“Wrong for Pennsylvania” Bus Tour in Scranton at 10AM tomorrow

Congressman Carney, Commissioner O'Brien, State Rep. DePasquale & Congressional Candidate Cartwright to Join Mass. State Legislators Clark and Sanchez on the Romney-Ryan “Wrong For Pennsylvania” Bus Tour in Scranton 

Event to Highlight How Romney-Ryan Plan Would Devastate Scranton By Raising Taxes On The Middle Class And Slashing Education Funding 

SCRANTON—On Wednesday, August 29, Congressman Chris Carney, Commissioner Corey O'Brien, State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, and Congressional Candidate Matt Cartwright will join Mass. State Rep. Katherine Clark and Mass. State Sen. Jeffery Sanchez on the Romney-Ryan “Wrong for Pennsylvania” Bus Tour at the Lackawanna County Court House. Participants will discuss how the Romney-Ryan budget plan would be disastrous for middle class families, women, seniors, and students – raising taxes on the middle class, cutting funding for veterans programs and education investments, and turning Medicare into a voucher program to pay for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.

The tour is traveling throughout Pennsylvania, highlighting the disastrous consequences that the Romney-Ryan plan would have on the country and the middle class throughout the state. President Obama is fighting for an economy built to last by investing in the resources we need to rebuild America from the ground up – like innovation, education and job training – to keep our country moving forward. Previous bus tour stops include Erie, Pittsburgh, Altoona, State College, and Harrisburg.

The Romney-Ryan plan would give the wealthy more budget-busting tax breaks and raise taxes on the middle class and small businesses. Paul Ryan’s extreme budget would also cut an average of $810 in college scholarships for 313,000 Pennsylvania students, and  Mitt Romney would  repeal Obamacare, take away a woman’s right to choose and “get rid of” federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Corey O'Brien gets some national press

The New YorkTimes story a day before President Obama's visit to Scranton created something of of a buzz. It says that this is Hillary Clinton country full of Reagan Democrats who may vote for a Republican this time around. Despite what the Professor thinks Barack Obama will win Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in 2012 but our area but it will be a battleground as it always is. Expect the President and VP Biden to visit us in the run up to the election and the Republican nominee will also make a few stops.

At first I focused on this quote “For many people here, Obama is too liberal,” said Ed Mitchell, a Democratic strategist based in nearby Wilkes-Barre. Sorry Ed, Obama is not liberal enough, if he was he would hire retiring Congressman Barney Frank as Press Secretary or maybe Bernie Sanders or at least listen to their advice.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien's remarks got the most attention “Enough with the soft approach,” said Corey O’Brien, a Democratic Lackawanna County commissioner and early backer of Mr. Obama. “He’s got to say, ‘I’m in charge, and I’m going to get it done with or without Congress.’ ”

A few people chastised Corey for not knowing how the the Federal government works.

Where Campaigns Work Well

No, Barack Obama is not Harry Potter

FOR SOME REASON, a lot of people think after that his inauguration, President Obama was handed a top secret magic wand.

Kevin Drum: Republicans have to be chortling at this. It's exactly the response they've been hoping for as we head into election season...

Political Animal: Just to be clear, my point is not to pick on Corey O’Brien, an Obama supporter. He’s very likely frustrated and concerned, and knows plenty of people in his community who are equally frustrated and concerned. I don’t blame them in the slightest — given the larger economic circumstances, their anxiety is well justified....The public likes to think of the President of the United States, no matter who’s in office, as having vast powers....Americans hate Congress, overwhelmingly dislike Republicans, and the notion that the GOP is sabotaging the economy just to undermine Obama is widely believed. And yet, the president may suffer politically because many voters expect Obama to succeed — despite unprecedented Republican obstructionism — by “getting it done with or without Congress.”

The Plume Line

Why GOP benefits from blocking Obama’s jobs policies




I thought it would be worth checking back with O'Brien to get a sense of how widespread this sentiment is in that region, a bellwether area that Obama is set to visit today.

Turns out it is widespread, and that this dynamic may well be in full force. O’Brien said that many voters from the region are fully convinced that Republicans are deliberately trying to block Obama policies that might help alleviate joblessness — but that in their minds, the buck still stops with the president.

“People see that Republicans have been the party of blocking progress — that’s clear,” O’Brien told me. “The people of northeastern Pennsylvania, who will help decide who wins the state, all understand what’s going on.”

But he added: “They still look at the president and say, `the buck stops with the president.’ And that’s something the president has to overcome.”

O’Brien predicted that Republicans would not be rewarded for their obstructionism in the end. But he depicted an extremely volatile political environment, in which people are enraged by government’s failure to alleviate people’s economic suffering. He said Obama still needs to find some way of either securing some GOP support or making it even clearer that he grasps the depth of pubic rage over gridlock and that he’s the one fighting to make things better.

“The frustration is boiling over,” he said. “There’s an awareness here that the president can’t do this alone and that’s never been more true than it’s been now.” But he again characterized public sentiment by saying: “The buck stops with the president.”

And there you have it.


UPDATE: O’Brien got in touch with me after Obama’s speech today, and he sounded convinced that Obama was striking the tone he needs to strike. He said he thinks Obama “scored a lot of points” with eastern Pennsylvanians.

POTUS in Scranton

I wasn't able to make it but a couple of our local bloggers had front row seats. I spotted Michelle (thanks for the pic) and Karla on MSNBC before the event started and await their reports. Sorry, I don't do Twitter.

Only the Yonk and the Blogfather have post game reactions up so far. David says "We hear all about the job creators but my question remains the same, What have they have been creating in the last three years? Tell me. Point me to a private industry jobs program, point me to an industry that has adopted a patriotic mantra to get America working again? Answer me those questions and I’ll shut up about taxing the rich...Obama needs to stay tough" and Mark repeated his usual digs at unions and government workers saying "With no record of achievement to run on, expect a steady of dose of the obfuscation and the class warfare until he's trounced next November."

Before the President spoke 3 of our friends on the right greeted him. Politics in NEPA had a creative post knocking him for a campaign stop because of sagging poll numbers, green energy jobs and the housing market and also took a shot at Corey O'Brien. McGruff posted a press release from 10th CD Congressman Tom Marino alleging "his insistence on sticking to his worn-out ideologies and Chicago-style politics is clearly hurting the national economy." Chicago-style politics? I wish he was more like Mayor Daley and knock some heads together. Pure Bunkum called him Robin Hood and also mocked the fiction that this wasn't a campaign event. Since Betty has taken the side of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham I'll quote the President:

Now, I know you hear a lot of folks on cable TV claiming that I’m this big tax-and-spend liberal. Next time you hear that, you just remind the people who are saying it that since I’ve taken office, I’ve cut your taxes. Your taxes today -- the average middle-class family, your taxes today are lower than when I took office, just remember that. We have cut taxes for small businesses not once, not twice, but 17 times. The average family’s tax burden is among the lowest it’s been in the last 60 years. So the problem is not that we’ve been raising taxes. We’ve actually been trying to give families a break during these tough times.

I agree with my friend DB Echo who is an unemployed/underemployed blogger

I still didn't really believe that people would really and truly intentionally cripple the economy in an effort to hurt their political opponents, and to hell with the consequences, to hell with all the people who would be hurt. Even after Democratic members of Congress came out and stated directly that Republicans were intentionally hurting the economy to hurt President Obama's chances of re-election.


Even after employers came out and said they refused to do any more hiring until that half-breed Kenyan-born Muslim socialist fascist was out of the White House.
Until John Boehner got up and said, yes, that's exactly what we're doing.That was months ago. It hasn't gotten any better since then. The political battle is ramping up. Job seekers are being held hostage. The economy is being held hostage. Republicans want to maximize economic suffering to drive home the point that Americans made a terrible, terrible mistake when they elected Barack Obama in 2008.



Instead I think the point they are making, and underlining in red, and circling and drawing arrows and lightning bolts next to, is what a terrible, terrible mistake it was to load up Congress with even more Republicans in 2010.



Unfortunately, a large proportion of the electorate is soft-minded and easily manipulated. Yes, they say, Barack Obama is a failure, just like Rush Limbaugh said he would be! And besides, those Democrats are evil, what with their love of abortions and gay marriage and the Fourteenth Amendment and all that other un-American crap. I gotta vote Republican!

I like a good joke with a cup o' tea

I spotted this at PoliticsPA

A Primary Challenge for Casey?

Add another Tea Party name to the growing list of candidates for U.S. Senate, with a caveat: this one’s a Democrat and a former candidate for Congress.
Brian Kelly, a retired software engineer and former assistant professor from Wilkes-Barre, is planning to throw his hat in the ring against Senator Bob Casey.

You may remember that Kelly ran in the 2010 Democratic 11th CD primary against incumbent Paul Kanjorski and Lackawanna County Commmissioner Corey O'Brien. I anticipated another candidate to enter that race to difuse the anti-Kanjo vote and he was it. Kelly spent very little money and still managed to get 17% to O'Brien's 34% holding Kanjo under 50% that was an indication that Uncle Paul was in trouble going into the fall. That was a fluke that won't be repeated in the Senate race next year.

Kelly has some interesting views for someone running in a Democratic primary. He will be lucky to get 5% from people who just don't like Senator Bob Casey for one reason or another.

I think that Casey has been an outstanding Senator and will be easily reelected.

Dan Hirshhorn has a survey of the legitimate Republican field

GOP fissures hurt Pa. Senate hopes

The TL covers Republican candidate Tom Smith's visit to the area

Tea party leader challenges Casey


The Yonk has more

Corey O'Brien for Congress 2012

I was going to hold off speculating on who would take on Congressman Nelligan in 2012 but it looks like pa2010.com founder Dan Hirschhorn has started the ball rolling in Politico.

Pennsylvania Dem looks to recapture Paul Kanjorski's seat


Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien, who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge to Kanjorski this year, began shoring up support for another run soon after Kanjorski lost to Republican Lou Barletta, people close to him say.


You have to wonder if the teabag guy Brian Kelly wasn't on the primary ballot and Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien had run a better campaign by not spending all his money so early what the primary result would have been. Kanjorski pulled less than half the vote in May which immediately made us all worried about the fall. It's impossible to say O'Brien would have beat Lou Barletta in this environment but you can make an argument that he would have had a better chance as a fresh face without all of Kanjo's baggage.

Dan asserted in his story that The district's favorable demographics — coupled with the fact that Republicans can't make it more GOP-friendly through redistricting without hurting their own incumbents in neighboring districts — have Democrats bullish on a return to power there. I'm not so sure about that. After the 2000 census Harrisburg Republicans tried to merge the 11th CD with the 17th seat held by Tim Holden until then State Rep Kevin Blaum restored some sanity to the process. We still ended up with Luzerne County being chopped in half and Scranton being taken out of the the 10th CD after many years and put in the 11th. Who knows what this bunch in Harrisburg will dream up this time.

O'Brien is up for reelection as Lackawanna County Commissioner in 2011 and would have to walk a fine line when asked if he would serve out his term if he wins or is he just using it as stepping stone to Congress. My advice would be to skip the Commissioner's race and put a full time effort into winning the Congressional race but that is easy for me to say because I don't know his circumstances.

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Corey certainly won't have a clear path to the nomination as it is no secret that many other Democrats will be in the running for the nod. As I have told many of my friends the 2012 Democratic primary will be a donnybrook.

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I asked O'Brien about this story yesterday. His response:

Gort - hope all is well. I'm weighing all options and will be talking more seriously about it over the holidays with my entire family.

DINOs endorse Barletta

Most endorsements are good for a press release and not much more so I'll play along.

Lou Barletta held a press conference yesterday at Genetti's in Wilkes-Barre to unveil a new Web site-www.DemocratsForBarletta.com. Unfortunately he didn't bring along any Democrats to bolster his argument. The two people who appeared with him were Scranton City Councilman Pat Rogan and primary candidate Brian Kelly and that was it. These guys may be registered Democrats but it is hard to take them seriously as they both had previously endorsed Barletta.

According to NEPArtisan Rogan supported Barletta actively in 2002 and 2006 against Kanjorski. He ran for city council as a Republican in 2007 and lost so he switched his registration but still campaigned on an illegal immigration platform. Tom thinks he won his seat because he was part of the Janet Evans slate.

Brian Kelly got votes in the primary because his name wasn't Kanjorski or O'Brien but if you look at his platform (his site won't load) he is no Democrat. From a previous post:


He says he has been influenced by the writings of Allan Keyes saying that they think alike.
Abortion is "prohibited" in Declaration of Independence , Public display of the Ten Commandments is a state’s right, This is a Christian Nation, Sex education if it exists at all, should be abstinence-based, Drill here, Drill now, No U.S. citizenship for “anchor babies” of non-citizens, Repeal the Sixteenth Amendment, Constitution does not require separation of church and state

He also had imaginary conversations with the ghost of Dan Flood.

Both of them are frauds and I expect better from Lou.

I also expect better from the Times-Leader after seeing this headline



2 leading Dems jump ship, back Barletta

Bill O'Boyle's reporting was solid as always and I'm sure an editor wrote the headline. Leading Dems my ass.

Back and forth in the 11th CD

The fur sure has been flying in the Pennsylvania 11th Congressional District race between incumbent Democrat Paul Kanjorski and Republican challenger Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta and it's only July.

The Republicans smell blood in the water after Kanjo polled only 49% in the primary against a underfunded challenger and a fringe candidate who got 17%. If that 3rd name wasn't on the ballot I may not be writting this post and we would be discussing Corey O'Brien's fundraising/poll numbers, etc. Add in the history of the President's Party losing seats in the mid-terms during his first term

Since then Kanjo has said some things that gave ammunition to his opponents such as the "minorities and defective" flap that was taken way out of context and his decision to conduct telephone town halls instead of the real thing then saying “We will do everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for, you know, nuts to hit me with a camera.” In 2008 his campaign hired a guy with a video camera to follow around Barletta hoping to catch a Macca Moment so he knows the danger of the video/internet age.

The Kanjorski camp has been on the attack the last few days about Barletta's management of Hazleton's pension plan and the unemployment rate in the city.


"Makes you wonder how much more the people of Hazleton can take. They have the highest unemployment rate in the state, skyrocketing city taxes and fees, reduced services, arguably polluted sludge being dumped in their landfill, broken down infrastructure and now, unfunded pensions for their workers. Lou is a one man wrecking crew," Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski campaign spokesman, said.

This brought a furious response from Barletta spokesman Shawn Kelly:


Once again, the Kanjorski campaign is stretching the facts in a desperate bid to stay in power.
Kanjorski spokesman Ed Mitchell lied to you about the City of Hazleton’s pension fund. Mitchell said Tuesday: "Other cities have pension problems, but like the jobless rate, Hazleton's is the worst.”
Completely false.

Here’s what the Scranton Times published today:
“Scranton, compared to cities of similar size, has one of the most poorly funded pension plans in the state, the report states, while 55 percent of pension systems in the region are in some form of distressed status. … Scranton has $64.3 million in its pension fund, but obligations of twice that, $138 million, for a funding ratio of 47 percent. Any funding ratio under 50 percent is deemed severely distressed by the Public Employee Retirement Commission.” (“State: 55 percent of NEPA municipal pensions distressed,” Scranton Times, July 28, 2010)
Hazleton’s funding ratio, for comparison, is 52 percent, and the city is considered “moderately distressed” by the state. (“Pa.: 28 pension plans distressed,” Times Leader, July 27, 2010) ...
Mitchell continues to lie on behalf of his desperate boss, and reporters continue to report their bogus claims as fact.
I know it’s easy to get drawn in by the lies of Kanjorski and his spokesman. Kanjorski and his Mitchell-led spin machine are getting incredibly desperate.

DCCC backs Carney and Kanjo

DCCC buys time in 40 districts

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has invested approximately $28 million worth of television air time to defend vulnerable incumbents running for reelection this fall, a senior Democratic official confirmed to POLITICO .

Most of the money is going to freshman but they will drop a few bucks to help out our local Congresscritters just like they did in 2008. This is only reserved air time and will surely change before November. I don't see them throwing much money Carney's way after Marino reported he is just about broke.

Congressman Paul Kanjorski however is in another close race with Lou Barletta and needs all the help he can get. He only got 49% in the primary against an underfunded Corey O'Brien campaign and some unknown teabagger who got 17% so they should be on the air soon tearing Barletta a new one.


Kanjo did another telephone town hall yesterday that has the Barletta camp howling.


Economy, health top town hall agenda

Accidental Democratic committeeman Another Monkey gives us the play by play but he never got to ask his question.

And the Dump Carney signs look a bit different.

Anti-Carney force takes new tack

Barletta looks to the fall

I had a brief chat on the phone today with 11th CD Republican nominee Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. I didn't record the conversation so his answers are paraphrased but certainly not taken out of context.

After last nights results you must be feeling good about your chances in November.

Five months is an eternity in politics so there is no telling what will happen but I certainly like the numbers. 51% of Democrats voted against Paul Kanjorski and think that is a good indicator. I was surprised by the votes that Brian Kelly got and realize that people may not have bought into his message but just didn't want to vote for Kanjorski or Corey O'Brien. I will be looking to sway his voters and the independents that couldn't vote in the primary. Last time I was supported by many independents and Democrats. I can get those voters again.

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How is fundraising going?

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We got some online donors overnight and being part of the Young Guns program has helped a lot. We will have enough money to compete in the fall.

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I love that picture of you and your grandson Gabriel voting with you.

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I think it looks like he is telling me who to vote for. You'll be happy to know that I am teaching him to be a Yankees fan. Having a grandchild really makes you think about what government and politics is about. Our responsibility is to leave a better country to him than what we found. Just like our parents did.

Kanjo is renominated

Congressman Paul Kanjorski won the Democratic nomination to run for another term in the 11th CD.



KELLY, BRIAN (DEM) 8,749 17.7%
O'BRIEN, COREY D. (DEM) 6,081 32.5%
KANJORSKI, PAUL E. (DEM) 24,669 49.8%

This result is shocking because Kanjo is only able to get the support of half the Democrats in the District and Kelly got so many votes.

Sleepless in Scranton

Corey O'Brien is going to pull an all nighter in his quest for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District. The last time I did something like this was when a term paper was due or I just got carried away and ended up in Chinatown in Boston at 3AM.


Corey O’Brien to Campaign All Night for PA-11 Primary

Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien, Democratic Candidate for Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District, will campaign with supporters throughout the night and into the morning of election-day, speaking with voters and distributing literature throughout the district.

O'Brien sent along his closing argument.



Since we began this campaign on October 3, 2009, I have had the opportunity to meet great people from Jessup to Jim Thorpe, from Stroudsburg to Berwick, hear stories of struggle and sacrifice and speak with heroic men and women serving in our armed forces.

Like the mother in Stroudsburg who brings her young daughters to her college classes because she cannot afford child care after school. Like the father of three in Dupont who drives 132 miles to and from work every day because he could not make a family-sustaining wage at home. Like the elderly husband in Nanticoke who cares for his wife with Alzheimer's and wonders whether his health insurance will cover her medical expenses. Like the young service member in Pittston who was severely wounded in battle and requires special care as a result of his enormous sacrifice.

I am a better person for having had these experiences.

As you know, we face great challenges in our country, both foreign and domestic. I have no magic bullet solutions for the ills facing us but I do have a great deal of hope and optimism for the future. While we face great challenges, I am convinced that our brightest days are yet to come. I am convinced that so long as we work together as we move forward, our country will be stronger, our communities more resilient and our spirits lifted.

I am running for Congress because I have a vision for the future. To learn more about my vision, visit us at www.obrien2010.com.

As we close out this primary campaign, I would greatly appreciate your vote tomorrow, May 18th.

Thank you and God bless you and your family,



Corey D. O'Brien

P.S. - Please call your friends and family and remind them to vote tomorrow, May 18th, for Corey O’Brien for Congress.

Kanjo on the air, Corey pounds the pavement

Congressman Paul Kanjorski is running just his 2nd spot of the campaign. It is a positive ad reminding us of his support for veterans. The fact that he is staying positive suggest to me that his polling shows him to be in good shape. If his camp was worried about his challenger they would be on the air ripping him a new asshole.





For what he lacks in cash Lackawanna Commissioner Corey O'Brien is making it up with shoe leather and a great field operation.

From pa2010.com


But O’Brien is unfazed, confident—and more full of energy than one is used to seeing in politics. He’s been called the most competitive House primary challenger in the country, and while conventional wisdom says he’ll get blown out of the water on Tuesday, O’Brien says his upset win will be nothing but expected.

“I don’t care what some pundits might say about the race,” O’Brien told pa2010.com while riding on his campaign RV earlier this month. “I see it every day. People are going to say on May 18 that this is ‘a shocker, a surprise.’ I’m not going to be surprised.”



The third candidate in the race is Brian Kelly who will hurt O'Brien by siphoning off some of the anti-Kanjo vote.

The TL earlier endorsed O'Brien but the Citizens Voice recommends sticking with the devil you know.


Endorsement: Paul Kanjorski

While Kanjorski has made missteps in his long tenure – chief among them the federal funding that he directed toward a company owned by family members – voters have had several election cycles to consider those missteps and have continued to support him...Because of his efforts to secure development in the district, the benefits of his seniority and his key role in finance-industry reform efforts aimed at protecting consumers and taxpayers in his district and beyond, Kanjorski deserves his party’s nomination.

The winner of the Democratic nomination will face Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta in the fall. Barletta had some fun this week sending out this snarky press release.

Kanjorski and O'Brien agree neither can beat Barletta in November
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May 13th

Hazleton, PA – Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s primary election, 11th Congressional District candidate Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta will win in November.

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what the campaigns of Paul Kanjorski and Corey O’Brien said about Lou’s chances in the fall:

“There is zero chance Paul Kanjorski defeats Lou Barletta. Zero. Paul Kanjorski doesn’t have Barack Obama [on the ballot] and without Barack Obama and the way the country is swinging with Massachusetts, at the end of the day, this is an easy pickup for the Republican Party.” Corey O’Brien, Politico, February 3, 2010.

"Our polling data not only shows Kanjorski crushing O'Brien in the primary, but Barletta crushing O'Brien in the general." Kanjorski campaign spokesman Ed Mitchell, Scranton Times, March 4, 2010.

And here’s what Kanjorski himself said about his re-election chances this fall: “If the election is decided as a referendum on the last 14 months, this coming November, the Democrats are going to lose.” (Hazleton Standard-Speaker, Feb. 18, 2010)

“We’re grateful for the endorsements of both the Kanjorski and O’Brien campaigns. Lou Barletta is gaining momentum every single day, and Lou will be ready to take on the winner of Tuesday’s primary,” said Vince Galko, campaign spokesman for Mayor Barletta. “Of course, there’s much work yet to be done, and Lou Barletta will be out meeting with voters, talking about issues, raising money, and criss-crossing the 11th Congressional District. Lou will work hard for every vote.

“We’d like to wish all candidates luck, and we encourage everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday.”

A further indication that Kanjo is confidant is that he will be in Washington this week doing his job instead of doing a last minute campaign push in the district. Corey O'Brien has invited his supporters to join him at at P.J.'s 1910 Pub in the Hilton Scranton, 100 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA. The event is slated to begin at 8:00 pm. Brian Kelly hasn't announced any election night plans but will probably sipping a cup of tea somewhere.

Vote in the 11th CD poll

The candidates are Congressman Paul Kanjorski, Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien and Teabagger Brian Kelly.


Kelly's only function in this race is to try to diffuse the anti-Kanjo vote. The Morning Call has the latest argument over campaign contributions. O'Brien has disappeared from the airwaves indicating that he is tapped out and Kanjo has a big warchest financed by people who have an interest in his committee assignments.


Vote in the poll on the left side bar and tell us in the comments why you think your guy will win.

Here is a picture of Corey and Kanjo in happier times (2008)

The Times-Leader backs the underdog O'Brien

Corey O'Brien got the blessing from the TL this week.

Corey O’Brien
Candidate will help government work for the good of all

Corey has been running a very good mix of old and new campaigning techniques. He knocked on my door a few weeks ago and I get constant email and Facebook updates. His fundraising has lagged far behind Congresman Paul Kanjorski so he hasn't aired a new TV spot lately while Kanjo is blasting out the fact that he voted to extend unemployment benefits.

Whoever wins this race is much preferrable to El alcalde Lou Barletta quiere ver sus papeles.

Ranking the races

PoliticsPA has been running scorecard of the hottest Congressional races in Pennsylvania for a few months now. The rankings numbered lawmakers in descending order by the likelihood of a party switch.

The 2 Northeastern PA seats are high on the list.


3. Paul Kanjorski, (D-11). Previous ranking: 2. Kanjorski has been in the news recently, as a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee who is advocating stiffer regulations for Wall Street. But as a 13-term incumbent in a year of the angry voter, he has his reelection work cut out for him. Kanjorski, who represents a northeastern Pennsylvania district, will have the money to run an aggressive race: His most recent fundraising figures show him with $1.2 million in the bank, though his quarterly haul of $260,000 was a good deal less than, say, either of the two most vulnerable Republicans in the Pennsylvania delegation, Charlie Dent and Jim Gerlach. Kanjorski also has to dispatch with his primary opponent, Lackawanna County commissioner Corey O’Brien, before turning to expected Republican nominee Lou Barletta. Barletta nearly matched Kanjorski in fundraising for the quarter with $211,000, though the Hazelton mayor’s cash on hand is far lower at $202,000. But the reemergence of immigration as a national issue following Arizona’s passage of a strict anti-illegal immigration law gives prominence to Barletta’s signature issue, potentially helping him leverage grass roots support to make up for the money disadvantage. We still believe Kanjorski is the state’s most vulnerable incumbent.


5 (tie). Chris Carney (D-10). Previous ranking 4. Carney remains vulnerable because of his support for the Democratic Party’s health care bill in a district that leans to the right, but he received a nice, if modest, bump to his chances in early April when the federal government rejected Pennsylvania’s bid to toll Interstate 80. The plan had been supported by local Democratic lawmakers, including Gov. Ed Rendell, but Carney broke party ranks and opposed the deal (along with Reps. Kanjorski and Dahlkemper) and will likely take credit in the fall for its defeat. For a lawmaker who depends on being perceived as loyal to his district over his party, it’s a feather in his cap. Meanwhile, Carney is also benefiting from the GOP primary. His possible Republican foes — businessman Dave Madeira, former U.S. attorney Tom Marino, and Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk — continue to battle in a close contest. Marino continues to face questions about his ties to controversial local businessman Louis DeNaples.


Our friends at pa2010.com have unvieled their handicapping of the horse races.

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Congressional Power Rankings


4. Northeast Pennsylvania, including Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Monroe counties

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Paul Kanjorski (D) Corey O’Brien (D), Lou Barletta (R) The longtime incumbent was seen as the most vulnerable Democrat in Congress in 2008 before a wave of support for Obama helped beat Barletta. Now he faces Barletta for the third time in 8 years, in what remains a highly-competitive district. Democrats hold a wide registration edge, but the anti-incumbent climate keeps the seat in play.
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Cook Index: D+4
CQ Rating: Leans D
Rothenberg: Lean D


7. Northeast Pennsylvania, including all or parts of Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder and Susquehanna counties

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Chris Carney (D) Republicans Malcolm Derk, Dave Madeira and Tom Marino Marino, a former U.S. Attorney, is seen as the favorite to take on Carney. A sophomore, some see Carney as vulnerable, but Republicans gave him some help when they tried to recruit him to switch parties last year. McCain won the district by 9 points.
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Cook Index: R+8
CQ Rating: Leans D
Rothenberg: D Favored


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El alcalde Lou Barletta quiere ver sus papeles

Lou Barletta strongly supports Arizona law against illegal immigration

Mayor: Where do Kanjorski, O'Brien, Kelly stand on the new law?
May 3rd

Hazleton, PA – Today, Hazleton Mayor and 11th Congressional District Candidate Lou Barletta strongly endorsed the Arizona law that cracks down against illegal immigration.

Arizona’s SB 1070 gives local and state law enforcement officials more authority to query the federal government about a person's immigration status.

“Four years ago, the failure of the federal government to address the problems created by millions of illegal aliens led me to introduce and champion the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in Hazleton. It's amazing to me that now, four years later, the federal government has still failed to secure our borders and deal with the drain of illegal immigration on municipalities and states,” Mayor Barletta said. “I commend Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona for signing into law what her courageous legislators passed. I understand the pressure they will now be under because I faced that very same pressure in Hazleton by the very same groups. I was called some of the very same names they’re being called right now.



“But, after reviewing the law and speaking with experts who helped draft the legislation, I am confident that the Arizona law includes sufficient safeguards against racial profiling and protects the rights of legal American citizens,” Mayor Barletta continued. “Just like the people of Hazleton several years ago, the people of Arizona were confronted with a dangerous problem and they looked to their elected officials for leadership. I’m proud to say I led the fight here in Hazleton, and I congratulate Gov. Brewer and Arizona lawmakers for standing tall in the face of misguided criticism.

“I'm disappointed but not surprised that the federal government is not taking any steps to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the United States,” Mayor Barletta added. “Our borders remain wide open to those wishing to sneak into this country. That poses an incredible threat to our national security. And, in these difficult economic times, the underground workforce of illegal aliens is taking jobs away from newly arrived legal immigrants, high school graduates, and other Pennsylvanians who desperately need a job.

Mayor Barletta started the national debate about illegal immigration in June 2006, when he proposed and spearheaded the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, an ordinance passed by the Hazleton City Council that requires all employers in the city to check the immigration status of all of its employees and for all landlords to keep on file a city-issued permit for all tenants. The ordinances also made English the language of official city business in Hazleton.

On the eve of the introduction of Pennsylvania’s own law, Mayor Barletta also asked where his opponents in the 11th Congressional District race – Rep. Paul Kanjorski, Corey O'Brien, and Brian Kelly – stand on the Arizona law.

“For more than a week, this legislation has been in the forefront of American debate, yet Mr. Kanjorski, Mr. O'Brien, and Mr. Kelly remain woefully silent on this critical national issue,” Mayor Barletta said. It's time they take a public position on this bill.

“I'd especially like to hear from Mr. Kanjorski, who absolutely needs to explain his inaction in securing our borders and stopping the flow of illegal aliens into the United States, Pennsylvania, and the 11th District. “He cannot continue to hide behind spokesmen. Let's hear from him directly.”

Kanjo on the air

Congressman Paul Kanjorski released his first primary TV spot today.





His challenger Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien has been running this coffee shop spot for a few weeks.





The third candidate in the race is Brian Kelly.

Mitchell smacks Barletta

I got this earlier today.


Statement by Ed Mitchell, spokesman, Pennsylvanians for Kanjorski

Like he does when discussing Hazleton city finances, Mayor Lou Barletta cooked the books all week on how much money his congressional campaign raised this quarter. In press releases, Barletta said he took in about $300,000 since he began his race. He actually took in $286,013. He says he has $202,000 cash on hand, but when you subtract the $136,000 debt he has, the amount is actually closer to $67,000 cash on hand.

Barletta fails to inspire people. People don’t donate to him like other Republican candidates for congress in the state. He’s a spin meister. He’s actually spinning his wheels.

And despite telling potential donors that he was raising money to pay off his debt to himself, Barletta has paid nothing back yet. He misled donors to get them to encourage him to run and he might pay himself off at any moment thus further weakening his cash situation.

Another sorry fundraising quarter for Barletta who’s lost twice now to Congressman Kanjorski and looks to be on his way to “Strike Three and You’re Out.”


I love red meat in politics and this is it. What is interesting is that the Kanjo camp is ignorring primary opponent Corey O'Brien.

I'll be reading the FEC campaign finance over the weekend and will give you a report .

What's up in the 11th CD

Mayor Lou Barletta defended the honor of Hazleton before the students of Temple University last week. Today he is touting his fundraising prowess claiming to have raised $300,000 this cycle. The FEC reports are not online yet so we have to wait to see where the money came from and how much cash he has on hand or if he incurred any more debt. Yesterday another one one of the increasingly frequent raids by federal agents swarmed the offices of a firm involved in one his pet projects. He denies any knowledge of wrongdoing.


Dredge-site firms eyed


“I surely don’t want to speculate on what’s happening. … We need to wait and see if there was any wrongdoing. … I hope the reclamation of the minelands will continue and that the amphitheater project also will continue,” Barletta said.

Congressman Paul Kanjorski has been busy defending his vote for Health Care reform to just about every group that will listen to him. He also came up with one of his big ideas like Wall Street West


Kanjorski: W-B could host energy institute

I think this idea has merit in the long run but the potential damage that gas drilling can do to the area can't wait to be addressed. The gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale will happen no matter how much me and other bloggers rail against it. The challenge is to get the federal and state governments to put in tough regulations to protect the water supply.

Corey O'Brien is making hay out of the rift between Kanjo and neighboring Congressman Chris Carney over the Appropriation Committee seat that came open when Jack Murtha died. The long and short of it is Carney thinks that Kanjorski screwed him over when Kanjo voted for Patrick Murphy instead of him to replace Murtha on the committee.

I got this release from the O'Brien camp:


The fallout from Paul Kanjorski’s betrayal of Northeastern Pennsylvania continues – today, Politico reported that Kanjorski is to blame for igniting “open warfare” on Congressman Carney. According to a chief of staff to a member of the Pennsylvania delegation “The person to blame for this … is Kanjorski.”

Paul Kanjorski voted against Chris Carney for a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and in doing so, cost our region hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite Congressman Carney’s requests for an explanation, Kanjorski has failed to provide a reason for his betrayal and instead continues to hide behind secret ballots and lame excuses.

Pennsylvania Dems feud over seat

My advice to Kanjo and Carney is to stop it. It doesn't help you or you constituents.

This one is rich.

Kanjo's pollster actually called Corey O'Brien.

via Mark

The first rule of polling is “make sure the pollster doesn’t call your opponent’s house.” To that rule I would add “…especially when the campaign manager is sitting next to the phone.”

But last week, Team Kanjo broke this rule, and in doing so, revealed just how low he will sink in his desperate attempt to keep his seat. Not only did the poll seek to find ways of tearing down Corey O’Brien, it also tested just how angry voters are with Paul Kanjorski.

The set of questions written by Kanjorski’s own team says it all. The pollster asked “if any of the following would be a reason not to vote for someone”:

1. Paul Kanjorski is a professional politician.

2. Paul Kanjorski has voted for pay raise after pay raise after pay raise, while we struggle with unemployment and stagnant job creation.

3. Eleven Democrats, including Paul Kanjorski, voted against the stimulus package. Now Paul Kanjorski is trying to take credit for its success.

4. Paul Kanjorski was the architect of the bailout and defends the bailout. (Campaign manager’s note to pollster -- you should also ask whether taking campaign contributions from bailed out banks only two weeks after the multi-billion dollar bailout would be a reason “not to vote for someone”).

5. Paul Kanjorski was named by a journalist as a corrupt Member of Congress because he funneled $10 million to his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Cornerstone.Team Kanjo: In case the answer wasn’t clear from your poll, please stay tuned for May 18th.

Stop Twisting the Truth

Perhaps a telling omen of what Kanjorski’s smear machine will look like, the pollster also made a series of misleading, negative attacks on Corey O’Brien:

The fact that Corey and his wife have debt was twisted into “a lack of fiscal discipline,” even though the debt is from student loans for law school, Corey’s wife’s small business, and child care expenses.

Corey’s career as a community banking attorney became “representing Wall Street” (those are your donors, Congressman).


There is another candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination. Brian Kelly thinks that the world should be made safe to drink tea and talks to the ghost of Dan Flood.

Paige out

Chris Paige has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination in the 11th CD. That makes Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta the presumptive nominee to face Paul Kanjorski or Corey O'Brien in the fall.




His statement:

Goodbye & Farewell


Recently, Mayor Lou Barletta decided to transform our primary fight into a legal dispute. Although I am confident that I would prevail, I am equally confident that a protracted legal battle would not advance the causes I believe in, and - ultimately - those issues are more important than my personal political fortunes.

I began this race because I had something important to say about the bailouts and their moral, economic and political costs to our society and because I was alarmed by the dangerous ongoing transformation in our country and its politics, and I sincerely regret that I won't have an opportunity to continue fighting for you and for the ideals we share. Realistically, I knew the forces in favor of plundering our wealth and subverting our democracy were likely to prevail in the end, but I believed that I had been called to try, and I tried with everything I had. Mother Theresa said it best, "God doesn't require that you succeed; He only requires that you try." And, by that standard, we won - we kept the faith, and we fought for what we know is true.

While I was campaigning, I met a great many people in desperate need of help, and I tried my best to represent them and their needs. I am profoundly sorry that I failed them and you, but the fight must go on. The continuing assaults on our liberties and our prosperity has claimed and will claim millions of victims, and those victims and their families deserve our support. Short of illness, nothing inflicts more damage upon a person and his or her family than job loss, so I always remembered that the fight against job-killing big-government policies was a fight to defend people, not economic abstractions. To me, this was not an intellectual debate; it was a fight to save my friends' jobs and my neighbors' homes and our society's freedom, and I only regret that I could not do more.

And to all of my friends and supporters, let me thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I am truly humbled and deeply honored by your friendship, and I profoundly regret that I was unable to justify the faith you placed in me. My wife and I need some time alone to grieve the loss of our child, but when that time has passed, we will organize a small party as a token of our appreciation for your hard work and sacrifice. No man is a failure who has won friends like you!

Again, I thank you all for your support and friendship, and I wish you all the best!

Goodbye and farewell,

Chris Paige