In a matter of hours, voters from across Pennsylvania will go into the voting booth smug in the knowledge that they are this year’s Florida: those who will decide one way or another who will win the White House in November. In a way, this is fitting, for Pennsylvania is the nation’s second oldest state, second to Florida, and older voters are, by time and temperament, inherently conservative. They fear change, and as such, this doesn’t bode well for Senator Barack Obama, who has run as this year’s change candidate.
To a lesser degree, it presents problems for Senator Hillary R. Clinton, who, as a woman, also presents a kind of historic change. For if she were to prevail, she would become the first in the nation’s history. As the wife of a former president, she presents both change and a sense of stability by sparking memories of the 1990s: the Clinton presidency. That said, Pennsylvania is a deeply conservative state, one in deep contrast with its largest cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Indeed, many parts of the state, especially its central and Western counties, are closer to the Confederate states of Virginia and Alabama than to its Northern neighbors. As one of the oldest states in the Union, with its pronounced elderly population, change is not its strong suit. In many ways, it is more backward looking than forward looking. Its prison system is closer to Southern states than to its neighbors in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
In a few hours, Pennsylvania will add its voice to the national cacophony. Will it be an echo from yesteryear, or will it be a new era in U.S. politics? We shall soon see. From death row, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are produced by Noelle Hanrahan for Prison Radio.
