PA PRIMARIES--PART I

I decided to head up to PA to catch the last bit of the 6 week barrage up there, and with my leftover connections from my York Dispatch internship a year ago, I had a free place to stay.  So it was tough for me NOT to go up there.  This time, I brought my view camera, and had some fun.  Not having been in the midst of a primary battleground, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  Earlier this year I thought I might head up to NH or IA, and didn't go to either.  This was my first attempt at primary coverage.  But I knew I could never possibly compete with the horde of photogs on the heels of Obama or Hillary.  Hence the 4x5.  Something a little different. 

I am so glad I brought the view camera.  My back isn't however.  Lugging a bag stuffed with a 4x5, film holders, along with the digicam + 2 lenses, tripod, and stepladder doesn't do too much for the shoulders and back.  But one thing I learned (which I should have learned a long time ago, but I'm getting better at) is the merit of getting somewhere very early.  At each event (3 or 4 if you include the Kennedy arrival in York), getting to the place super early allowed me to stake out as good a spot as possible, drop my gear and wait comfortably.  The downside to this, other than the waiting, of course, is that three days later Phil Collins' "Invisible Touch" and John Mellencamp's "This is Our Country" are still stuck in my head.   Thankfully the volume was low at the Obama event and I can't remember the music they played.  On the other hand, Hillary rocked her 7-song playlist, like a local terrestrial radio station.  Each song seemed carefully selected to maximize it's effect on each demographic attending the events.

It was very interesting to see the campaigns at full throttle.  Ultimately, of course, Hillary won, and it was interesting to see the analysis.  Was a 10 point victory enough?  Did it need to be 12 or 15.  The Hillary camp contended that "a win is a win".  Except that it appeared she hasn't gained any ground.  But she did, momentum-wise.  Just not where it counts, as in, delegates.  So this is grinding like a Stanley cup hockey game that goes to 3OTs.  It just seems like it's going to go forever, until either someone totally goofs (but even then, I'm not so sure it matters, as everyone seems dug in on their candidate), or the superdelegates just end it in June.

I think it would be really funny if, in a few years, a hockey game goes to 3 or 4 OTs, and the announcer can declare that this is just like the 2008 democratic primaries.  I'll make sure I hang on to that observation and declare it, as if it just occurred to me, in case no one else does.