From Cornfields to Casinos

February 14, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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Our Town by Jon MelegritoBy Jon Melegrito
Somethings stirring out there. Thats how Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama describes the surge of new and young voters and volunteers who are showing up in caucuses and primaries and serving as boots on the ground in the campaign trail. Democrats Clinton and Edwards, as well as Republicans - notably John Paul and Huckabee - are also attracting hundreds of young people to pounce the pavement, staff phone banks and raise funds.
The youth vote, it appears, is rocking. And thats good.
Ive seen this phenomenon for the first time in Iowa. The Obama supporters - eager and enthusiastic - organized an impressive field operation, turning out massive numbers on caucus night that exceeded expectations - 230,000 compared to 115,000 four years ago. In a rural community near Ames , about 200 participants - mostly young adults - gathered in a high school cafeteria. About half were first-timers. Some families brought their children along. I want them to grow up as civic minded citizens, said one mother.
Yes, it was raucous at the caucus. But it was empowering for those who openly demonstrated their preferences with passion and conviction. It reminded me somewhat of the pulong-pulong, neighborhood meetings commonly held in towns and barrios in the Philippines .
In Las Vegas , the same spirit prevailed among caucus goers. Attendance also exceeded expectations, from 9,000 to over 100,000. Asian Pacific Americans, including a large number of Filipinos, were visible at several caucus sites. As luck would have it, I got assigned to do persuasion work at the casinos where many Filipinos are employed. They are also members of the Culinary union, which endorsed Obama. For two days and two nights, I meandered inside Luxor and Caesars Palace - two of the nine at-large precincts. This was definitely a much better deployment of my skills than street canvassing and door knocking out in the cold. Believe it or not, it got down to the thirties in Vegas one night I was there.
Having lost my luggage in Chicago during a connecting flight (among the perils of travel), I had to borrow someones overcoat when we had to leaflet outside the casinos.
Inside, I hang around buffet lines, coffee shops and slot machines; chatted with chefs, cocktail waitresses and custodial workers; handed them flyers and t-shirts and tried to persuade them to caucus. It was tough at first. Caucusing was a new thing, let alone voting in elections. But I was heartened to see some of them the next day, waving their preference cards and standing for their candidates.
By noon time Saturday, the scene at the Florentine Room was spirited. This was Vegas, after all. The hall was noisy and full, with Obamas supporters on one side and Clintons on the other. Edwards three followers and one undecided sat in the middle.
Dressed in their uniforms, the workers - valets, chefs, croupiers, waiters, maids - had been given time off from work to participate. As one observer noted, the casino caucuses showed a cross-section of the new America in all its colorful diversity. So unlike Iowa in a way.
Soon as they filled in, the competing groups tried to drown out each other with a pep rally, replete with sign-waving, chanting and screaming. The energy was electrifying. Some jumped up to dance and faked fights with their rivals. But the taunts were all done in good fun. Everyone smiled and shook hands afterwards.
Meanwhile, representatives from each group tried to persuade the few Edwards followers to join their camp. They cast their lot with Obama, giving him an 8-vote edge over Clinton . Rosa, the lone undecided - after listening to several pitches - eventually went with Hillary who won the state in the end.
The reason the Vegas hotel caucus was so great is because the most American city delivered the most American form of democracy - the fun of entertainment fused with the efficiency of capitalism,” one blogger wrote. Yup. Vegas style with all the razzle and dazzle.
As expected, a number of Filipino casino workers had to watch from the sidelines as they are not yet U.S. citizens. One waiter, who refused to identify himself because of his immigration status, said all he really cares about right now is to earn enough money so he can go home to his family in two years. But he was fascinated by all the campaigning that went on in the casinos. Bill Clinton apparently stopped by the day before and posed for pictures.
APIA Vote, a non-partisan national organization, reached out to the large Asian Pacific American Islander community in Las Vegas . Gloria Caoile and her two sisters, Kathleen and Cayan, conducted several caucus training sessions. Several Filipino Americans - Democrats and Republicans alike -showed up and participated in exercises simulating the actual process. That demystified it for me,” said Dr. Ana Maria Felix, a pharmacist, who brought along four of her friends to the training. They attended all the public events featuring their favorite candidate, including a rally in Chinatown . NaFFAA National Vice Chair Rozita Lee, in her individual capacity as a Clinton campaign organizer, did a remarkable job mobilizing the Filipino American community to go out and caucus. Washingtonians Irene Natividad and Celia Donahue were also in Sin City to spread Hillarys gospel among the unconverted.
Im back in town, awaiting the next call from my union. Its going to be a long, bumpy ride, from now till November. Meanwhile, I encourage everyone who can vote to go to the polls on Feb. 12 for the DC, Virginia and Maryland primaries. You may well be selecting the first woman, the first African American or first Mormon to be the next president of the United States . So, make your vote count.
E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com

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