Now it’s just a matter of how badly she beats Obama. Right now she’s leading by 10% points, so this is a very very bad night for Barack Obama. I think we’re looking at a convention battle.
Category: 2008 Election
Exit Polling
So far what they are saying:
Three in 10 Pennsylvania Democratic voters were union members or had one in their household, and they favored Clinton over Obama. Four in 10 had a gun owner in the household, and gun-owning households also went mostly for Clinton.
Bitter enough not to vote for you Barry-O! Two fold message here: rural Pennsylvanians hate being condescended to, and AHSA’s endorsement isn’t worth elk piss (I don’t know what Elk piss smells like, but I’m guessing pretty bad.)
A Novelty
This is the first time that I can remember people paying so much attention to my state’s primary. Usually by the time we come around, we’re just reaffirming what the rest of the country has already chosen for us. In terms of primary politics, Pennsylvania has never mattered. I’m glad to hear that the gambling industry has Hilly up by 7-10. I think Obama is pretty much a lock in at this point unless he seriously bombs all the remaining states, which is a possibility. A Hillary win will drag the fight to the convention, and if Hillary does manage to pull it out, it’ll be because of something shady that’ll piss a lot of Democratic faithful off. That makes it less likely I have to worry about either of those two being president.
Sacrifices Children Make
Sorry Dad, if you ever run for public office, I’m not campaigning for you in Philadelphia’s gay bars.
Yes, It’s Primary Day
In what is perhaps my last act of political apathy, I will not vote in today’s primary. I have long held that I would switch my registration from Independent to Democrat or Republican if either party could give me a choice worth switching over. To date, that has yet to happen. McCain has the Republican nomination locked by now, and the Democrat choices are both so bad I’d have to throw myself off a building if I voted for either of those two. I guess you could say I’m bitter.
But my apathy in regards to political parties will be at an end after this. I have come to realize I am part of the problem. The reason there’s no one worth voting for is because I have not done enough to help get people on the ballot who are worth voting for. I will have to pick sides, and help promote candidates I like. To that end, I think the Republican party is still closer to my own views than those of the Democrats. If small government libertarians are to affect change, we have to work within the political system we have, not the one we wish we had. Next election I’m not going to sit back and let someone else present me with a choice. I’m going to try to make choices, and be heard. I will register Republican, and support the candidates who most believe in getting government off our collective backs.
Image is Everything
Some are arguing that McCain’s voting record, which is more conservative than many people realize, won’t matter, since independents tend to view him as a moderate.
His conservatism could be a problem for Mr. McCain — particularly if this November’s contest is as close as recent presidential elections, which were decided by independent-minded voters in the center of the political spectrum.
But he might avoid this problem to the extent people know him as an independent-minded politician. And many do view him that way.
“People see him as a centrist. They don’t see him as a conservative,” said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
“In fact, they put him pretty close to themselves, in terms of ideology, and put President Bush way to the right of themselves,” Mr. Kohut said.
Except I think McCain is a centrist, conservative voting record aside. Much like the current Commander-in-Chief, he’s antagonized enough parts of the Republican coalition that conservatives don’t much like him. He’ll earn my vote in November, because, well, look at my other choices. Plus, I think McCain is a sight better than the current occupant of the oval office, and I managed to close my eyes and think of England in 2004. I can do it again.
Obama Funds Gun Control
Looks like Obama’s roosters are coming home to roost a day before the Pennsylvania primaries:
Obama’s eight years on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which paid him more than $70,000 in directors fees, do not in any way conflict with his campaign-trail support for the rights of gun owners, Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Obama’s presidential campaign, asserted in a statement issued to Politico this week.
LaBolt stressed that the foundation, which has assets of about $935 million, doesn’t take “detailed policy positions,†but rather uses its grants to “fuel a dialogue about how to address public policy issues like reducing gun violence.â€
Oh, you mean this type of dialog? Not a good thing to be associated with in a pro-gun blue state.
We’re Not Stupid
Via Thirdpower, Pennsylvania gun owners don’t trust either of those two. Josh Sugarmann drags out the old canard that us knuckle draggers won’t vote for Democrats regardless:
What’s more, it generates criticism from the left. “You have both Obama and Clinton going out of their way to appeal to a cross-section of gun owners who are never going to vote for them,” bemoans Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center.
That’s especially not true in Pennsylvania, where a significant part of the gun vote are union members, who would vote Democrat if it weren’t for the gun issue.
Michelle Obama Telling Us What We Know
Speaking to students of a liberal arts college in a wealthy Philadelphia suburb, Michelle Obama explains her husbands statements about rural Pennsylvanians:
“If I’m telling you something that you don’t know, let me know,” she said. “Maybe things are better, and I’m just missing the boat and I’m out of touch.”
Yep, I’d say so.
A Rousing Endorsement
Hillary holds a rally of 100 Pennsylvania mayors in Harrisburg, only 19 mayors show up.
Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed spoke for the group against the backdrop of a banner touting the 100 mayors. He criticized Clinton’s rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, for saying at a San Francisco fundraiser last week that some voters in small towns in Pennsylvania cling to guns or religion because of their frustration over their economic circumstances.
Maybe Pennsylvanians are getting sick of both these clowns. I know I am.
UPDATE: The first comment on there is a riot: “The rest were pinned down by sniper fire I’m sure.”