UPPER DUBLIN, Pa. — Last April, on the eve of the Pennsylvania
primary, voters in this Philadelphia suburb were finding plenty of fault
with both Barack Obama and John McCain. Many were preparing to — and soon
did — vote for Hillary Clinton, helping her to a decisive victory in
Pennsylvania.
This week, those voters are part of a mass movement to Obama, driven
by much greater familiarity with the Illinois senator's views, and a
pronounced distaste for McCain and running mate Sarah Palin.
The striking shift in Montgomery County, often a bellwether, makes
McCain's task of recapturing Pennsylvania from the Democrats look almost
like Mission Impossible.
Robert Stutz, a recently retired hospital administrator, was, like
many of his neighbors, skeptical of both the eventual nominees when they
were on the primary ballot, "so I was mostly listening to Hillary at that
point."
But he's been impressed with Obama's health care plan and says that
McCain virtually disqualified himself with his vice presidential choice. "I
can't imagine putting Sarah Palin in a position to be president of the
United States," he said.
Rich Miles, a building maintenance man, answered the question about
his voting plans with the words: "Not Obama." McCain and Palin reflect his
values, he said. "They put the country first."
Whatever Palin may have done in shoring up the Republican base and
securing the support of people like Miles, she clearly has cost McCain
votes among some well-educated suburbanites.
Ann Marie Cutler, another Clinton primary voter, admits that she still
has "some doubts about Obama in terms of experience," but is reassured by
the fact that "he's very bright." She watched the vice presidential debate
and was "sorely disappointed" with Palin. She "drops her g's constantly,"
Cutler said.
Said Marjorie Lukens, a registered Republican: "The thought of Sarah
Palin being a heartbeat away is terrifying."
What has changed since last spring in this suburb is both the
worldview and the impression of the candidates. Back then, the economy was
not a major worry and opinion was divided between McCain's stay-the-course
policy in Iraq and the Democrats' withdrawal plans.
Now, economic anxieties are pervasive and Obama, whose ads are seen
far more frequently than McCain's, is viewed as the candidate more
seriously addressing those domestic problems.
Peter Wilde, a retired high schoolteacher who was working on his car
on a sunny afternoon, said he has decided on Obama, but "I really like John
McCain, and in any other election but this one, I'd vote for him. He's a
man of integrity and he speaks his mind."
So, why Obama? "I think his tax plan is better for people like me, and
after the last two weeks, my 401(k) is not in too good a shape."
Lois Coar, the mother of two grown children, supported Mitt Romney
earlier this year and is undecided for November. She cannot see voting for
Obama — "not because he's black, but I just can't put it in words." She
likes McCain as a person, but "I can't understand why he keeps talking
about this Ayers guy" — William Ayers, the 1960s radical who became an
occasional colleague and supporter of Obama in Chicago. "He should be
focusing on the economy and real terrorists; that's what people worry
about," she said.
If McCain is losing potential votes for such reasons, Obama seems to
have harnessed all the enthusiasm of his converted supporters. Yoga
instructor George Cordantz, a Clinton supporter "right up till the
convention," said, "I can't wait to vote for him. These last eight years
have been terrible."
Debra Almack, an accountant and registered Republican, supported Mike
Huckabee because "he is a person of character, not a politician." After
reading Obama's memoir, "Dreams from My Father," she decided he too "has a
lot of character. I know he has some liberal ideas, but I really think he's
pragmatic."
At the time of the primary, Obama was fighting two foes: Clinton and
the voters' lack of familiarity with him. The Democratic National
Convention and those ubiquitous ads have dealt with the latter problem, and
Clinton herself was working the Philadelphia suburbs on behalf of Obama on
Monday.
In early September, Obama opened a storefront headquarters not far
from the library where I was interviewing voters — one of three such
offices in Montgomery County alone. The day after I visited, a platoon of
New York volunteers was arriving to help local supporters canvass the same
neighborhoods.
It's hard to see how John McCain can overcome these odds in
Pennsylvania.
