PHOTO INDEX: THE PROVERBIAL KITCHEN SINK AND SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON.
UPDATE: 1:30PM--4/23/08
POST ELECTION
Well, election day has come and gone and here's my reaction to the big races:
CLINTON-OBAMA: There is a kind of "It's A Wonderful Life" quality about this race. What if it never happened? Look at the new registrations for the Democratic party! Could this mean that in 2010 the year cycle of change of parties for the Governor's office can come to an end with these new people in the fold? Something to think of because the political landscape in the state has been changed. Another point is that now the picture is not as clear as it was regarding the Democratic race. Clinton can make the arguement that Obama never carried a big state and Obama can state the case that he has more delegates and popular vote. This is going to be a fight, I believe all the way to Denver. There are some who say it will hurt the party but I think it will give it strength. The Dems have to ask how bad they want to win?.......Then there's the rivalry between Rendell and Casey. Rendell has demonstrated just how he has personally rebuilt the Democratic party in the state. Before he took office, the Dems couldn't even win any of the row offices statewide except for Bob Casey. And speaking of Casey, I don't think his political capital was hurt one bit by his association with Obama. Obama was going to be a tough sell in this state and Casey's support of him gives you an insight into his independent streak.......One thing about Obama though, anyone who can get Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator to campaign after 40 years is an impressive feat in and of itself....I want to see the numbers on how the new voters voted, if this surge in young people really materialized and what candidate they went to.....Local media did well last night. All three TV stations acquitted themselves well along wit Sue Henry and Steve Corbett on WILK Radio.
THE 10TH
What will happen in the fall now that Chris Hackett has won over percieved favorite Dan Meuser? Will the power brokers make up with Hackett? Will Meuser, who seemed mightly annoyed Tuesday night back Hackett? The fragmented Republican party, (especially in Luzerne County) has to decide how they are going to handle this situation. I say this GOP nomination is not worth much after the primary bloodbath.
THE REPS
Karen Boback beat back the challenge of veteran James May. Utiizing signage and good party organization, Boback's "Rose Garden" strategy worked. It seemed like voters didn't care if she debated May or not in the end. Look for her to win in a walk over Russ Bigus..........In the 113th, Frank Shimkus did what he needed to do: SURVIVE. Getting the GOP nod, Shimkus can run on a ballot for re-election. The party of William Warren Scranton, William Schmidt and Gene Peters has now become the "second chance" repository for candidacies gone bad. Shimkus will be formidable. He is articulate, (love Kevin Murphy but he's no speech maker) and can schmooze the seniors at their centers into pulling his level. Murphy on the other hand is young, smart (he got Frank off the ballot didn't he?) and can call on some old Democratic IOUs to get him through. This one will be fun to watch...In the 118th, P.J. Best proved to be a gentleman and articulate young man. For him, it was the wrong race at the wrong time but he'll be back big time......and congrats to Archbald's own, Ed Staback on another win in the Mid Valley.
PENNSYLVANIA VOTES
Senator Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary in a decisive victory that gives her momentum in the next primary, Indiana. Clinton, at 11PM was up by 8 percentage points (as predicted, that middle muddy ground) and has still carried another large state that is crucial to victory in the Electoral College. We'll have more analysis tomorrow but the Clinton "kitchen sink" strategy of throwing everything at Barak Obama has given Democrats pause in re-evaluating this tough primary race. Another "D Day" in this Democratic race has come and gone, the fight continues to another day.
THE 10TH
If the voting totals holds, as predicted on this site yesterday, Chris Hackett is on his way to being the GOP nominee for the 10th Congressional race. As of 11:30PM, Mr. Hackett is leading Mr. Meuser, 23,453 votes to 20,038 votes, with an undetermined amount of precincts reporting. When I was on WILK Radio's Election Night coverage this evening, I made the point that after this big battle between Hackett and Dan Meuser, maybe the GOP nod might not mean that much in the fall election against Chris Carney. We shall see.
STATE REPS
I was wrong on Boback-May in the 117th, right on Carroll-Best in the 118th, right on Murphy-Shimkus in the 113th (although it could take days to get a conclusive result) and right on Staback-Ducher in the 115th.
STATE TREASURER
Rob McCord wins. Wrong on Jennifer Mann.
MONEY TALKS
Senator Clinton sent a fundraising e mail after her win. Reports are she has raised hundreds of thousands. Mrs. LuLac got on line and coughed up some of her dough.
MORE WEDNESDAY
David!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat calls on the races. Hillary fights another day and Chris Carney gets re-elected. You sounded great on WILK last night with Sue and The Corb. Great insights from all three of you.
She won, but how much damage did she do in the process? The Clintons think its their party and maybe there right. Thats why I am an Independent. I dont believe either party puts the good of the country first.
ReplyDeleteDo yo suppose if Hillary should be the nominee against John McCain she will come up with a story about bailing out of her fighter jet over a war zone and spending time in an enemy prison? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteHi Dave, While your patting the media on the back, give yourself and your blogger brethrens a hand too. Thanks for being a balanced but opinionated voice on the scene.
ReplyDeleteYour otherwise smart insights need to be taken to task. I don't think Hillary threw the sink at Barack, rather it was Barack, the National Media, e mailers and friends (???) of the Clintons who threw the kitchen sink at her. And she survived.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on the money with this Hackett/Carney race. Already one of the GOP wisemen said he was going to be tending to his business rather than getting involved in the fall campaign. Carney by 10.
ReplyDeletedon't you believe Rush when he says he is responsible for the influx of "democrat"ic voters in PA? To hear him and some of his callers tell it, the increase in democratic registrations was the result of republicans changing their registration to vote for Clinton, whom they believe has no chance against McCain. I still laugh at Rush's self importance.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, folks, ya gotta love how influential all those newspaper endorsements were for the Obama campaign. People are forming their own opinions these days, but the print media hasn't figured that out yet.
And speaking of media, Chris Matthews and Tim Russert were positively apoplectic when the MSNBC called the election for Senator Clinton. They kept ranting about how it should have been over and how her campaign keeps on changing the "metric" about what constitutes a win.
I find it amusing to watch so many male media types so bitter about a candidate's success. But it couldn't have anything to do with gender, right? I mean this is the 21st century after all.
Dave:
ReplyDeleteGreat point about the new registrations. Ed Rendell's ego is such that he would love to break that 8 year cycle and have another Dem like Mark Singel succeed him for Governor. And with those new voters courtesy of Clinton and Obama, it just may happen. And naturally, I only saw it on your site. Good job on election coverage too. Loved you with Corbett and Sue on WILK.