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Will Pennsylvania decide it?

Carter Hendricks

Posted: 04.21.2008 / 10:34 AM EDT

No offense to the good people of the Keystone State, but I hope not.

Kentucky’s primary is May 20th and I hope it matters. The fact is that states benefit when there’s a great deal of attention given to their primary process. It brings people to the state. It brings national attention to the campaign stops. It brings increased discussion about the topics and the candidates.

For this reason, I hope that Pennsylvania’s outcome spurs the primary forward. Admittedly, I am being a little selfish about this. Recently, I was proud to be a part of an effort to help register new voters in the community and I want those new voters to feel that their vote is needed on our May 20th primary.

Through a partnership with the Hopkinsville-Christian County League of Women Voters and the Christian County Clerk’s office, we were able to register over 500 new voters in the region from March 30-April 6th.

If Pennsylvania decides the contest, then I predict that a lot of those newly registered voters won’t actually exercise their right to vote. However, if Kentucky matters, then all bets are off as hundreds of new voters flock to the polls to cast their ballot.

In our community, I’ve spoken with many who admire Barack Obama’s passion, charisma, and energy. Many of the new voters are bonafide Obamaniacs. They love the guy and can’t get enough of him.

There are also many Clintonites who love Hillary’s leadership, intelligence, and experience. They admire her tenacity and beleive that she’s the absolute best choice.

There’s also McCain supporters who are star struck by his military record and his maverick methodology. With his independent streak, they beleive he’s the right Republican at the right time.

Of course, each candidate has their detractors and they have many reasons for liking someone else. But, all in all, I am hearing more positive than negative regarding the candidates.

With that being said, I still believe that the economy will be the driving factor in this year’s election. For this reason, I remain attentive to the candidate’s perspectives on the hotbed issues of health care, fuel prices, mortgage crisis, and the overall strength of the dollar.

I’m not suggesting that the War in Iraq doesn’t matter. It certainly does. However, I am still not reading and hearing a lot that causes me to believe that it is the central issue on our voter’s minds.

I should also note that my attempt is not to represent the entire community. There’s just too many of us with too may diverse ideas as have been expressed in responses to my original posting.

I’m here to convey what I’m hearing and sharing in the community. On occasion, I may speculate or generalize. Unless I’m going to go door to door or run surveys, etc., that’s about the only way I can blog on this site. If you don’t agree with my generalities, please use this forum as an opportunity to state why you disagree.

After all, our Democracy is stronger as a result of healthy debate and disagreement. I’m proud to be a part of it!

p.s. For those that prefer a discussion on local issues that have little to no impact on the federal election (i.e. tax exemption for the military or local crime and drug efforts), I welcome your calls or emails at 270-348-6226 or carterh@hotmail.com.