Finding Ulysses

Tuesday is Super this week – it’s the day of presidential primary elections here in New York States and in 21 other states across the nation. By midnight tonight, we’ll have a much better idea of who the Democratic and Republican nominees are likely to be, although the elections have been close enough so far that it’s not predicted that either nomination will be completely wrapped up.

New York State has been assumed to be a Hillary Clinton state, but the actual result is sure to be mixed.  Delegates will be awarded locally across the state, not in a winner-take-all statewide slam.  

Here in Tompkins County, the vote seems strongly behind Barack Obama, at least if we’re to take lawn signs as, well, a sign.  I haven’t seen a single Hillary Clinton lawn sign anywhere in the county, while Barack Obama signs are quite common.We’ve received three phone calls from the Barack Obama campaign so far, all from local grassroots activists, not robocalls or messages from people far away.  The Obama campaign has sought our personal involvement, not just our votes.

All we’ve gotten from Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is a generic flyer from the state headquarters that arrived yesterday.  It doesn’t ask us to do anything for the campaign except to vote for her today.

I have seen  a few Ron Paul bumper stickers, but no lawn signs for any Republican presidential candidates. 

Today, kindergarten through eighth grade won’t be open in our schools, due to the need to grade standardized tests.  So, for those of you with schedules that can work it in, it’s a great day to take your kids to the polls, and set an example of active citizenship for them to emulate when they come of age.