Pennsylvania Speaks

After 8 months, the inevitable finally happened. I am on the road and it is time to blog. After contemplating several approaches to posting, I decided to go with the Jean Luc Pikard method, and just make it so. Not having brought a laptop, and having limited access to the net, I found truth in the vintage axiom, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Suddenly, I found the time (motivation) to figure out how to enlist techno-solutions heretofore delayed.

I mentioned being away. I am in the midst of spending several days in Little Rock, Arkansas, a place I have never visited before. Since Friday evening, I have learned several things about downtown Little Rock. I discovered they have a hotel that features ducks...which live in the hotel...in a Duck Palace, or something like that. Each day, the ducks march down a red carpet to a fountain in the morning, spend most of the day there, and then uniformly march back to their palace at day's end. I guess you sorta had to be there.

I found in Little Rock, as in a lot of small and mid-sized towns, everything pretty much closes at 5:00 o'clock p.m. You know, like things used to do in Charlotte, until quite recently. Moreover, I also came to know there are no pharmacies, convenience stores, or grocers in downtown Little Rock. In fact, if you want or need to visit one of these establishments, you may find your best bet is to go to North Little Rock. While not in the next State, it is far enough that having a car is recommended.

Finally, while spending time in the Capital of Arkansas, it was only natural that I collect at least one or two William Jefferson Clinton factoids, which I did, and which I will share it with you. Can you guess what two distinctions Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, Lou Brock, Johnny Taylor, Lela Rochon, E. Lynn Harris, Anita Pointer, John H. Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, share with the former President? First, along with Clinton, all are Arkansas natives. Second, they comprise 10 of the 85 members of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

In an effort to stay topical, this week the Pennsylvania Primary is front and center. I will cut to the chase and note that Hillary Clinton won the hotly contested race, rather handily. Early estimates came in at 55-45, Clinton. This will undoubtedly been seen by the Clinton and Obama loyalists in two distinctly different ways.

Notably, Clinton backers will deem this more evidence that she has the right and necessary stuff to prevail in the big states, and despite Obama having spend big and campaigned hard, she prevailed comfortably. Alternately, Obama supporters will boast their candidate still leads in the total delegate count (1,694 to 1,556) and that Mrs. Clinton did not get the absolutely stunningly huge victory margin needed to completely staunch her campaign's hemorrhaging, and, of course, no where near the numbers necessary to catch him in the delegate count (that was not possible).

The interesting thing is, for those who argue those points, they are correct, in both instances. It is just the latest indication that the race could linger until the end of summer, and the Democratic National Convention. There may be a caveat. The fund raising juggernaut Senator Obama has created continues to work its magic. Unless the Pennsylvania victory translates into a campaign fund raising surge, the Clinton campaign may falter.

In reviewing the tenor of the campaign in weeks leading to the Keystone State primary, the temperature continued to rise. While most observers agree, Obama has consistently done a better job of deflecting and redirecting the discourse to the legitimate issues and themes of the campaign, it is clearly becoming more challenging for him to do so. The reality is this degradation of temperament, and blurring of distinction between real issues and manufactured indignation is a natural offshoot of political campaigning, especially at this level.

There will likely come a point when the people will have to demand a return to issues of significance, or it may not happen. And if that does not happen, both Senators Obama and Clinton stand to lose the ultimate victory. That's what I think; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/22/pa.primary/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4701035&page=1

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/22/politics/main4033803.shtml

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24251043/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/us/politics/23penn.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/22/AR2008042203469.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

http://www.charlotte.com/206/story/591651.html

http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/apr/22/clinton-takes-lead-early-precincts-pennsylvania/?news/elections#

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/apr/23/pennsylvania-primary-democratic-analysis-rough/

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20080422_Great_weather__record_turnout_forecast_as_PA_votes.html