Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Opinion
Apr. 15, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

ERIN NEFF: Hillary still on top in Clark County

ERIN NEFF
MORE COLUMNS

Way back on Feb. 23, it appeared the momentum Barack Obama had picked up from his Super Tuesday performance and other victories was beginning to help him here in Clark County.

But it was impossible to tell as much because of the raucous spillover crowd at Bally's which had assembled that Saturday for what was supposed to be the Clark County Democratic Convention. When the Obama and Hillary Clinton camps split for a "cooling off" talk aimed at shutting down the poorly planned proceedings, support for the candidates certainly appeared evenly divided.

A vote on Feb. 23 would have been a disaster, challenged by either side because of the sheer incompetence of those trying to handle the huge crowd of alternate delegates vying for credentials.

When the convention finally blew up, it seemed as though the decision to postpone the event actually helped Clinton. After all, Clinton had handily won Clark County during the state's Jan. 19 presidential caucus, and had ended up with the popular vote edge statewide. Obama, whose camp was outmaneuvered in the get-out-the-vote efforts on the Strip and in Clark County's suburban neighborhoods, succeeded in earning one more delegate because of the way rural counties are apportioned.

Most Popular Stories
  • LETTERS: School administrators immune from cuts
  • LETTERS: Power bills high enough? Not for Harry
  • VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: Inching back up the path toward freedom
  • ERIN NEFF: A depressing spectacle in Carson City
  • LETTERS: All kids should be able to bring books home
  • EDITORIAL: Jobs for life?
  • LETTERS: Blame social promotion, grade inflation
  • EDITORIAL: Schools need reform -- but not my school
  • EDITORIAL: Where's the crisis?
  • ERIN NEFF: Snippets from the special session



    • But Clark was Clinton County in January, and during the height of the "up-for-grabs" stage of the Democratic nomination in February, it appeared the county convention was a good enough place to try to wrest support for the state and national conventions to follow.

    The Democratic Party worked diligently to plan a new day of voting to finish the business left undone Feb. 23. And when the deadline to register for the reconvened convention passed, it was actually Obama who had more delegates signed up to attend voting at the Thomas & Mack Center this past Saturday.

    Of course, not every delegate showed up -- and it became clear that a controversial comment by Obama was helping to reawaken the former first lady's support here.

    Once again on Saturday, Clinton surpassed Obama in Clark, by roughly the same margin as she did on caucus day.

    But for the very real need to seat delegates at next month's state convention in Reno, the mulligan was about as necessary as many prizefight rematches, and with a similar outcome to boot. The winner won again.

    Blue-collar voters, especially those who work on the Strip, can sure get riled up when a politician appears elitist. And so Obama's comments about "bitter" voters who cling to religion or guns was immediately manipulated by Clinton -- a woman who characterizes an outright lie that impugned the service of our soldiers as a simple misstatement -- into some kind of terrible comment.

    But week upon week of campaign appearances in Pennsylvania burgs and Indiana schools is too boring for the cable networks. Thus a private remark by Obama, as truthful as the candidate's past statement to the Reno Gazette-Journal about Ronald Reagan's legacy, instead is used to feed the 24-7 needs of the cable networks and the various echo chambers.

    And so with the country's economy mired in what no one will officially call a recession, and with the U.S.-funded truce between the warring tribes in Iraq about to blow up, race and religion are once again front and center in the minds of Democratic voters.

    Obama and Clinton do no one down-ticket any good by talking at all about guns. Sure, it's blue-collar union workers who are as mad as anyone about the endless inaction on immigration. And plenty of middle-class Americans -- Republican, Democratic and independent -- believe strongly in their faith and their freedom to hunt when they please.

    Obama's statements, made in San Francisco of all places, may just be the final nail in the coffin for some independents who decided to give him a pass on his former pastor.

    Clinton rushed to use the comment in an effort to screw up the Obama delegate math. But she couldn't just leave it at Obama being elitist. She also slammed John Kerry (although not by name) and regaled reporters with another fish story. Well, in this case, it was a duck story. She apparently shot one once when she was first lady of Arkansas, apparently displaying better aim than the mythical snipers she wrongly remembered aiming at her in Bosnia a decade ago.

    Not that she didn't really shoot a duck. It's just that with Clinton, you never know when she's "misspeaking." She also conveniently remembers hunting trips to Scranton, Pa.

    In homage to Jason Miller, Clinton's "Championship Season" is getting as pathetic as trying to remember the glory of the mid-1990s without all that other stuff.

    None of this matters of course, because at least in Nevada, Clinton is still on top.

    Contact Erin Neff at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.



    Leave Your Comment 8 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    douglas wrote on April 15, 2008 09:58 PM: there could be a small glimmer of a silver lining for the nevada economy if either "progressive" candidate were to be elected.

    taxpraying citizens would have to take on a second job to pay the promised jump in workers' taxes. that'd get the nevada unemployment percentage close to zero. and we'd see new contestants, even women and children outside of the garden centers and home improvement, big box stores. the taxpraying second job seekers might displace some of the infiltrators/cash back to their legal country, day laborers. without the extra income, the quality of citizens' lifestyles would plummet.

    working an extra 20 or 30 hours a week never hurt anyone. i did that for decades... to get ahead, not as would be under a "progressive" administration, just to stay even.


    Guess who wrote on April 15, 2008 07:24 PM: B I M B O
    B I M B O
    B I M B O
    B I M B O

    Hillary or Erin Niff

    A- Hillary
    B- Erin Neff
    C- All of the above


    nvnospin wrote on April 15, 2008 03:52 PM: The Democrats have finally pushed to me to the point where I’m going to utter words I never thought I would say...I'm voting for McCain and changing my registration to Independent.

    I am tired of all the misspeaking, elitist remarks and all around baloney that comes with the Party system. I voted for John Edwards and I can’t bring myself to vote for Half Truth Hillary or Out-of-Touch Obama.

    Only the Democratic Party could foul up such a sure bet to win the Presidency.


    dennis1944 wrote on April 15, 2008 02:59 PM: Gosh! The stupid democrats only had to do it twice to get it right. How amazing!


    Zeke wrote on April 15, 2008 02:22 PM: The only thing shown by the Clark County revote is that H was able to get enough Delegates and Alts to vote to maintain here 54% from the Caucus. OF COURSE it wouldn't change-anyone who was elected a Delegate to the County was CLEARLY a C supporter in Jan, and dispite the media created idea that each states results are dramtically affected by "last weeks gaff" is silly.
    The real story is that O picked up the Edwards Delegates. That is it.

    The story at the STate will be "how many Clark supporters will show up in Reno. Washoe will remain the same from their County, and there are only a few Delgates from the rest of the Countys, and nearly all of them will likely show.


    Herb wrote on April 15, 2008 11:13 AM: Obama is wrong. Regular church going is more common among the affluent than poor. Actually, more poor people need to get religion in their life. Certain segments of the poor such as gang members and tweakers living in trailers are currently serving the devil whether they are aware of it or not. They would be better off (and so would everyone else) if they drop Satan in favor of Jesus.


    Candy wrote on April 15, 2008 08:40 AM: A vote for Hillary will just make the Reid Machine stronger. For that reason I vote for Obama.


    justjoe wrote on April 15, 2008 06:21 AM: "Misspeaking" goes both way Erin. Wasn't it Mr Obama who claimed that his father came to America because of donations by the Kennedy, later to find out that the donations were more than a year later. Also that some of the impetus for his father's arrival were the marches at Selma, which were four years later. I know your predilection is for Obama, but a little objectivity please.