Rep. Bob Brady is starting things off here in northeastern Philly at the Ironworkers Union.
Lots of union members in the audience, and the kind of working class voters Biden needs to appeal to on behalf of Obama.
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Brady is introducing Biden as a working class hero (essentially a PA native), and someone who’s “here for us.”

Phila Mayor Michael Nutter is now speaking; ridiculing the GOP as the “Repulsive National Convention.”
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Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Joe, is speaking with Gov. Ed Rendell.

Rendell is really talking up infrastructure as a means to job growth, and PA problems. He also said the GOP had no real solutions at their convention.
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Jill Biden mentions that she was a teachers union member, “right at home.”
She’s now talking about her first date with Joe, working class roots, and what she found so great in Joe. “Family values” and the Amtrak commute, how he has “never been a part of the Washington scene.”
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Jill: “education is the key to opportunity” and with Obama-Biden, speaking as a military mom, “we will end this war in Iraq”
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Joe Biden is now speaking. Make no mistake: this man is a natural working the PA union crowd. He knows this terrain and knows what to say.
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Biden: “there has been a war [by the Bush admin] on the union house”

“John McCain is my friend,” said Biden. And “I would do anything for him if he asked.” “John is singally bravest man I know.”

Bringing up Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager, when he said “this campaign is not about the issues.”

Saying he heard “politics as usual” at the republican convention. “Nothing about you.”

“Not a single solitary thing about healthcare … College education …”

Says that they, McCain-Palin, couldn’t possibly explain the past 8 years, so they attack.
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Now talking a LOT about the economy. Recent job loss numbers, 6.1% unemployment rate.
“Worst in 5 years.”

> quick note: not really exciting, but very specific and union-focused. Wait… Nevermind. Crowd just rose to their feet for union organizing rights.

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Now focused on how Obama and him will actually lower taxes on 95% of Americans. “people need help right now”
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More tax focus: saying repeal of bush tax cuts for top 1% will pay for everything.
“don’t tell me we’re big spenders. It’s how we spend it.”
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“tax break to companies who want to keep jobs here.”

“The choice is absolutely clear.”

“The future of this country … world will be decided in the next 60 days.”
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Questions and comments now by 3 individuals, the first a committeeman from the area with kids in college.
“grocery prices are unbelievable”

Third has husband who is retired Philly Police. Now for healthcare, he’s working at Target.
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Q: what do about No Child Left Behind?

A: we should have standards, expect a lot of children. Lots of kids come from disadvantaged households, and kids who are talked to young do better.

Obama and I will push early childhood education. Also, NCLB measures students and teachers unfairly - no proper starting point.

“testing isn’t bad, but teachers shouldn’t be teaching to the test”
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11:35 AM

Q: “will you take off the gloves with Sarah palin in the debate like you would anybody else?”

A: Harry Truman: I’m not gunna give them hell. I’m gunna tell them the truth and they’re gunna think its hell.

Event is now over. Biden shakes hands, works crowd.

For yesterday’s primary, The Daily Pennsylvanian sent reporters down to each polling station around campus to pick up results when polls closed. You can see the result here as a color coded map of how Penn voted. Interestingly many of the same campaign trends that hold across the country can be seen in miniature on Penn’s campus. We’ve color coded the map according to the results.

In total, from the polling stations around Penn’s campus, Obama won 71.5% of the vote. Dark blue indicates Clinton won less than 29% of the vote, light blue indicates she won more than 29%. Nationally, we’ve seen that younger voters strongly prefer Obama to Clinton. The difference even applies to upperclassmen versus freshmen.

The Quad and Hill, mostly freshmen, voted more strongly in favor of Obama than the high rises and off campus areas where fewer freshmen live.

Obama’s margin was highest in Division 18 where 80.3% of students voted for him. Division 18’s polling place was Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and contains Du Bois College House. It’s likely that Du Bois’s large population of black students voted overwhelmingly for Obama like much of the rest of Philadelphia’s black voters.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has won the Pennsylvania primary, though final results are not yet known.

As soon as the crowd heard the news, as reported on CNN, they broke out into applause. Chants of “Hillary, Hillary for President” filled the ballroom of the hotel.

Final results are developing, but the last post I wrote had Gov. Rendell predicting a 7-8 percent win.

I missed this when it happened, but PA Gov. Ed Rendell handicapped the race earlier today on MSNBC.

His take? Clinton wins by 7-8 percentage points.

Based on current exit polls, it looks like the governor is right on.

CLINTON WINS. JUST CALLED BY CNN.

Division 21: Harnwell College House - 8:17PM
Clinton 68 31.8%
Obama 146 68.2%
McCain 6

Division 20: Harrison College House - 8:27PM
Clinton 88 32.9%
Obama 180 67.1%
McCain 8
Paul 2

Division 19: David Rittenhouse Laboratories - 8:27PM
Clinton 66 28.8%
Obama 163 71.2%
Incomplete - only 2 out of 3 machines reporting

Division 22: Houston Hall - 8:28PM
Clinton 165 28.7%
Obama 409 71.2%

Division 9: Walnut Street Library
Clinton 86 29.6%
Obama 205 70.4%
McCain 3
Paul 2

Division 18: Steinberg-Dietrich Hall
Clinton 56 19.6%
Obama 229 80.3%
McCain 13
Paul 1

Divisions 5 and 8: Woodland Presybterian Church
Clinton 88 27.5%
Obama 232 72.5%
McCain 7
Paul 2

Divisions 11 and 3: 36th and Chestnut
Clinton 73 30.4%
Obama 167 69.6%
McCain 4
Paul 1

Totals
Clinton 690 28.5%
Obama 1731 71.5%
McCain 41
Paul 7

CNN results seem to be going the other way though.

Watch Amy Gutmann as she votes in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Afterwards the DP interviews her.

…have started to pour in.

The polls are, so far, not indicative of any particular margin of victory. They do, however, generally point towards a Clinton victory. The economy was continually ranked as a top concern, according to the AP exit poll.

Per AP:

Pennsylvania Democrats had a sour view of the economy—four in 10 said the country is in a serious recession and at least as many called it a moderate recession. Only about one in 10 said the economy is not in recession.

As in earlier primaries, at least half of voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country. About half as many said Iraq was the top issue. Health care trailed in importance.

Interestingly enough, the poll also reports that around 4 in 10 voters have a gun owner in the household. Ben Smith, a Politico blogger, makes the point that that number is strangely high for a Democratic primary. I concur…

Another 15 minutes. Remember though: cities (which tend to favor Obama) report first, while rural areas report later on. So try not to read too much into an early Obama surge.

Penn for Hillary and Penn for Obama have nothing on these kids.

Today from about 3:00-3:30 p.m., a gaggle of kids from the after-school program at St. Mary’s (think the church next to the Tampons) marched on the Button, reminding students and passersby to vote today. They also shouted their support for their candidate of choice.

And the candidate whose captured the hearts and minds of these future voters?

Overwhelmingly, Barack Obama.

“My mom says he’s awesome,” said Lillian, aged 7.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Vote today!”

As I was walking out of Hill College House this morning to begin covering Penn for Obama’s on-campus effort, a guy wearing a “Barack the Vote” shirt reminded me that today is, in fact, the Pennsylvania primary.

After informing him that sadly, I’m registered in California and cast my vote on Super Tuesday (and kicking myself for thinking back then that Pennsylvania wouldn’t matter), I continued across campus to find students stationed on the corner of 34th and Walnut, outside of Upper Quad gate, and on Locust Walk.

According to Penn for Obama co-president Julian Harris, the group has split the campus into five zones — Locust Walk, Spruce Street, Walnut Street, College Green, and the High Rises. They’ve been sending volunteers to each of these locations throughout the day, and will continue to do so until polls close tonight at 8 p.m.

I’ll add more about student responses and what Penn for Obama volunteers said, but for now I’m off to talk to more people who are out campaigning across campus. Check back later today for more updates on the way Penn for Obama has been getting out the vote on campus…