Cisneros Goes On Campaign Trail For Obama

Former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros is on the campaign trail for Barack Obama, doing his best to bring Latinos who were firmly in Sen. Hillary Clinton’s camp into the Obama fold:

Less than two minutes before inserting an earpiece and going on live national television to promote Barack Obama’s candidacy for the first time, Henry Cisneros spoke quickly but calmly into his cell phone with Obama strategists in Chicago.

“Give me the one-minute version of the message,” the former San Antonio mayor said as he chewed gum in between gulps of water. “No, I already know his position on immigration.”

All this while chatting with a local reporter and speaking to an unseen television technician who sought to adjust the audio signal that would soon carry Cisneros’ voice to a nationwide audience. It was a routine early morning for the nationally known Hispanic leader, former Clinton Cabinet secretary and ex-television network head known for his ability to multitask.

Cisneros’ portion of the MSNBC interview lasted just a few minutes, but his recently minted commitment to Obama will take considerably more of his time. His task: wooing Hispanic voters who went all-out for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the bruising Democratic primaries.

“I’ll be traveling to a dozen to 15 states to carry the Obama message to the Latino community,” Cisneros said after his TV appearance. “I, along with others, want to dispel the sense that Latinos, out of a sense of disappointment by Hillary’s failure to secure the nomination, will sit out the election.”

Cisneros’ appearance Tuesday was the first time he has publicly spoken on Obama’s behalf, “and we welcome and are thrilled with his support,” said Obama spokeswoman Shannon Gilson.

Cisneros represents a critical part of the Illinois senator’s effort to court and convert Hispanic voters, many of whom were diehard Clinton supporters who turned out with a fervor not seen since the Viva Kennedy rallies of the early 1960s.

In both Bush runs for the White House, he had Hispanic support (even and especially in Texas) because of his time as Texas Governor (hell, he even spoke a little Spanish now again). Although he didn’t do much for Hispanics–or anyone else, for that matter–there seemed to be some intangible bind that helped forge them to the former Texas governor.

That’s not so with McCain, who has now flip-flopped on immigration and has become more right-wing than ever before.

Whereas Bush always had a Hispanic constituency of some sort as Governor of Texas that increased through the 2004 election before doing a backslide, McCain, though he is from a border state, has never really had a Hispanic constituency that likes him, which I think will make Cisneros job a little easier.

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