Bill questions TX caucuses again
Posted: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 7:10 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
AUSTIN, Texas -- If he shows up, they'll come.
Bill Clinton's ability for spontaneous crowd-building was on stunning display today in Texas, where the former president popped up at stops along the I-35 corridor to drum up support for his wife on primary day. He was mobbed by supporters in San Antonio, San Marcos and Austin, as he tried to get out the word about Texas's complicated primary-caucus hybrid.
But that complicated process, he says, has gotten even trickier as "disturbing" reports of voting irregularities are rearing their ugly heads. Clinton says he's heard reports of "canceled" caucuses and illegal signatures collected too early for tonight's precinct conventions. (Sign-in sheets are only valid if signatures are collected after the caucus begins.)
"Some people have been told apparently that there is going to be an effort to sign up in advance and slip the sheets in," he told reporters today after he greeted voters at Ann Richards Elementary School in Austin.
"We gotta get everybody to play by the rules," he said. "It's a little bit complicated, but we can do it. And it's going to be a great night."
Earlier in the day, Clinton greeted throngs of Texans at a polling place in San Antonio. But his force as a politician was most evident at an impromptu stop at Texas State University in San Marcos, where a flurry of text messages turned an unannounced drop-in into a slam-packed atrium of bewildered students hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
"Sign my shoes, Mr. President!" shouted one, who held a shiny, white sneaker aloft.
Did those university students turn out for Hillary after inspiration from the white-haired former president? There's no telling, but one thing's for certain: Everyone, especially Bill Clinton, enjoyed the scene.
