Quite a day here in Delaware County, just outside of Philadelphia. First McCain came by in the morning to a nearby high school. Then the Obama forces came to the neighborhood with those cool door brochures and yard signs. Someone posted about this earlier in Montgomery County. Tonight the New York Times has a story on the front page of its web site on McCain's chances in Greater Philadelphia. And to cap it all off the Repubs have put up a Rev Wright commercial during the late night news.
Go below the fold for more on Life During Wartime on the frontlines.
McCain had a good day in Delaware County right after the Republican Convention. His campaign had a rally that attracted up to 10,000 people - depending upon the source. Traffic around here slowed to a crawl. Giant helicopters beat out a whoop whoop sound overhead. There was a genuine buzz in the area and the McCain-Palin team looked good.
Today, not so much, not quite the same. He showed up without Palin in a local high school on a Sunday morning. It is the same high school that Obama appeared in during the Democratic primary. This makes Strath Haven High School the only high school in the state to have hosted both candidates. Yes, we really are ground zero of the battle for Pennsylvania. This time there were not traffic tie ups, no giant helicopters, no genuine buzz. The local word is that the McCain campaign wanted an appearance in Villanova University, but that didn't work out. Locals also say that it was better to have a Sunday rally than one during the school day because most students (and many parents) are pro-Obama. How many showed up? - 2,000 depending up the source. In tight shots on TV the crowd came across as fired up and McCain avoided the errors he has been prone to of late.
But the headline is that around here at least he went from a 10,000 person high tide to a 2,000 person low tide in less than a month.
In a sharp counter point, the Obama cavalry (as one poster put it) showed up just down the street from the McCain rally. They put colorful Obama brochures on the doors of their likely voters and put out free lawn signs for those who wanted them. The day earlier a rag-tag local Republican group put out brochures in mail boxes for a down ballot candidate. What was the difference? The Republicans put their brochures in everyone's mailbox - no advance work on their likely voters. The Obama cavalry had their act together, knew who their people were and skipped the likely Republican houses. Sharp.
By contrast I didn't see any McCain ground troops doing a door to door follow up their big day at their rally.
This evening the New York Times posted a piece on its website on McCain's chances in the Greater Philadelphia area.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
The big point? While McCain may trim a few votes here or there in lower-income white enclaves in the city and the suburbs, Obama may do better than Kerry in Greater Philadelphia.
Mr. Rendell agreed that because of the white wards, Mr. Obama might get a smaller percentage of the Philadelphia vote than Mr. Kerry did, perhaps 75 percent instead of Mr. Kerry’s 80 percent. But with additional Democratic registrations, he said, and a bigger turnout, Mr. Obama would exceed Mr. Kerry’s numbers.
In addition, Mr. Rendell said, Mr. McCain could not rely on the Republicans’ deepest well in the state, which, until 1992, had been the four suburban counties around Philadelphia. Mr. Rendell and Mr. Gleason agreed that Montgomery County, the most affluent and liberal of the four, would vote for Mr. Obama, and that Bucks and Delaware Counties were also likely to swing for him. The fourth, Chester County, is closely contested.
Do I have any other Life During Wartime stories? Sure. I saw my first Rev Wright commercial in the late evening news cycle. It was so surreal, like revisiting a Hannity and Colmes episode from the spring for old times sake.
And how are the commercials playing?
The state Republican Party has begun running advertisements highlighting Mr. Obama’s ties to the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his former pastor, which could tap into concerns among white voters.
The Obama campaign is fully aware of the challenge.
And that's how this amazing election season is finally ending around here.
It ain't no party, it ain't no disco.
It ain't no follin' around.