The Swampkids–who were lobbying last summer for us to vacation here–are thrilled that I’ve finally made it to Scranton, though there have thus far been no sightings of Michael Scott. I’m sorry I missed the St. Patrick’s Day parade, where a Clinton staffer tells me much of the town was decked out in green Dunder Mifflin T-shirts.
If the first event of the last day of the Pennsylvania campaign is any indication, Hillary Clinton intends to make her closing argument a positive one. To a packed house of about 400 people in the Scranton Cultural Center ballroom (more than a respectable size for a workday morning), she talked about her own roots in this community, which go back to her immigrant great-grandparents, and the summers she spent at Lake Winola, some of which apparently involved a boat and a boy named Ernie (“But that’s another story…”). Her 17-minute speech would have been even shorter, if it hadn’t been interrupted repeatedly with chanting that included “Madame President!” and “One Day to Victory!”
Clinton made a lot of references to George Bush, but never mentioned Barack Obama, except obliquely, with gentle jabs like, “We need a President who is going to solve our problems, not just talk about them.” This is a part of the state that she expects to win handily, so the challenge here is to motivate people to come out in big numbers. “We need to really bear down,” she told her supporters. “The last day is here.”
Later today, she is scheduled to hit Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Clinton also will be joined by her husband. It will be interesting to see if and how the tone changes. She will be going to parts of the state where the challenge is less about reinforcing enthusiasm, and more about the last-minute persuasion of the undecided.
UPDATE: This should be interesting. Alas, those of us in the bubble are unlikely to see it, so let me know how it goes:
PROGRAMMING NOTE: SEN. HILLARY CLINTON ON MSNBC’S “COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN” TONIGHT, 8PM ET
NEW YORK – April 21, 2008 – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton appears tonight on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” just one day before voters head to the polls in the crucial Pennsylvania primary. A transcript will be available immediately following tonight’s interview.
“Countdown with Keith Olbermann” telecasts weeknights, 8-9 p.m. ET and 10-11 p.m. ET on MSNBC.