Obama Wows ‘Em in Vegas
January 12th, 2008 at 03:28pm Mark Noonan
As I’ve said before, no one has the slightest clue what is going to happen next Saturday in Nevada - we’ve never had a caucus like this (ie, one anyone cares about - even Nevadans), and given the continual rapid influx of people to the State, there’s no way to tell - even by using data from 2006 - how Nevada will vote overall. But it seems that Obama is making some peoples’ hearts go “thumpa-thumpa-thumpa“:
From the back of the Culinary union hall on Friday, all that could be seen were hundreds of upraised hands — black, brown and white — clapping to the chant “Sí se puede.”…
…This is a union whose members, more than 300 in the stuffy, hot, sour-smelling hall downtown, have been trained to make some serious noise on command, and that is what they did when the presidential candidate whom their leaders decided to support, Democrat Barack Obama, took the stage to accept the endorsement.
“Every time I come here I feel good, because I am not only among friends, I am also among the best of the labor movement in this country, right here in this room,” the Illinois senator said.
The union members’ discipline and political organization are legendary in Nevada. But the decision to go with Obama — made late in the game Wednesday, after the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire had been decided — poses by far their biggest challenge yet.
The endorsement has split the union from its biggest allies, including most of the big Democratic names in the state. Union leaders say they never considered themselves part of the party establishment anyway, and they relish what might be an underdog role. But there’s no question that the coming days, until Nevada holds presidential caucuses a week from today, will create serious fractures.
Naturally, Obama played it safe - he’s for “change”, he’s for “hope”, he’s against “Yucca Mountain” (all must bow before the icon of opposition to this under-construction nuclear waste dump…though it never seems to get actually stopped, or anything); the usual Obama litany, slightly modified to fit a Nevada audience. But the report does indicate that the good people of the Culinary just ate it up. Hillary was out here the other day (and, you know, neither of them bothered to come by and see me - can you imagine!), and her reception was friendly - but not like Obama’s.
Meanwhile, over on the GOP field, Romney’s advertisement seem set to run every hour or so…and I haven’t heard squat from anyone else other than Ron Paul, who’s suddenly talking about how he’s a Christian and that the military has already voted 100% for him (well, that is what it seems like, watching his ad).
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats, Republicans
14 Comments
1. liberalT | January 12th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
i agree - being for “change” or “hope” is a silly thing to say…
But then again so is fighting a war on “terror” or being for “family values”…
All meaningless unless you quantify what change is or whose family it is… Good to know we agree politicians are all rhetoric. Now if you could only make that small step to realizing its not just liberals and democrats but everyone then we will finally make some progress…
2. LiberalMind | January 12th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Yeah, I also agree that “hope” and “change” are just silly liberal ideals, like “fair justice,” “freedom” and “equality” are also stupid liberal fantasies.
Let’s follow the GOP back to the good old days of white-men only voting and child labor.
Let’s follow the GOP back even to the days when “heretics” and witches were burned alive and Native Americans were pushed off their lands.
Let’s follow them back to the days robber barons and unscrupulous big business….oh we are there today…
Well, you know us liberals just suck wantin’ freedom and truth and good gov’ment and all…..
Because 9/11* changed everything, yall!
LiberalMind
* 9/11 is registered trademark of the GOP to use as propaganda for political gain.
3. Gozer the Carpathian | January 12th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Oh please you two. You know as well as we do that all of those phrases (Both the ones you listed as well as the ones Mark mentioned) mean diddly and are nothing more than pretty phrases used to molify those who don’t care or look for details. At least go for something else in Mark’s post instead of something so obvious and silly as that.
Like Yucca Mountain for instance. You guys are STILL fighting that thing and STILL working on it? Frack, I thought Ward Valley took forever to die. :p
(Ward Valley was the Low Level Nuclear dump planned for near Needles, CA where I grew up.
)
4. Gozer the Carpathian | January 12th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Oh and Mark, what’s it like being in a Primary that matters? Here in California it looks like we’ll finally matter as well for the primary. Scary thought.
5. liberalT | January 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
yeah - that was my whole point Gozer. Mark seems to believe that catch phrases and anti-populisism are limited to democrats. Obviously its a problem of ALL political candidates
6. semby | January 12th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
The Vegas lawsuit
So a Clinton-backing teachers union is suing to block elements of the caucus system designed to embrace Vegas strip workers — largely members of the Culinary Workers.
And legal and immediate political questions both aside — doesn’t this just point to how odd, and utterly irregular, caucus systems are in the first place? Operated by the state party, and without a clear objective standard of fairness, or much historical precedent, it seems likely to come down to a tug-of-war between partisans.
ALSO: The Las Vegas Gleaner captures this ambivalence: Clinton’s supporters cry that it’s unfair … once it turns out it’s unfair to them?
Yes, the Gleaner has already freely stipulated that caucuses are undemocratic on the face of it and basically totally suck. And now Clintonista forces within the Nevada teacher’s union, along with their political advisers, really, really suck, too!
They’re suing to stop the big at-large caucus locations at hotels, designed to let hotel/gambling employees caucus even if they’re toiling that day, on the grounds that the locations are unfair to, um, somebody …
Don’t look now, but caucuses are unfair to a whole bunch of people, like people whose job takes them out of town next Saturday. Or people who hold the secret ballot and the principle of one-person, one-vote sacred. Or, you know, people who won’t be able to make it to their caucus locations because they’re serving their third or fourth tours in an endless Iraqi fiasco that Clinton voted for. The Clintonoids shouldn’t sue to thwart the at-large caucuses. They should cuddle up to some consistency and sue to put a halt to the whole shebang.
7. Kahn | January 12th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Sorry to drag it off topic:
A STUDY that claimed 650,000 people were killed as a result of the invasion of Iraq was partly funded by the antiwar billionaire George Soros.
Soros, 77, provided almost half the £50,000 cost of the research, which appeared in The Lancet, the medical journal. Its claim was 10 times higher than consensus estimates of the number of war dead.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3177653.ece
8. Kahn | January 12th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
“Let’s follow the GOP back to the good old days of white-men only voting and child labor.”
Better check the voting record. The GOP passed the vote for blacks and restricted child labor.
“Let’s follow the GOP back even to the days when “heretics” and witches were burned alive and Native Americans were pushed off their lands.”
Neither the GOP nor the Democrats existed for the witch trials. But they were in “control other people” Massachusetts. Intersting, that is also where Lord Amherst inveted germ warfare when he had small pox infected blankets sent to the local indian tribe.
“Let’s follow them back to the days robber barons and unscrupulous big business….oh we are there today…”
Teddy Roosevelt and Taft - for goodness akes read a little you ignorant retarded liberal. Democrats were the lagging party and Republicans were the leading party for EVERY issue you brought up (except the witch thing, as I pointed out). It is hard to argue with such ignorant and unjustifiably angry people.
9. Mark Noonan | January 13th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Gozer,
It is exciting a bit of interest - even among some of those who are far from being political junkies. It is rather neat to have our shot at being the vortex of American politics for a day…and you’re right about California…and can you imagine just how frightened all the candidates are that they might have to actually compete for California delegates? That is where money might entirely rule the roost…
10. Mark Noonan | January 13th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Liberals,
Hey, I’m just reporting the news from Nevada - and you should be pleased as punch at the way Democrats - at least some of them - are swooning over Obama. Do any of you liberals have the least sense of humor, or any aspect of human kindness in you?
11. Mark Noonan | January 13th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Kahn,
Thanks - its up in its own entry.
12. The Moderate Voice »&hellip | January 13th, 2008 at 1:09 am
[…] And How About A Republican View Of Las Vegas? Blogs For Victory (formerly Blogs For Bush) has this post by Mark Noonan (who has been on cable talk shows giving the GOP position from time to time). He reports that Obama […]
13. phnx | January 13th, 2008 at 7:27 am
“Let’s follow the GOP back even to the days when “heretics” and witches were burned alive and Native Americans were pushed off their lands.” Liberal Mind
Its time to change your moniker to Mindless Liberal. You are the poster child for the failed public school systems.
The GOP was formed in 1854 to counter the Democrat Party which actively supported
and condoned SLAVERY you moron.
Slavery, the KKK, and corruption are all the legacy of the DEMOCRAT party.
14. neocon | January 13th, 2008 at 7:59 am
The current Democratic party harkens back to good ole days of Huey Long:
>>>He was a populist hero and a corrupt demagogue, hailed as a champion of the poor and reviled as a dictator. Louisiana’s Huey Long built his remarkable career as Governor and U.S. Senator on a platform of social reform and justice, all the while employing graft and corruption to get what he wanted.<<<
I would suggest that our young and indoctrinated liberals read up on Mr. Long to get an idea of the road they’re being led down.