The die-hard enthusiasm of Hillary Clinton supporters hadn’t waned even slightly at 11pm. They chanted and cheered her narrow Texas lead, from the roadhouse-style patio at Hill’s Café on far South Congress. Fittingly, a “Hillary for President” sign was juxtaposed with another: “Hippies – Use Side Door.” This crowd was sharp and sophisticated, as belied by their knowing responses to each reference in the New York senator’s live televised speech, which celebrated her Ohio victory.
In fact, many of the jubilant weren’t from here – they’d flown in from California, Massachusetts, New York, and other states to get out the Texas vote for Hillary. Nancy Fields had just arrived from L.A.; she’d spent the day working at nearby Odom Elementary School, delighted by the campaign-financed Mariachi Band and free tacos handed out to low-income voters. (The Obama campaign had complained; they were silenced after admitting they’d given away free cookies earlier.) Fields glowed with the thrill of seeing Clinton take Texas. She regarded her as immensely more qualified than Obama: “She’s got the diplomatic skills. She’s represented us in 80 countries abroad. As president, she’s going to be able to get her initiatives through Congress, because she’s already built the relationships on both sides of the aisle.”
Nearby, a group of stylish young men sported “Out for Hillary” buttons. One among them was M.G. Gallegos, part of a contingent of flight attendants who use their days off (and stand-by privileges) to fly around the country working the Clinton campaign, in key primary states. Gallegos said Clinton had won their loyalty by authoring Senate Bill 2059, to provide Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to flight attendants. The son of immigrants, Gallegos opined: “President Clinton did an amazing job of supporting the Latino community. Hillary has too. Obama has done nothing.”
Among familiar Austin faces in the crowd were former State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos and Council Member Jennifer Kim. Another pro-Hillary local was Avery Upton; as an African-American man, he’d ignored racial lines to vote for Clinton over Obama because he trusted “production over potential.” But mostly, he was passionate about exercising his right to vote, especially after living overseas. “Texas is having such a major influence on national politics,” Upton enthused. “It may never happen quite like this again.”
This article appears in February 29 • 2008.