Remember the Alamo

Hillary has hit Texas. I'm afraid Texas may be about to hit back.

Tuesday night in El Paso, after a string of bruising losses in the Potomac primaries, Senator Clinton took the stage to thunderous applause in a place that rarely sees a national politician.

After waiting for years to be courted, this city put on a pre-Valentine's Day spectacular for its new sweetheart. She got the full Texas treatment, sharing the stage with a tiny boy in a giant sombrero, holding a bouquet the size of Dallas and being introduced by a talkative Texas Congressman who took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work the crowd and run out the clock.

Hell, Texas is finally on TV with a starring role in a Democratic presidential primary and we are all going to take advantage of it. Everybody else can just wait.

When the Senator finally wrested the mike away, she talked about her long history with Hispanics down here.

Then ironically, she used an old Texas-ism that actually works against her. She said that President Bush was all hat and no cattle, a predictable battle cry against a Texas-based presidency in its death throes.

The problem is that she, too often, comes off as just the opposite -- all cattle and no hat, all policy and no pizzazz, all minutiae and no magic.

And that stuff just doesn't have a history of working down here.

Texas voters want someone who makes their hearts pound, not a policy expert. And the state has proved it time and again. We'd rather vote for a wacko than a wonk.

There is something else going on down here, something I hesitate to bring up. But the call of Texas history is haunting Hillary.

It is becoming clear that for the Clinton campaign, the Texas primary isn't just another vote. It's the freakin' Alamo.

There are some scary parallels.

Before continuing, I have to insert an "analogy alert" for people who are sophisticated enough, thoughtful enough and analytical enough to realize that we may simply have a very interesting coincidence here. Nothing more.

But after 25 years of working in television news, where we learned to look for and leap on anniversaries and analogies like drunks grabbing beads at a Mardi Gras parade, I just can't help myself.

Reporters, particularly in television, have always used anniversaries reliably and shamelessly as supposedly important arbiters of current events, harbingers of things to come, or occasions to look back and draw painfully exaggerated conclusions.

It also allowed us to use file video. And hey, that's cost effective, a plus in our new corporate media culture.

I guess my judgment is still profoundly colored by that mainstream media experience, so stand back.

Here comes a big one.

Texans will go to the polls March 4th, exactly 172 years from the day when the Alamo was going down.

Texas legend, which is taught as a kind of state catechism down here, holds that on March 4, 1836, give or take a day, Colonel William Travis gathered his weary men together inside the Alamo. The old Spanish mission was surrounded by Mexican soldiers, unable to get reinforcements and probably running out of campaign cash.

Pulling his sword from its scabbard, Travis planted it in the dirt of the mission grounds and drew a now famous line in the sand. He invited anyone willing to stay to step over the line. Each and every one was aware that staying to fight meant certain death. Everyone stepped forward. Jim Bowie, suffering from typhoid, had to be carried across the line in a gurney. I guess he represents President Clinton.

The only Frenchman in the group opted to leave, saying, "By God, I am not ready to die." Gosh, even then, I guess the whole "coalition of the willing" thing wasn't working for them.

Of course, the Alamo's parallels with current politics sort of come to a screeching halt there, since depending on whom you talk to, the Alamo was either about the claim to Texas independence or the right to own slaves, Mexican domination or the desire to dominate Mexicans. And Senator Clinton seems to be counting on Hispanic voters to save her, rather than put her out of business.

But the siege mentality taking hold at the Clinton campaign has to be reaching Alamo-like proportions.

We know the Clinton campaign will be with us until the last dog dies. Right now, the dog appears to be in some medical distress.

Texas, which was supposed to be a victory lap, has become a potential booby-trap.

Now, so close to the anniversary of the day that the defenders of the Alamo went down fighting and took their place in history, there is a real sense that the same thing may be happening to Hillary Clinton's bid for the presidency.

And that has to scare the bejeezus out of Colonel Travis, uh, I mean Senator Clinton.

Comments

[GhiaccioPronto]

Texans will go to the polls March 4th, 489 years after Cortes arrived in Mexico.

Texans will go to the polls March 4th, 230 years to the date that the continental congress ratified the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance with France. The two treaties were the first entered into by the United States government

Texans will go to the polls March 4th, 219 years to the date that the first United States Congress met and ratified the US Constitution as the law of the land.

Texans will go to the polls March 4th, 217 years after John Adams is sworn in as President of the United States, succeeding George Washington, the first ever peaceful transfer of power between elected leaders.

While Santa Anna managed to liberate a handful of slaves at the Alamo on March 6th, he ultimately failed to abolish slavery in Texas, and was defeated. That task remained for Abraham Lincoln who was sworn in on March 4th 1861, exactly 147 years to the date when Texans will go to the polls on Tuesday.

[Jeffersonian1]

Ms. Mapes, haven't you been reading Ms. Steinem, Ms. Jong, Dr. Reardon, et al?

All those people who died at the Alamo were men. They were there for one reason and one misogynistic, anti-feminist reason alone -- to ensure that 172 years later Hillary Clinton would not be the Democratic nominee for President. Please re-learn your Texas history and revise your commentary accordingly.

[Alox]

Didn't you expect more from Hillary? She seems hesitant and shows a lack of confidence. As a Texan, although not involved in politics besides being a voter, I think she is in trouble. Mary Mapes is right, Texan like more spunk than Hillary is displaying.

[musselmanm]

The problem for Hillary with me is, she is part of the dynasty. I personally have had enough of the outsourcing, dependence on oil, tax breaks for the rich, and on and on.
The stagflation in our wages is due to the attempt to bust all unions since Ronald Regan was President, and that includes our NAFTA leading President Clinton.
When our workers get down to the bottom, Unions will be needed to unite workers for the strength those numbers will give them and enable them to force their standard of living back to the top just as it once was.
Unions have had their problems, mostly when political dynasties took over those unions.
Which is why Bobby Kennedy was going after many Unions that were moobbed up. Not in the Godfather ethnic way, I mean in the Clinton, Bush way.
This is why we are opting for a very large change in this election.
Barack Hussein Obama should be our nominee for President of the United States.
I do not fear the use of his middle name. Mine is Eugene so try living with that for 57 years!

[gun]

I hear the sound of Molly and Ann in Miss Mary, so thanks for that.

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Texas is the worst of this country -- LBJ and the Bushes; and the best -- that stubborn band of progressives fighting from their own Alamo of Austin.

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God, I wish Texas was its own country, no longer able to drag the US into the sickest of debaucheries -- Dallas, Vietnam and Iraq.

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Those aren't accidents. Now some illiterate is going to say Kennedy got us into Vietnam. They always do.

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Dear Idiot: Read Mansfied, Manchester, David Talbot, Caro

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With 12,000 advisors we were on our way out. The difference between that and the coward lbj's 500,000 troops is day and night.

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to continue...

Texans have been giving us heart attacks until we are in a near critical condition.

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But now even some of the ignorant or immoral (aka Bush voters)
understand that we're pretty sick.

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Can Texas save Hillary?

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As the French say: "Never underestimate a plague."

[yaznaioutibia]

Bravo (in the event that the Huffpoministas post this), the geatest tragedy in mankind was that the civil war did not result in the division of the unnatural union. Just imagine how good things would be right now.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Thanks Ms Mapes for your insightful analysis of the Texas primaries, I like what I hear.

If Obama can pierce her so-called firewall in Texas it will be all over for Hillary, although I am sure they will find another firewall like the super delegates?

[Kally]

It is so wonderful that we have comments like this. I see the hate Hillary has free reign this morning. Course instead of a real person who could at least get at the troubles facing this country, the obama suck up's want a cult leader that will have everyone in such a daze they won't realize they have been scammed. Lemmings, lemmings lemmings they all go over the cliff.

[SEQUOIABISON]

She is a large part of the cause of the troubles facing this country.

She aggressively and with great bellicose helped Bush saber rattle us into an unnecessary and unjustified war, which has led to the destruction of Iraq, the killing of 4,000 American soldiers and the collapse of our economy.

[Montanamotor]

Invitation to check this link to the actual Gallup-polls:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/104383/Gallup-Daily-Tracking-Election-2008.aspx

Quote:

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008
Based on polling conducted Feb. 13-15, 2008

PRINCETON, NJ -- For several days, nationwide Democratic voters' preferences have been shifting toward Barack Obama in Gallup Poll Daily election tracking. Now, the Illinois senator enjoys his first statistically significant lead, 49% to 42%, over Hillary Clinton, according to the Feb. 13-15 results. Additionally, the 49% support for Obama represents the high point for him in the daily tracking program.

Unquote.

Will Texas be the Alamo for Hillary? Yes! But with a grain of Stalingrad...

[Anastasia]

The problem with Hillary use of empty phrases like, "all hat and no cattle" to describe Obama, is that they don't wash. While some true Hillary believers might buy into that, most people know that Obama is not simply some empty suit, but a smart guy, who is both inspiring and a brilliant politician.

According to Real Clear Politics, Obama was received 9,391,890 votes, so far this year. When she says that that over 9 million people in the Democratic Party, are merely being gullible, when they vote for Obama, she insults the intelligence, of those who know otherwise.

[ParacleteofKavorka]

It would be appropriate to insult their intelligence if that was what they were using in their decision. I wonder how many of the Obama supporters participate in American Idol using that same intelligence.

[mawrm]

And do you REALLY think this condescending attitude of the Clinton campaign that you demonstrate so beautifully is going to win you guys more voters?

[bgllano]

The situation in Texas is more akin to San Jacinto than it is to the Alamo. After the losses at the Alamo and Goliad, Sam Houston moved his rag-tag army and declined to engage Santa Anna's troops head on . . . until he got to San Jacinto, where he turned, fought and won. The rest, as they say, is history.

[gtt]

Akin to the battle of San Jacinto?

Do ya think that Senator Obama's supporters in Texas will be napping and that he will be in his tent with a fair maiden when the Clintons rush across the plains of Southeast Texas?

Ms. Mapes, I love your writing. Music to the ears of this native Texan.

Did you notice that Ms. Dowd in her NYT op-ed piece also noted the Clinton reference to "all hat and no cattle" was an odd phrase from one that had made money on cattle futures apparently with "no cattle". Great women think alike.

Ms. Mapes, have you considered the impact of the independent/republican leaning voters in the Texas primary, which is "open" to the extent that one only needs to be a registered voter to vote in either primary, and the republicans don't have much to vote for, unless one be a Huckleberry fan. The modern version of the 90s angry white males will turn out against Ms. Clinton. Texas on March 4th may turn into her Waterloo... oops, wrong war, wrong general.

I suspect that her real Waterloo will occur in the town of Waterloo on Thursday. The dabate in the Capitol city of Austin, once known as Waterloo, will feature Senator Obama giving the details "the cattle" of his campaign for the WH.
That college town will enjoy Obama's oratory and his outline of details.

[BinBaldwin]

What is someone as discredited as Mary Mapes doing here? Who cares what she writes.

[LeoMarvin]

Your comment is what's referred to as the pot calling the kettle black, "BinBaldwin."

[gangwayjan]

Oh my -- how we all miss Ms. Molly Ivins right about now -- can't you just hear her cackle her way through this fine mess we've gotten our Democratic selves into? There's a thought: Just what would Molly say?

[GoldCanyonGal]

...and Ann Richards, what I would give for Ann Richards right now. This (stupid) author took the "all hat, no cows" reference to Geo W. out of one of Hillary's stump speeches earlier this week...it's not funny the other way around, honey. I for one am thinking of the Alamo in a different way tonite...Texas loves Hillary...it's not going the be her loss here, not in the big state of Texas.

[Jimmyboyo]

and you all said she would win washington, and you all said she would win Virginia, etc

Wake up!

[standforpeace]

I remember reading the last column that Molly Ivins wrote for the Progressive before she passed on. In it, she promised to dedicate every column from then on to fighting to end the war. I believe that what Molly would be telling Democratic voters is that we should not give our votes to a woman who voted for the war and still refuses to admit that it was a mistake and take responsibility for that vote.

Some estimates put the number of dead and wounded Iraqis at 1 million. On our end,we have 4000 war dead and thousands wounded mentally and physically. Also the war has cost us a trillion dollars. That is a debt that our children will have to pay. It's money that won't go to fixing education or health care or rescuing hard working American families that can't meet their mortgages.

That is something that I'm not willing to let slide, and I don't think Molly would have either.

[gtt]

I too miss Ms. Ivins. What a great thinker and writer she was. A great tribute to the Texas Observer newspaper that she once edited.

I do recall that after Sen. Clinton's vote for the war, and other triangulations, Molly Ivins wrote that she would not ever support Hillary for President.

See it at www.commondreams.org/views06/012-30.htm

[hontonoshijin]

Yet another snide side-sliding set of imputations about Hillary Clinton. Campaign has a long way to go. She may win, she may lose. Don't get all excited yet.

I have a radical idea: Why don't we size up the candidates with reason, not emotion? Why don't we understand that different people vote different ways, and that there is no point to forming such antipathies, since we we will almost all, except for a few sociopaths, accept the results of the election and attempt to live well afterward?

This of course works only if the candidates appeal to reason, not if, as most Republicans do, they flatly argue against it.

JFK wasn't god. Obama aint god. Clinton aint god. So?

I would be ashamed of myself if I let my vote be swayed by the heavily emotional rhetoric of the for-and-aginners on either side.

[mick3]

It's not emotional to reject the outsourcing of jobs or the handover to the right-wing neo-cons both TV and radio media control, accomplished not by Reagan or papa Bush, however hard they tried, but by Slick Willy, Bill Clinton. He screwed us all--except for the war machine and Big Corp. The economic boom during WJ Clinton's tenure was merely a bubble, and he knew it. American jobs went overseas with his blessing, and the number of jobs created in the vacuum, so often touted as a Clinton success, were nearly all low-paying service jobs.

Okay, that was the other Clinton. However, Hillary Clinton now claims 35 years of experience, which must necessarily include the disaster for women and working people that was Bill's doing. Her run in the Senate has been one of 100% career-building, via such absurdities as sponsoring a flag-burning bill or such egregious acts as voting against the bill banning cluster bombs (which mostly dismember children, remember). Guess those bombs aren't meant to fall in her "village." Senator Clinton is, amazingly a full-on war-monger, including unprovoked war on weaker nations, the use of nuclear weapons despite their decades-long, indisputable damage to civilians worldwide, no matter where used. Both, by the way, international crimes, and rightly so.

I so wanted to vote for a female this time. And now we get this faux male, this faux Republican instead of a real woman with a woman's sensibility and subtlety, so needed in the world's governments today, especially our own testosterone-poisoned country. Oh well, we probably won't have another election anyway. Just another trigger event, and then it's all over for the USofA. The world, watching these war-mongers foster the murder of millions (Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, and on and on), in support of a cruel hegemony and corporate exploitation of the earth and its peoples, can only breathe a huge sigh of relief.

[auldguy]

I am from El Paso and this blogger makes the common mistake of thinking that El Paso is just like the rest of Texas. Nothing could be further from the truth. El Paso is 85% Hispanic and is located and the southern end of the Rockies smack in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert at the very western tip of Texas. Geographically, we are closer to San Diego than Houston and our politics are more in line with Blue state New Mexico than the rest of Texas. This city is a Blue city in a Red state and what's true about the rest of Texas rarely applies to El Paso. Many of the residents' ancestors were more likely the ones storming the Alamo rather than defending it. It is not cattle country and an east Texas phrase like "all hat and no cattle" was probably lost on much of the audience.
But one thing most of us El Pasoans enjoy is being misconstrued and underestimated. It sets us apart from the "Bubbas" in east Texas. And since the rest of the state rarely considers us actually part of Texas, we like it that way. I guess none of this is intended to make a point about the Clinton campaign or her appearance, but it would be nice if once in awhile the media actually took the time to understand the audience before characterizing them based on geography.

[jefegeoffe]

There's also the (mis)conception that all Hispanics will automatically vote for Sen. Clinton; if there is a generational divide in that community, as has been reported, then her reliance on the "sure-thing" Hispanic vote may be illusory. Either way, right now we are all looking at Texas! (PS: I was stuck in El Paso for a week once: as a resident, you have both my admiration and sympathy, lol!)

[PortiaElizabeth]

I'm so glad you spoke up. I grew up in the Houston area and we always joked that Dallas was a whole other state. I liked your geography note. It helps put things in perspective. When I was in school we were told that Beaumont is closer to Chicago than to El Paso. (And people wonder why Texans are so "different"!)
I expect my home state to prove all the pundits wrong on March 4. Teaxs doesn't really like being told what to do.

[BrooklynLager]

Well the current conventional wisdom is that Clinton will win there, and win big.

[derDunkelRover]

For a bit better account of the Alamo "line in the sand" myth, take a look at http://www.texasescapes.com/MikeCoxTexasTales/Line-in-the-Sand-Alamo-History.htm
In the meantime, it was the Daughters of the Republic of Texas who snatched up the Alamo for posterity (http://www.texasescapes.com/CFEckhardt/Second-Battle-of-the-Alamo.htm), long before there was a River Walk.