In Yuma, Kerry just lost a good, energetic organizer to Clark...

[expatriot]

I am a Dean supporter through and through so I don't have a dog in the fight I am about to relay to you all, but this is fresh from the trenches of grassroots activism...

Here in Yuma County (pop. 180,000-200,000 in winter, 60% Hispanic), the only candidate's campaign to really take off so far is Dean's (www.yumafordean.com) but we are expecting major Lieberman and Clark activity soon. Well anyway, Kerry had his chance in Yuma and he blew it. There is this great organizer and activist here that was Kerry all the way, went to the Democratic Party meetings with Kerry garb, organizing for him but the Kerry campaign was dissing him, not giving him ANYthing and he had no support... tonight he was working the Yuma County Democrats table (Yuma for Dean had their own table (at a Hispanic Heritage Block Party)) and I was joking with him and I said something about Kerry and he said, "Oh, I am with Clark now..." with a big ol' grin on his face.

I guess Kerry has no aspirations in Arizona, if he doesn't get his act together it is going to be between Dean, Leiberman and Clark here.

[Julien Sorel]

1. I know a couple of local Kerry activists who are Hispanic

here in Phoenix. I suspect this might have been local politics at work, unless this guy simply liked Clark more. Kerry is well represented in the state among Hispanics, or so they tell me.

[expatriot]

2. Before anyone laughs at that "38" number... two things...

1. We have JUST started tabling... tonight was our first real tabling event.

2. Yuma County is HELL to be a political organizer in. In the great tragic ironies of history, Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma County but he never cracked this nut. Agri-business is still in control of Yuma proper and the UFW only has footholds in San Luis and Somerton and a lion's share of the Hispanics are still either disillusioned or bitter from the failed attempts in the seventies (the quote "hard times" in Yuma... street fights and sabotage and such... very messy and it pitched Hispanic vs. Hispanic, etc. long story).

So it is hard.