Obama makes the rounds in Houston
Clinton dust-up is a hot topic at fundraisers
By KRISTEN MACK and BENNETT ROTH
By KRISTEN MACK and BENNETT ROTH
Houston Chronicle
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Houston on Thursday, raising money, rallying support and steering clear of a feud this week between his camp and that of rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Houston on Thursday, raising money, rallying support and steering clear of a feud this week between his camp and that of rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.
But that dust-up was a hot topic among local Democrats, including those gathered at a union hall late Thursday for an Obama fundraiser and rally.
"If we continue to engage in small and divisive politics and tit-for-tat," Obama said, the nation will remain at a standstill. "Our country is at a crossroads right now. We know what the challenges are, because we have been dealing with them for years," he said, citing an education and health care crisis, an "energy challenge" and an unpopular war.
"It's not as if we don't know what the solutions are. What's missing is the inability of our leadership to develop consensus."
Most of the 300 Democrats who attended the fundraiser showed up hours early at the Communications Workers of America union hall to hear the phenom firsthand.
Giovanni Garibay, the national committeeman for the Young Democrats of America, which represents people younger than 36, has already endorsed Obama. "I feel he's connected to our issues."
In his first visit to Texas since formally announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, Obama also attended a fundraiser earlier Thursday at the Museum District residence of energy executive Robert Cavnar and his wife, Gracie. That event, which was not open to media, raised $264,500. On Wednesday, Clinton challenged Obama to apologize for the remarks of a supporter. Several local Democrats said her challenge was misdirected, and that Obama handled the matter appropriately by refusing to apologize for something someone else said.
The flap began when Hollywood mogul David Geffen, who threw a $1 million fundraiser for Obama this week, criticized Clinton and her husband, the former president. Geffen had supported the Clintons.
In remarks to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Geffen said the Clintons lie "with such ease, it's troubling," called Bill Clinton "a reckless guy."
Clinton aides said Geffen's comments undercut Obama's pledge to run a positive campaign, but a local Clinton supporter was less critical.
"I think Obama's statement that he has no control over what anyone outside his campaign has to say was probably more on the mark," said Arthur Schechter, ambassador to the Bahamas during Clinton's administration. Geffen said some things he shouldn't have in an attempt to show support for Obama, Schechter said.
"The Republican rule of not talking ill about any other Republicans would well serve the Democrats," Schechter said. "The tit-for-tat is destructive."
Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Gerry Birnberg said Clinton's response may have been directed more at Republicans than Democrats.
"After the '04 campaign, Democrats came to the conclusion that anything that is perceived as being negative has to be promptly responded to," Birnberg said. "This may have been as much directed at Republican opponents as Democratic rivals. The message she is sending is 'turn negative and I'll respond immediately.' "
In the short run, Obama probably benefited from the flap because it called attention to his candidacy, said University of Houston political science professor Richard Murray. Polls show the first-term Illinois senator is not as well known as Clinton, who was first lady for eight years and just started her second term as a senator from New York. "I think it probably helps define him," Murray said.
Republicans were enjoying the Democratic spat, with the Republican National Committee sending out a release highlighting what it called "Tinseltown tension."
In Houston, Obama's late-night event targeted younger voters, with an advertised minimum $100 admission — although no one was turned away at the door, they were just asked to make a donation of their choosing — compared with $2,300 for the 115 who attended the Cavnars' soiree.
The hosts there included lawyer Tony Chase; and investment banker Gerald Smith and his wife, Anita. Obama is scheduled to speak at the University of Texas at Austin today at an afternoon event open to the public. Clinton has a Houston fundraiser scheduled in mid-March.
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