Las Vegas Sun

November 22, 2009

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Waiting for Obama

RENO — On the road with the Obama campaign. Currently at the Reno Events Center, where about 1,000 people are awaiting the Illinois Senator.

Earlier, he hosted a roundtable discussion with four northern Nevada residents who are, in one way or another, affected by the mortgage crisis. Clinton held a similar event last week. Obama told the group he likes doing these events because it gives him a chance to "stop talking once in a while and listen to the concerns of the American people." Not to be a cynic, but when I listen to people's intimate concerns, it's not usually with a pack of media around me and a microphone on my lapel.

In any case, events are moving quickly in the runup to the caucus. The Obama campaign is holding a conference call with pro-abortion rights activists, trying to pre-empt any negative mail piece the Clinton campaign sends out, as it did in New Hampshire.

There are multiple surrogates for each candidate all over the state. John Edwards isn't here, but he's all over the airwaves.

Meanwhile, Sun columnist Jon Ralston reports from Green Valley High School that President Bill Clinton has questioned the fairness of the at-large caucus sites on the Strip, which are designed to give shift workers a chance to participate.

The Clinton campaign had been studiously "agnostic" on the issue. At least they could plausibly deny that they wanted to "disenfranchise" Strip workers, as the Obama camp argues.

But this directly ties the Clinton camp to the lawsuit over the at-large sites.

This would again seem to unify the Culinary Union, which represents many of the workers who will be caucusing at the at-large sites. (Anyone who works within 2.5 miles of one of the nine sites can caucus there. It's not a union-only thing.)

Surprising move on Clinton's part. But there's a reason they call him "Big Dawg," so maybe he thinks this is a shrewd move.

Discussion: 11 comments so far...

  1. Clinton wants to deny Union members the right to caucus. Caucus for Obama!

  2. President Clinton knows about our little 6% "at-large" conflict and is questioning fairness. We bought his line before, not so this time. I really think that's a sign that the Clinton camp knows Obama can win the state.

  3. Hey Bill! How is it that you didn't talk about this BEFORE the Culinary endorsement? Why just now?

    You hypocrite power hungry liar.

  4. I am a union member and my union has endorsed Hillary but after the Teacher's Union (which endorsed Hillary many moons ago) filed a lawsuit trying to stop participation of Culinary Union members on the strip (do you think they would have filed if the Culinary Union had endorsed Hillary?...Not!) there is no way I would ever vote for a Clinton now! Especially with all the lack of control Hillary has over her people who she continues to fire for making nasty suggestions regarding Obama. If she can't control her own people how can she control Congress and the military (with whom she has a very strained relationship)?

  5. Comment removed by staff.

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Politics: The Early Line

Political news and analysis from the Sun's reporting team, focusing on national, state and local political scenes.

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