By Mónica Ortiz Uribe - Tribune-Herald staff writer
Published: 03-04-08
When Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Waco ahead of Tuesday’s potentially decisive presidential primaries Arturo Villarreal looked into her eyes and said “Hispanics will be with you.”
The former first lady’s response while signing an autograph for him was “That’s what I’m counting on” Villarreal said.
As a retired veteran loyal Democrat and Hispanic Villarreal represents a demographic that has turned out strongly in favor of Clinton in the past. But Villarreal need look no farther than his relatives to see that may be changing.
His brother Jesse Villarreal 57 supports Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
Both men are members of the American GI Forum an organization created after World War II to protect the civil rights of Latino veterans.
Like the Villarreal brothers other members of the McLennan County GI Forum branch aren’t all rallying behind Clinton as some polls or analysts might suggest.
“My question is ‘Where’s the loyalty?’ ” Arturo 59 said about his brother. “We both supported Bill when he was running for the presidency.”
Among 15 of the most active GI Forum members reached by the Tribune-Herald including officers four support Clinton and six are for Obama. Three rally behind Republican Sen. John McCain and two remain undecided. As a nonprofit group the organization cannot officially endorse a candidate.
A poll conducted by Zogby International for the Houston Chronicle Reuters and C-SPAN this week showed Obama having an overall lead against Clinton 48.2 percent to 41.7 percent.
The same survey showed Clinton held a nearly 22-percentage-point lead over Obama among Hispanics (54.9 percent to 33.1) with support heaviest in South Texas and the El Paso region.
If the members of the GI Forum are at all representative of other Hispanics in this area Central Texas may hold a different destiny for Clinton.
Take Raymond Tovar an Army veteran and self-proclaimed Bill Clinton fan who cast his ballot for Obama during early voting.
Campaign excitement
Tovar 62 said he made his decision to vote for Obama after watching several debates.
“Hillary sounds like the old politicians” he said. “I just lost trust in her . . . the way she’s talking there’s something eerie going on. I went with my gut feeling.”
When talking about Obama Tovar likens the excitement and newness surrounding his campaign to Bill Clinton’s first run for the presidency.
“It’s the change” Tovar said. “We need something different up there.”
Other Obama supporters in the GI Forum use the words “change” and “unity” frequently when discussing their choice for president.
“You need someone who is going to be able to unite bring in Republicans and independents . . . and I think Obama can be able to do that” Jesse Villarreal said.
Clinton-loving Hispanics date back to the presidential campaigns of Jimmy Carter when Hillary Clinton traveled the Latino-heavy Texas border registering voters. Later the Clinton presidency brought an economic boom to the Hispanic community Rice University political science professor Bob Stein said.
“They bought homes got married got jobs had kids . . . it was a period of enormous upward mobility” he said.
Betty Manchego likes to stay positive about the Clinton campaign even after swallowing the New York senator’s losses in the last 11 state primaries and caucuses.
A member of the GI Forum’s women’s chapter Manchego said she continues to encourage her friends and family to vote for Clinton.
“She’s already got experience and I’m hoping it won’t take her long to get something done” Manchego said.
Forum member Joe Martinez 66 disagrees. He said he doesn’t trust Clinton to lead the country’s military even after she released an ad meant to tout her experience with national security at her husband’s side.
“My wife being married to me as a Marine I don’t think she’s equipped to go to war and make instant decisions when people’s lives are at stake” he said.
Martinez said he will cast his vote for McCain.
Still undecided is GI Forum historian Robert Gamboa. Typically a Democratic voter Gamboa said he could look favorably in Clinton’s direction but none of the candidates has satisfied his concerns on domestic policy.
Weighing the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Gamboa asks “What are we doing that’s worth X billion dollars in America?”
For Arturo Villarreal who stood for more than four hours while waiting to see Clinton on Friday the prospect of her losing the presidential nomination could significantly alter his voting record.
“If Obama wins I could possibly vote Republican for the first time” he said.
