Weird

I have been asking people to predict the outcome of tomorrow's election.

Just about all my Republican friends say Paul Kanjorski will win and my Democratic buds say Lou Barletta will be heading to Washington.

It's that close.

Kanjo responds to terrorists

In this image taken moments after the shooting, (from left foreground) House Pages Bill Goodwin, Paul Kanjorski, and Bill Emerson carry a stretcher bearing a wounded Member to a waiting ambulance. Photo from the Office of the Clerk.

I was recenetly talking with a DC type who reminded me of this incident.

On March 1st, 1954 the United States Capitol was under attack and five Members of Congress were shot....Future Representatives Bill Emerson of Missouri and Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania were among a group of Pages who helped to evacuate wounded Representative Alvin Bentley on a stretcher.

Currently representing Pennsylvania’s 11th District, Congressman Kanjorski (D) was 16 at the time of the shooting.

Kanjo News

"The president is not a dumb man, he's just not a deep man. He can be a deep man, but he's never had to exercise his brain. He's a DEK (a fraternity guy, pronounced 'deek'). They are the best party guys in the world," -U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, PA-11(D)

He explains his vote on Iraq:

The Pocono Record


"We were told a lot of things that were incorrect or inaccurate" he said...."They told us all kind of things. That we were under a threat and their information was as complete as possible and they (Iraq) had weapons of mass destruction"...he was shown large pictures of a plane "that looked like a mosquito." Kanjorski was told these were called UAVs — unmanned aeronautical vehicles, the highest black-box weapons we have, and they (the Iraqis) have 1,000 of them, and they can deliver weapons of mass destruction. That included a plane that could spray chemical and biological materials..."the Iraqis never had one damned weapon."


"There was no way they ever took those pictures in Iraq," he said, referring to the UAVs.
Kanjorski doesn't believe the president or the national security adviser lied to him "because I believe they were lied to," he said.


"We invaded a sovereign nation based on a lie."

His nephews keep making news over the Cornerstone thing and being employed by his PAC and campaign committee. We're used to nepotism but the Cornerstone story just won't go away. Now the Navy is asking questions.

The Politico

The U.S. Navy wants a business owned by the family of Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski to hand over a piece of high-tech equipment bought with some of the $9.25 million in taxpayer funds Kanjorski steered to the company.
Except no one seems to know where to find the equipment-

a Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, also know as a high-pressure pump.

Which brings me to the Yuddy rumour. For a few weeks I've been hearing that State Rep John Yudichak (119th) will take on Kanjo in the primary for the Democratic nomination for the 11th District CD seat held by Kanjorski. One wag said :

I think the time is ripe. the families can't stand each other even though they were allies at one time. Plus notice John's zoning in on health care? great middle class issue. All he has to do is stand up and say, you deserve the same health care the congressman got for his heart surgery. Mcnulty will run his campaign, he has to pay off his wife's direct merchant bill so they'll be plenty of paid media.

Another:

If Yuddy wants to take on Kanjo, now would be the time to do it. The republicans are running so many commercials that it could only help John. And if John runs I think he will win the primary and then have a cake walk in the general.

I asked Yudichak for a comment last week but received no response yet.

Danny had it first.

Chris Doherty for Congress?

Normally I wouldn't even post a rumor like this until I could check it out further. But I'm pressed for time because I'm busy packing for the dog's vacation and will be gone for a week. If it's wrong no harm done but if it's right you read it here first.

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I got an email:

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Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty is preparing a run for Congress against Paul Kanjorski. Also, Doherty has an agreement with Lacka. Cty. Commissioner Bob Cordaro NOT to raise a dime for Washo-O'Brien in exchange for Cordaro steering donors Chris's way for his primary campaign against Kanjo. This info is 100% accurate. I heard it from Tim xxx and Sarah xxx

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I'm just as sceptical as you are about this. Kanjorski has over a $1 million cash on hand according to his latest FEC report. Unless he retires I think it would be a suicide mission but one of my favorite political prognosticators disagrees:

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He'd beat him big time. He'd carry all of Lackawanna County and those Dems from Luzerne who are dying for an alternative, any alternative. A Kanjo-Barletta race gives him the edge because no one wants to vote for Lou except his crowd. Kanjo wins by default. BUT if Doherrty takes on Kanjo, that gives folks a choice in the primary and neutralizes Barletta in the general.

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I don't think so.

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Another view:

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For the last several years, Chris has been wanting to run for Congress--even though it makes less political sense than other offices. ...He is planning on running on the corruption issue (grant for Kanjo's nephew). However, Doherty is refusing to raise money for Washo and O'Brien because he has a deal with Cordaro that he'll stay out and Cordaro will funnel donors to him in exchange (heard that from Cordaro himself).

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I've never heard of any animosity between Doherty and Kanjorski, quite the opposite. And Doherty running against corruption will get some howls from these people. Corruption has never been an impediment to our local Congressmen. If I recall both Dan Flood and Joe McDade were reelected after an indictment.

Lou Barletta ponders his future

A story in the Morning Call on Tuesday says he is giving a run for Congress "serious consideration" and will make up his mind by the beginning of next year. It said he is also contemplating a run for statewide office, such as treasurer, lieutenant governor or governor. But then in The Standard Speaker he hedges “I’m not really thinking much about it.”Barletta is serving out his second term as Hazleton mayor and awaiting his third.“Apparently my name has been dropped in circles in Washington,” Barletta said, adding that wherever he goes people ask him to run for a higher office in the commonwealth.“I’m flattered, but my answer is always the same: I will consider it, but I’m focusing on my job as mayor,” he said.

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Is this a reaction to this fiction?

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A National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman says the committee is taking a serious look at backing a challenger against U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski next year.

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A similar story was put out by the NRCC about this time in 2005. In 2002 Barletta ran against Paul Kanjorski and lost by 14 percentage points despite raising over a million dollars. I doubt if Mayor Lou would be willing to go on another suicide mission. My gut tells me that 2008 will be another big year for the Democrats taking back the White House and increasing their majorities in the House and Senate. The GOP will be playing defense in Pennsylvania trying to defend seats held by Charlie Dent, Jim Gerlach and Phil English with nominal efforts aimed at freshmen Patrick Murphy and Joseph Sestak.

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They all think that Chris Carney is vulnerable but they will have to find a candidate that doesn't own a company that makes wheelchairs that blow up, killing people or burn down their houses.

All in the Kanjo family

Rep. Kanjorski has a lot of nephews- Above Average Jane

He sure does. Jane pointed this story out last night and it showed up in the CV this morning via The Politico. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington published a comprehensive list Monday of the leading 337 members of the House who have employed their relatives in some capacity or whose family members have become registered lobbyists.

Our own Paul Kanjorski gets a mention as does 2 other PA Congressmen John Murtha and Bill Shuster. This practice doesn't bother me as much as the earmarks for Cornerstone Technologies that directed taxpayer money to a company that was run by the same nephews that he put on his campaign payroll. No laws were apparently broken in the Cornerstone fiasco but it sure doesn't pass the smell test.

Hiring your relatives to work on your campaign comes across as unseemly but not illegal. After all his last few reelection efforts consisted of writing checks to Ed Mitchell. I'd like to get a job like that. Paying yourself rent from campaign contributions for office space gives the appearance of another conflict but again is technically legal. Kanjorski claims he loses money on the arrangement and gave a lame excuse that he fears important mail from the Federal Election Commission might get lost if he moved. Why do I have more faith in the post office to forward mail than he does?

Turning the Cornerstone

“It was just like the Three Stooges meet anthracite,” said Penn State fuel sciences professor Harold Schobert


A story in the Sunday Citizens Voice rehashed the whole Cornerstone Technologies controversy of U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski earmarking $11 million in federal funds to support a company that was run by by his nephews and daughter that is now bankrupt. I covered it before the the last election but it didn't seem to matter to the voters. He was reelected with 72% of the vote. But it won't go away.

I got a press advisory tonight from a group called The Public Accountability Project, an affiliate of The Peace & Prosperity Project (lots of projects) saying they are having a:

Press conference on June 8th,2007 at 10:30am at 350 Second Street, Plains, PA 18705 (the former site of Cornerstone Technologies LLC), to call for a Congressional investigation into Congressman Paul Kanjorski's "shady dealings with Cornerstone Technologies LLC."

Who is this group?

From their website: The Peace and Prosperity Project is a non-partisan, not-for-profit nationwide organization that works with think tanks, grassroots organizations and issue advocacy groups across America. While President Reagan's principles: Peace through strength and Prosperity through free market economics live on today, many of the policy decisions and communication strategies that create this environment do not.

I guess Saint Ronny doesn't like Kanjo according to them. I wonder what Nancy thinks of groups like this throwing his name around. With my schedule I can't make the event but we'll see if the local papers cover it.

Update: This group consists of 7 outraged Republicans led by Old Forge School Board president Frank Scavo according to the CV. Scavo was also one of the speakers at the immigration rally in Hazleton and is planning another June 15 in Scranton that the Klan is planning to attend. Maybe Frank is planning to take on Kanjorski if Saint Lou gives it a pass.

The money primary: Carney and Kanjo edition

With all the attention on the gazillions of dollars that the Presidential candidates have raised the first quarter fundraising totals of our local Congressmen show they have also been raking in the bucks.

My favorite freshman Chris Carney pulled in almost a quarter of a million according to the FEC. At this pace he will have $2 million by the next election in 2008. He'll need it as the 10th disrtict of Pennsylvania is top target of the GOP. No Republican filed a finance report but there is plenty of speculation on who will challenge him. The latest name I hear is US Attorney Thomas A. Marino and the Joe Peters boomlet seems to be petering out. Retired Honesdale state rep Jerry Birmelin may take a shot at it and David Madeira spends a lot of energy writing to the local papers attacking Carney. I don't think former Lt Governor Bill Scranton lives in the district but you don't have to according to the Constitution. Anyway, the 2008 Republican primary should be fun.

And Luzerne County's own Paul Kanjorski added over $100,000 to his war chest and has a cool million in the bank. That might scare Hazleton's Mayor forever Lou Barletta into running for statewide office. But the GOP has another attractive candidate waiting in the wings.