An independence day, of sorts

Before I start, I'd like to acknowledge the fact that yesterday was the busiest day of traffic I've had on the blog, besting a several month old record, and we're well on our way to this month being easily the busiest month on record. I'd like to credit myself with being much more entertaining and insightful, but the reality is that I just have connected a few more friends and family with the blog :) I do value all of my loyal readers, however.

I gotta say, yesterday was my personal Independence day - independence from the presence of Sens. Obama and Clinton on my tv and radio. Pennsylvania is traditionally a battleground state in the general election, so we usually get our share of bombardment in the fall, but this run to the primary was just ridiculous, and I would guess unprecedented. I can't imagine too many scenarios in the past where candidates were able to focus all their machinery on a single, potentially pivotal state for 6 weeks. That's right, it was six weeks from the last set of significant primaries until PA's. And man, we felt it like crazy. The fact that I felt it as much as I did just demonstrates how crazy it was. I watch very little TV anymore (and when I watch the local stations, it's usually stuff that I DVR and skip commercials on), and while my radio is on all day at work, it's always on either country or sports talk, neither of which you would expect to be major outlets for a Democratic candidate. But, I heard plenty of it, and was pretty well done with it about 2 weeks in.

It's funny, I've long been a proponent of moving the Pennsylvania primary, due to the fact the late April date almost always precludes our voters from having an actual say in the nominations. And yet, I think this one rare year in which the PA primary did have some significance actually made me more resolved in that opinion. While I'm sure for certain segments it was nice to be the sole focus of the national political scene for 6 weeks, I really just don't see anything productive about what we've just been through.

And, since Clinton's victory means the battle lurches onward, I gratefully, yet knowingly, pass the burden I was just able to escape onto my dear friends from Indiana. At least you guys only get 2 weeks, rather than 6.