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The day was abuzz with politics as the Pennsylvania primary was well underway. I shared some of my thoughts with you before in "Ode To Pennsylvania." As this crucial April 22 draws to a close, I have more thoughts to share.
Firstly, I haven't watched the news at all today. I haven't even read any election coverage online. It's been a busy day. But I'm going to make a prediction. My prediction is the Hillary is going to sweep Pennsylvania by double digits, my guess being 10% or 12% over Obama at most. There are two reasons I say that... first, it'll be that much because she's been canvassing Pittsburgh, Philidelphia, and the liberal hell-hole Johnstown (of John Murtha fame.) Chelsea's been hitting up college campuses for quite a while. Slick Willy has be been riding up and down PA hitting small and medium sized towns for votes. Obama is just one person.
But Obama has many volunteers. Not only that, he's outspending her three- or four-to-one. Obama started commercials fast and thick, but Hillary now has about the same number as him. In my town, there are many, many Hillary signs and only a few Obama signs. Less than a week ago the Obama HQ here got real Obama signs. Previously they were displaying a fairly well-done hand-drawn Obama sign in the window.
I think Obama's going to take Philidelphia, hands-down. He'll get Pittsburgh, too. Hillary, though, will get everything outside Philly limits, like the suburbs, as well as everything between Philly and Pittsburgh. You see, Pennsylvania, overall, is a red state. There are just so many people in the liberal Pitts-Philly areas that it counterbalences it. That's why we're traditionally known as a swing state. We bleed purple, like a few other states.
Hillary is going to take the traditionally red country area. She's the less psycho-liberal of the two. She's got major campaigning going on, she's got the support of the gov'nah and John Murtha. She was also born here, little do most people know.
Anyway, I think she'll win by double-digits. She needs to win by that much to give the superdelegates doubt at the convention (and split the party, to the GOP's cheers.) If she loses, or wins by a very narrow margin, and Obama gets the nomination, well...
I can see her running independant. She has the balls to do it. The Clintons hate losing -- they're a vicious couple. Whether she could pull it off... that would be something else entirely. I think if Obama could round up the money, he might do alright as an independant. Hillary, though, is the type of politician who could handle an independant run.
Anyway, even then, it would more effectively split the Democratic party than would any faltering at the convention. I think even though 2006 was bad for the GOP and 2008 was forecasted to be worse... well, I think it's going to be better.
WEST CHESTER, Pa. -- After dodging questions at the April 16th Democratic debate about vice presidential selections, freshman Senator Barack Obama announced today his selection for a running mate: "This country has been run for too long by the stagnant old style of politics. America must move beyond this archaic rationale... it is time we embraced change!"
He addressed a large crowd at a West Chester, Pa. town hall meeting with these unprecedented remarks: "This election cycle, the Democratic party has become too divided... too bitter... it has been swept up in this 'war mentality' broadcast by Ms. Clinton in her attempt to steal the nomination. No more will America be fatally gripped by these divisive notions.
"My campaign is about change. The politicos and pundits have been speculating who I might invite on the ticket as a running mate. Even at Wednesday's debate, I was asked about accepting Ms. Clinton as a vice-president. Today is a new day for America."
That's when he unveiled his vice presidential selection: "Joseph Alois Ratzinger."
Gasps were audible in the crowd of about 300. A surprise trip to Pennsylvania was not on the itinerary for Ratzinger, who had just met with President Bush earlier in the week. Coinciding with Ratzinger's birthday and his third year in office, his trip to the Northeast Corridor came at a convenient time for Obama's campaign, which was suffering setbacks in Pennsylvania.
A spokesman from the Obama campaign stated that "having a reigning Pope as a vice-presidential candidate should be a big boost for Obama's Pennsylvania campaign." An aide close to the Holy Father confirmed the selection: "His Holiness will have far greater resources to practice Jesus' teachings in his new position as vice president."
A California Congressman, who wished to remain nameless, told the Philadelphia Tribune that while a papal vice president might do well for America's perception abroad, he was personally disappointed with the selection: "Obama will be plagued with allegations of flip-flopping. He can't possibly remain pro-choice with a papal veep. This choice could isolate a large chunk of the Democratic party."
A Real Clear Politics phone survey of 684 registered Democrats showed a slight gain of 2 percentage points in the Keystone state for the Illinois Senator, while nationally Ms. Clinton showed a surge of 7 percent over Obama.
Obama was describing how jobs had been disappearing in small towns in Pennsylvania and across the Midwest for 25 years with nothing to replace them. He then added: 'It's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment, as a way to explain their frustrations.'
Well, I live in a smallish medium town of 15,000 people. Jobs have been disappearing. People are mad about that, sure, but we aren't bitter. Our town has adapted and developed into other industries after the traditional manufacturing jobs have started drying up.
Why, as it happens, I spent two hours shooting clay pigeons with my shotgun on Friday and tomorrow I'm going to mass. I've shot for a while now, I've always gone to church. The same with my father and grandfather. Is Obama proposing that areas that have a plethora of jobs are "past" religion and arms?
I don't take offense at his comment. He's allowed to make himself look like an ignorant ass. I'm terrified at the implications of his comment, though. He's shown his incompetence before (like justifying his friendship with Rev. Wright by throwing his white grandmother under the bus.) I am scared by how his mind operates. He says we cling to religion and guns. No, see, religion and guns are part of America. This isn't like how those crazy Mormons cling to polgamy. I read that comment as he thinks he's above or beyond religion and guns.
Now, I honestly think that Hillary will win Pennsylvania by a narrow-to-medium margin. There's no way she can sweep the state. I also think there is a very slim chance Obama will actually "take it" at all. Something that I've found... interesting: Those annoying yard signs.
I've never gotten one of those before for my yard. What's interesting, though, is that there is a huge proliferation of them, a huge amount that I've never seen before. People are genuinely interested in this election. I have faith in democracy! Why, it's the first time I'm proud of my country in my adult life! (*drips with sarcasm*)
Anyway, there's the unprecidented amount of those signs. The large majority are for Congress as our district's representative isn't running for reelection. There are some presidential ones. Guess, right now, which candidate has the majority of the signs in semi-rural conservative small-town PA?
Ha, fooled you! It's Ron Paul. It scares me to say that the most signs go to Paul. Ever see those huge signs for Paul in the dumpy pick ups? I think Obama captures the blacks, Hillary, the chicks, and Paul the folks who need new trucks.
Though... I'm proud to announce that I haven't seen a single Obama sign, but more to that later. Second place comes Hillary with an alarming number of signs. Disappointingly I haven't seen any McCain signs but I suspect that is because he has clinched the nomination and the GOP HQ hasn't set up yet. I doubt they (or the Dem's HQ) will until their respective conventions.
If you drive down my street, the house that is directly at the end (across the perpendicular road) has a Hillary sign. It's like a "T". Their house is right across from where the verticle part hits the horizontal part. I live on the verticle part.
I get angry every time I have to pull in my street by that sign. I have vowed to get a McCain sign for my front yard just as soon as they are available. I could call the campaign and have them send me one...!
Anyway, so yes... something that I notice that frankly scared me is that there is a "Obama For America" center downtown. They rented this tiny little commercial outfit. It's amusing, though. They don't even have any official signs or stickers in the windows. They're all hand-made! Kinda reminds me of this pic I saw online:
So, anyway, what with so many Hillary signs I think she's got everywhere but Philly, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh locked up. I'm actually really excited about this because it will give her more of a fighting chance, hopefully dragging the fight to June if not the convention!
Anyway, I think this is the best thing that could happen to the GOP. In 2006 the GOP lost a majority in Congress... politicos were calling for a trouncing in 2008... Hillary emerges as a front runner... Obama fights her... McCain, a right-leaning centrist with liberal tendencies (admittedly not the ideal conservative candidate) clinches the nomination... Hill and Obama scraping for candidates late into the game... PA will prolong the fight... the Dems divide... the angry voters head to the semi-lib McCain... happy GOP POTUS!
Ahh, yes, the sweet smell of hypocracy in the morning!
I'm not voting for Barack Obama. He's a dirty negro.
I'm not voting for Hillary Clinton. Her place is in the kitchen.
How does that sound? Doesn't it make me sound so arrogant? That's because that sort of talk is bigoted. Whoever talks like that has another thing coming. Somewhere Hillary Clinton was, I think it was getting off a plane, some man repeatedly yelled, "Iron my shirt!" As much as I hate Hillary, that's despicable.
I think discrimination on anything that a person has no control over -- such as sex or race -- is discrimination in the highest form. What gets me, though, is something of a different matter.
Jesse Jackson endorsed Barack Obama as his candidate of choice. We know Jackson's rash behavior when it comes to racism... what does it say about the endorsement?
The Alabama Democratic Conference recently endorsed Obama, providing him with a key black endorsement. A county commissioner involved was quoted as saying Clinton was most likely to win in November "because of her husband and because of some other things, mainly because she's white." What does that say about the endorsement?
The National Organization for Women (NOW) endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for President. Their Political Action Committee calls it "Make History With Hillary." What does that say about the endorsement?
Isn't it racism or sexism to endorse someone solely on those traits? What makes liking someone based only on those traits any better than disliking someone only on those traits?
A Democratic calling card
The NAACP has confused me this election cycle. The California NAACP endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for 2008. I can only assume that they slipped up and actually endorsed a candidate that they might agree with. Then again, this isn't the national NAACP.
People have criticized John McCain as being too old. At least AARP doesn't have such an agenda.
You see, ground commanders -- people in Iraq, not Washington DC -- said they needed this, fast. Congress dilly-dallied about it for two years, arguably raising the Marine death toll considerably due to those bombs and mines they were making and getting from the Iranians, like those improvised ones that would explode, shoot a pointy piece of molten metal from a tube and cut into a Hummer. Doesn't work with the MRAPs. Landmines? Don't work so well with the MRAP. That's what was killing a lot of our guys.
The troop surge is actually working, to an extent. The guys on the ground say they need more guys, so they get more guys, and it works. The guys on the ground say they need bomb-proof trucks, Congress says "Pfft" and guys die. Isn't that a simple algorithm?
I'm half tempted to run for Congress. Think I'd make a goo d Senator? That's where the glory is, folks. I'd just have to resist the urge to slap Hillary... or Obama... or Barbera Boxer... or Ted Kennedy... or Diane Feinstein... or Nancy Pelosi... or Harry Reid (especially.)
Anyway, yes, since we so love our government, and Texans are so proud, well, let's roll them into one. Here's the Texas legislature, doing what they do best.
So, anyway, what with so many Hillary signs I think she's got everywhere but Philly, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh locked up. I'm actually really excited about this because it will give her more of a fighting chance, hopefully dragging the fight to June if not the convention! 
