True to its name, the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday may prove to be the keystone that determines the overarching destiny of one of the democratic nominees.
Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State", proudly displaying this slogan on its license plate. Its unique location in the mid-Atlantic region interlocking with New Jersey, Ohio and Delaware gave it its name.
But it may just as well apply to its role as securely locking into place the whole nation. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's largest city, is where the U.S. Constitution was written and the Declaration of Independence signed.
It is no wonder that all the contenders in the race are watching this primary process closely. Understanding a keystone is to understand this concept.
A keystone is the central wedge on top of the arch, locking the other parts in place. It is the most decorated and most elaborate piece of the arch.
But there is another feature to a keystone. It is also the central point of cohesion, holding the arch together and preventing the entire arch from collapsing in on itself.
As Pennsylvania goes on Tuesday, so goes the nation.
Should this primary's results splinter the Democratic party further, the Republican nominee may construct a better supporting wedge and become the next Commander in Chief.
Failing to stave off a fall from within would provide a perfect victory for the Republicans.
One way or another, the keystone state may determine who inhabits 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This critical battleground state holds a quarry of keystones—millions of swing votes.
One day before the primary, 9 per cent of Pennsylvanians are still undecided, despite millions of campaign dollars pumped into the economy.
Aside from polls, the singular thing to be considered are the people of this state. They have a strong independent, patriotic spirit. In many ways, they are not unlike the revolutionary forefathers George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, William Penn or Betsy Ross.
To date indications are that Allentown, Bethlehem, steel mill towns of the west and Pittsburgh appear to be tipping toward Clinton. The T-zone, the central rural communities in the heartland of the state appear to be going her way as well.
Pundits point to Obama's prospect: capturing inner-city Philadelphia, a predominantly African American demographic. Also, he could likely capture the student population of universities such as Drexel, Temple, a share of Penn State in the west. Ivy league University of Pennsylvania is debatable.
The surrounding greater Philadelphia areas of north and south Philly are predominantly blue-collar, carrying large Catholic constituencies from well-rooted Irish, Polish and Italian communities. No one yet knows whether the Compassion Forum debate or the Pope's visit—both touching on social conservative issues—have had any effect on these voters' preferences.
The western suburbs of Philadelphia will likely be one of the deciding factors in the primary. Since Wednesday, Clinton and Obama have been concentrating on the 4 key counties: Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester.
This 4-county corridor, known as The Main Line, is a 30-mile route lined with affluent suburban towns.
The Main Line was immortalized in the golden-era Hollywood movie, The Philadelphia Story starring Grace Kelly, Philadelphia's own actress turned Princess Grace of Monaco. Katharine Hepburn went to the famous Bryn Mawr College while private Catholic Villanova University, and Quaker colleges such as Haverford dot the region.
It may seem strange that such an area could become one of the determinant figures in the Pennsylvania primary.
Its establishment affluence seems counter to the Scranton girl image portrayed by Hillary Clinton, or the unique Kenyan connection of Barack Obama.
But they both have had their fair share of exclusivity. Clinton is a graduate of Yale University, and Obama graduated from the elite private Punahou school in Hawaii and later on to Harvard. Whatever is purported about their humble past or elite privileges, they have in fact had both.
It remains to be seen on Tuesday whether the affluence factor that has worked well for Obama across the country will influence voters in this region.
Or whether the respect for stability and proven results—they still look fondly on the peace and prosperity years of Bill Clinton—will turn the vote.
The Main Line holds independent voters. But their establishment status in Philadelphia lends itself to be wary of "change" when it goes too far from the center of the political spectrum.
This complexity in their voting trend can be a contradiction in terms. This is why locking up this area would be a lucrative, decisive win.
It is known that George Bush went to Pennsylvania thirty times in his first term in his quest to ensure a second term.
Governor Ed Rendell, also former mayor of Philadelphia, said on several news shows last week that "Pennsylvanians are a proud, resilient people," as he responded to the controversial comments made by Senator Obama in San Francisco last week.
Obama, referring to the economic hardships and job losses in the blue collar communities of Pennsylvania, said "It's not surprising they get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them. Or anti-immigration sentiment … as a way to explain their frustration."
This sent shudders across the democratic party, received rebukes from the Republicans and received more press than the top three issues in Tuesday's primary: the economy, the Iraq war and healthcare.
Wharton School professor and journalist, Herb Dennenberg, stated in his mid April column in The Bulletin, "Sens. Hillary Clinton and John McCain jumped on this gaffe, and well they should. It is not only an insult to America, but it also cuts to the heart of Obama's claim to be a candidate that will unite, not divide."
These comments, and this turn of events, could be revelatory. The person most in touch with the people of Pennsylvania, small town or suburb, will likely get the vote. Pennsylvanians alone will determine that for themselves.
The Rocky theme has been repeatedly drawn up to analogize the ongoing battle between the two Democratic nominees. And while it is true the Rocky story is fiction, Philadelphians would be hard pressed to call it a myth.
It is a dream, a transformational story born out of adversity. Every day people are pulling themselves out of despair and unemployment, as did Rocky, and are pressing on. That's the Pennsylvania story. That's the small town American story.
Likewise, Pennsylvanians are people of faith—Catholic, Quaker, Evangelical, Amish, Jewish among others. On Lou Dobbs last week, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell reiterated, "we have a deep and abiding religious history in this state. We have a deep faith here. It all began with the Quakers."
To date Obama has approximately 1644 delegates, and Clinton has 1497. Even with 158 up for grabs with tomorrow's primary, there still remains 9 more contests. With 2028 delegates still needed to lock up the nomination, neither may be able to arrive at the magic number.
Obama is gaining in the superdelegate count, and over 50 per cent say that he is the eventual nominee.
But "We the People" have spoken. Some could have buyer's regret and turn toward Clinton. No one knows the future, but staying the course is a healthy component of democracy.
On April 1 Clinton was reported to have said, "what would have happened if Rocky Balboa got half way up the Philly Art Museum steps and gave up?"
The Democrats may need to move beyond race or gender identity politics. Otherwise, a draw in the ring could turn out to construct a decisive advantage to the other contender, Senator John McCain. This could prove to be a dream for the Republicans.
Following Tuesday's primary, only time will tell if concession is in the cards, or whether contention at the convention is the course of the day.
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