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DEMOCRATIC CIRCUS COMES TO PA.
AND IT'S GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE THAN JUST THREE RINGS
Exciting, too, as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama now bring their historic Democratic primary fight to Pennsylvania, where 103 delegates will be chosen on April 22.
Too exciting for some Democrats. They see the tight race turning into a grudge match. They fear it could produce a victor who is staggered and limping, not to mention bitter, while Republican nominee John McCain is rested and fresh - and starting to grow on conservatives who currently hate his guts.
Throwing the "kitchen sink" at Obama - the Clinton campaign's description of its recent strategy - was followed by three big wins for her Tuesday in Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas.
So look for more political shot-putting in the next six weeks. What will she throw next? The end table? Toilet? What will Obama heave in her direction? Kitchen knives? And will any of the missiles hit their targets, and what will be the collateral damage? But the good news is that for the first time in a long time, Pennsylvania presidential-
primary politics won't be just a spectator sport.
Pennsylvania's Democratic primary promises to be an electoral money pit, not to mention a poll-a-minute circus as national media stars descend and the TV commercials and robocalls metastasize.
Fun for everyone, especially Philadelphians. For the next six weeks, we're on the "A list."
Move over, Super Delegates. Make way for Super Voters. That's us.
Here's why: The number of delegates elected in each congressional district in Pennsylvania is based on the number of votes received in the district by John Kerry in 2004. Heavily Democratic Philadelphia and its suburbs will choose almost half the Democratic delegates in the state.
So if you're a Democrat who lives around here, your vote has twice, even three times the bang of a Democrat voting in Somerset or Chambersburg.
But to use it, you have to be an actual Democrat. Unlike in many other states, you may vote in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary only if you're a registered "D." So if you're not a Democrat now but want to be one on April 22, you must re-register by March 24.
Some other things to look forward to: Hearing yourself analyzed by political pundits who don't know the first thing about Philadelphia, and local pols showing up on national TV with regularity.
For Obama, it could be U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Obama's highest-ranking supporter here. For Clinton? What cable show could pass up the irresistible game show: "What Will Ed Rendell Say Next?"
SOME UNSOLICITED advice to the governor: The line you used to discount Barack Obama on Bill Maher's show - "We're electing a president . . . we're not electing someone whose goal is to unify the country" - wasn't the most effective argument for your candidate.
So buckle up. Will what doesn't kill the Democratic nominee make her or him stronger? We're about to find out. *
