Texas Dems' Desire For Party Unity Shapes Clinton's Strategy

An hour after the end of the CNN Democratic Presidential Debate in Austin, Hillary Clinton spoke briefly to Democrats at an after-party in a ballroom of the downtown Hyatt. "I'm going to pledge to you we are not only going to pick a nominee right here in Texas but we are going to lay the groundwork for a great campaign this fall where we will go from one end of this state to the other making the case that it is time for the Democrats once again to get back into office, and you heard me say it before, it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and it will take another Clinton for this one."

Hillary Clinton is giving her supporters what they want to hear. And she's hitting the note of party unity, which has been the theme of the evening from all the local Dems speaking in the ballroom. She's massaging the Texas Ego--although people here are a little past hearing that "the road to the White House goes through Texas." Furthermore, this declaration undercuts the valedictory implications the press have been reading into Clinton's "last words" at the debate earlier in the evening. From all indications here on the ground in Texas, the Clinton Campaign is proceeding now with two different strategies.

In her final remarks at the Austin Debate Hillary Clinton has opened a door to going home with dignity and honor. It's a hallmark of the Clintons' resilience that in this fraught time, when they must see themselves assailed, they have hold of the importance of beginning to lay out an exit strategy. "Whatever happens, we are going to be fine," Clinton says. Everyone on the campaign trail, surely including Hillary Clinton, knows that this was an assurance John Edwards asserted frequently (perhaps most of all to himself). In fact, he so commented in two televised debates, on December 13 and January 30. As it was for Edwards, so for Clinton this must be an allusion to the possibility of stepping down--although it's curious that she appropriates an iconic Edwards remark in a debate in which she excoriates Obama for such borrowings.

With a different strategy, however, the Clinton Campaign itself is still out to win this thing. Less than an hour before the Austin Debate, Terry McAuliffe sent an email to Clinton supporters, urging them to log onto the Delegate Hub, designed to help Hillary supporters "cut through all the myths about the race for delegates." Although Hillary herself said in the Austin Debate that the matter of the Superdelegates "would sort itself out," her campaign is not humming que sera sera. "The race is in a virtual tie," McAuliffe writes. "A candidate needs 2208 delegate votes with Florida and Michigan included." No way has this campaign abandoned the possibility of adding those delegates to their tally. Bill Clinton includes Hillary's Florida win in his Texas stump speech. Revealingly perhaps, he doesn't mention Michigan. If that's an indication that the campaign sees Michigan as a lost cause (because only Clinton's name was on the ballot), it's equally a strong indicator that they view Florida differently.

It's far from over for HIllary Clinton in Texas--no matter what the polls and "the momentum" suggest. The most important factor here is the desire on the part of Texas Dems for unity. At last, after so many years of Republican dominance in the state, they have a chance to Turn Texas Blue, and they're afraid that if Clinton and Obama divide the party nationally such a rift will ruin their chances. The Texas Democratic Party is drawing in large numbers of new recruits; the desire to keep them is palpable. Although there is some coolness between Texans for Clinton and Texans for Obama, there is none of the extreme partisanship elsewhere in the country. Typically, a Texas Dem will say, "I'd be happy with either of them for president. And isn't it wonderful we have two such great candidates." This spirit of largesse increases the volatility of the presidential race here. At the Democratic party last night, several young women told me that their friends and colleagues "are wanting to support Hillary to keep her in the race." There's a New Hampshire tinge to Texas right now.

Furthermore, where is the Tejano stampede from the Clinton corral? I just don't see any evidence of a shift in loyalty--yet. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton go way back with Mexican-Americans in Texas. Bill Clinton has been down in South Texas working those ties since the beginning of his wife's campaign. In the past ten days, Hillary Clinton has circled the Valley of the Rio Grande twice while Barack Obama has yet to make an appearance there. (Has he ever in his life been to Laredo and Brownsville?) Clinton has twenty times the number of endorsements from local leaders in the Hispanic community than Obama. Yesterday Senator Edward Kennedy, on a quick swing through Texas for Obama, appeared at Trinity University in San Antonio. The university and the Obama Campaign had prepared for a crowd with a force of traffic cops. However, few people showed for the event; the auditorium was a quarter to a fifth full. Except for a student or two, there were no Hispanics--and this in a very Hispanic city.

These caveats aside, Hillary Clinton, despite garnering the moment of the evening with her graceful remarks that closed the debate, did not in Austin stop the momentum of the Obama Campaign. If anything, Barack Obama is looking more and more presidential. (He may not be "ready on Day One," but he's a fast learner.) Important for the Texas race was the protracted to-and-fro over health care. Until now, Clinton has been able to lay claim to that territory. Last night Obama forcefully contradicted the Clinton assertion that in his health care plan "fifteen million people will be left out." This assertion has been a component of the Clinton ad strategy in Texas, and now those TV and radio spots are no longer going to be as powerful a message. They are, in short, outdated.

HIs remarks on immigration last night marked the real beginning of the Obama Campaign in Texas. HIs comment about discrimination against people with Hispanic surnames, his acknowledgement that people often don't have the money to pay the immigration fees, his mention of his work on the Dream Act and his observation that every American student should be learning a second language opened a door for him last night, as well. This door, by contrast, opens into the national election, when Obama will have the opportunity to return again and again to Texas to persuade Tejanos, who don't know him now, that he understands their concerns and their lives.

Comments

[fearwig]

Want to support those claims?

"Clinton has twenty times the number of endorsements from local leaders in the Hispanic community than Obama."

Typically clumsy. I'd expect that kind of statement from a high school opinion paper.

[DRaymond]

Right now Hillary seems all over the map. At one point she is talking about party unity but the next thing she is getting all snarky about Obama's message, and that is what is getting the headlines (including here on Huffpost).

Frankly Hillary's snarky 'tude reads about as presidential as Dean's bellowing did four years ago...and that worked out SO well.

[LeftLeanWing]

The Obama campaign is projected to receive $60,000,000.07 in donations for the month of February.

[Plowboy]

If her latest outrages are shaped by any desire for party unity it isnn't any more evident than Hillary's opposition to the war she voted to authorize.
But Hillary is Hillary. What can we expect?

Hillary is a patriot; isn't it proof that she voted for the Patriot Act?
Hillary is bankrupt of ideas on how to serve the averaage Joe (Not her buddy from Conn.) Proof of that: she voted for the Bankruptcy Bill.
And as eagerly as she has voted with the Bush administrastion on war, she has given her loyal approval for his choices of judges.

There are Republicans who haven't been as loyal to Bush as she! But she wants us to make her the Democratic nominee. Why? Oh, because it is her right to follow the leader -- Bush. She followed his desires; now she wants to follow him in the White House.

[omaro]

in response to afgail:

You make an interesting reference when you say "As any Chicago disciple of Saul Alinskey knows the ends justify any means fair or foul." I believe that Hillary Clinton's senior thesis on Saul Alinsky might be of interest to you.

[PJay]

Meanwhile...

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4330128&page=1

[shm259]

Not sure if anyone else caught this- but Hillary said the nominee would be chosen in Texas... Bill conceded that she has to win Texas and Ohio in order to continue and in order to catch up on delegates she really does need to win both and even Pennsylvania next month with at least 65% of the vote.

If Texas holds the capability of choosing the nominee- then the nominee she's referring to is Obama...

[butchie65]

I hope your right Peace. I never would have believed that Hillary was that nasty. They will try to win this at all cost. How sad !

[thedave25]

I am here in Texas and I waited in line for 15 minutes, at 2:20 on a rainy Wed to vote early. I'm not convinced that these peopler were HRC supporters...they, like the 20,000 people at the Toyota Center the night before, were moved to come out for Obama - and even if the popular vote is close, the Obama team has the ground team in place for the caucas and the 1/3 of the delegates that come from that process

[S1m0n]

There's no way the democratic party could re-enfranchise the Florida delegates and allow them to become the margin of victory over Obama without tearing the party apart and in the process destroying the best opportunity to elect a democratic president, senate, and congress in decades.

The voters would be enraged beyond belief.

[afgail]

Why would disenfranchiseing two states that voted for Hillary be somehow fair? If the Obamanites succeed in nullifying the Florida and Michigan votes would that not tear the party apart as well? The moral high ground is to count their votes and let the votes fall where they may. Only Obama supporters think that counting Hillary's supporters votes is a travesty. As any Chicago disciple of Saul Alinskey knows the ends justify any means fair or foul. New politics indeed. Looks just like the old politics to me.

[212RLamas]

a) if your girl had lost mi and fl, no way she would be pushing for them to count..

b) i agree they need to count ultimately but split the delegates 50/50 so that they are not the deciding factor... as far as the popular votes in those state, they don't matter cuz obama would still be ahead... http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html

Popular Vote Total BO 10,300,410 HRC 9,375,213
Popular Vote(w/FL) BO 10,876,624 HRC 10,246,199
Popular Vote(w/FL&MI) BO 10,876,624 HRC 10,574,508

[Dyogenes]

"...it took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and it will take another Clinton for this one."

Someone, PLEASE: Challenge her on this. The audacity of her accusing Obama of bogus rhetoric! Her whole 35 years of riding Bill's coattails is one big Spinmeister Fest!
Her recent economic plan, for example, focuses on fixing many blowback problems from Clinton I--like, NAFTA; Clinton's 1996 Telecommunications and 1999 Banking "reform" acts which further accelerated corporate greed and "screw you" practices with consumers; and her healthcare fiasco setting up Big Pharma and unregulated insurance giants. She totally ignores the fundamental problem of wage inequities.

Fair wages. Real wages under Clinton I actually deteriorated more than under Bush I! The absence of any real increase in the minimum wage during the Clinton' years is Most remarkable. (Check out Federal minimum Wage Data http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774473.html.) In actual (and real) dollars, under Clinton, the real minimum wage actually fell, from $4.75/hr when Clinton took office, to $4.69/hr when Clinton left office. : 1992 - $ 4.25/hr ($4.75); 2000 $5.15/hr ($4.69). Under Bush II, the minimum wage fell further to $4.04 in 2006, and then rose to $5.85 actual, $4.41 real wage in 2007, after the Democrats took over the House. This deterioration in the earnings of American workers under Clinton/Bush occurred while executive pay rose exponentially and obscenely. The rampant dismemberment of checks and balances on corporate greed and abuse was exasperated by Clinton's banking, trade and media "reforms."
Is it any wonder that people working two and three jobs, are losing homes to foreclosur­es/medical bankruptcies and swimming in credit card debt- much of which is fees/interest charges, and Not charges for purchased good and services. Clinton calls for a 30% cap on credit card interest charges (!!!), at a time when the Fed rate is 3% and falling. Even under Nixon/ Reagan when interest rates soared, credit card rates were under 18%. So much of the rank abuse of consumers/workers presided over by Bush II were set in motion by Clinton I. For over a decade now, the growth in consumer spending fueling the US economy has NOT come from wage/income growth, but from the Debtor growth. The fallacy of using plastic and illusory "home equity" to bankroll consumer spending has hit the fan So, if you Clintonites want to talk about records and accomplishments, I say: Bring it on!

[212RLamas]

i say it will texas to clean up its mess...
we put bush into office so we should be the ones to take care of that mess and put obama in office now!!!

[PeaceChristBwithU]

I live in New Mexico, where Hispanics outnumber Anglos (our word for white, non hispanic folks). The Clintons have been a force here - and all the old guard, and most of the super delegates, have voted for or endorsed the Clintons. But there is a huge generational difference - young people here are much more inclined to vote for Obama. I don't think you will see a "stampede" out of the Clinton camp, because the older folks in the Hispanic community will stay there. But the younger people will quietly go in the voter's booth and choose Obama.

[jade7243]

I live in NM too... and Hillary was just about 1700 votes shy of LOSING NM.

I'm not sure what Mayhill was seeing "Off the Bus" because there are other reports of much greater support for Barack even in heavily Hispanic areas. It could be that Ted Kennedy's event was an aberration... I saw clips on TV of an exuberant Kennedy singing lustily in Spanish to what appeared to be a happy, responsive crowd...

[BitJam]

I also live in NM. What an incredible turnout we had! I think the Obama campaign did a terrific job in closing Clinton's huge lead. This bodes well for Obama in Texas.