Teetering on the Border

"Two more weeks! Two more weeks!" chanted Clinton supporters at her speech Tuesday morning in New York before she flew here to make her last stand in Texas. The chant no doubt was meant as encouragement, but it also served to remind Clinton that she hasn't much time left.

"It is time to get real, to get real about how we actually win this election," Clinton informed the crowd. "It's time that we moved from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions."

The Clinton campaign had spoken about a major rally here in south Texas, a display of the voting power of Latinos who would revive her campaign. There were indeed thousands of people here, many of them Latinos, but not enough to fill sections 107, 108, 113, 118, 119, 120 and 121. A big Texas flag concealed the empty seats of one whole section, and vast patches of the arena floor went unoccupied.

The musicians, their instruments checked for weapons by the Secret Service, put on their performances. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, the local congressman, tried to fire up the crowd. "Early Start and Head Start are going to be increased!" he promised. Modest applause.

Henry Cisneros, a Cabinet officer in Bill Clinton's administration, took a turn next. "This is not a game!" he said, his voice breaking. "This is about the future of our country!" More modest applause.

Clinton delivered her usual stump speech, and the audience applauded in all the right places. "Tested, proven, effective -- that's what we need in our next president." Applause. "Do you believe that we will take back our country?" Affirmative applause.

It was a brief speech but insufficiently inspiring. After she got to the part about health care ("I'm not going to leave anyone out; Senator Obama leaves out at least 15 million"), the mariachi band walked off the arena floor in single file and headed for the exit. After she passed the part about "alternative renewable energy" and announced her pleasure at having "the endorsement of the United Farmworkers Union," there was a steady flow of people from the arena floor and out the exit below Section 120.

"There's nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed once we have new leadership," Clinton called after them. "I will work my heart out for you and your families."