News Roundup, 4/21/2008: The Pennsylvania Primary is Tomorrow

This is a time of year when political news is feast or famine. Even in our amped-up environment of high-powered presidential primaries that keep on keeping on there's been a long lull. That lull is about to snap: tomorrow we will have the Pennsylvania primary.

That doesn't mean there's been a total dearth of political news — observe that Rick Perry has upset the Republican Party apple cart considerably by saying the he's going to run for Governor again — but the big show will be the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania, as it has been for the last few weeks.

It is not, however, the end of the road for either candidate. Yes, it is important, and it will be an indicator of where the race is at the moment. It could provide momentum to or take momentum away from either candidate. But unless I have interpreted every signal incorrectly (or something incredible happens), tomorrow will not end the primary. Both candidates will continue on, and the campaign offices opened in Guam and Puerto Rico will not go to waste.

Make no mistake: these are heady days, and the pressure is on. DNC Chair Howard Dean has said as much in his call to the uncommitted superdelegates to stop grinning and start picking, saying there's no need and no good reason to wait until the last minute. If they were all to name their pick tomorrow, I suppose the primary could end and the Democratic Party would have a nominee. This is not likely to be the case.

Speaking of Guam and Puerto Rico, the last leg of the race is now officially upon us. The polls for Pennsylvania vary widely, and which poll to trust comes down to an educated guess at best. I am out of the 'official predictions' business because I think it is a bad business to be in during this year of firsts and uncertainties.

In other news, how 'bout the Pope? His Holiness showed that he was no stranger to good media and had a very successful visit to the United States, no matter what Tom Tancredo says. Maybe it is because I spend a good part of my day with my head buried in news stories about unpleasant things, but the papal visit and the good will it engendered among the American people made me glad for it. And I'm not even Catholic.

To wrap things up, biometric data collection for security purposes has raised the ire of some over privacy concerns, Bill O'Reilly pushed new bounds on fair and balanced "journalism" by talking to a person that hates Obama AND a person that hates Clinton in the same segment, and a Republican candidate for Congress from Pennsylvania was arrested for burglary.

Lastly, Grace Stevens spoke with Somervell County Democratic Party Chair Paul Harper in the most recent edition of On The Record. Stay with us this week, tell your friends, and thanks for reading.