It will be primary time in Texas on March 4. The Democratic powers that be do not need pundits to tell them that Texas and Ohio will be make-or-break for Senators Clinton and Obama on that big day. This will be the time when Chairman Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy will pay off for all Democrats in the Lone Star state. His efforts at organizing will be very helpful with assuring good party participation as well as taking advantage of what is expected to be a high turnout at the polls.
Former President Bill Clinton is campaigning for his wife in Texas. According to Examiner.com, Friday was East Texas day. Texarkana folks heard about Senator Clinton's health care plan and those in Longview got his "solutions" speech. He was running late to Stephen F. Austin U. in Nacadoches where he focused on contrasting his wife and her opponent there. President Clinton wrapped up at 11:00 PM in Lufkin, emphasizing Hillary's experience and trying to blunt Obama's "Change" argument. Today, Saturday he will travel to Amarillo, Lubbock and Austin. With such distances ans a possible winter storm, he will undoubtedly run late today, too.
Memeorandum carried headlines with differing opinions about how hard Bill Clinton hit against Barack Obama yesterday. Take your pick:
- Michael James --"Bill Clinton: Obama ‘Literally Not Part of Any of the Good Things’ From the 1990s —"
- "Bill Clinton avoids attacks on Obama in East Texas — " from Bruce Tomaso at the Dallas Morning News
Midweek Senator Hillary "Clinton stumps in South Texas," reported the Bryan/College Station Eagle. Another story from the same source is an excellent analysis of why "Clinton focuses on wooing Texas' Hispanics." To quote:Clinton. . . and Obama are in a tight race for Texas's 228 delegates. Hispanic support will be critical; Latinos could make up about half of Democratic voters on primary day.Clinton plans to stick to heavily Hispanic venues on her first swing in Texas, campaigning Wednesday in McAllen, Robstown outside Corpus Christi and San Antonio.
And in typically Texan fashion, there is also a bit of controversy, "A Texas Tiff Over the Dems Debate," set for Austin, February 21. It has been closed to the public, and the public is mighty upset. If I lived in Austin I would be among them. To quote:
The cry for tickets went up within minutes of the announcement on February 11, but organizers initially responded that there would be no general admission seats and tickets would be reserved for the University of Texas, the Texas Democratic Party, the Obama and Clinton campaigns, and debate broadcasters CNN and Spanish language network Univision.
The not-so-public debate prompted local media blogs to explode with angry and dismayed postings.
And it will be my turn in two weeks to cast my vote. We have taken all the little choose-your-candidate quizzes. I usually show up as an Edwards fan. I have visited the "where they stand on the issues" websites. There is very little difference between their politics, but Obama is a bit more liberal. I have listened to all the debates. Senator Clinton often sounds better there. I have listened to many of their speeches. Senator Obama is the clear winner there. I have read the opinions of my most trusted blog friends. They are equally divided and equally passionate about their choices. I have cussed and discussed politics with my dear "roommate," my spouse of 50+ years. We agree on the best choice. And it is not for any of the previous reasons. It is the same way most of you vote for your president, from the gut.
I will be voting for Barack Obama. He has the right instincts, the right vision, the right inclusiveness, and the right electability quotient. But if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, I will very happily support her just as forcefully. I belong to her older women demographic.
References:
- Examiner.com -- excellent AP resource for Texas political news.
- Clinton Rally Press photos.
- "Obama leads" poll; "Clinton has slight lead" poll.
- Texas Almanac -- everything you ever wanted to know about us, and more about politics.
Technorati tags: news news and politics politics texas primary clinton obama
Cross posted at The Reaction
My "creative post" today at Southwest Blogger is about the space program.
3 comments:
I was still hanging back watching before choosing a candidate but was never for Hillary Clinton and may not vote at all if she finagles the Democratic nomination.
Texas and Ohio are very important. It does not surprise me that Bill is working his way through the state. Its really going to be something during your primary. I am hoping for you and your fellow voters to prevail for Obama because Clinton scares the hell outta my gut.
Its funny, but in our house, it was my daughter who long ago championed Barack Obama and stood her ground. Her younger brother found his own way to Obama. Us old folks arrived at our decisions when faced with Hillary Clinton but the more we watch and listen to him the better we fell.
Thanks for the report from the front lines in Texas!
The "delegate count" is a barometer of course, but it's not the last word, unless Hilary caves, of course. And that's simply not going to happen.
There's another primary to be held, this one behind closed doors. It's called the Super Delegates.
KWW, thanks for your best wishes at the front lines. My "roommate" and I were just making our plans for the 4th. We will both go and vote, using paper ballots. That will count for about 65%. Then he will go to the precinct convention to represent our candidate, the other 35%. I will stay here with our Corgi, Scooter, who has limited bladder capacity. We went to a precinct meeting years ago, but not recently.
Future, my roommate feels like you do about Super delegates. But I have more confidence in their good sense towards what's good for the party. Thanks for your comments. You are always a helpful barometer for me.
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