Hundreds of politically minded Houstonians gathered Thursday to hear from democratic strategist and television commentator Donna Brazile.
Brazile was in town to serve as keynote speaker for Annie’s List, an organization founded to elect progressive Democratic women to legislative and statewide offices. 
The day before she appeared in Houston, Brazile she was tapped by the Democratic National Committee to serve as the interim chairwoman.
She will serve in that role until May 4, when DNC members are expected to approve President Obama’s selection of Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the first woman in history, to lead the national party. Brazile assured the lunch crowd that Wasserman Schultz’s leadership will get President Obama re-elected in 2012 and help democrats regain positions lost in the 2010 election.
Brazile’s timely visit also gave her an opportunity to share her opinion about the looming federal government shutdown. “So much posturing is going on. The two big issues are funding for the EPA and Planned Parenthood,” noted Brazile. “An all out assault is going on and in the name of cutting the budget, they are (republicans) swinging an ax at women’s healthcare.”
A frequent guest on the Sunday morning political talk shows, Brazile is also a commentator for CNN. In 2000, she made history as the first African-American woman to lead a major presidential campaign team when she served as campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman.
While speaking to the crowd of mostly women with a handful of men sprinkled in, Brazile encouraged Houstonians to become more engaged in the political process. “This is our moment to speak up and get into the arena to fight,” she said.
