Newsweek: HRC: TCB in Vegas. A Conversion Story.

"She came, she saw--and she conquered.

After a year of polls, pundits, fundraising, ads, endorsements and "debates," the 2008 presidential election can start to seem like, well, sound and fury, signifying nothing (to coin a phrase). Which is exactly what I expected to find Saturday morning when Sen. Hillary Clinton addressed the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Why would I expect otherwise? The event was a victory lap--an appearance in front of a group, recently merged with the United Transportation Union to form the 230,000-strong Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) conglomerate, that had already decided to support Clinton for president. No wooing necessary Just order up a few hundred yellow "SMART Choice" t-shirts and blue "SMART Choice" buttons, pass out the "SMART Choice" placards, stand at the "SMART Choice" podium in front of the "SMART Choice" backdrop and let the flashbulbs flash.

Not that union endorsements aren't useful and all. But announcement ceremonies aren't typically the best place to experience the unique frisson of retail politics--the skepticism, the seduction, the sale--in person.

Unless, you know, they are. With Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising" warming up the crowd--and Clinton herself still touring the next-door SMWIA Apprenticeship Facility--I approached Jerry Waller and asked why he's supporting Clinton. His answer? "I'm not." Two of his yellow-shirted union brothers rolled their eyes. Waller, 54, moved from Detroit to Las Vegas ten years ago; a former military police officer, he was broke until the Local 88 "took him in." That said, his loyalty doesn't necessarily extend to his union's presidential pick. "A lot of guys hate her, actually," he said. "There's a lot of anger. I remember when they passed out fliers a few weeks back. One guy just threw it to the ground."

Waller's top concern this cycle is health care. On Sept. 21, 1984, he was "completely buried" when an underground pipe he was working on collapsed. "You New Yorkers have 9/11," he said. "I have 9/21. I was out of commission for five years. Workingman's comp blew me off." I asked who he is supporting. "Don't know yet. I'm still researching. John Edwards came by here, oh, five months ago. I was impressed. It was more informal than all this. If Hillary wants my vote, she needs to turn more human. She's too staged."

Clinton's speech wasn't a barnburner, by any stretch. But it was relatively rousing. In addition to the usual labor-friendly lines ("You can't say you're pro-family if you're anti-union"), attacks on the Bush administration ("We gave them a $5.6 million surplus...") and local appeals ("Vegas is the fastest-growing city in America, right? Lots of things to build!"), she delivered a spirited "analysis" of last Thursday's debate. "This time what happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas!" she said. "I loved the debate because we finally got into some real issues. For example, my health care plan covers every American. Sen. Obama's doesn't. He didn't make that decision. I think it takes strength and experience to make the tough decisions."

Still, as the applause died down and I asked Waller what he thought, I was surprised by his response. "I'm impressed," he said. "She was better than I expected. Sounds a lot smarter than I expected, actually. I heard what I wanted to hear: heath care, taking care of our military guys, the middle class. " He was smiling. Wait, are you, like, a supporter now? I asked. "I am. I'm leaning more this way." But what about the "human" thing? Did that give you a sense of warmth? "It's not a problem for me any more. I got a good feeling."

Nice work, Hillary. It just goes to show: anti-Clinton sentiment might be broad (recall those 49 percent unfavorable ratings), but it's not always deep. Especially if, after a year of polls, pundits, fundraising, ads, endorsements and "debates," all it takes to win over a guy like Jerry Waller is a standard 20-minute speech, delivered live in person."

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2007/11/19/hrc-tcb-in-vegas-a-conversion-story.aspx