Clout: Like the circus? Vote for Hillary

IF YOU LIVE in Pennsylvania, you need to root for Hillary.

Losses Tuesday in the Texas and Ohio contests likely would knock U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton out of the race. Even husband Bill says so.

But Clinton wins will keep the Democratic presidential-nominating circus going. Where does the circus come next? Oil your doorbells, Pennsylvania.

"There will be thousands of volunteers and they'll be doing all the things you do to get the vote out," including going door-to-door to make sure you're registered, says U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of Democratic City Committee.

"Ringing doorbells, making phone calls," he said, "there will be so much energy. Plus you'll have the candidates and their surrogates, top-notch surrogates. They'll be living here for five weeks."

How big is the economic impact?

We couldn't find anyone who had a precise Pennsylvania estimate, but a study commissioned by the New Hampshire Political Library estimated that $300 million in direct and indirect spending occurred as a result of the 2000 New Hampshire Primary, which was a contested race for Republicans and Democrats.

It should be obvious that hotels, restaurants, print shops, broadcast news and newspapers - and certainly ward leaders - will make out like bandits.

Not to mention pizza shops serving the thousands of college-age volunteers, crashing nine to a room.

"It's like a convention, except it will be a statewide convention with 4,000 to 5,000 people here for weeks at a time," said campaign consultant Neil Oxman. "The economic impact will bring tens of millions into the state."

Oxman estimates that the candidates would spend about $4.5 million to $6 million on TV ads in the state.

Jack Ferguson, executive vice president of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, worked up some rough hotel-room estimates based on information from the Democratic National Committee.

"The entourage that follows each senator [from city to city] is about 25 rooms," Ferguson said. "The local, national and international media are a couple hundred rooms, depending on how the national networks decide how to cover it."

So here we are, so close, and yet so far.

If only the state Legislature had listened to Rep. Ron Buxton.

The Dauphin County Democrat last year introduced a bill to move the state's primary to the same day as Ohio's and Texas'.

Pretty prescient, we'd say.

But his bill got no support from the chairmen of either state party (whose minions evidently didn't want to circulate petitions in January), and only lip service from Gov. Rendell.

"It's very frustrating for someone who [six months ago] chose a date that is now turning out to be critical, only to have the Legislature not take action," Buxton told us yesterday.

"I really wish I could vote Tuesday," he said.

We'll lose a debate too

If Hillary survives Tuesday, there is likely to be one more debate: Either April 15, 16 or 17 at the National Constitution Center.

Brady says the Clinton campaign already has agreed. Barack Obama has assured him that, if he chooses to meet Clinton in one more debate, it will be that one.

The national telecast would likely be handled by ABC, Brady said.

Mason on Smerconish

The two best hosts in local talk radio, Michael Smerconish and Mary Mason, join forces at 8 a.m. Thursday on Smerconish's Big Talker WPHT (1210-AM) program.

Politics, of course, will be the subject.

Smerconish is a moderate Republican, Mason an ardent Democrat.

She says she'll reveal her presidential choice - Clinton or Obama - on Smerconish's show.

Mason was the queen of talk radio for decades on WHAT (1340-AM), the Voice of the African-American Community, until the station was sold and changed format in January 2007. Now she's heard at noon Saturday on WWDB (860-AM).

Smukler on Joyner

Local campaign consultant Ken Smukler will be monitoring voter problems in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday for the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

Joyner's show runs nationwide

and is heard locally on WRNB, (107.9 FM).

Joyner promotes a hot line 1-866-MYVOTE1 where voters can find out where their polling place is and register complaints about problems at the polls.

Smukler's Infovoter Technologies oversees the operation, and he'll provide updates to Joyner through the morning.

The hot line has already gotten 1,700 calls since the early voting period began in Texas on Feb. 19.

On Super Tuesday, the hot line revealed major problems in the primary in Georgia, where Fulton County voters waited for hours for an electronic pollbook to verify voter IDs.

As a result of Joyner's broadcast, Fulton County has asked the state for more pollbooks.

"Our goal is to help voters on Election Day, as well as make systemic improvements to election administration by using this data and forcing change for the better," Smukler said yesterday. *

Staff writer Gar Joseph contributed to this report.