Making us proud

TT: 1:25 p.m.Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin.Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly.


One man screamed "kill him!"


Supporters have been noted shouting “kill him,” “terrorist,” “off with his head” and other equally incendiary terms about Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Others have directly suggested Mr. Obama is a Muslim, which he is not, or a traitor. Some comments even drew rebuke from Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Other than the lone man, there were no other such outbursts.

PA 11th CD update

Congressman Paul Kanjorski was in Washington working on the current economic crisis and to develop a recovery plan with Speaker Pelosi and others. During the forum, Kanjorski discussed with his colleagues the idea of including a "Buy America's Future Program" in a new recovery package. This program would facilitate the ability of all Americans to voluntarily invest in promising companies with new technologies.

On Sunday he was in Scranton and received shououts from Bill, Hill and Joe.


President Clinton said "Thank you Congressman Paul Kanjorski for being here. Folks, Paul Kanjorski’s got a tough race. He’s got a tough race because some people in his district believe that illegal immigration is a bigger cause of their economic problems than President Bush's economic policies. I got news for them and I've got news for you – you need to help him get re-elected. Thank you."


Hillary chimed in "I just want to reiterate what Bill said. We need as many Democrats in the Congress as we can get and we need to send Paul Kanjorski back to the House of Representatives."


Lou Barletta's camp say that they have topped $1 million in donations and that's all the money they need to win.


They are both scheduled to attend a forum this Wednesday at East Stroudsburg University.



In a new ad Kanjo takes on the Cornerstone issue calling Mayor Lou a liar and hitting him about the sludge being dumped around Hazleton.


Lou Barletta - Not on our Side






This just in via Wally Edge:


Research 2000 for Daily Kos.


10/6-8. Likely voters. MoE 5%

Barletta (R) 43% Kanjorski (D-inc) 39% Undecided 18%

And Obama leads McCain 47%-43% in the Pa-11th CD

This is the radio Gort

Me and David Yonki were interviewed by Shadoe Steele for his Outlook On NEPA series. It will air at 7AM this Sunday on WKRZ 98.5 FM, Froggy 101 FM and the Mountain 102.3 FM. You can also catch it on WILK Sunday between 5-7PM on Sunday. It will be repeated every Sunday until election day

I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that we talked about blogging and politics.

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This Is Radio Clash

117th State Legislative District debate?

Freshman GOP state rep Karen Boback wouldn't agree to a debate with her primary challenger, James May, so I'm sure she will find an excuse to avoid a conversation with Democratic nominee Russ Bigus.

This story in the TL today is full of ifs, ohs and uhs.


Don't hold your breath Russ, she will not appear on the same platform with you.

Sarah Palin in Scranton on Tuesday

Governor Sarah Palin will be in Scranton Tuesday, October 14th at Riverfront Sports Complex. Doors open at 11:00am. PA Riverfront Sports Complex 5 West Olive Plaza, Scranton, PA Tuesday, October 14th Doors Open: 11:00am.

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Gov. Palin will have a press conference following the rally or maybe not. I don't remember any candidate for office high office, or low office for that matter, that hasn't been grilled by the press.

My blog buddy, Sights on Pennsylvania, thinks that this report clears Palin of any wrongdoing in the troopergate scandal.

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Look at the report.

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Finding Number One

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.

I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety.

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Will Palin hold a press conference to answer these charges and clear up any misconceptions that we have?

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Free Sarah! Let her talk to us.

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I think the Palin boom comes down to this.

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Update: Norton breaks down the report

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Not Ready For Prime Time

YouTube weekend

Bill Ayers is not going to fill your gas tank.



Some talking head (strategist)on TV today said that because the Weather Underground was in the news so long ago that the people who remember that time will confuse them with the Velvet Underground.


I think Mrs Rain Man will like this song



The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man

Phils win phirst 2

A couple of big Home Runs the won the 1st game of the NLCS against the Dodgers along with Cole Hamels settling down after a rough start to get the win.

Tonight they won 8-5 without a HR and the pitcher, Brett Myers, had 2 hits with 3 RBI"S

So far the Phillies bullpen has been perfect.

Joe, Jill, Hillary, and Bill in Scranton

This Sunday, October 12th, join Sen. Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and President Bill Clinton for a rally in Scranton.


Change We Need Rally with Sen. Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and President Bill Clinton

Riverfront Sports Complex
5 West Olive PlazaScranton, PA 18508
Sunday, October 12thDoors
Open: 1:15 p.m.
Program Begins: 3:15 p.m.

Another poll in the 10th CD

The Franklin & Marshall College/Times-Shamrock poll shows Carney leading Hackett, a Luzerne County businessman, 39 percent to 25 percent with 36 percent of voters still undecided.


McCain only has a 7 point lead in the 10th. Bush won it last time by 20.


McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lead Obama and his running mate Sen. Joe Biden 46 percent to 39 percent with 12 percent undecided, according to the Franklin & Marshall College/Times-Shamrock Newspapers poll. The poll, sponsored by The Citizens’ Voice’s parent company, surveyed 713 registered voters from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent.

I'll break it down further if I have time later today.

Luzerne County update

“Next year is not what I am ruling on.”- Judge Ann Lokuta


Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla is promissing cuts in next year's budget but Judge Lokuta doesn't buy into it. Walter Griffith and Ed Chesnovitch have been drilling county officials in the hearings on their request to borrow $16 million to cover last year's bills and she has let them question the officials dealing with this mess.

It would be helpful if Sam Diaz and Sam Guesto testified on how the county got into this bind in the first place.

Petrilla wants to cut 20 percent from the county’s 2009 budget


Judge Lokuta will decide if county can borrow $16 M


Judge grills Petrilla on ’08 deficit


The latest version of the Life Transiition plan claims that $1.8 million will be saved in 2009 with the acceptance of an early-retirement incentive plan by 127 county employees. The last time they tried this the county hired back many of the so called retired employees through a temp agency. I have yet to see an accounting or progress report that documents any money that has been saved. The temp agency that the Bond Brothers (Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid) used was One Source Staffing Solutions owned by 10th CD Republican candidate Chris Hackett who gave his first ever political contribution to the Bond Brothers reelection committee.



Musto chosen to fill county judge vacancy


Joe Musto, brother of State Senator Ray Musto, will serve out the term of Judge Michael Conahan on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas who supposedly resigned last year. Conanhan has moved on to being a senior Judge presiding over bench trials that everyone who pays attention knows who will win. The rumor mill says that Conahan is in deep doo doo because of his actions involving PA Child Care. Musto was appointed to the bench in 1993 by Governor Casey but lost the following election to Conahan. I think we got that one wrong.

The latest PA 11th CD poll

The Lou Barletta campaign has released their latest internal poll from Susquehanna Polling and Research.


Lou Barletta (R) 47%


Paul Kanjorski (D-inc) 39%


Undecided/other 13%


(MoE: ±4.9%) 400 likely voters interviewed Oct. 2


The re-elect number is 32% yes- new person 54%. Favorable rating 41% to 39% unfavorable.

No numbers on Mayor Lou's favorables.

The last independent poll from F&M also had Lou up by 9 over Kanjo.


There is a still a big chunk of undecided voters in all these polls.


Kanjorski has been a point man in the recent Wall Street bailout bill that Barletta sort of opposes. Kanjo defends his vote: “I’m a Democrat and I’m in a very, very serious campaign,” he told business leaders Friday. “The easiest thing in the world for me to do today or a week ago is to vote no ... But this is not the time to protect one’s tail, as we’d say in the game. This is the time for good men to stand up and be counted ... This is something that our society absolutely needs.”

Meet the candidate

An Evening With Congressman Kanjorski



Wilkes-Barre, PA - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) is eager to talk with supporters about the economy, healthcare and social security and all the issues facing the nation this year. Congressman Kanjorski will talk with constituents at the PA Victory '08 Coordinated Campaign office at 62 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, October 8 at 7pm. Wilkes-Barre Mayor Thomas Leighton and other elected leaders will be there to talk about the importance of getting Congressman Kanjorski reelected.



Scranton, PA – As the mortgage crisis continues to pose significant challenges to an increasing number of regional homeowners, Neighborhood Housing Services of Lackawanna County [NHS] is taking immediate action in offering assistance. On Thursday, October 9th at 11:00 a.m. NHS will be joined by U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Mr. Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks® America, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski and other national and regional leaders to launch the NHS Foreclosure Counseling Campaign at the NHS office at 709 East Market Street in Scranton. This extensive regional effort is assisting homeowners by:

- Encouraging homeowners to take early action to prevent foreclosure
- Helping homeowners to understand options available to them if they are in default on their mortgage
- Working with mortgage servicers/lenders and the homeowners to negotiate viable workout plans for delinquent mortgages
- Educating homeowners about the impact of foreclosures on the entire community



Scott Township, PA—Congressman Christopher P. Carney, State Reps Ed. Staback and Jim Wansacz will hold a rally for volunteers at the Heart Lake Lodge in Scott Township, PA, on Thursday, October 9th. "Our campaign relies on volunteers, and we can't thank them enough for their energy, time and support," said Vincent Rongione, Campaign Manager, Carney for Congress. “State Reps Staback and Wansacz are great advocates for northeastern Pennsylvania, and we appreciate their ardent support for Chris Carney.”



WHO: Congressman Christopher P. Carney, State Reps Ed. Staback and Jim Wansacz, campaign volunteers
WHAT: Rally for Congressman Carney
WHERE: Heart Lake Lodge, located at the intersection of RT 107 and 247
WHEN: Thursday, October 9th, 7-9PM

The 2nd Presidential debate

Before I read or watch any post game reports on the debate between Barrack Obama and John McCain I want to give you a chance to chime in.


This format was supposed to be Mac's greatest strength but Barry held his own and that is all Obama had to do. I still say that this election will be a blowout.


Our last poll had Joe Biden winning the VP debate:


Joe Biden 42%

Sarah Palin 31%

Tina Fey 22%

Draw 4%

The Tina Fey vote just shows what a joke Palin is.

There is a new poll on the sidebar. Who won tonight's debate? Tell me why your guy did better than the other one in the comments.

Luzerne County wants to borrow more money

The last time the county asked for one of these types loans Judge Conahan said sure, no problem. This time Judge Ann Lokuta is putting county managers through the ringer.


According to the TL: To allow unfunded debt loans, a judge must determine that tax revenue came up short and overspending and shortfalls could not be foreseen, according to the Local Government Unit Debt Act.

Overspending and shortfalls could not be foreseen?


I've been pointing out that the Luzerne County budget that is proposed every year has had fictitious revenue projections as long as I have been blogging. Last year the budget called for $4 million from land sales that never happened and this year the figure is $6.3 million which didn't happen. Last year the county was supposed to get $3 million from beefed-up tax collections and they inflated that to $14 million from collection of unpaid property taxes for 2008. How is that going?


This is resembling the Wall Street bailout with a Groundhog Day movie twist to it. To use a cliche, the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results.

The next round of the playoffs are set

The whiz kids of Tampa will face the reigning world champs Boston Red Sox and the Phillies face the Dodgers in the best of seven series. Baseball is almost impossible to predict as I thought the Cubs and Angels would be in the World Series. So my dream match up of the Phils and Sox may just yet happen.

Kanjorski and Barletta agree on immigration

Borys does an analysis of the positions of 10th CD candidates Paul Kanjorski and Lou Barletta on illegal immigration in the CV but doesn't find many differences.



Both want strong restrictions on illegal immigration. Both favor establishing English as the official national language, increasing fines on employers who hire illegal immigrants and requiring illegal immigrants to return to their native counties before they can apply for citizenship. Both oppose amnesty and pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants.


Barletta is famous for his ordinance that would punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that employ them. Kanjorski was right in predicting that Hazleton’s law would be overruled by the courts.



"I think they’re going to be inundated by lawsuits, and the cost to city taxpayers to fight these lawsuits will be enormous,” Kanjorski said at the time. So far, his prediction has been borne out.



A small town in Pennsylvania cannot make immigration policy. Judge Munley cited the Supremacy clause of the Constitution (page 92 of the decision) to strike down the Illegal Immigration Relief Act. Hazleton is on the hook for $2 million for legal fees so far and they are talking about floating a bond over 20 years to pay it off.



The Hazleton immigration ordinance will go through it's 2nd round in Federal Court on October 31st. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to have the appeal heard by a three-judge panel. The publicity from the oral arguments will be a boon to Lou Barletta right before the election but in the end it will probably be shot down again.

Questions for Carney

I will be meeting Congressman Chris Carney for a chat on Thursday. If you have any questions you would like me to ask him please leave them in the comments or send me an email.

117th State Rep race

117th State Rep District Democratic nominee Russ Bigus finally has a website up. The last time he ran for office he was a Republican candidate in the 20th Senate District primary in 2006, he came in fourth.

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http://www.russbigus.com/index.html

He is taking on freshman GOP Rep Karen Boback who beat back a strong primary challenge from James May. Her website is here:

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http://www.karenboback.com/

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This contest has been somewhat quite in the newspapers and paid media. I haven't wandered around the back mountain lately so I don't know who is winning the yard sign contest. I did spot this letter to the editor from a Bigus supporter.

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Experience makes Bigus a good candidate

Carney hits Hackett hard

The latest TV ads from incumbent Democratic Congressman Chris Carney (PA-10)have slammed Republican challenger Chris Hackett over taxes his companies paid late and now got personal about his hiring of an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper. Hackett has been quoted lately calling Carney a "Pelosi puppy" but these new spots are more like a Rottweiler chewing his limbs off.



When this story first broke in the spring it was after Hackett made a big deal of Dan Meuser's company, Pride Mobility, hiring 3 illegal immigrant over a decade ago. When asked what her name was he replied Suzy but claimed not to know her last name. That answer strained credulity especially when he said his wife paid her by check without withholding the necessary taxes. When I asked him about it just after this storm broke he still claimed not to know her last name. C'mon Chris, do you really let someone into your house without knowing who they are? And if she was paid by check I'm sure you can look a cancelled check or the register to find her last name. When I interviewed Hackett last September he took a hard line on illegal immigration but he later said "People who hire help like housekeepers or yard workers generally don’t check if they are legally allowed to work in this country.” Most of us have never hired a housekeeper or yard worker so we really wouldn't know.


Carney's man in the street ad works better than the ones Hackett has been running because the people are identified by name and location. The spot Hackett is running saying Carney has done nothing features people who appear to be actors reading a script. I would post it but the Hackett camp has stopped posting them on YouTube or the website. Bad move.



This spot ripping Hackett a new one leads off with Tom O'Neil who was a backer of Dan Meuser in the primary.


Man on the Street







And the DCCC hits him again on the tax issue.


Chris Hackett: The Rules Just Don't Apply (PA-10)

SNL makes it official

Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin go head to head