It's No Party

NEWS AND OPINION

No one's lonelier than a Republican on Election Day in Philly.

By Alli Katz

Add Comment | Comments: 3 | Posted Apr. 23, 2008

Let's get this party started: Cibik holds out hope. (Photo by Michael Persico)

Mike Cibik is expecting to be surprised election night, but he doesn't really care. He's outnumbered six to one in Philadelphia--maybe five-and-a-half to one, he says, and he's mostly taking it easy. "I see this as an opportunity to do some party building. It's a dry run."

"You'll go to someone's door and tell them you're a Republican, and they'll say, 'I hate Bush.' And I say, 'I hate Bush too!' We have something in common," says Cibik.

Cibik, the Republican 5th Ward leader, doesn't have much to get excited about. The numbers in Philadelphia, and in his ward in particular, make it pretty much impossible for anyone besides a Democrat to get elected.

But Cibik loves his work. He meets his friend Lou Oschmann, a committeeman, at 9 a.m. in Headhouse Square to get a start on their day--they plan to visit polling places in the ward, which stretches from South Street to Northern Liberties, and includes Chinatown and Old City.

"There's no pressure today," he says. "It's the perfect opportunity to do a little party building."

Which doesn't mean he's not curious to see what happens when the polls close.

"I'd like to see them slug it out," he says of Hillary and Obama. "We don't want this a knockout fight. We don't even want it a 10-rounder, a 12-rounder. We want a unanimous decision. No cuts, no bruises, no doctor calling the end of this."

Cibik and Oschmann head to a polling place in Society Hill--Cibik claims this is one of the more Republican areas in his ward. As of 9:15 a.m. they had 210 voters, including one Green Party member, three independents and seven Republicans. Outside, volunteers from John Dougherty's and Anne Dicker's campaigns mill around holding signs. Cibik greets them enthusiastically--he knows the John Dougherty supporter.

"Sorry I couldn't make it to the event last week," he tells the guy, shaking his hand. He hasn't met the Dicker worker before, but smiles and chats anyway.

"I'd be a Dougherty guy," Cibik says after walking past them, "but of course I can't vote for him."

Later, at lunch at Famous Fourth Street Deli, the dining room is filled with Democrats in Dougherty pins. Clusters of other candidates, officials and well-known politicos crowd the room. Anne Dicker sits at a table with a member of her staff. Oschmann beats Cibik there and is waiting at the table across from Dicker.

Cibik shows up and starts shaking hands--he knows nearly everyone in the room. They sit, but a waitress comes up and asks them to move--they need the table for another group of Democrats on their way. "Next time," says Oschmann, "we should call for reservations." (Alli Katz)