Reason Magazine

Site Search

Pennsylvania: Like Waterloo, but with More Abandoned Steel Mills

Less than 24 hours before Pennsylvanians vote in the last mega-state Democratic primary, the race is frozen: Barack Obama has closed a once 25-point poll deficit to single digits, but he can't get it any closer. SurveyUSA, the most accurate pollster of the season (I think they've only been wrong in Missouri), sees a last minute Obama surge over the weekend, but only enough of one to hold Clinton to a small win. If she doesn't rout, this is basically the end of the game: The next few states are too small (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia), and some are too pro-Obama (North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Montana) to erase his lead in the larger contest.
The survey concluded that Clinton will finish with 50 percent, 6 percentage points ahead of Obama. The margin of sampling error is 3.8 percent. Looking only at SurveyUSA numbers and ignoring the polls that have been released by 12 competing pollsters in Pennsylvania, Obama gained ground in a week when he was largely on defense and off-message. Last week, SurveyUSA had Clinton ahead by 14 points. Monday, in a poll conducted using the identical methodology, SurveyUSA found Clinton ahead by 6 points.
All this and Clinton's running out of money. Two months from now, if Clinton cuts bait and leaves the race with the same 100-odd delegate deficit she's had since February, I wonder what we'll say the point of the long primary was. Vetting Obama? Full employment for political journalists? (Read Michelle Cottle on the terrifying death rattles of Team Hillary.) Ad revenue for local TV stations?

Meanwhile, Obama surges ahead in the all-important documentary filmmaker primary with a nod from Michael Moore. He broke his silence after she used "the F word" (Farrakhan) in the ABC debate.
You have devoted your life to good causes and good deeds. And now to throw it all away for an office you can't win unless you smear the black man so much that the superdelegates cry "Uncle (Tom)" and give it all to you. But that can't happen. You cast your die when you voted to start this bloody war. When you did that you were like Moses who lost it for a moment and, because of that, was prohibited from entering the Promised Land.

One thing Obama probably isn't worrying about is this bizarre attack from RedState, attacking Obama endorser Larry Lessig for showing a video of Jesus getting hit by a bus.

You Christians who support Obama, given the growing evidence that the body of his supporters look down on you, is this really the guy you want to support?

The whole election's going to be like this, isn't it? Jesus.

Send this article to:

« In Defence of the 3,000… | Main | Free, Happy People, Holding Hands »

Comments to "Pennsylvania: Like Waterloo, but with More Abandoned Steel Mills":

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:00am | #

Yeah, what is it with you right wingers and the Jesus thing? Ron Paul thought there was some sort of war on Christmas. Do Red states have lower IQs?

jmr | April 21, 2008, 10:03am | #

When did Ron Paul mention any war on Christmas? I thought that was O'Reilly's schtick... Christmas is in SUCH danger, too.
JMR

PC | April 21, 2008, 10:10am | #

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:00am | #

Ron was the only one that spoke out about the empire. I understand Obama shills are still in denial that Barry is for the empire and that he really doesn't have a foreign policy himself, he will be outsourcing it to Zbigniew Brzezinski. I don't know about 100 years, but with Obama there will be more wars my friend.

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:11am | #

Sorry, it's

The War on Religion
by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

"As we celebrate another Yuletide season, it’s hard not to notice that Christmas in America simply doesn’t feel the same anymore. Although an overwhelming majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, and those who don’t celebrate it overwhelmingly accept and respect our nation’s Christmas traditions, a certain shared public sentiment slowly has disappeared. The Christmas spirit, marked by a wonderful feeling of goodwill among men, is in danger of being lost in the ongoing war against religion."

Read the whole thing here: http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul148.html

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 10:19am | #

Jesus, shut the fuck up Edward MK2.

And yes, Dave, the whole thing's going to be like this. Worse, in fact, because people are also invested emotionally in Obama.

Creech | April 21, 2008, 10:20am | #

The political war seems a bit one-sided:
this weekend one Phila. TV station had a prominent Obama supporter jousting with a prominent Clinton supporter. The Clinton supporter (Cong. Alyson Shwartz) said Clinton had "exemplary accomplishments." I was waiting for the Obamaista to say, "Please name them?" but he never did. (Nor did the moderator.) When will we ever learn about Hillary's accomplishments????

John-David | April 21, 2008, 10:26am | #

God I hate those RedState losers. That Jesus thing was hilarious.

Guy Montag | April 21, 2008, 10:27am | #

Dave,

You did not mention the kitchen/sink/kitchen sink war of words. Maybe you are saving that bizarre exchange for later?

Comment directly to what one of them brought up:
Glad to hear Mrs. Clinton loves to stay in the kitchen. Apparently it is not as hot in there as when she was refusing to make cookies in the 1990s.

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:33am | #

Episiarch

I'm sorry. I know the warts are a touchy subject.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 10:39am | #

No, you're just a bitter obsessed moron who seems to have plenty of spare time and a hardon for Ron Paul. Maybe your warts are touchy--but I don't want to know anything about what's growing on your genitals anyway.

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:44am | #

Episiarch

Wait a minute. How is it that Weigel can make a snide reference to the Jesus freaks at RedState, but pointing out that an erstwile champion of the libertarian cause was happy to exploit Jesus for political gain is off limits? Your'e the bitter one, you hypocritical fuck.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 10:46am | #

(yawn)

roger thomas | April 21, 2008, 10:49am | #

I enjoyed the radical left crowd when they were going after the radical right crowd, but now they're about to pull another Dukakis, which is another McGovern, or another whatever. It's time to learn that the dreamy-eyed,weak,clueless but inspiring candidate like Obama is a loss for the Democrats, and a loss for the country if he manages to get past the senile imperialist (but qualified, unlike Obama) McCain.

henry | April 21, 2008, 10:51am | #

Once nominated, I am sure the Christers will have Obama as their Antichrist-in-waiting de jure (#3,481). Jack Chick will furiously scribble his vision for all to see.

All hail The Beast!

MK2 | April 21, 2008, 10:52am | #

Yawn is right. Put your puny brain back to sleep, asshole.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 10:53am | #

(yawn)

raven | April 21, 2008, 10:53am | #

Don't bother, MK2. Episiarch will only fire off more content-free insults.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 10:53am | #

(yawn)

SugarFree | April 21, 2008, 10:55am | #

When Sock Puppets Attack!

troy | April 21, 2008, 10:56am | #

Jesus, I can't wait until november and all this crap is over with.

30yrdem | April 21, 2008, 10:57am | #

Obama will never get this dem vote.I am sick of all his lies....if he is the nominee hello President McCain

TallDave | April 21, 2008, 11:05am | #

Barack Obama has closed a once 25-point poll deficit to single digits, but he can't get it any closer

Maybe he should call them bitter, gun-clinging faux-religious bigots again. That should win them over.

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 11:08am | #

Hillary will win PA by a larger margin than this poll (I say 12 points with a four point spread).

Why? Besides all the usual reasons, PA has one of the oldest populations in America, and old people vote for Hillary.

That, and Hillary never dies.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 11:09am | #

That, and Hillary never dies.

She's The Highlander?

"There can be only one."

TallDave | April 21, 2008, 11:11am | #

The whole election's going to be like this, isn't it? Jesus.

Oh, just wait. We haven't even gotten to the good part yet. This is just the foreplay.

I look forward to Dan Rather revealing secret 1971 Viet Cong memos (typed in MS Word, natch) that show John McCain was really on their side all along.

Kyle Reese | April 21, 2008, 11:15am | #

That, and Hillary never dies.

That bitch is out there. She can't be bargained with. She can't be reasoned with. She doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And she absolutely will not stop, ever, until Barack's candidacy is dead!

SugarFree | April 21, 2008, 11:16am | #

Epi,

She wouldn't be aging quite so rapidly if that were the case.

I thinking more along the lines of Montgomery Burns' mom. You lackwit.

Bronwyn | April 21, 2008, 11:18am | #

Go Go Gadget Greasemonkey Filter!

*blissful sigh* I do so love my filter.

SugarFree | April 21, 2008, 11:20am | #

Oh, wait. I'm not supposed to talk to you. You only post content-free insults. That's what a troll said. There's no one more trustworthy than a troll with multiple screen names.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 11:21am | #

You're one to talk--you're sugar-free. At least I have sugar, if not content.

Guy Montag | April 21, 2008, 11:23am | #

I need to go back and watch the Ron Paul Christmas ad (first pres. candidate with one last year) to soothe all of this bitterness within my bitter bitter heart.

I Heart NC | April 21, 2008, 11:25am | #

"Less than 24 hours before Pennsylvanians vote in the last mega-state Democratic primary"

That hurts. Penn has 158 delegates in play. NC has 115. I couldn't care less about who wins in May or November, but please call us a mega-state too so we can feel good about ourselves.

SugarFree | April 21, 2008, 11:29am | #

At least I have sugar

Yeah, but it's all HFCS.

Episiarch is not suitable for Passover.

J sub D | April 21, 2008, 11:34am | #

I Heart NC, you live in a beautiful, if somewhat hick state. Feel good about that.
;-)

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 11:35am | #

Just take heart that your state, unlike Pennsylvania, learned to compete in a global economy instead of bitching for more tariffs.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 11:36am | #

Yeah, but it's all HFCS.

It's not true, Dave W., I swear! NutraSweet lies!

Aresen | April 21, 2008, 11:37am | #


troy | April 21, 2008, 10:56am | #

Jesus, I can't wait until november and all this crap is over with.
Yeah. Then we can start on the 2012 campaign and the "Impeach Clinton/McCain/Obama" threads.

joe | April 21, 2008, 11:48am | #

The whole election's going to be like this, isn't it?

No, maybe the Republicans will run a substantive campaign about Iraq, the economy, health care, and the environment.

Happy belated April Fools!

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 11:49am | #

Joe, like the Democrats are going to be clean aren't going to run an election about McCain's age, his temper, Keating Five, etc.

Yeah, right.

joe-pisiarch | April 21, 2008, 11:53am | #

Yawn. Look at the little people with their silly emotional attachments to..

DON'T YOUI FUCKING DARE SAY A BAD WORD ABOUT RON PAUL!! I WILL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR...

Er...I mean...jeez, look the fools getting all wrapped up in some politician. Good thing I'm too cool for that.

joe | April 21, 2008, 11:54am | #

The difference, Cesar, is that the Democrats will be doing that TOO, whereas sort of thing will pretty much be the Republicans' campaign.

joe | April 21, 2008, 11:55am | #

I don't have a prediction for Pennsylvania.

Could be an Obama stunner, could be Hillary by 12.

No idea. I thought I'd know by now, and I don't.

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 11:55am | #

That is if the Democrats can ever stop fighting each other.

Which isn't going to happen until late June at the earliest.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 11:59am | #

DON'T YOUI FUCKING DARE SAY A BAD WORD ABOUT RON PAUL!! I WILL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR...

(yawn)

joe | April 21, 2008, 12:04pm | #

Yawn is the new LOL.

You know, my cat does the same thing when HE realized someone saw him do that.

I wasn't chasing the mousie-thing. That's for the kittens. Yaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 12:10pm | #

LOL

(yawn)

(burp)

joe | April 21, 2008, 12:12pm | #

One way to look at the SUSA poll is to conclude, as they do, that the race tightened up right at the end, from the mid-teens (where they had it a week abo) to the mid-single digits.

I think a more likely explanation is that SUSA was an outlier that got some funny results which put them well apart from everybody else - who've had it in the single digits for weeks - and that this latest poll reflects not a change in the race, but in SUSA's polling.

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 12:13pm | #

Maybe Neil could provide us with some insight now that the level of discourse is at his level.

joe | April 21, 2008, 12:14pm | #

You forgot *lick lick lick lick lick, wipe ear, streeeeeeeeeetch*.

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 12:14pm | #

A Suffolk poll, taken the same period, has Clinton +10.

Its between +5 and +10 for Clinton, and the undecideds will go for her. I don't see them going for Obama after all the attacks on him, they've really taken the shine off of him.

Episiarch | April 21, 2008, 12:16pm | #

(purrrrrrr)

jkp | April 21, 2008, 12:27pm | #

Joe is right. John Kerry ran a very substantive campaign about the Vietnam War in 2004, while Al Gore's campaign coalesced around the idea that anyone who opposed him suffered from genetic defects. Go team!

joe | April 21, 2008, 12:33pm | #

Nobody with actual memories about those races, who is making even the slightest attempt to portragy them fairly, could criticize either Kerry or Gore for not running substantive campaigns. All we heard throughout both races was about how boring and in-the-weeds they both got. Lockboxes. Deficits. Wonkish-liberal responses to the Iraq War. Health care.

"I'm too above it all to tell them apart" is just as much a case of partisan blinders as "Go team!" there, Ralph Nader.

Cesar | April 21, 2008, 12:35pm | #

Hillary just released her internal polling, which show a +11 victory.

Warty | April 21, 2008, 12:42pm | #

Maybe your warts are touchy-
Beg pardon?

Guy Montag | April 21, 2008, 12:49pm | #

Joe is right. John Kerry ran a very substantive campaign about the Vietnam War in 2004, . . .

Well, he was highly decorated by both sides on that one.

Guy Montag | April 21, 2008, 12:50pm | #

Is Zack doing a concert at the convention with or without Rage? Anybody know?

R C Dean | April 21, 2008, 1:18pm | #

The difference, Cesar, is that the Democrats will be doing that TOO, whereas sort of thing will pretty much be the Republicans' campaign.

Because Obama's going to suddenly start running on substantive policy proposals? Good one, joe.

I think we can all agree that both campaigns will indulge in nasty personal attacks to the extent they think they can get away with them.

Anyone who thinks that's all McCain brings to the table hasn't been paying attention. The beef with McCain isn't that he doesn't have anything to say about the issues of the day, its that what he has to say is often pretty frightening.

joe | April 21, 2008, 1:37pm | #

Suddenly, nothing.

Quick, how many months will it take for him to withdraw troops?

Does his health care plan establish a single-payer system?

Does it include individual mandates?

Would he condition attacks on al Qaeda targets on the permission of the country in which they are located?

Gee, that's quite the empty suit.

I think we can all agree that both campaigns will indulge in nasty personal attacks to the extent they think they can get away with them.

Agreed. I also think both candidates will be on an fairly short leash, as running overly-negative campaigns would undermine their strategies of transcending partian bickering.

Anyone who thinks that's all McCain brings to the table hasn't been paying attention. The beef with McCain isn't that he doesn't have anything to say about the issues of the day, its that what he has to say is often pretty frightening. Agreed. This is what I was attempting to convey when I brought up those issues. McCain has positions on all of them - they're just really, really unpopular.

Prolefeed | April 21, 2008, 3:01pm | #

Your'e the bitter one, you hypocritical fuck.

MK2 wins the "unintentional irony award" for the thread!

R C Dean | April 21, 2008, 3:07pm | #

Quick, how many months will it take for him to withdraw troops?

He has said he will implement a rigid schedule that gets us out in 16 months, but his campaign has given quite a lot of wink-and-nod signals that this more of a goal than a timetable. What will he really push for? Beats the hell out of me.

Does his health care plan establish a single-payer system?

No, although its kind of a mess, actually. Hard to say what he really thinks the payer system should look like.

Does it include individual mandates?

It does for coverage of children, and I seem to recall he has left himself some wiggle room on adults in some of his remarks. Again, not a lot of clarity.

Would he condition attacks on al Qaeda targets on the permission of the country in which they are located?

Apparently not, since he's indicated he's willing to bomb Pakistan.

Really, joe, regardless of what position papers he might have, he hasn't been running on them. He's been running on biography and personality.

joe | April 21, 2008, 3:17pm | #

Apparently, he's been running on them enough for people who aren't even involved in the Democratic primary to know what they are.

Enough said.

ChrisO | April 21, 2008, 3:35pm | #

The whole election's going to be like this, isn't it? Jesus.

Weigel, for as many months as you've been on the election beat, and you're just figuring this out now? :)

Wait until joe's vaunted substance-filled general election campaign gets to work on McCain's agedness, scandals, heiress Stepford Wife, and Navy aristocrat background. You'll pine for the halcyon days of Mitt Romney and Mike Gravel at that point...

Guy Montag | April 21, 2008, 3:58pm | #

RCD,

LOL! Apparently you are not supposed to know anything about Senator Obama unless you have the proper papers to be in his party!

YAWN!

Chris Potter | April 21, 2008, 7:41pm | #

joe,

That's funny. I don't remember Trent Lott running on his despicable racist views, yet you liberals seemed to know all about them a few years back...

joe | April 21, 2008, 9:04pm | #

Wah wah wah.

Let's have a moment for silence for poor, martyred Trent Lott. Chris, will you lead up in the invocation?

joe | April 21, 2008, 9:05pm | #

Wow, did you actually just compare paying enough attention to what Barack Obama has said about his policy views - that he has put out there, as part of his campaign - to figuring out that the guy who keeps going to the pro-segregation conventions has old fashioned ideas about black people?

I hope not.

That would be really moronic if you did. I'll just assume you were making another point and phrased it poorly.

joe | April 21, 2008, 9:11pm | #

Oh, and as much as I'd like to have the Democrats take all the credit for driving Trent Lott from power to slightly-less-power (which is a crying shame, really), the fact is that conservatives, from Andrew Sullivan to the Bush White House, played a very large role in pushing him out the door, too.

But, please, don't let me interrupt your morality play about poor Trent Lott and the mean Democrats.

Patricia | April 22, 2008, 8:59am | #

Can't decide? Since policies are so similar, maybe their "associations" will help.
CLINTON: attended a Farrakhan event honoring him, (Ed Rendell praised and praised him), Rev. Wright - invited by Clintons as one of the highly regarded religious leaders in the US to attend the White House Prayer Breakfast, Ayers - B. Clinton pardoned 2+ members of the Weather Underground, Paul - illegal campaign funding, V. Foster - ???
OBAMA: attened church that honored Farrakhan, Rev. Wright - attended his church (20 yrs.), Ayers - served on a philanthropic committee with him, he also gave support to him when he started his political career, Rezko - illegal use of money, Larry Sinclair??
I don't know, but I think they are very much alike. There is of course, an age difference which probably correlates with the two choices: CHANGE or EXPERIENCE! Still isn't any easier to decide!

Patricia | April 22, 2008, 9:22am | #

Clinton put out an ad using war figures and Osama Bin Laden in an effort to show she is strong on national defense. IF HER HUSBAND HAD CAPTURED OSAMA BIN LADEN WHEN HE KNEW WHERE HE WAS, WE WOULDN'T BE IN THE SITUATION WITH ALQUEDA THAT WE ARE TODAY.