PA – Obama Wins The Keystone State??

We’re making this a Black Races piece because, to this day, Pennsylvania has never elected an African American statewide.  Interesting – even Massachussetts was able to pull it off. 

Philadelphia Daily News political columnist John Baer writes a cogent piece on how Sen. Barack Obama could win the PA primary on April 22nd.  Baer seems to think the signs for an upset are in order.  Hear Baer tell it, and it’s plausible.  Don’t know.  We do know that, for some reason, even though the state has – for some time – been written off as a Clinton win, her poll numbers are falling fast in that state.  We are still of the opinion that she’ll win PA – the question is by how much.  If she wins by a slim margin, it doesn’t look good for her in a state that everyone thought she’d win easily. 

So, what’s going on?  Maybe Pennsylvanians are hearing that they are too old, too White, too bigoted, too old school political machine and too blue collar (translated: poor White trash), and it’s beginning to get to them.  Suddenly, this classic bastion of Northern pride is being painted at some redneck, hick state, and folks aren’t feeling it.  Maybe they’re a bit offended by that notion – Pennsylvanians are a proud, hard-working bunch.  And maybe they aren’t feeling Sen. Hillary Clinton’s recent “mis-speak” on her 1996 Bosnia trip.  We don’t know.  Something’s up.

Motown Political Overhaul on the Horizon

We can say it: a city like Detroit is in need of serious change.  Beyond the Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick disaster, the city is mired in unemployment, crime and poverty.  So, folks are considering bids against the Kilpatrick Political Family, both the Mayor and his mother, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI) who is perceived as somewhat ineffective (as both Caucus chair and Congresswoman). 

Still, it’s funny that it took Kilpatrick’s troubles to spark interest in replacing him.  As if Detroit’s own troubles weren’t enough to inspire the sort of passion for change we’re now catching wind of. 

Mark Hicks in the Detroit News reports:

City Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. says he is considering running for mayor.

“It’s definitely something I’m thinking about but I haven’t made any formal decision,” he said late Wednesday. “I’m not in a position to say I’m a candidate for 2009.”

The topic arose this week during a Michigan Municipal League conference in Lansing when a reporter asked about his plans.

Cockrel, who would step in if Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick leaves office, acknowledged last month he was drafting plans to run City Hall in case of the mayor’s resignation or removal.

Kilpatrick can be removed from office by the City Council only if he is convicted of a felony.

Political opportunism is contagious in Motor City.  Robert Snell and Charlie LeDuff also report in the Detroit News:

Fired Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown, fresh from beating Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick during the police whistle-blower trial, is mulling a campaign for mayor or against the mayor’s mother, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

Brown and one of his consultants confirmed today that polling will begin soon to gauge his support for a run at mayor next year or a campaign this year for the 13th District, which spreads from the Grosse Pointes to Downriver.

Brown insists it’s not personal and would only discuss his interest in taking on Cheeks Kilpatrick, 62. But his candidacy could turn what has traditionally been a campaign cakewalk for the six-term congresswoman into a bitter race with a subplot of the decorated deputy police chief against the mother of the man who ended his law enforcement career.