I would like to make a point about Philadelphia:

[PCIntern]

Before I begin this, let me just say that I was pilloried on another thread a week or so ago because I made the point that the plurality in Philadelphia needs to be extremely high to counteract the "Reagan Democrat" voters in the rest of the state, excluding Allegheny County, wherein the Obama Campaign must be fighting an uphill battle. For the record, I am NOT saying that Obama won't "win" Philly...do I need to say that again, because LAST TIME I POSTED THIS THOUGHT, NO NUMBER OF RE-POSTS WOULD CONVINCE SOME DU-ERS THAT I WAS NOT SAYING THAT OBAMA WOULD "LOSE" PHILLY???

OK, that being settled (I suppose, you never ever fricking KNOW around here anymore), please allow me to say this:

We are relying upon enormous turnout among African-Americans, Latinos, and students here. I am telling you that there are great numbers of white voters in the city limits who will not pull the lever for a black man for President of The United States. Obama is NOT running for Mayor of Philadelphia, so please don't tell me that they did it once and they'll do it again. Not necessarily...I speak with these people every day, they make up a fair percentage of my practice and many will not vote for him.

So, my point the other day was that when someone suggested that the Inquirer MAY not endorse Obama or may only endorse him in a lukewarm fashion, I said that that was a very bad thing. Now some here might say that newspaper endorsements don't carry much weight...but hear me: we cannot, absolutely CANNOT afford to lose even a few votes here in Philly, because the assumption has to be that the vast bulk of the state will not vote for Obama. We need a gi-normous plurality here to make up for that.

Now, maybe I'm wrong: maybe Barack will take it in a landslide and I'll be deliriously happy. Until then, I'm working for every single vote here in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. It is NOT all right for the Northeast Philly neighborhood to be written off in toto, we need the voters up there to not go along to get along with their neighbors who had voted Dem in every major election up until now. IMO, any Dem who votes for McCain at this juncture in history is an outcast and pariah, and I dismiss their logic with a wave of my hand and work for those who are less, shall we say, racist.

[PaDem]

1. here's a link to a thread I started today.........

I agree with everything you said. We have our work cut out for us and then some in PA.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7145635&mesg_id=7145635

[PCIntern]

2. right on the money you are...

it's gonna be really really close at the plate...

[monmouth]

3. Do you listen to Smirkonish (sp?) and what's he saying these days?..n/t

[PCIntern]

4. I need to keep my food down...

so I haven't...the thing is the folks who listen to 1210 Hate Radio are voting, if not Rethuglican, Fascist or Nazi Party. We no doubt have the dumbest, most ignorant talk-radio hosts in any Metropolitan area in the USA. You should hear who the have on sometimes...it makes the Marx Brothers look sensible by comparison.

[mvd]

9. 1210 AM is horrible

Don't know if it is the worst (there are so many bad talk stations,) but when Coast to Coast AM comes on, thoe hosts actually seem liberal.

[phantom power]

5. k+r

[PCIntern]

6. Thanks...this thread is dropping like a stone...

[elkston]

7. Wow, you're incredibly negative about this. (eom)

[PCIntern]

14. Wow...yeah...like I don't think that PA's a given...

and what my reasoning is...that's pretty negative I guess.

I recall all the high-fiving during Sept. and Oct. in the Kerry election campaign. I'll stop being worried and I'll stop working hard after Obama wins...

[AllentownJake]

19. PA is not a given

but its difficult to take away. Barack is investing the resources here and spending time here.

[PCIntern]

34. Difficult? Ask the voters of FL and OH how difficult it was

to take their states away...? with all respect...it CAN happen here...

[mvd]

8. Today I saw a person in a Pottstown store with an Obama button and peace button

Nothern Montco is more red, so was glad to see it. :hi:

[JerseygirlCT]

10. I've been around Lancaster a bit recently, and maybe it's the school

or maybe it's the city, but I saw tremendous Obama enthusiasm, and a pretty lukewarm thing toward McCain.

Obama in Buchanan park - something like 15,000 and turning thousands more away. McCain in the F&M Athletic Center - maybe 3,000. Gee, wonder why THEY didn't hold the rally in the park?

At any rate, not suburban Philly really, but not exactly a liberal hot spot I don't think. It gives me some hope.

[RagingInMiami]

11. Are you saying that Obama is going to lose Philly?

Just kidding.

[noel711]

12. Once again its the economy....

too many people in PA were hit hard by the
economy/labor problems in the last 20 years.

The city of Philadelphia has elected 2 African-American mayors,
so that has been conquered. Its the suburbs, its the rural area
between west and east PA.... that's the trouble.

I live in the Lehigh Valley, and altho it's now a diverse area
ethnically, the base here is strongly republican...
pro-gun, religiously conservative, and anti-abortion.

I wish Obama/Biden would go thru the small towns..

[BlueInPhilly]

13. Philly newspapers suck

I've cancelled my subscription to the Inquirer because frankly, there's NOTHING in it! I wouldn't miss their endorsement.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. With respect to this

The city of Philadelphia has elected 2 African-American mayors,
so that has been conquered.

Actually the city has elected 3 AA mayors - W. Wilson Goode (1984 - 1992), John Street (2000 - 2008), Michael Nutter (2008 - ?).

The rim suburbs (Bucks, Montco, Delco, Chesco) have been becoming bluer over the past 20 years - and most notably Montco, which now has more registered Democrats than repukes for the first time.

The Philadelphia metro area is somewhere in the 4,000,000 range of population (includes the 5 counties), which is about 1/3rd of the state's population.

Obama and Biden HAVE gone through the small towns. They have done bus trips and train trips across the state stopping at small towns along the way. They can't possible go through every city and town in every state in the U.S. and the damn press refuses to cover them anyway.

[noel711]

28. You are right... I was gone by '95... and lost track...

The state coverage of Obama/Biden was limited...
and considering that PA is a battleground
they need to tramp over as much as they can.

I still don't trust the Philly suburbs...
much of the suburbs is made up of blue colllar folk
who fled the cities ethnic complexity,
and still have a way to go.

Philly can't carry the whole state.

[palincomparison]

15. What do you attribute to Philly's White racists?

I just don't understand why they joked in the primary about PA being "Pennsyltuckey." I mean, with a big city full of 'diversity' like Philly, not to mention its proximity to New England, I cannot get this. Please explain it to me.

(P.S. Wasn't that Harriet woman who ranted about Hillary from PA?)

[cap]

29. race baiting by the powers that be...

historically, African Americans were brought in a strike breakers. There has been a history of ethnic politics with each new nationality entering the labor market as cheap labor. As people assimilated, they looked down on the next newcomer with the exception of African Americans. African Americans got the short end of the stick in the labor market and because of segregation, it has been much harder for them to break out.

[JoePhilly]

16. I grew up in Philly ... I'm a white guy ... white racism simply when under ground ...

Lots of blue collar whites have black friends ... but only at work ... but that's usually as far as it goes. They think of those blacks they know as "the good ones".

They maintain the old racism, but have learned to hide it. They may even treat the few blacks they know as "equals" ... but the rest are still "suspect".

[PCIntern]

17. this is unfortunately

quite true...

[AllentownJake]

18. We actually are kicking ass in the subburbs and Lehigh Valley

We need awesome turnout in Philadelphia but Barack will win Lehigh and Northampton Counties thanks to Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

[CreekDog]

20. Obama won 65% of the Philadelphia vote against another Democrat during the primary

I trust he'll do much better against a Republican.

[Voltaire]

22. As a Displaced Philadelphian

I must say your analysis is spot on. Despite the fact that there have been several black mayors of Philadelphia, it is not nearly as progressive a place racially as one might think. I notice that every time I go back for a visit. Hell, Philadelphia isn't as progressive racially as Indianapolis, where I live now. You know how bad you have to be to be less progressive than INDIANAPOLIS??!!

Turnout is going to have to be huge in Philly and Nutter is going to have to make sure all the damned machines work in all the wards. If he doesn't, its going to be a long night for all of us. But I ain't worried, I'm planning to go to bed at a decent hour with a smile on my face, safe in the knowledge that Barack Obama will be President-Elect.

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. Thanks for that useless information

:thumbsup:

[PCIntern]

30. Nice post...

same to you, and what's more: you like to see yourself post, or something...running up your numbers, perhaps?

[demokatgurrl]

24. Another Philadelphian checking in

and you are right on the money. I was born here, lived in the 'burbs for about 10 years until graduating high school then moved back. (Now I'm out again... the things we do for love). It's a complex city, working class for sure, and you'd expect it to be predicatably Democratic. But, we have had Republican mayors here. The leader of the PA Legislature, who comes from Northeast Philly, is a right-wing Republican asshole. True, we have a large African American population, and a lot of students, and a lot of liberal Dems. But "out in the neighborhoods"- Northeast, parts of South Philly- we have a racist contingent. Many of those who do not come out and say the horrendous things that were reported in the Inquirer about a week ago harbor racial hatred deep inside them. It's very saddening but it's true.

And then aside from that, we have the middle of the state. Working class and poor people who logic would say should never support a Republican but, as Obama got pilloried for saying, many are hurting and bitter and don't understand what the hell is going on in our country. Many people out in the middle of the state (which is HUGE), never deal with black people. They live in their own isolated world and are suspicious of outsiders. Of all the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, they can probably most relate to Biden. But he's with Obama. I almost think many would relate more to Palin -and that's not a nice thing to say about my fellow Pennsylvanians, I know- but hell, she hunts, talks tough, and.... she's white. And has kids who have done many of the things those kids in the middle of PA have done: meth, teenage pregnancy...

So, it's going to be tough. It's very very close, and having worked at the polls many times, I can say that there is always a little bit of dirty playing going on. And I happen to live in a pretty liberal, Democratic-voting suburb, where Obama signs are sprouting up like dandelions in the spring. Voters and poll workers have to be sophisticated enough and strong enough to fight it. The campaigns have to spend a lot of time and energy here. It's not going to be easy. It's a virtual dead heat, and all McCain needs is for some of our voters to get discouraged and stay home. Hell, if it RAINS we could lose.

[cap]

26. Bucks County is running neck and neck

I hate to say it... but advantage, McCain. There weren't as many Hillary signs out here as there are now McCain signs. A lot of folks are quietly racist. Remember they moved out of Philly to be here. On the up side, the Obama folks are working like fiends and have a tremendously good ground operation here. Turn out is everything. I know they will be going through the apartment complexes in Bristol and dragging everybody out to vote. I am disappointed in my neighbors. My town is 50-50 Mcain-Obama. I am truly keeping my fingers crosssed.

[Barack_America]

33. OTOH, Chester, which went for Bush in 2004 is currently advantage, Obama.

Though I agree that Bucks is going to be tough. WTF is up with Bucks anyway?

[harun]

25. I live North East of Philly. I have lived here a few years and am not from

the state of Pennsylvania. I had no idea how many overt (now) racists were around me until this election. It is going to be very close in Pennsylvania.

[old mark]

27. I live near Reading, PA,

and I'd have tos ay there are a lot of Democratrs here who are racist/stupid enough to not vote for Obama because of his ethnicity.
I agree we must get every Obama voter to the polls this election - we will need every one of them.
I am also thinking that Biden as VP will help with some of the catholic/blue collar vote, and we need to see a lot of time and effort spent here in PA outside of Philly and Pittsburg.

I think Obaama will take PA, but we can not be complacent about it.

Recommended this OP.
mark

[Barack_America]

31. West Philly is ground zero for Obama in PA.

If anyone is interested in volunteering here on election day, let me know.

[DFW]

32. I went to college in West Philadelphia

I know what you're talking about. It's still there, I guess. It's not a coincidence that
Frank Rizzo actually was legitimately elected mayor back in the 1970s. But there has been
some progress since then, hasn't there?