Juggernaut’s roll continues in small town, back in Vegas

J. Patrick Coolican, Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007 | 1:14 a.m.

Even the local press should get to use one - but only one - Las Vegas cliche with so many national political figures in Nevada.

So here it goes: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's trip here last week resembled that of a young whiz kid who comes to town for a trade show, makes a bunch of sales, meets his future wife and wins a bundle at the tables.

After a strong debate performance Thursday on the UNLV campus in which she effectively parried attacks from the opposition, Clinton spoke to 2,300 at the Clark County Democrats' Jefferson Jackson Dinner, which was packed with her supporters.

Friday she traveled to northern Nevada, where she drew at least 700 in Fernley, in Lyon County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2-to-1.

Back in Las Vegas Saturday, she toured the sheet metal union's apprenticeship facility in an event typical of the campaign: tightly controlled, on message.

She then accepted the endorsement of the SMART union, the new entity resulting from the merger of sheet metal workers and air, rail and transportation workers.

In a sign of the race's increasing intensity, however, events got in the way of the pro-labor message. Conservative columnist Robert Novak reported that the Clinton campaign has damaging information about her chief rival for the nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it.

Obama issued a statement in which he said he would not be intimidated and would fight back against any "Swift Boating," a term that for Democrats has come to mean illegitimate attacks such as those made against the Democrats' 2004 nominee, Sen. John Kerry, claiming he had lied about his Vietnam War record.

A Clinton spokesman traveling with the senator said the campaign had no idea where Novak was getting his information.

After accepting the union endorsement, significant because many labor leaders believe former President Bill Clinton was insufficiently loyal to labor, especially by signing the NAFTA trade agreement, Clinton was endorsed by Assemblyman Ruben Kihuen at Rancho High School.

The freshman assemblyman's endorsement was highly sought after by all the candidates. He's the first immigrant ever elected to the Nevada Legislature, worked as a field operative for the Democratic Party and Sen. Harry Reid, and won his race with a classic door-to-door campaign. He was featured in a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.

After effusively praising Kihuen, Clinton gave her standard stump speech at the rally, providing a detailed description of policy proposals, including universal health insurance, energy independence, better education and access to higher education, and beginning a withdrawal from Iraq.

Although Clinton appeared to reaffirm her control of the race this week, one voter at the Rancho High School rally illustrated that the race is just getting started.

Angee Gettle, a former Culinary Local 226 member and wife of a Teamster, said she remained undecided after seeing Clinton. She described Clinton as strong on the issues that matter to her, but she said she felt a more personal connection to Obama and the other top-tier candidate, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.