Coming attractions
Brace yourselves. The Clinton vs. Obama Juggernaut is coming to Pennsylvania.
The Keystone State is going to be a very important factor in that race. If you want to know why, read my previous blog entry on that subject. Take a moment to marvel at the lucidity and poetic vividness of my writing.
Done? OK, let's proceed.
I'm not even going to speculate on the outcome of that race, which has already baffled people more informed and intelligent than myself. (That bar isn't set very high, you say? Shut up and read.) But it should be interesting to see what it means for this region.
Local Democrats, not surprisingly, are hoping that one or both of the candidates will make an appearance in York County. It could happen.
John Kerry never made it to York County. The closest he came was Harrisburg, where a bunch of local Democrats went to see him. But President Bush has been to York County a couple of times. And Bill Clinton stopped by in 1992 as part of the bus tour to kick off his campaign.
Both candidates have supporters in York County -- including some high profile ones. York Mayor John Brenner has come out for Barack Obama, and state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester, is supporting Hillary Clinton.
The bylaws of the York County Democratic Party state that the organization can't officially endorse one candidate over another in primary contests. And party Chairman Mike Johnson has wisely taken an officially neutral stance on the race, with the knowledge that he'll be a big part of the winner's local presidential campaign.
The two candidates have been taking potshots at each other lately, which is perhaps inevitable. But I'm not picking up on any ill will between the two factions of local supporters. I'm aware, of course, that such conflict isn't the kind of thing that local Democratic leaders would be eager to share with the press, but I'm still not getting that vibe.
That may change as the race heats up in Pennsylvania, although I doubt it. Most of the supporters of both Obama and Clinton I've spoken to have said they like both candidates, and could support either one in the general election despite their personal preferences.
Too bad the candidates themselves don't appear to share that good will at the moment.
