in creating Ranch Brand.

The pair set out to create affordable high-quality spirits and interviewed several local distilleries in search of one that shared similar ideals. They quickly landed on a partnership with Alamo Distilling for Ranch Brand’s inaugural product, a vodka that was well-received by consumers and craft cocktail establishments alike.

The positive buzz paved the way for the subsequent products in the Ranch family: gin and three Texas 24

CURRENT | November 6 – 17, 2020 | sacurrent.com

“Most distributors didn’t want anything to do with us. The general feeling was, ‘There’s a pandemic going on. We don’t know what that’s going to do to the market,’” Ware said.

But, he added, “Everybody knows that when times are good, people drink. When times are bad, people drink more.”

So far, sales figures back up that assessment.

According to numbers from Nielsen, alcohol sales in stores were up 54% in late March compared to that time last year, and online sales were up nearly 500% in late April. From what the Ranch Brand team has seen, alcohol appears to be the self-medication of choice during the pandemic — at least in Texas.

“Now that bars and restaurants are opening back up, we’ve seen a hockey stick spike in sales,” Ware said. “When the pandemic started, [Stone] and I would just pop into places to see who would talk to us. We’re not doing things the old-school way, where we throw an event and give away free shit with our logo on it. We talk to the establishment about what we can offer that we think may work for them.”

Face-to-face connections

At the onset of statewide shutdowns, the San Antonio, Austin and Houston bar scenes proved to be impenetrable sales territory for Ranch Brand. However, the less-competitive Fredericksburg market turned out to be prime picking. At press time, nearly every bourbons.

51% establishment in the tourist town has at least one Stone and Ware debuted the bourbons late last of the company’s spirits on its menu. month, introducing overproof whiskeys to the West Texas has also yielded opportunity for the brand’s growing portfolio. Each Ranch Texas bourbon duo, who trekked out to visit liquor retailers in the is aged for at least two years in charred barrels before area, bottles in hand. The seemingly obvious move being bottled in San Antonio. paid off because other suppliers rarely make the time The team also produces gin, rum to build face-to-face connections, and vodka under a smaller, more Ware said. casual brand: Derel. The Derel line “You look at some of the largest was developed to give bartenders [liquor] companies in America, and a local option for well booze that they started either after prohibition offers quality at a competitive price. or after WWII — they were so used The brand gained popularity via to getting their ass kicked,” he addsocial media, with liberal use of ed. “And they learned how to make the hashtag #dpics, funny memes it by because they started looking at and organic engagement from bars things differently.” across Texas that use the products.

For Ware, the brand’s continued success will come down to hard work and building on his and Wary distributors Stone’s deep industry experience.

“It goes back to our motto, which Like any startup, Ware and Stone is that there’s two reasons you’re not have also faced their share of successful: you’re either too scared hurdles. While the pandemic has Instagram / Ranch Brand to be, or you’re too lazy to be,” Stone disrupted virtually every industry, the food and beverage community business has taken added. “There’s 3,000 small distillers in America that are putting really great product out there. It’s just one of the hardest hits. During a time when potenthat many of them don’t know how to sell it. We do. tial customers were closing their doors and losing Our experience, that hustle, has absolutely gotten us revenue, big distributors were wary of taking on new here.” craft spirits.

Viva Vesuvio’s

Italian food truck and art gallery in King William ‘crazy enough’ to open amid pandemic

BY KATIE HENNESSEY

A

fter working together in the restaurant industry for 17 years as servers, managers and kitchen staff, a trio of colleagues planned to start their own food venture this spring.

But when the March opening day arrived for their Vesuvio’s Pizzeria food truck, the partners woke up to news of a citywide COVID-19 shutdown.

“The day we set up the computer, finished designing our menu with our food truck ready for business was the first day that the city closed down [due] to coronavirus,” co-owner Esteban Alvayero said.

The new entrepreneurs, formerly employed by Southtown Pizzeria, paused their opening while friends and associates dished out cautionary counsel.

“This is when you are supposed to run away,” a friend advised Alvayero.

“But he was wrong,” Alvayero said. “This is all about faith. If you truly believe in your food and the mission behind what you are doing, then there is no way to fail.”

Clinging to that mantra gave the three partners the assurance they needed to stick to their dream and carry on with their opening.

‘Everything we do is for our guests’ Vesuvio’s doesn’t fit the traditional grab-and-go food truck model. Parked at 1110 South Alamo St., the truck sits in the driveway of a historic King William home. Chef, artist and co-owner Ana Mercedes Linares plans to use the house as a gallery for her paintings and a place for community art classes.

The crew serves up scratch-made pizza, Italian dishes and desserts amid the backdrop of dimly lit patio seating.

“It’s gourmet food without the fine china,” Alvayero said.

Sounds of jazz, popping wine corks and water trickling from a nearby fountain invite guests to come in and stay awhile, as if the setting is their own home. Alvayero wanders among the tables, entertaining guests and calling pedestrians in from the sidewalk for a complimentary glass of wine.

“When you serve a person food, they become a part of your family,” he said.

Born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Alvayero’s best childhood memories revolved around a kitchen table.

His father, who inspired many of the restaurant’s Italian recipes, died two months ago from COVID-19.

“My father always told me not to count my age by years, but by the friends and family in my life,” Alvayero said. “That’s why we are here. Everything we do is

Katie Hennessey

for our guests.”

‘Crazy enough’ to open As the pandemic shutdown dragged on, associates barraged Alvayero and his partners with well-meaning advice.

“It’s like watching that scary scene in a movie when the viewer knows that there is danger in one direction, yet the character walks straight towards the threat,” one concerned acquaintance counseled Alvayero about his opening plans.

“Eventually, I think everyone reached the point of being tired of staying home,” said Anthony Rodriguez, the truck’s third partner. “Meanwhile, we also reached this point of being tired of sitting on our idea.”

Rodriguez oversees the business side of Vesuvio’s, but he’s often seen rolling dough mid-shift to keep up with the rush.

He said the decision to open during the pandemic set low expectations from the start.

“We said, bare minimum, we need to survive on this, and we were doing it,” Rodriguez said. “Now we are in a place where we can expand and slowly build up to meet the market potential.”

The mobile eatery moved from a gas station to a food truck hub before finding its current location.

Having served the King William community for almost a decade at Southtown Pizzeria, the partners were determined to offer an art component to their business that fit the neighborhood.

‘Let the dogs bark’ Mercedes Linares — who’s frequently onsite crafting homemade desserts, dressings and sauces — said opening the truck felt similar to overcoming the challenges she’s faced as an artist.

During a high school class in her native El Salvador, Mercedes Linares painted a scene from Don Quixote, the famous Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes.

When she opted to paint the knight’s horse blue instead of a natural color, her instructor criticized her for thinking too far outside the box.

“Let the dogs bark, Sancho, it is a sign that we are moving forward,” Don Quixote says in the book.

Those words remind Mercedes Linares that the best ideas are often met with world-weary platitudes.

“Sometimes when people doubt you, it is confirmation that you are doing the right thing,” she said. sacurrent.com | November 6 – 17, 2020 | CURRENT

25

music | music picks Saturday, Nov. 7 JASON BOLAND & THE STRAGGLERS

This socially distanced show will mark the 20th anniversary of the Texas country outfit’s debut album, Pearl Snaps. Boland and band are celebrating with a series of gigs all over Texas and into Kansas and Oklahoma. Makes sense they’d want to include this storied Hill Country venue as part of the jaunt. $135-$330, 7 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com.

— MM

Friday, Nov. 13 CORY MORROW, KYLIE FREY

RANDY ROGERS BAND

Facebook / Randy Rogers Band

Friday, Nov. 6 - Saturday, Nov. 7

The beloved Texas country performer is returning to Floore’s for a total of four socially distanced shows. Rogers, who announced on October 28 via Twitter that his father had died from cancer, recently spoke to CMT about returning to the stage after six months off due to the pandemic. “It was like riding a bike. It was,” he said. “But it was also a little scary. So, let’s call it a very scary bike ride.” The band celebrated its 20th anniversary last month, so it’s hard to imagine the musicians taking a tumble — no matter how nervous Rogers was about getting back on the bike. $35-$150, Friday 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (late show sold out); Saturday 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; John T. Floore Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — Mike McMahan

Austin-based Red Dirt artist Morrow is playing a limited capacity show. The singer’s lengthy career has seen him walk a difficult-but-common road for musicians: from alcohol and drugs in his early career to a more sober, reflective period as he’s aged and matured. $15-$20, 7 p.m., John T. Floore Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — MM

TRACY BYRD

Billed as a “very special socially distanced concert” at the Tobin Center, singer-songwriter Byrd will provide fans with an up-close look in an unusually intimate setting for someone with 13 top ten hits. The country performer’s most recent album, All-American Texan, was released in 2016. $29.50-$75, 8 p.m., Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 2238624, tobincenter.org. — MM

Saturday, Nov. 14 WILLIAM CLARK GREEN

Green arrives in San Antonio for an outdoor, socially distanced show that will include “extremely limited capacity.” The Red Dirt artist was born in Flint, Texas, and built a following on the strength of regional hits “It’s About Time” and “She Likes The Beatles” from 2012’s Rose Queen. $20-$100, 7 p.m., John T. Floore Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — MM

Sunday, Nov. 15

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

DIRTY RIVER BOYS

Facebook / The Dirty River Boys

Saturday, Nov. 14

Describing themselves as “everything from folk to punk,” the Dirty River Boys hail from El Paso and have a maverick musical spirit as expansive as a West Texas skyline. The quartet is comprised of multi-instrumentalists, which allows its members to execute on the diverse sound most recently heard on 2018’s Mesa Starlight. $12-$80, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — Mike McMahan

BLACK MOLLY

Tribute bands are a dime a dozen, but this SA act has found a novel approach: paying homage to the proto-metal championed by trailblazing local DJ Joe Anthony. Expect to hear the requisite UFO and Budgie alongside obscurities such as Angel and Moxy, all executed by musicians with the chops to pull it off. 5 p.m., Picks Bar, 4553 N. Loop 1604 West #1101, (210) 253-9220, picksbar.com. — Sanford Nowlin

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