Boom over in Bush land

From certain angles, this town looks as if it already got hit by a recession.

From certain angles, this town looks as if it already got hit by a recession. The gift shop next to the police station closed about a year ago, and there8217;s a 8220;Building For Sale8221; banner flapping from the cornice. Two other gift shops have long since gone out of business. Another one is open now only on weekends. Two more are still going, but they sometimes close early in the day during the lonely winter months. The Bush boom is over.

8220;It didn8217;t last. You can only sell so many souvenirs,8221; says the former mayor, Robert Campbell. When the then governor of Texas bought a ranch outside of town in 1999, Crawford suddenly became more than just a crossroads west of Waco.

When George W Bush became President of the United States, the village sprouted signs declaring itself the Western White House. Property values spiked. World leaders made regular appearances. A new bank branch opened on the main intersection. But Bush is now a lame duck, and this little piece of Bush Country is in a transitional moment just as Texas is about to play a pivotal role in the presidential race. The state holds a primary on March 4 in which Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton desperately needs a victory over the surging Senator Barack Obama. But Texans are only now focusing on the primary.

But the politics of Crawford are more complicated than you might think. 8220;This was a Democratic town before Bush came here,8221; says Joe Cuff, who owns a general store and gift shop. Several other locals mentioned the same thing8212; it8217;s almost Crawford8217;s dirty little secret. The town had a Democratic mayor well into Bush8217;s tenure. But the town voted overwhelmingly for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. 8220;All the people like him. You know. Just the person, you know. I think it was better before 9/11. After 9/11, things kind of went to hell,8221; Cuff says.

One way to get people stirred up here is to mention the Clintons. For some Bush loyalists, the Clinton name acts like a cattle prod to the ribs.

8220;People around here have had enough Clintons,8221; says a man who gives his name only as JW, one of eight fellows gathered after dusk at the Masonic Lodge in Crawford.

At the Red Bull gift shop, manager Jamie Burgess, 42, says people still buy the Bush souvenirs8212; the beverage cozies, 3, are a big seller, for example8212; but the slowing economy has hurt business. 8220;It8217;ll pick up with the wedding,8221; she ventures. That8217;ll be May 10. Jenna Bush, presidential daughter, is getting married out at the ranch. The Red Bull is already getting ready to stock the wedding souvenirs, and hoping that Crawford8217;s moment in the sun isn8217;t over just yet.