Needing big turnout in Philly, Obama campaign to provide street money

During the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary, much was made of the U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) decision not to dole out "street money" in Philadelphia, a legal but controversial--and certainly hollowed--get-out-the-vote tradition in the city.

But now, needing to win by huge margins in Philadelphia in order to win the state in November, the Obama campaign has assured local Democratic Party leaders that it will provide the cash to pay party election workers, the Daily News reports. 

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady (D-Philadelphia), who chairs the city Democratic Party, predicted that Obama would need to carry Philadelphia by half-a-million votes in order to win the state against U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). That's signifcantly more than the 350,000-vote margin enjoyed by Al Gore in 2000, and the 400,000-vote margin that John Kerry captured in 2004. Both won the state.