Pennsyltucky: (pen-sil-TUCK-ee) 1) the mostly rural "T" shaped region of Pennsylvania located in between the metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; 2) the "Alabama" of Pennsylvania (cf: James Carville) 3) a place where 15,000 people gathered for Obama
Did I mention Republicans outregister Democrats almost 2:1? Did I mention only 5,000 were expected to come?
Did I mention that James Buchanan, whose residence is located 20 minutes from my house, did not carry this county because he ran as a Democrat?
Needless to say, the local Obama campaign was pleasantly surprised with the huge turnout.
Obama discussed the Republicans' lack of understanding of the Middle Class (pardon my shoddy camera work):
Now Republicans had to drop one night from their schedule. They picked the one that was supposed to be about prosperity. Now we know why. So they may have found some new faces to present their message, but it's the same old message.
Even the local conservative paper gave him a fair shake:
Democrat Barack Obama used the idyllic setting of Lancaster’s Buchanan Park to strike back at a week’s worth of Republican attacks Thursday, calling presidential opponent John McCain and the GOP hopelessly out of touch with average Americans.
I cannot accurately convey the astounding nature of this event. With less than two days notice, 15,000 people waited in scorching heat to see Senator Obama. Four years ago, Democrats in Lancaster County weren't sure of each other's existence. I was almost sure Kerry yard signs were illegal.
Now, Democrats (and a few Republicans!) form two mile lines around a park to catch a glimpse of our next Democratic president.
Because we volunteer for the campaign, I and a few fortunate souls were placed just a few feet from Obama's podium. As a result, I got some pseudo-impressive shots! (pardon my amateur photography skills):
Our bowtie-wearing Mayor, who traveled to Denver by motorcycle:
The boring amazing Senator Casey, who introduced the Republican who introduced Barack Obama:
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After watching vile hate speech from the convention, the Democrats of Pennsyltucky needed Senator Obama more than ever. He brought us joy - and fightin' words:
What else do you expect [the Republicans] to do? This is what they do every four years. And anyway, I’ve been called worse on the basketball court. It’s not something I spend a lot of time worrying about.
Ka-ra-tay
He kicked butt and took names:
The Republicans really had fun talking about the work I did after college [...] I don’t know if they understand what it means for a young person at the age of 22 or 23 to pass up more lucrative options and work with people who are having a tough time, and seeing that when people work together, we can do amazing things, rebuilding communities and setting up job-training centers and setting up after-school programs for kids.
And maybe that’s not really interesting work for Rudy Giuliani, but for people on the ground who are seeing a difference in their lives, that’s important stuff.
When he called out 9iu11iani, the crowd erupted in cheers. I was so happy to hear Obama tackle that imbecile's offensive comments head on. I have always admired Obama's responses to attacks: always classy, but razor sharp.
After the speech, my mother asked me, "Did you talk to him? Did you tell him 'Hey! I'm a volunteer!'?"
As much as I wanted to say something to the Senator, I couldn't manage to form a single word. My loud, extrovert self led cheers for him for two hours. But Obama rendered me speechless.
The event by all accounts was a success. We must have registered hundreds if not thousands of people, including throngs of college students. Our local Democratic candidates got much needed shout-outs from a word-renowned politician.
Unfortunately, I've got some bad news.
McCain will be a few miles from Buchanan Park on Tuesday. Like all Republicans who compete in Pennsylvania, he's depending on counties in Pennsyltucky to cancel out liberal majorities in Philly and Pittsburgh.
[N]et Democratic registration grew by 1207 to a total, as of August 25, of 98,598. That’s an increase of 3644 Democrats in Lancaster County since the May Primary. Republican registration decreased by 25 voters during the same time period. That’s on top of an 11,904 Democratic gain and a 3,374 Republican loss from November, 2007 through April, 2008.
-snip-
Since the 2007 General Election, Democrats have increased their registration by over 20% (almost 17,000), while Republicans have lost 3200 voters. "That’s a margin of almost 20,200 votes. That’s huge!" [Chairman] Beardsley concluded. "For the first time ever, Republicans now make up less than 55% of the total Lancaster County vote!"
Too bad McSame's doomed.
UPDATE: Rec list status?!?! Thank you, Kossacks. I'm honored.