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Clinton, Obama Fight for Vegas Votes


Clinton, with Chelsea in tow, going door-to-door in Las Vegas. (AP).

By Paul Kane
LAS VEGAS -- Barack Obama's presidential campaign is taking a quick endorsement victory lap here today, parachuting in for a rally with this city's most powerful labor union two days after it endorsed the Illinios senator.

Obama's rally with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 -- whose 60,000 members man many of the casinos in this gambling mecca -- comes just eight days before the next big event in his quest for the Democratic nomination, Nevada's caucuses Jan. 19.

But Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton sent signals last night that she will not cede this state to Obama without some fight.

While Obama's trip to Las Vegas is meant to show his organizational strength, Clinton made empathetic appeals here at a pair of events in Hispanic neighborhoods. Not only was Clinton seeking Hispanic votes, she walked through streets littered with Culinary Union households, appealing to voters who should be backing Obama based on the endorsement.

She was escorted through the streets by the dynamic state Assemblyman Ruben Kihuen, 27, who became the youngest person elected to the legislature two years ago. Kihuen helped interpret for Clinton and ushered her into several homes, and he made a point of noting anyone who was a union member. "I'll work hard for you," she told two union members outside their ranch house.

Ahead of her economy speech in Los Angeles today, Clinton focused much of her pitch at both Las Vegas events on the kitchen-table, bread-and-butter issues. She trumpeted her plan for a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and a five-year freeze in interest rates on adjustable rate mortgages, a key issue in Las Vegas -- home to the highest foreclosure rate in the nation's subprime lending crisis.

Clinton also continued a sales pitch in a style more similar to that of her husband, former president Bill Clinton. Her walk-through created a stir in the working-class neighborhood, as Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, gave out hugs and kisses to the families as if they were old friends. Children with cellphone cameras breached the Secret Service lines to snap pictures and take video. One small boy and a girl argued over who got the better, more genuine hug from Clinton.

"She hugged me," the boy told the girl.

"She hugged me, too," she countered.

"She just felt sorry for you," he replied.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal's front page this morning carried a four-column photo of Clinton kissing the cheek of a Latino woman, Kihuen at her side, with five-column headline: "Clinton pitch hits home".

This is the side of Clinton that some aides and analysts credit with sealing her surprise victory in New Hampshire, particularly after her emotional moment the day before the primary. After spending 20 minutes inside the household of a culinary worker on medical leave, Clinton told reporters that she could not say whether revealing this side of her personality was key to Tuesday's victory. "That's for others to say," she said.

But, Clinton said, it is a key moment in campaigns "any time you create that connection and that empathy" with voters.

"It's important because you want people to know why you do it," she said of her campaign.

Posted at 12:48 PM ET on Jan 11, 2008
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Previous: Napolitano Cites Need For 'Fresh Voices' in Obama Pick | Next: John Edwards: Spoiler, Surrogate or Surprise?


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Comments

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It is clear that Hillary will do what ever is necessary to win the White House. She expected to be the Democratic candidate and will not let anyone, no matter how good they (Obama) would be for the country, get in her way. She is willing to distort the facts, ie., Obama's abortion rights record, Iraq position, health care plan, use her husband to stump and twist the facts for her (people seem to forget what an embarrassement and disgrace he was), and cry in order to let people know she really cares. Of course she cares, she cried because she saw her chances of being the first woman to become President slipping away. She and her husband have been planning her presidency for decades,they have played the game, built up their dynasty, and they want what they feel is rightfully theirs. So now, because people have responded so positively to Obama, her politics are getting nastier and she is playing the sensitivity card, banking on the hope that many Americans will not be able to discern fact from fiction,and genuine empathy from calculated empathy. I look forward to having a woman as President, but it has to be the right woman, and Hillary will just be more of the same old story in Washington.

Posted by: diannal | January 13, 2008 8:09 PM

I wouldn't say Hannity "wants"Clinton to win, only that he feels (or felt) that she is the inevitable dem candidate.
I wonder how many special interest lobbyists she'll owe if/when she's elected.

Posted by: middlsis1 | January 13, 2008 2:25 PM

I note that Hannity and Limbaugh say they want Hillary to win, then go on to absolutely trash her. I suspect they really fear a Hillary run more than anything. Reading the pure hatred towards Hillary exhibited in many of the blog comments, I also suspect that these comments are really coming from Sean and Rush. You've been uncovered!

Posted by: jkaatz | January 12, 2008 3:51 PM

Don't jump on the "Change", "black JFK", bandwagon without knowing all you can about this man. Read his books to learn of his disdain for the white race and his love of Islam.
http://www.examiner.com/a-536474~_Tr...o_worlds_.html

Posted by: cyberella | January 12, 2008 6:50 AM

Here here. Wipe the tears from your eyes you pathetic whiners. Cast your vote and shut up about it. Campaigning is what it is. If you expect anything else, you're a naive idiot who doesn't understand politics. You kiss the babies, take photo ops, etc to get in the door, in order to allow yourself a chance to actually make your case with people. Its always been that way. My God, where do you people come from?

Posted by: samuelveter | January 12, 2008 3:38 AM

Hillary is well educated, experienced (more than 100 days in the Senate) and HAS a voting record whether we agree with it or not, at least she is doing her job, knows the ins and outs of government, has the ability to accomplish her agenda.

This country has been in mens hands too long, its time women take over. We don't need a smooth talker that has no experience.

Posted by: bekiharis | January 11, 2008 10:56 PM

All I care about is the track record.

If you can't change the senate, how do you expect to change the country?

When all three candidates were asked to discuss their record in a debate recently only one, Hillary Clinton, had a long list of meaningful and real accomplishments.

Getting this country back on track is all I care about; I don't care about the rest because it is irrelevant.

Posted by: godspeace4all | January 11, 2008 10:28 PM

if you really compare Hillary and Obama, without all the propaganda that Hillary haters have put out there you will see who clearly is the one who can turn things around for our country... The Hillary haters and rightwingers don't want Hillary to be the democratic nominee because they know that she can't be beaten... She has endured and has never faltered through all this and has done a lot for her country especially for children... Not getting to know Hillary and believing what you read from the propaganda is truly an injustice. Barama has played his cards well while in public service voting "present" on many issues; he wrote his book to play to the people, he studied great inspirational speakers in history and has done very well using their methods and at times words; yes he is inspirational and he has covered all his bases... even though I question why he would flat out lie about not having a lobbist as his chair... look at the following link for you info:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/02/544600.aspx

Barama tells voters that he won't run again if he doesn't get elected this time...hmmm, maybe because in eight years people will really get to know him and they won't like what they see???

Outside of his great inspirational speeches and what he has given you; such as things in his book etc. DO YOU REALLY KNOW HIM??? I don't trust him and neither should you!

Posted by: fourthsign | January 11, 2008 7:42 PM

Unbelievable.

The American people are brain dead sheep.

Hillary Clinton completely re-invents herself before our very eyes, and the stupid sheep lap it up.

"I feel your pain?"

Nonsense. Shillary wants to be in power, and that's the whole story.

Who is Paul Kane, and why is any still paying him to crank out this gibberish?

Posted by: HenriettaJones | January 11, 2008 6:10 PM

This page is an evolving compilation of outstanding citizen investigation of the highly suspicious New Hampshire primary voting results. We are borrowing and synthesizing from many sources cited and credited here.

Thursday 1/10: Bruce O'Dell writes:

Theron Horton and I have confirmed that based on the official results on the New Hampshire Secretary of State web site, there is a remarkable relationship between Obama and Clinton votes, when you look at votes tabulated by op-scan versus votes tabulated by hand:

Clinton Optical scan 91,717 52.95%
Obama Optical scan 81,495 47.05%

Clinton Hand-counted 20,889 47.05%
Obama Hand-counted 23,509 52.95%

The percentages appear to be swapped. This seems highly unusual.

Recall that the specific model of Diebold op-scan [1.94w] and central tabulator in use in New Hampshire are proven by demonstration [Hursti Hack] to be vulnerable to insider manipulation.

Theron Horton and I are proceeding with the intra-county and demographic analysis.

More to come.

Bruce O'Dell
Co-Coordinator for Data Analysis
Election Defense Alliance
Bodell[at]ElectionDefenseAlliance[dot]org

Posted by: osirisravanz | January 11, 2008 4:01 PM

Look at the picture again!
Poor kids are looking at Hillary longingly but she and daughter are smiling at cameras.
We do not need Queen's empathy.
Hillary behaves herself like Marie Antoinet although she is not from blue blood.

Posted by: mkk0918 | January 11, 2008 3:27 PM

I can't wait until this is over. The Clinton's play to dirty for me.

Posted by: TennGurl | January 11, 2008 3:23 PM

Obama will prevail, I'm here in Las Vegas and there is a lot of enthusiasm. I can't wait for the 19th

Posted by: alexoc949 | January 11, 2008 3:16 PM

A truly fine slab of "reporting" from Paul Kane. However, why did Hillary need the "dynamic" Kihuen to translate for her? Shouldn't she only be seeking assistance and votes from U.S. citizens, i.e., those who are supposed to be able to speak English?

Oh, yeah, there are a few things Kane forgot to tell you:

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007382.html

Posted by: LonewackoDotCom | January 11, 2008 2:59 PM

"I feel your pain."
Bill's back in charge of the campaign. You can tell.

Posted by: TomJx | January 11, 2008 2:42 PM

Choosing Our Next President

In his books Barack Obama has told the story of the family into which he was born, about a father from Kenya and an American mother who met as college students in Hawaii.
At age 6 young Barack was already living in Jakarta with his mother and his Indonesian step father before moving back to Hawaii at age 10 to be raised by his maternal grandparents when his mother and her second husband divorced.
Over the years Barack Obama has had bonding experiences with white and black relatives and with Asian family members amidst an understandable struggle to find his own identity. Through it all he developed a keen ability to understand and to resonate with people of various ethnic backgrounds and to quickly move beyond differences in physical appearance and culture.
Having successfully worked his way through the complexities of the family into which he was born this highly intelligent and very dynamic 46 year old African American man may very well be able to understand, to unite, to lead, and to serve America and all Americans in a way that has never been done before.
Unlike those who may live in many other parts of the world, most Americans don't really want to choose their next president based on who the candidate's parents happen to have been. Americans for the most part are more interested in the qualities, abilities, and knowledge possessed by a particular candidate and the character revealed through that individual's life experiences.

Posted by: bobwestafer | January 11, 2008 2:36 PM

"any time you create that connection and that empathy" - the key word here is CREATE, as in MANUFACTURE. Hillary Clinton is a phony. She is bought and paid for by special interests. Are we (the electorate) so incredibly stupid
to fall for her cheesy, contrived manipulations?

Posted by: waldengreenwood | January 11, 2008 2:34 PM

So the Washington Post, through Paul Kane, is now an HRC blogger?

Posted by: cdonham | January 11, 2008 2:26 PM

This country is so dysfunctional. I can't believe people are buying that new and improved HRC crap. You don't decide to be nice; it's either you are or you aren't.She's a fake. Is she going to weep her way to the presidency?

Posted by: ednyo2000 | January 11, 2008 2:05 PM

By the way, Paul, your last post was an irresponsible, unprofessional, revolting piece of trash and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Posted by: zukermand | January 11, 2008 1:50 PM

I guess Mr Kane gets to sit at the Heathers table now. I hope it's worth it, what with the eternal damnation and all.

Posted by: zukermand | January 11, 2008 1:32 PM

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