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October 21, 2008
Something Strange Coming Your Way
Real Clear Politics has Obama up by 11 in Pennsylvania as of 22 Oct 008 0300z. And yet Governor Rendell is nervous about Pennsylvania and is asking Obama to return. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has sent two separate memos to the Obama campaign in the past five days requesting that the Democratic Presidential candidate--as well as Hillary and Bill Clinton--return to campaign in Pennsylvania, Rendell told CNN's Gloria Borger.Yeah. The Democrats have done a real good job in PA what with Obama's "bitter clingers" remark and others. Still the polls have Obama up by 11, well outside the margin of error, so that PA should be a waste of time in ordinary circumstances. So maybe the circumstances are not ordinary. It also looks like the Obama campaign is having money troubles in Philadelphia. Specifically street money troubles. When the Philadelphia Democratic Party's faithful gathered for their pre-election fundraiser last night, conversation among many anxious ward leaders kept coming back to the same question: Would Barack Obama come up with street money?You know, the Obama campaign does not sound like a campaign that is flush with votes or money. Despite what the press is telling you. Maybe Obama was thinking that with his ACORNs in a row he didn't need the regular party machine. No money, no votes. One way or the other. Of course this could just be a negotiating tactic by Obama to drive the price down. And Rendell's moves could just be his way of driving the price up. This lack of honor among the thieves could be a serious problem for an Obama administration. And one other point I want you to keep in mind: Cross Posted at Power and Control posted by Simon on 10.21.08 at 11:23 PM
Comments
Sometimes also called "Ward Captain". Basically, the usage as I understand it is that the parties divide voting precincts or districts or whatever into 'wards' where some party member is in charge of the Get-out-the-vote (GOTV) activities--picking up people to drive them to the polls, handing out the 'walking around money' (otherwise known as bribes) to the lucky, and so on. It's not a Western PA thing. It's more a Big City Political Machine Thing. IIRC, During the Primaries, Obama's campaign told the locals in Philly to forget about the cash, which the campaign correctly understood not to matter in black neighborhoods in Philly, because face it, who were the people in those neighborhoods going to vote for? You didn't have to pay them to vote, as is usually the case. I think they're thinking the same thing again. Whether that matters or not, I guess we'll see. It does seem might curious to me that Rendell is saying things like this--I live in Philly. If he thinks there's a problem, I'd listen to him, if I were them. But I'm not so I hope they won't. Eric Blair · October 22, 2008 02:29 PM Like most blue states, Pennsylvania is a red state with hugely blue cities. To be strictly fair, all states are shades of purple, except maybe DC. Assistant Village Idiot · October 22, 2008 03:30 PM Lately I find myself muttering a lot "come and GET it." And it is NOT an invitation. Portia · October 22, 2008 03:54 PM Post a comment
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Okay, I give up. What's a "ward leader"? Is that the same as a community organizer/agitator? Is it a real elected position in the city's government? Or is it just some "racial code word" they use only in western Penn?