Hillary sweeps the corner of 1st and State streets in Boyle Heights, Calif.

[bigtree]

Steve Lopez:
In Latino neighborhood, Clinton's experience counts

February 10 2008

{snipped}

Nick Frousakis went to his grave in December, and one of his most loyal customers, Raul Sousa, followed him into the ground the very next day, old age doing both of them in.

"Nobody wants to sit there now," said Diego Romero, pointing to where Sousa used to hold forth at Jim's Burgers, State and 1st in Boyle Heights.

But the gang still shows up most weekdays to carry on the tradition despite the absence of Frousakis, a Greek-born businessman who had the good sense to put tacos up on the board next to hamburgers.

They drink coffee from Styrofoam cups. They soak up the sun. And they talk.

It was the last of those subjects I wanted to hear about last week. Latinos turned out as never before in the California presidential primary, accounting for 30% of the Democratic vote. As a group, Latinos sent an early valentine to Hillary Clinton, voting for her by a 2-1 ratio.

I wanted to know why, but first I had to find some Clinton voters. So which candidate did these guys like?

"Clinton," three men said in unison when I sat down Thursday.

"Clinton," said three different men when I took a seat at the same table Friday.

So why Clinton instead of Obama?

"El sabe menos (He knows less)," Roberto Luz, a mariachi, said in Spanish of Barack Obama.

"¿Que ha hecho, él? (What has he done?)," echoed Joaquin Vega, who used to run the auto repair shop across the street.

Most of the comments were similarly straightforward . . .


read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez10feb10,1,6474408,full.column?ctrack=2&cset=true