Veterans of the campaign of one of the biggest losers in history are rallying around….another big loser:
AUSTIN, Tex. — Frank Herrera, a prominent lawyer in Texas, was sitting at home two Saturdays ago when he received a telephone call.
The voice at the end of the line was that of an old friend from Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, who had since become the godfather, at least to some, of the Democratic Party.
“ ‘We’ve been with you all these years,’ ” former President Bill Clinton said, according to Mr. Herrera. “ ‘Now the time has come for you to be with us.’ ”
Mr. Herrera, who had up to that point been undecided in the Democratic race, promptly pledged his support to the Clintons. “The don never asks for a second favor when the first one has been rejected,” he said.
In fighting for a crucial victory in the Texas contest, the Clintons are drawing from a deep network of friendships that was formed 36 years ago, when they were in their mid-20s, not yet married and working around the clock as volunteers for Mr. McGovern’s campaign.
Now Mr. Herrera is making phone calls and soliciting friends to support Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton before the Texas primary on Tuesday. At the Clintons’ behest, he postponed a weekend trip so he could appear with Mrs. Clinton at a fund-raiser in San Antonio on Saturday.
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Because, you know, supporting the Don is more important than taking a vacation.
