Clinton makes the Vegas rounds

By J. Patrick Coolican (contact)

Friday, Aug. 10, 2007 | 7:17 a.m.

Sen. Hillary Clinton showed many sides of her well-developed political profile during a long day of campaigning Thursday in Nevada, weaving together big themes with policy details, occasional humor and Clintonesque empathy.

Never did she look more at home, though, more effortlessly herself, than when counterpunching on health care.

At her first Nevada event of the day, on a stage before hundreds of black journalists gathered for their national convention at Bally's, an apparently conservative questioner accused her of favoring socialized medicine like that of England and Canada and asked why she would support a program that would be so bad for impoverished black people.

"Oh man, there are so many misrepresentations there I need more time to answer," she said. The notion that she favored socialized medicine was a myth of the right wing, said the candidate whose greatest failure in public life was the defeat of her health care reform plan. That setback, during her husband's first term in office, is credited with helping Republicans seize control of Congress in 1994.

She expounded on the failures of American health care and its need for reform.

Then the swift kick: "See my staff and we'll get you some more information if you're interested in being educated instead of rhetorical," her voice sharpening and rising slightly.

The crowd, journalists trained not to respond to politicians, rather loved it.

She rolled out an urban poverty agenda and addressed the genocide in Darfur and the reconstruction of New Orleans.

Later, Clinton told a raucous crowd of Culinary Union workers that if their contract negotiations with MGM Mirage end in stalemate and strike, she'll walk with them.

It was a foot-stomping performance by the presidential contender, one sure to be repeated by her chief rivals for the Democratic nomination: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

Thursday was Clinton's day in Nevada, however.

Even just six months ago, her performance as a campaigner could be uneven when on a stage in front of big crowds. Her voice had a rising and falling inflection that seemed like a barrier between her and the crowd. Her strength was in theater-in-the-round formats, her famous "conversations."

Thursday, though, on the stage at Bally's, in the crammed union hall and at a house party on the East side, Clinton's performances looked effortless.

After declaring solidarity with Culinary members, it was off to the house party, where she was introduced by freshman Assemblyman Ruben Kihuen, the first-ever immigrant legislator in Nevada and a sought-after endorsement.

After a short speech, the crowd pressed in on her for photographs and autographs. At this, there are few better at working a crowd efficiently. She signs, smiles, hugs and turns. Then she does it again, and again, and soon, the crowd, which seemed as thick as a swarm, begins to thin out.

After a quick visit with her hosts, Jose and Maria Espinoza, Clinton was off to Las Angeles.

She returns to Nevada on Monday.