Nevada woman nervous about convention speech - News

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Aug. 27, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Nevada woman nervous about convention speech

Coast Guard retiree, Reid to be state's speakers tonight

By MOLLY BALL
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader will speak tonight at 5 Pacific Time

DENVER -- Xiomara Rodriguez has no illusions -- the Reno resident knows why she'll be onstage tonight at the Democratic convention.

"I'm Hispanic, a veteran and a woman, so I fit three different hats," Rodriguez said Tuesday.

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Rodriguez is scheduled to be one of two Nevadans speaking at the convention. The other is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

A Puerto Rico native and 20-year veteran of the Coast Guard, Rodriguez, 57, retired to Reno a decade ago with her husband, also a Coast Guard veteran. Rodriguez said she was the first Hispanic female ever accepted into the Coast Guard's special agent program.

"I got involved with the campaign from Day One because I identified with Senator Obama," Rodriguez said. "I'm in a mixed marriage. My kids are the products of a mixed marriage. We saw Obama speak at the 2004 convention, and what he said touched us."

Rodriguez was in Reno earlier this month moving tables and chairs for an Obama appearance when the campaign called her and asked her to speak. Not paying attention, she brushed off the campaign worker, telling him she was busy. Her husband said, "Did you just hear what he said?"

Rodriguez is "very proud" to be representing women, veterans and Hispanics on such a big stage, but also "extremely nervous."

"I'm a behind-the-scenes person," she said. "I knock on doors, I tell people to register to vote and come to the caucus. I don't have an inflated expectation of my 15 minutes of fame."

REID IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Sen. Reid, D-Nev., has big plans for today, when he'll give his prime-time convention speech.

In the morning, he'll hit the Nevada delegation breakfast and bring some big-name politicos, which the Nevadans haven't had thus far.

Reid is scheduled to be joined by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and oilman T. Boone Pickens, an Obama campaign energy adviser. Pickens, formerly no friend to the Democrats, has gotten downright chummy with Reid since the two worked together on the clean energy summit earlier this month at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

At 11:15 a.m. Mountain Time, Reid is scheduled to host an event with the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, led by New York Sen. Charles Schumer. A bunch of the party's top Senate candidates will be in attendance, including Mark Warner, the Virginian who's giving the convention keynote speech.

The Democratic Senate candidates include two Udall cousins -- Coloradan Mark Udall and New Mexican Tom Udall -- as well as the man who's trying to oust a third Udall cousin from the Senate. Oregon Republican Gordon Smith is a member of the storied Western political family that traces its roots to the late Arizona Rep. Morris Udall. Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley is his general election opponent and scheduled to be at the campaign committee press conference.

Reid is scheduled to give his convention floor speech at 6 p.m. Mountain Time, which is 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

HISPANIC VOTES

When New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was campaigning to be America's first Hispanic president, many speculated he was really angling to be a higher-profile candidate's running mate.

At a briefing Tuesday on Hispanic voters, Richardson was asked how he thought the recent addition of Sen. Joe Biden to the ticket would affect the Democrats' push for Hispanic votes.

"I could have given you a better scenario to get that vote," Richardson, sporting his post-campaign goatee, said to laughs.

Richardson made a case in the briefing that Hispanic voters have turned decisively toward the Democrats and are going to be the bloc that turns the West in their favor.

"The three states that are going to decide this election are New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado, and these three states, I predict, will go Democratic by small margins because of the Hispanic vote," he said.

The Hispanic vote, he said, will be a bigger factor than Western voters' environmentalism or individualism.

Pollster Andrew Myers presented data on what he said was the largest research project ever conducted with Hispanic voters in the West. In Nevada, he said, Hispanic likely voters favor Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain by a huge margin: 67 percent to 25 percent.

The numbers were similar in New Mexico and Colorado.

Eliseo Medina, a longtime Hispanic organizer and executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, said he has never seen Hispanics, who historically have turned out to vote at lower rates than other groups, so keen to participate.

"What I am seeing is a highly motivated, excited electorate eager to have their voices heard," he said. "They think, they feel in their hearts, their guts, that they have been unfairly victimized by politically motivated attacks, by politicians who see beating up on immigrants as a way to win votes."

Richardson urged Obama to make the West a top priority.

"Obama needs to visit more. He needs to campaign more in the West," he said.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Jim wrote on August 27, 2008 09:47 PM: Mark, Why did you not mention what the Solar cost you in investment and how much do you get in payback from it, what is the life cycle of the panels, etc, etc, etc. The windmills or wind turbines are terribly expensive and only work when there is wind and if too much wind, they must be shut down or the will self destruct. They provide very little energy in relation to cost and you MUST have a basck up souce of power. What I am saying is the majority of vehicles on the road RIGHT NOW,and are being built right now and in the very near future need oil and gas. We can't just wake up tomorrow and salvage ALL of them and we cannot expect the Auto Industry to convert overnight to sources that are pipedreams. Have we not done enough to destroy our auto industry already with smog/emission controls, unions, tire pressure monitors etc, etc, etc. Probably 40 percent of an automobile cost is for B/S stuff from LIberal environmentalists. You raise the hood, and slam it closed and head for the dealer. BUT first you must stop at the bank for a home equity loan, just for them to look at it. What a crock of B/S and for what. As for your Solar Panels, good for you, but get back to me after a while when the Nevada heat cooks the panels and they disentegrate right before your eyes and immediately after any warranty expires. Been there, done that. Also, what homeowners association is gonna allow those ugly panels in a nice neighborhood, most of them won't allow a US FLAG, but that is because they are liberals, ugly solar panels will probably be OK. Jen wrote on August 27, 2008 03:39 PM: Well said Mark!! I don't understand the thinking behind the "drill drill drill" chant either. Solar companies are working on ways to lease their equipment, hydrogen cars are being produced, wind energy is a viable source, and we still here "drill drill drill" Alaska still hasn't fully recovered from the Exxon Valdez disaster. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2006/05/17/1640469.htm Estimates are that it may take longer than 30 years for the coastline to recover... Why would we incur more chances of another accident when there are viable, safe, methods of energy that will come online within the next 10 years. (The same amount of time it will take for any drilling to have a noticable effect if ever) Of course, we are here - not having our economy and environment ruined by big oil.... Not there dealing with the problems. Why should we care if it will save 25 cents off our gas bill... Real men wrote on August 27, 2008 09:09 AM: We all thought the radio wacko Art Bell was lost in space. talking about aliens and black op helicopters. That all changed once Reid got in power. He makes every other kook look normal and alive. This crook even makes Richard Nixon look innocent. "Alternative energy" is Reid's way of saying Political Contributions for a failed idea. Mark Schaffer wrote on August 27, 2008 06:22 AM: jim, Having not only priced but installed solar power on our house I can prove you wrong by my actual costs. But never let facts stand in the way of a bad diatribe. Drilling is the stupidest action we can take so of course people like you are in favor of it. Try reading this little article by a mathematician and then see if you can change what mind you have: http://www.puaf.umd.edu/puaf741/notes/2-Tools/NYT-01-06-04-Mirage-of-growing-fuel-supply.htm I don't believe you will understand this and will continue your uneducated nonsensical statements. jim wrote on August 27, 2008 05:48 AM: I think you have it backwards there about the chuminess of T Boone. I am certain it was or is the other way around. Reid saw big money and therefore got real chumy with T Boone. Reid even said himself, he could not believe he was setting down with him to talk. You think the IRAQ war was expensive, Just wait til you see the price tag of all this alternative energy HOGWASH. It is all a scheme to get money for research into extremely expensive alternatives that "MAY" provide 20 percent of the energy we need and then you still have to have backup for times when the wind doesn't blow or is blowing too hard. Have you priced any of that stuff lateley. Previously your car and your house were the largest purchases, now it is gonna be alternative energy, mark my word and refer to it later. You will regret Reid and his involvement in all this. He needs to get involved in the only proven source of energy that we need right now and that is to drill. Reid has nothing to say that I want to hear other than he is stepping down. Sally wrote on August 27, 2008 05:34 AM: Reid's speech should be real exciting as in putting everyone to sleep with his whinny voice, idiotic opinions and rethoric that the entire country and all Nevadans are really tired of. Vote him out next time and send him back to Searchlight, if they will take him back. If not, send him to Mexico with the illegals he loves so much.