Round Two: Hillary Stumps at Dodge Arena
By Ryan Holeywell, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
Feb. 21–HIDALGO — Sen. Hillary Clinton emphasized her ties to the Rio Grande Valley and the Hispanic community during a rally Wednesday evening at Dodge Arena, a day after losing her 10th primary in a row to her rival, Sen. Barack Obama.
Clinton promoted her plan to provide a path to legal status for illegal immigrants and her desire to help establish a veterans hospital here — two issues of interest to Valley voters.
The New York senator’s visit to Dodge Arena was her second stop to the McAllen area in a week as she tries to drum up enough support to clinch the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
She and other politicians at the event urged Valley voters to go to the polls during the early voting period. Her campaign estimates that as much as 40 percent of the state’s votes could come during the early voting period, which continues through Feb. 29.
Clinton touted her experience as a senator and first lady at the event, arguing she is the better prepared candidate — a frequent refrain throughout her campaign against Obama.
“I believe that we need to start on Day 1, and we don’t need any on-the-job training for the next president of the United States,” Clinton said, standing below a sign that read, “Solutions for America.”
The event came at a pivotal point in Clinton’s campaign, after fresh losses to Obama on Tuesday in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Clinton did not address her recent setbacks in her speech.
She and Obama are set to debate today in Austin.
Clinton spoke just a few hours after Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., stumped for Obama during a rally at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg. Obama is scheduled to speak at UTPA on Friday, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has been tapped to stump for him Saturday in Brownsville.
A win in the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio — two of the country’s most populous states — would likely swing momentum back in Clinton’s favor. Obama has a projected 1,319 delegates, compared to Clinton’s 1,245, according to The Associated Press. A candidate needs 2,025 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.
In a poll conducted Feb. 16-18 for several Texas broadcast news outlets, Clinton had a 5 percentage point edge over Obama in Texas. Among Hispanic voters, however, Clinton is favored two to one. If Hispanics vote in large numbers, Clinton’s lead would likely grow. If they don’t, Obama could see his numbers increase, according to SurveyUSA’s figures.
The SurveyUSA poll also shows Clinton dominating in South Texas by a 61 percent to 33 percent margin and holding a 64 percent to 29 percent lead in West Texas.
Nationally, Obama has a 5 percentage point edge over Clinton among Democratic voters, based on polling conducted Feb. 17-19.
Clinton — no doubt aware of those figures — discussed several issues relevant to the Valley, including her desire to fix the “broken immigration system.” She also touted her endorsement from the United Farm Workers union, whose deep roots in the Valley go back to the 1960s.
Raul Yzaguirre, who helped found the National Council of La Raza, echoed Clinton’s theme of experience and said she can get things done if elected president.
“What inspired me is that it’s not about inspiration,” he said. “It’s about perspiration.”
Clinton emphasized her ties to the region, noting that she visited the Valley in the 1970s to register Democratic voters.
U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, also played up that message.
“There is no doubt that she understands the issues important to us here in South Texas,” he said.
Posted throughout Dodge Arena were signs in Spanish such as “Todos con Hillary” and “El Valle con Hillary.”
Mariachis and dancers from the Ballet Folklorico performed at the event, and former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros, who served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during President Bill Clinton’s administration, emceed in both Spanish and English.
Hillary Clinton drew the loudest applause during her speech when she pledged to eliminate the No Child Left Behind Act, which emphasizes accountability in schools but has been widely criticized by educators.
“I do not want to treat our children like they’re little test takers,” Clinton said. “I want them to have every opportunity.”
Clinton said if elected she would work to develop more programs that would provide funding for higher education. She also said she would create policies that would help reduce the dropout rate among Hispanic students, a problem that plagues Valley schools.
Clinton also offered a dig at her opponent as she promoted her healthcare plan, which she said is more comprehensive than that of Obama.
“No one in America should be denied healthcare,” she said.
In addition to the emphasis on early voting, lawmakers speaking at the event reminded the crowd to participate in the party caucuses on Election Day, when a third of the state’s 193 pledged delegates will be allocated.
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas
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