Pennsylvania and the Democratic Establishment

A lot of people are wondering why Barack Obama is having trouble in places with strong Democratic establishments like Pennsylvania. They might be wondering also if Hillary Clinton is right and Barack may have trouble in these states during the general election.

Let's remember that Hillary is strong in these states because she's long been part of the establishment that her husband helped create. This is a Democratic establishment. These are the people least likely to vote for a Republican or even a Green Party candidate for exactly the same reasons they are more likely to vote for Clinton. So they can be expected to strongly support the Democrat whoever that candidate might be.

These are old school types where the law of "I scratch your back, you scratch my back" rules. We saw some of this mentality in the Clinton camp fury that followed Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Obama. Of course, there's nothing wrong with expecting favors to be returned, but not when it interferes with the best interests of the people and getting the people's job done.

Also, we should note that the problem of corporations expecting favors in return for campaign donations is one of the problems that has created the current political mess.

In old school politics, freelancing is discouraged and loyalty is required. Thus, when you have a strong Democratic machine, you will find that things are lined up like dominoes for the establishment nod.

Of course, an upset can still occur when there is a motivated grassroots effort that turns out a lot of new or unexpected voters.