LOS ANGELES–What a combo targeting voters–an all-female mariachi band–at a Cal State campus rally here for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Saturday morning. Clinton is zeroing in on females and Hispanics in her California campaign. “Yes she can!” people were chanting, a play on “Yes we can,” a slogan with a long history, currently being used by the Obama team.
Clinton invoked the name Robert Kennedy–in a day when Sen.Barack Obama (D-Ill.) picked up the endorsement of his wife, Ethel Kennedy. She said how proud she and Obama (not by name) were in the finals. A few minutes later she jabbed, “My opponent will not commit to universal health care.” That’s a reference to her call for a mandate for health insurance coverage and Obama’s approach that if prices are driven down, people will buy coverage.
“Instead of this mean spirited demogoguery, let’s fix this immigration system,” she said to a heavily Hispanic crowd.
Sally Fields and Brad Whitfield (Josh on the “West Wing”) spoke as part of the warm-up for Clinton; so did Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.); farm labor activist Dolores Huerta for Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, who represented East Bay in Congress and vouched for Clinton, speaking as a veteran of the civil rights wars of the 1960s. I spotted Clinton pals Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen in the audience and Christine Lahti.
Obama picks up some interesting endorsements…Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Bobby Kennedy and Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of President Eisenhower.
from the Obama campaign
Ethel Kennedy Endorses Barack Obama for President
Calls Obama a magnetic force, drawing the nation together
CHICAGO, IL The Obama Campaign today announced the endorsement of Ethel Kennedy. In a statement of support, Mrs. Kennedy compared Senator Obama to her late husband, Robert F. Kennedy, and cited Obamas ability to unite the country, and lead America toward a more hopeful future.
I was humbled to read Mrs. Kennedys statement, said Senator Obama. Few people hold such a cherished place in the hearts of Americans, and its an extraordinary honor to have her support.
Below is Mrs. Kennedys full statement:
Over these past few years, Ive watched Senator Obama inspire Americans from all walks of life to believe in real change and a new sense of hope and possibility. Hes a magnetic force, drawing the nation together for the common good and galvanizing us all to help shape our countrys future.
Barack is so like Bobby, who struggled for the rights of the poor in the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia, traveled to California to stand in solidarity with Cesar Chavez and farm workers, and fought to end another war that cost so many lives.
Today, we crave a leader with vision who can help us regain our lost humanity and rekindle our inherent generosity. With courage, caring, and charisma, Senator Obama is leading us toward a kinder, gentler world.
Senator Obamas candidacy sends out ripples of hope that can build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. I am proud to support Barack Obama, and look forward to him leading this country toward a brighter, more hopeful future.
###
