Divided leaders hear candidates

Overheard from an out-of-town political operative eyeballing the scene at last night's Philadelphia Democratic Party dinner at the Sheet Metal Workers Union hall: "This is like a half-step from

The Sopranos

."

Indeed, present were two feuding families under one roof - one supporting Barack Obama, the other Hillary Rodham Clinton. Expensive-looking pinstripe suits were in clear sight. Meatballs and ziti were plentiful. And it was, after all, inside a union hall.

With the city's 69 ward leaders as the main audience of back-to-back speeches from Clinton, and then Obama, the party's annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner was a political event unlike any other in recent memory.

"It's politics, plus a Fourth of July celebration, plus a Phillies game," remarked giddy state Senate candidate John J. Dougherty while waiting outside for the night to begin.

"I've never heard him before, so I'm sticking around," Hillary-button-wearing State Rep. Kathy Manderino said, minutes before Obama took the stage and more than an hour after Clinton had wrapped up.

Even non-Democrats came to watch.

"This is the show of the month. No, you should say of the decade," said Frank P. Buzydlowski, a Republican and Verizon lobbyist.

The official purpose of the night was to raise money for the Democratic Party. Guests paid $1,000 each (ward leaders paid nothing) to mill around privately with the two candidates - at separate times - inside a tent erected outside the hall. The cost for the larger event inside the hall was $150 a person.

But for ward leaders - who are about evenly divided between Clinton and Obama - it also was the first chance for them as a group to hear directly from the two U.S. senators seeking to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

U.S. Rep. Robert A. Brady, the party chairman, last month held out the possibility of an endorsement when Bill Clinton visited the party's Walnut Street headquarters as a surrogate for his wife. But Brady wanted his troops to hear from the candidates themselves. "They can certainly spend a half-hour with us if we're so important," he said at the time.

Last night, they finally did so.

"Remember the rules now," Brady said, reminding the crowd about the need to receive Clinton, and later Obama, with decorum. "We're on national TV."

About 6:20 p.m., Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter and U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz accompanied Clinton onto the stage. Rendell and Nutter each took a turn at the microphone, but their words were mostly drowned out by the constant chatter in the hall.

Finally, when it was Clinton's turn - there were some shouts of "O-ba-ma" - she spoke for five minutes, some of it directly to the ward leaders, who can help turn out the vote on election day.

"How many ward leaders and committee members do we have here?" she asked as the crowd erupted in cheers. "You are the ones who get things done."

When it was Obama's turn, about 8 p.m., Brady appeared on stage along with U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, State Rep. Frank Oliver, and former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford. Minutes passed before Obama emerged to U2's "Beautiful Day."

"I want to thank Bob Brady for putting together one of the best organizations," said Obama, who spoke for nearly 30 minutes.

He also cited Fattah as something of an inspiration to him when he ran for senator in Illinois. "I said to myself, if a guy named Chaka Fattah can get elected, so can Barack Obama."