John W. Gonzalez Sep. 26, 2016 Updated: Sep. 26, 2016 11:12 p.m.
At debate watch events around Bexar County, residents finally were able to draw their own comparisons between GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democratic foe Hillary Clinton as they dueled on stage in New York on Monday night.
With their funny hats, red-white-and-blue garb and campaign posters, Republicans and Democrats rooted for their candidates and pledged to campaign for them in the remaining 42 days until the Nov. 8 election.
About 200 party regulars packed the Bexar GOP’s North Side “war room” for the event, with the requisite stadium food, balloons and down-ballot candidates. Mingling in the standing-room-only, mostly-Anglo crowd were visiting Swedish journalists, Latinos and African-American voters.
Leading the Republicans in warm-up rituals at Bexar GOP Headquarters was RNC National Committeewoman Toni Anne Dashiell of Boerne, the recently appointed co-vice chairwoman of Trump’s Texas Strategy Advisory Committee.
“The excitement is just off the charts. The numbers of volunteers are starting to increase,” Dashiell said. The watch party served to energize Trump’s volunteers with the campaign in the homestretch, she said.
“They’re the ones that are going to go out and get 10 more, and they’ll encourage them to get 10 more,” Dashiell said.
On the West Side, about 100 devoted Clinton fans converged on the Hillary for America office off West Commerce Street near downtown, ready for the night’s main event.
Bill Spinks, 72, began volunteering for the Clinton campaign a couple of months ago after she secured the nomination. Prior to this election, he described himself as an independent. This time, he got involved to try to prevent Trump from winning.
“It looks like old white guys are for Trump, but not me,” Spinks said. When the crowd broke out in applause at the first sight of Clinton, Spinks clapped.
“This is what America looks like,” he said gesturing to the packed house.
At the GOP event, Clinton drew brickbats from the start, beginning with mild boos as she took the stage and guffaws when she talked economic and foreign policy, solar energy, gun violence and her email security problems. Gagging and hissing sounds and occasional laughs at Clinton also emerged from the GOP crowd, which offered approval for Trump at all the expected moments.
Trump drew praise from the GOP crowd from his entry on stage, with several approving his choice of blue for his necktie. But the crowd erupted in loud cheers when Trump belittled Clinton about her 30 years in politics and questioned her at will, with Trump appearing to dominate Clinton for a large portion of the face-off. His supporters delighted when he went on the offensive, criticizing her campaign style and assailing her as soft on crime, law and order.
But Clinton’s supporters found much to cheer for as well. Her mentions of equal pay, climate change and job creation got expected cheers, and her one-liners had the Democratic crowd erupting in applause.