Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Of course it's the job of campaign spokesters to boast about the strength of their candidate and their organization. But in a conference call with Nevada reporters this afternoon Clinton campaign chairman Rory Reid bordered on the edge of hyperbole.
The Clinton campaign today launched what they describe as a massive voter education effort on the caucus. They've
set up a Web site, will be establishing a caucus hotline and are holding dozens of educational meetings across the state. The education effort is "ecumenical" as Reid put it. In other words, all voters, regardless of who they support, are free to attend and learn about the caucus.
Asked whether the voter education effort is more the job of the Democratic Party than the campaigns', Reid described the Clinton campaign as "formidable" and the "most prominent organization in the state right now."
"Many voters see Hillary Clinton as the face of the caucus," he said. "So I think it's natural for us to want to provide people that look at our organization with the additional information so they are comfortable" with the caucus process.
moreClinton started her speech by mentioning how important Nevada is to the election process. Nevada will be the first western state to hold a caucus on Jan. 19.
"There are specific issues that affect some states more than others," said Clinton, a democratic senator from New York.
In a typical state, she said, voters just go to the polls to cast ballots, while caucuses require more of a commitment.
"I believe this is one of the most important elections we have had in this country," she said.
People in America, the senator said, understand the importance of politics, and are sometimes disappointed in the political process.
linkMcAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said the Clinton campaign is going very strong, winning the majority of the debates.
"Look where we are now," he said at Jerry's Restaurant Monday morning. "There have been 36 early contests, and Hillary is ahead 35 out of 36."
McAuliffe explained how important Nevada was to the presidential caucus and to Clinton's campaign.
"Nevada is key for Hillary's campaign," he said. "This is a critical state. Hillary is big on the rurals. Why? Because every vote counts."
He said the goal in Nevada is to make it a "blue state in 2008."
linkNevada may play a more important role in the Democratic race. That's partly because the Republicans have their all important South Carolina primary on the very same day (the Dems' is a week later, on the 26th). But it's also because of the demographics of the fast-growing state, which is a sharp contrast to Iowa and New Hampshire. One third of Nevada's 2.5 million people are Hispanics, Asian-Americans and blacks, according to 2004 census figures. Unions — particularly Culinary 226, which includes Strip hospitality workers — have a huge presence here. Culinary alone has some 60,000 members. Even when Hillary Clinton campaigned in Pahrump, a small town outside of Vegas known for its anti-government leanings and several well-known brothels, more than 2,500 people showed up, forcing Clinton organizers, who had only been expecting about 300, to rent a skating rink to accommodate the overflow.
"By any measure Nevada's caucus is significant," says Rory Reid, the Senator's son who is a Clark County (Las Vegas) Commissioner and head of the Nevada Clinton campaign. "It's the first time
a presidential candidate has to stand before a crowd that looks like America."
Reid says that candidates learned to speak Nevadan long before they took the stage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a CNN Democratic debate in November. (All of the candidates mastered the local pronunciation of Nevada, which is Nevaaada, not Nevah-da.) In addition to addressing Nevada-specific issues like the controversial proposed nuclear dump Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, they've spent the better part of the year speaking to western, Hispanic and labor issues.
moreVideo:
Hillary Clinton Addresses Nevada Caucus LawsuitVideo:
Bill Clinton in Heated Defense of Vegas Voter Lawsuit
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