The other Nuevo Mexico

By Carter Bundy

New Mexico has the name, but Nevada is pretty close to a real New Mexico. In Nevada, there’s a huge first-generation Mexican-American population that does the hard work that makes Las Vegas so popular. The food, the cleanliness, the rapidly-developing infrastructure and room availability – none of it happens without first-generation Mexican Americans.

Last Saturday, they gave us all a lesson in what it means to be an American. I write this not as a Hillary supporter (I am, although I think highly of the other candidates as well), nor as a member of a union that did a lot of good work in Nevada with our members (humbly, I think we did).

I write it as an American who is optimistic about the future diversity of this country.

When the main casino workers’ union endorsed Barack Obama shortly after New Hampshire, many assumed that they had put the final nail in Hillary’s Nevada coffin. After all, “The Culinary,” as it’s known, is one of the best examples in the world of how union solidarity and organizational discipline can lead to better lives for its members.

Plus, the Nevada Democratic Party had put caucus sites in nine casinos specifically for shift workers on the Strip.

The Culinary is 60,000 strong, growing fast, and have a nationally-admired union steward structure. Considering that Nevada turnout estimates clustered around 50,000 (it ended up being 110,000), it’s no surprise that the Culinary’s endorsement was considered crucial.

When an endorsement isn’t an endorsement

Union endorsements can be very effective if they’re done right. Doing it right means extensive polling of the membership, long discussions with leaders from around the country, and a detailed combing over of voting records, policy proposals and political abilities.

I’d humbly submit that AFSCME’s endorsement of Sen. Clinton was done well, with over 800,000 phone calls to members, polling in 23 states, dozens of meetings with candidates, multiple public forums and serious research.

There were strong pockets of support around the country for local Democratic stars like Governor Richardson, Obama, and even Joe Biden and Chris Dodd. Yet Hillary won all the states in which we polled except Illinois and New Mexico, where Obama and Richardson narrowly edged her out.

Nationally, Hillary was the favorite of AFSCME membership by about a 2-1 margin. She got the support of two-thirds of our elected leaders from across the country. The endorsement followed.

The Culinary, by contrast, seemed to make a late-breaking, isolated decision without asking their membership in any real depth.

When persuasion isn’t persuasion

On top of following the members’ wishes, it’s critical to be respectful of them as voters and citizens. In our efforts in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, our approach has never been to say “you have to vote for Hillary or else.”

We explain her record in a positive way, and in the case of caucus states, ask members to consider her as a second choice if their first choice was someone else. I personally met dozens of our members in Iowa who were supporting Governor Richardson, and told them he was an excellent choice and that I hoped they’d keep Hillary in mind as a second pick.

The Culinary apparently did it differently. I wasn’t in Las Vegas, but from dozens of personal contacts who were, it was ugly. Individuals intimidated workers, telling them if they didn’t vote for Obama, they shouldn’t caucus.

On caucus day, they allegedly – according to many witnesses – threatened Hillary supporters’ jobs.

That’s a black eye for the entire union movement, and I hope none of our unions in New Mexico ever stoop to that level. Here’s why I don’t think they will: The Culinary’s alleged tactics backfired badly.

When an immigrant American is simply an American

Contrary to all projections, including her campaign’s, Hillary won seven of the nine casino-based sites. That’s not the important part. The workers’ reasoning was.

They said, “We didn’t come to this country to have someone order us how to vote. We won’t be scared into changing our votes.” They were American. They were free. While their union had every right to let them know who they were supporting and why, their votes were ultimately their own.

My favorite story – maybe my favorite political story in recent memory – comes from the Mirage. Both Obama and Clinton supporters were engaged in passionate, good-natured chanting for their supporters.

Barack’s folks were chanting “O-bam-a!” One of the Culinary workers supporting Clinton, instead of the common “Hill-a-ry!” or “H-R-C!” started a chant summarizing who they were and why they were there:

“U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!”

You couldn’t make it up. Hillary’s staff couldn’t have dreamt it up. It came from immigrant workers, there to exercise the defining right of citizens in a democracy. It was a spine-tingling moment for everyone, even for veteran observers.

Vote

Tom Tancredo and other immigrant-bashers who fear for America’s future as an immigrant nation have it completely wrong. True, we need a more orderly, above-board system of immigration. But immigrants don’t destroy America, they reinvigorate it.

In Nevada, people born Mexican proved how American they are. No matter who you support, do the same on Feb. 5. Vote.

Bundy is the political and legislative director for AFSCME in New Mexico. The opinions in his column are personal and do not necessarily reflect any official AFSCME position. You can learn more about him by clicking here. Contact him at carterbundy@yahoo.com.