It was great theater. Just like the show I watched yesterday in the very same spot.

Thankfully, no one was beaten with a folding chair while I was hanging around the First Senate District's 39th Ward, in the heart of John Dougherty country.

Roughing up the opposition may be an integral part of wrestling, but in Philly politics, it's so 2003.

With Johnny Doc recasting himself as a statesman, the union leader's loyal subjects tried out more subtle tactics in the race among Democrats to succeed retiring local legend Vince Fumo.

Anne Dicker, the progressive anti-casino activist, had a message but no money. Larry Farnese, the Center City lawyer, had Fumo's braintrust and baggage.

And Dougherty had an army - a thick white line as effective as any thin blue one. Block after block, union men wearing blinding-white "Dougherty for Senate" T-shirts were an unavoidable sight.

If the volunteers outnumbered voters by 12-1 at polling places, all the better. If you're going to tell people you'll fight hard for them, you might as well flex some muscle.

Change, schmange

"When I first arrived, one of the younger guys came up to me and said: 'This is Doc's station. I don't want you to get hurt,' " Matthew Diehl, a 23-year-old Dicker volunteer, told me as he made his lonely case next to the Murphy Rec Center at Fourth and Shunk streets.

Later, the Dougherty surrogate offered Diehl a hoagie for lunch. The nonunion carpenter from Fishtown wasn't swayed by force or food.

"I told the guy: 'I don't want nothin' from you,' " Diehl recalled. " 'And I don't want none of Dougherty's dirty money.' "

So Diehl went hungry and Doc went on to . . . lose. Didn't see that coming, did you?

Farnese, the newcomer, pulled it off, at least according to the vote tally late last night. But it's not exactly the upset of reformers' dreams.

To many, a vote for Larry was a vote for Vince, one last favor for the man who delivered more of them than anybody in a place where delivering matters more than anything.

The nation may be chanting change, but change is something Philly tends to fear. Here, politics as usual is something to revere.

Friends, enemies, frenemies

"He came in here running his mouth," Sullivan grumbled. "He's a lawyer. He knows better."

Listening intently was recent Widener Law graduate Philip Press, a volunteer for Farnese. Press showed me his poll-watcher card - which he laminated so a rival wouldn't rip it up when things got ugly, as they often do.

Sullivan and Press stared uncomfortably at each other, aware they were backing different dogs.

"I worked for the senator," Press said, referring to Fumo.

"So did I!" she added, excitedly.

In fact, Sullivan said, in 40-plus years as a Democratic committeewoman, she held jobs with "Franny Rafferty, Jim Kenney, Lee Beloff, Bill Keller, Jimmy Tayoun, Vince Fumo and John Street."

Sure, she admitted, the pols don't always get along. But the great ones understand that the family trumps any individual member.

"They all have their little arguments," Sullivan explained. "They'll be friends tomorrow."

Well, maybe all of them except Fumo and Doc.

By upsetting Dougherty, Farnese proved that a state senator under federal indictment still has more juice than a candidate under federal investigation.

So far, Farnese is neither. This, Philadelphia, is progress.

at myant@phillynews.com or 215-854-4670.