We attended the GOTV rally on the south side of San Antonio this afternoon to see President Clinton speak in support of Ciro Rodriguez in his race against GOP Congressman Henry Bonilla. It was held in the gymnasium of Palo Alto College, and was a spirited and crowded event.
Performing were well-known Tejano musicians Los Texmaniacs and Johnny Canales, and speaking was a long list of prominent local Democratic politicians, from Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, to newly-elected state senator Carlos Uresti, to former mayor and former Clinton HUD secretary Henry Cisneros. Uresti's speech was short and sweet, amounting to a brief cheerleading session. Cisneros took a different approach with a rabble-rousing diatrabe against Henry Bonilla's treachery and in favor of Ciro Rodriguez's character.
The stars of the show were, of course, Ciro Rodriguez and President Bill Clinton, who entered the stage together. Ciro introduced the former leader of the free world, who then gave typical strong performance. Clinton's take-home message is that this election is going to be all about turnout--who wants it more. He asked us in the crowd if we wanted to join the 29 districts who ousted Republicans in favor of Democrats, or if we would be join the list of 10 or 11 districts that came up just a percentage point short. The crowd's answer was loud and clear.
Here are some other pictures I was able to get, from our fortunate vantage point in the front row, earned via a relatively early arrival and due to the phone banking work that my wife has been putting in over the last couple weeks. I also have a couple brief videos that I will be putting up shortly (UPDATE: see here for the videos of Cisneros and Clinton).
The line starts to form outside the gym at Palo Alto College
Congressman Charlie Gonzalez
The crowd grows thick as the time of Clinton's arrival approaches
Ciro Rodriguez introduces President Clinton
Clinton speaks
Clinton shakes hands afterwards
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