Clinton Camp Passed Out 'Street Cash' In Hispanic, African American Districts

In the threadbare border towns of South Texas, one of the country's poorest regions, enterprising locals like Candelaria Espinoza have long been paid to round up votes for candidates on Election Day. There is even a name for these electoral soldiers of fortune: politiqueras.

So when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign arrived in South Texas in February seeking an edge in its uphill battle against Senator Barack Obama, Ms. Espinoza was happy to oblige, for a price. The campaign paid her and seven other members of her family $100 to $200 each to knock on doors, deliver fliers and get voters to the polls for the Democratic primary on March 4, which Mrs. Clinton narrowly won.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[DinOhio]

"Street Money" is fairly common in politics. No great revelation here. Obama was criticized for not putting money on the street in PA - especially in Philadelphia.

[debwarot]

Fairly common? Yes.

Something the Clinton campaign does while vendors go unpaid and the campaign debt grows? Sure!

A laudable practice? Of course not!

Something Senator Obama does? Again, a resounding 'No'!

This says something about the candidates...........

[Kishadawn]

"Street Money" is a common practice among politicians, but Obama's campaign is still using volunteers.

Those folks could use the cash, I won't knock the hustle, but it's not slander, it's still a fact.

[tbone99]

Thes people handed out flyers , not fivers.Please read the whole article.

[frumke]

Tbone, you are trying desperately to defend the Clinton campaign, and that's fine. Defend their practice. But there is no debating that the Clinton campaign continued the traditional practice of paying street money, while the Obama campaign did not. Does that make the Clinton campaign evil? Not necessarily. In fact, maybe the Obama campaign was stupid for going that way, as it may have cost them several points in Pennsylvania. That's a debatable questions.

But don't try to suggest that both campaigns have handled this issue the same way. The media have been all over this for a couple of months. Obama has generally said no to street money, as part of his "new kind of politics" message. I happen to like that message. Maybe you don't. That's ok.

But don't suggest that both campaigns have approached the issue exactly the same way. Because that would be pure BS.

[tbone99]

My irritation is with a headline that is misleading , as if someone is handing out money on the street.That is false and disingenuous.!

[debwarot]

Those familiar with politics (as most HuffPo readers are) know what street cash is and will not find the headline misleading. Although I find many headlines here, as well as in other media sources, to be misleading, this one is, in my mind at least, quite acceptable.

[apoyo]

I'm from South Texas and I can attest those people are hard up but I still couldn't figure out why Hillary was getting so much of the Mexican vote. Now I know what made the difference. She had to buy supporters. And even with that she barely beat him in the primary and lost in the caucus. I hope these same people will go to the polls for him since obviously they never had any allegiance to her, just to the green stuff she was handing out.

And I'm glad he didn't play the same game. Helping out college students is OK. His platform calls for helping them out even more with his tax credit so he's acting within his principles. But handing out money to regular people and politicians is something else entirely. I had never heard of this practice until Chris Mathews was whining about his refusal to pay street money in Philly and how that would go against him.
I guess everyone is getting a lesson on new politics.

[ishy]

Not surprised!!! The Clintons do believe that they can buy the "dumb" African-Americans and Latinos.

The Clintons show that most politicians are corrupt - so what else is new?

[Gma11]

Surprise, surprise!!

[Alox]

Why doesn't Hillary get her many supporters to give money to her to pay off that huge campaign debt? Why aren't they helping her?

[AllaboutME]

That is why the Clinton's think they own people of colour, because they buy them.

[filo]

Maybe she was just paying their gas tax for them. lol

[prdamericanmom]

Paying for votes is wrong no matter who your are or whose campaign you support. It's one thing to willingly volunteer for or have a salaried job with a campaign, but to negotiate with both sides to see who gives the most cash? Where is the democracy here?

Personally, I think this practice should be done away with.

[Countdown09]

Apparently this is common practice, but I really respect Sen. Obama for once again standing up against what is the status quo in the political game. I wished he gotten more attention from the media regarding his stance against this -- speaks again to integrity and commitment to a new style of politics.

[tbone99]

"The Barack Obama presidential campaign has a paid staffer working in Wenatchee, which is unusual for any presidential campaign, says a Democratic national committeewoman.

Other young people, PAID and unpaid, are working for Obama elsewhere in the state, including Eastern Washington, she said."

So, if they are young white people, its ok but if its blacks and Hispanics handing out flyers door to door its "bribery"?

[Siryn]

This was an issue in Pennsylvania too, except the focus was on Obama because his campaign wouldn't pay for that.

[ahsaki80]

Wow! I was glad to volunteer for Obama before the Texas 2 Step but i I would have gladly taken a Benjamin or two from Hillary:)

[tbone99]

Nice of you to volunteer , but contrary to an urbam myth, Obama's is NOT AN ALL VOLUNTEER campaign either. Nothing wrong with that , unless you want to label other people for doing the same thing.

(from the very SAME article above)
" the Obama campaign paid about 150 people in Texas, most of them college students, for campaign work. The payments were widely dispersed, with only a handful in South Texas and fewer than 20 in Houston."

So why this headline, Huffpo?

[debwarot]

All campaigns have paid workers. They work either part of full time and pay taxes. This is entirely different from paying workers in cash to go from door to door and not identify that that they have e been paid to do so.

[rasil]

I worked for Obama in Texas and Pennsylvania. Ninety five percent of the volunteers were exactly that...volunteeres. The only persons paid were those in administrative positions. This article is addressing those people who were exploited tby Hillary to falsely represent her likeablity to mislead others. She targeted African Americans and Lationos because she holds both groups in low regard. There is a distinct difference. Hundreds of us volunteered and never asked for or expected anything in return. When I say hundreds there were offices that opened the first day with 700-800 volunteers lined up to help his campaign of which we are all proud. Senator Obama has NEVER executed actions as described here. He is a man of integrity and sincerity who would never deceive. I have no respect for Hillary. i was informed by several young women on her campaign in Ohio that she rounded-up homeless and also poor Blacks, paid them to hold up her signs. They mocked her and made derogatory statements about her stating they were not supportive of her just NEEDED the money. That is exploiting the poor. Despicable, low, and unconscienable which is her type of politics. When you post information, you need to be accurate and not distort, stretch, or misrepresent the truth. It is the same kind of politics in which she engages.

[marymansour]

How egregious! Will the Clinton caravan finally roll to a close with any shred of dignity or honesty?

[tbone99]

maybe you should rephrase that to "will Huffington Post finally roll to a close with any shred of dignity or honesty?"

[Poised]

Get real. Democrats have always handed out cash, cartons of cigarettes, booze, bags of groceries to buy votes. Clinton didn't invent the practice and if you think Barak is above it, you're really incredibly naive.

The practice was photographed during the Kerry election, showing Kerry workers handing out cigarettes to street people in Detroit to get them to vote for him.

Anyone who has any knowledge of history understands that this sort of thing goes on all the times.

[halyscomet]

Guess this explains the $20 Million+ in debt.

Trying to buy votes and it STILL didn't work...

[Charmed]

I think for me the point is she COULD NOT GET VOLUNTEERS to canvass for her........and this is why a lot of Obama Supporters are always saying "we"......because "We" are the ones doing the ground work, "we" are the ones donating, "we" are the ones phone banking and getting people to the polls.

"We" are the ones we've been waiting on.

[tbone99]

"We" are the ones we've been waiting on."

Is that like one of those 'self love' techniques?

[Felicty]

That's right, Hillary.


BUY THOSE VOTES.

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

didn't we used to call this bribery???????????????

[tbone99]

Whereas when Obama does it with the middle class, it's Aok-

"While Barack continues to campaign hard in the upcoming primary states, we have begun collecting resumes for communications staff for the general election. Pls send resumes of friends and colleagues who you would recommend to become part of our organization either in Chicago or in a state to...

[debwarot]

There is a major difference between paid (or volunteer positions) and street cash. It is obvious you will not accept that Hillary has done something that, although common place, is generally accepted as a backstreet practice. Sometimes you just have to accept reality...............

[abouttime]

Innuendo. No way.
Clinton is buying votes, but it won't overcome the populist motivations of volunteer support that Obama garners through his positions and his integrity.
Clinton thinks she is buying votes, but voting is secret. It is pathetic. She is desperate and naive.
Poor people are not stupid.
Clinton is.

[TheNuff]

And where is the CASH in this transaction????

[tbone99]

Um, here?

Barack Obama spent $20.3 million on staff salaries last year, the biggest payroll for any presidential candidate, according to a new analysis of campaign finance filings.

[tbone99]

handing out flyers is a job , too.
So is getting people to sign petitions.

Sorry if it doesn't meet your middle class criteria .Good to get a close up of how Obama supporters view the poor, they supposedly care so much about.

[paganmist]

SALARIES?

You're complaining because he's giving people JOBS?

"Street cash" is under-the-table hand-outs.

Obama gave people salaried jobs upon which they pay taxes.

you're really desperate, aren't you.

[hardsun]

Resumes does not equal cash for services. Obama is volunteer based.

[tbone99]

hardsun-How do you make time to ride your unicorns?

Staff means PAID as in-
Non-intern female employees did better working on the Senate staffs of John McCain and Hillary Clinton during the latest public reporting period than they did working for Barack Obama, Cybercast News Service determined through an analysis of payroll data published by the Secretary of the Senate.

Both McCain and Clinton also employed more female than male staffers, while Obama employed more males than females. However, Obama's staff was more balanced between male and female staffers than either McCain's or Clinton's.

Also, McCain and Clinton had more female than male staffers making six-figure salaries, while Obama had more male than female staffers making six-figure salaries.

[paganmist]

Which must obviously mean that Obama is a sexist, because he hand-picks all of his employees.

[GerryS]

she could have paid off the voting machine companies- oh yeah, forgot

Hil's a Dem-

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Bingo.

[Promisin1]