Late Update (Jonathan): I think we have the problem with some of the audio players fixed. If not, you can download, in large .mp3 form, the Clinton speech, the Richardson speech and the Obama speech.
This coverage is sponsored by SEIU, the fastest-growing union in North America, with 1.8 million members in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
LAS VEGAS -- Tonight, the night before the SEIU/CAP healthcare forum, three Democratic presidential candidates spoke at a rally in front of several hundred members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 here in Las Vegas. Although I don't have time at this moment to type up a long post on each of the candidates' speeches and the response from the crowd (as I will from tomorrow's forum thanks to the generous support of SEIU), I have posted the audio from each of the three speeches below and have offered a few quick thoughts on each address.
Hillary Clinton
Sen. Clinton spoke first, highlighting her experience busing tables in her younger years, a comment that elicited a fairly strong response. Clinton's biggest applause line, however, came when she said she believed the IRS should stop harassing tip earners and start looking into the improper use of loopholes by corporate CEOs.
Bill Richardson
Gov. Richardson began his speech by speaking in Spanish, saying something to the effect of, "We're going to have our first Hispanic president" (rough, perhaps not entirely correct translation, but I'm going from memory and an education in Spanish that ended a number of years ago). Richardson in fact offered a number of Spanish interludes during his speech, to good effect. The Governor's largest applause line came when he said it was time to get begin getting of Iraq immediately. Perhaps the most newsworthy moment of any of the three speeches came when he said that he wanted his first victory to be in Nevada, perhaps an indication that he will not focus as much on Iowa.
Barack Obama
Sen. Obama highlighted the support that he gave to those in Chicago who have struggled for years to organize at one of the city's hotels. The Senator's biggest applause line came during a rousing portion in which he detailed the positive effects that organizing has not only upon members of unions but upon Americans all around the country.
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