Depending on which poll you reference, the Pennsylvania primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is down to either an 8 percent or a 3 percent spread a week and a half before the election. NBC News' political reporter Chuck Todd was commenting on the statistical dead heat this morning on MSNBC, where he accurately identified Pennsylvania as having a strong history of machine-style politics. The ward and voting district system defines real political boundaries here. Local committeemen are strongly encouraged to be active, to walk their districts -- and state and even national committeemen are no strangers to most people who are actively involved in party politics.
I think it's a little unfair to refer to the commonwealth as a "fall-in-line state," though. This area is, at least on my side of the aisle, seeing more contested races at all levels in the primary than it has in recent history, and some non-endorsed candidates look like they have a shot at beating the natural incumbency advantage. Whether they can win in a general election is, of course, a different question.
I would also question how Todd comes to decide that there's an "automatic lever-pull" for Democrats in this race. Some, so used to grey-haired, grey-suited white candidates are really at a loss, and one of the challenges for both Obama and Clinton's campaigns in this contest is that they're competing for some of the same constituencies within the party: namely, people of color and trade unionists.
On another note, it seems Obama is really trying to live like a Pennsylvanian. Not only was he willing to make himself charmingly vulnerable at the bowling alley, but he has also recently popped up at two places I occasionally shop. He's been seen both at King of Prussia's megamall and at an East Norriton grocery store. Here's hoping he's supporting Pennsylvania's economy in between shaking folks' hands.
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