NOVEMBER: SUNNY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF INDEPENDANTS

The day was abuzz with politics as the Pennsylvania primary was well underway. I shared some of my thoughts with you before in "Ode To Pennsylvania." As this crucial April 22 draws to a close, I have more thoughts to share.

Firstly, I haven't watched the news at all today. I haven't even read any election coverage online. It's been a busy day. But I'm going to make a prediction. My prediction is the Hillary is going to sweep Pennsylvania by double digits, my guess being 10% or 12% over Obama at most. There are two reasons I say that... first, it'll be that much because she's been canvassing Pittsburgh, Philidelphia, and the liberal hell-hole Johnstown (of John Murtha fame.) Chelsea's been hitting up college campuses for quite a while. Slick Willy has be been riding up and down PA hitting small and medium sized towns for votes. Obama is just one person.

But Obama has many volunteers. Not only that, he's outspending her three- or four-to-one. Obama started commercials fast and thick, but Hillary now has about the same number as him. In my town, there are many, many Hillary signs and only a few Obama signs. Less than a week ago the Obama HQ here got real Obama signs. Previously they were displaying a fairly well-done hand-drawn Obama sign in the window.

I think Obama's going to take Philidelphia, hands-down. He'll get Pittsburgh, too. Hillary, though, will get everything outside Philly limits, like the suburbs, as well as everything between Philly and Pittsburgh. You see, Pennsylvania, overall, is a red state. There are just so many people in the liberal Pitts-Philly areas that it counterbalences it. That's why we're traditionally known as a swing state. We bleed purple, like a few other states.

Hillary is going to take the traditionally red country area. She's the less psycho-liberal of the two. She's got major campaigning going on, she's got the support of the gov'nah and John Murtha. She was also born here, little do most people know.

Anyway, I think she'll win by double-digits. She needs to win by that much to give the superdelegates doubt at the convention (and split the party, to the GOP's cheers.) If she loses, or wins by a very narrow margin, and Obama gets the nomination, well...

I can see her running independant. She has the balls to do it. The Clintons hate losing -- they're a vicious couple. Whether she could pull it off... that would be something else entirely. I think if Obama could round up the money, he might do alright as an independant. Hillary, though, is the type of politician who could handle an independant run.

Anyway, even then, it would more effectively split the Democratic party than would any faltering at the convention. I think even though 2006 was bad for the GOP and 2008 was forecasted to be worse... well, I think it's going to be better.

-Ze Baron