Philadelphia, October 30, 2007 – We headed to Philadelphia for Tuesday’s big debate among the Democratic presidential hopefuls.  So yeah, we watched everyone gang up on Hillary Clinton like bullies in the schoolyard over critical issues like the percentage of U.S. citizens who have seen UFOs (14%, per Dennis Kucinich, “more people than are in favor of George Bush right now”), and whether or not to issue drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants. 

Chestnut Street at Drexel University was closed off, and traffic was snarled (even though the illegal immigrants don’t have drivers’ licenses.)   A “spin room” was located in a different building across the street, so we rushed back and forth all evening.  After the debate, Kucinich was the only candidate to come over to this press area.

There were quite a few media outlets in the house, but suddenly it was easy to identify the locals – they were the reporters who ran out mid-debate when a police officer was shot, and a gunman apparently jumped into the Schuykill River.  While this was the only presidential debate in Philadelphia this week, the cop shooting was one of several in the city, whose crime rate has soared.