The LuLac Edition #449, March 30th, 2008

PHOTO INDEX: A CLINTON CAMPAIGN PERSON TALKS WITH TWO VOLUNTEERS, AND THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN HAS A CALENDER OF EVENTS KEEPING IT ON TRACK.

ACROSS THE STREET

They refer to each other as "the people across the street". Both campaign headquarters on different sides of South Main Street in Wilkes Barre are gearing up, poised and ready to pounce. Senator Clinton's campaign is staffed with volunteers calling both party regulars and newcomers. The Obama campaign is filled with young people and a few veteran party people organizing the chaos of a local campaign. On the Obama wall are huge signs in color coded paper asking for everything from chairs to housing for its workers. At the Clinton headquarters, those signs are no where in sight. Not knowing of the Senator's visit, I am asked if I'm going to attend Tuesday's rally at King's for Senator Clinton. "Any big name going to be there?" I ask. "Oh yeah", says a volunteer thrusting a newly copied flyer into my hand that tells me in no uncertain terms Senator Clinton will be at my old alma mater. At Obama headquarters, I ask about the Senator's rumored visit to Scranton on Tuesday. No one seems to have a handle on any of the details but assures me they'll be telling me something when they know more. The styles seems different but the mission is the same, get out the vote in Pennsylvania. The Clinton people are relying on Democratic party hands who had an affinity and relationship with their candidate. The Obama people have a grass roots effort of college students, minorities and Joe Noterman Wilkes Barre style liberals. It seems to be that the Clinton camp needs to get out the vote to build up a huge majority, but the Obama people want to neutralize that effort by making certain a presence is felt in Luzerne County. To call it a battle is overstating it a bit, but it is a serious contest. And there is a great deal of hustle and bustle on South Main Street these days, as "the people across the street" try to best each other in a contest that is crucial to the future of this country. South Main Street in Wilkes Barre hasn't been this busy since Mr. Peanut was strolling around with his cane and monacle!

QUIT???

I am really getting sick and tired of these so called media pundits and Washington insiders who are asking Senator Clinton to exit the race. As I pointed out in earlier editions, no one asked Ted Kennedy to quit in 1980, or Ronald Reagan to end it in 1976. For years the media has bemoaned the fact that conventions are only coronations. The networks (which I point out have the responsibility to educate and inform) dropped their gavel to gavel coverage whining "it's boring!" Yeah, as if watching some guy named William Hung or whatever his name is humiliate himself is exciting TV! Anyway, now that there is an honest to goodness race, Senator Clinton is told to back off. There are supporters of hers who do not want her to back off. She shouldn't. And as for the case that it will divide the party, that's crap. A primary or nominating fight makes a general election candidate stronger, look at the Governor's race of 2002, Casey made Rendell a stronger candidate in the fall. The only time a general election in Presidential politics causes party disunity is when an incumbent is taken on like in 1976 (Ford vs. Reagan) and 1992 (Bush vs. Buchanan) and 1980 (Carter-Kennedy) for the nomination. And as far as decorum at a convention is concerned because "we don't want the American people to see our bad side" is ludicrous. Most of the American people don't know how a convention works and aren't paying attention. Those who are though are the opinion makers. In 2004, the Democrats wanted to "take it easy" on President Bush so as not to appear strident. What did it get them and the country? A loss and another 2,000 dead in Iraq. A convention is for not only control of a party but for the way you intend to govern. To tell one candidate to "shut it down" is not fair to the American people and is only set up for the convenience of people not interested in the democratic process. Play on to the end.

SON OF THE FATHER

Bob Casey's endorsement of Senator Obama came as a surprise to a few people but in reality, you can't argue with his logic. If Obama closes the gap and near misses or wins, Casey looks like a hero. If Clinton wins, Casey endorsing her later makes him look like a bandwagon jumper. What the Obama endorsement does is put a dent in the moorings of the good ship Clinton but more importantly gave Pennsylvania voters (so resistant to anything new) permission to think about voting for Senator Obama. Endorsements are important, but they don't vote. Just as 2004 Presidential candidate Howard Dean!

Much has been said about the Casey-Clinton relationship. The refusal of the Dems to have the late Governor Casey address the convention in New York or the talk of a Casey bid in 1996 against President Clinton until health issues intervened were topics of discussion this week. But my take on it is this: the Caseys, while revered by the Democratic party has always marched to a different drummer in state politics. In 1970 and 1978, when the party endorsed Milton Shapp and Pete Flaherrty respectively, Bob Casey Senior ran. In 1996, when the party endorsed Tom Foley, Bob Casey Junior ran for Auditor General and won running away. The Caseys are a political franchise by themselves, and the endorsement of Obama says more about that free style thinking than anything else. Don't forget, Bob Casey Junior literally had to be begged to enter the Senate race in 2006. The Caseys, while successful, never were in lockstep with the state Democratic party. And it appears not to have hurt any of them politically. So the Obama move, in my mind was not a surprise. Bob Casey Junior proved to be the son of his father but not for the reasons you might deduce.

SIGNS SIGNS!!

118th District candidate Mike Carroll has his Pittston area base peppered with campaign signs. His primary foe is P.J. Best. Carroll has covered his area with hundreds of signs. Hey, first in..................