Campaign Receiving Important Endorsements:

As we move into the fall campaign season, the McCracken for Congress campaign is receiving several important endorsements.   Earlier this month we were honored to receive the endorsement from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.   This is a key endorsement from an organization that is a leader in supporting the rights of the working people, not only in the 5th district, but in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Today I went to my first Obama event as a volunteer. The purpose of the event was organizing the 14th ward. The 14th ward is part of the city of Pittsburgh and it lies a few miles east of Pittsburgh downtown.It is the biggest ward in the city of Pittsburgh. Winning big in the 14th ward is key to winning big in Allegheny County which is key to winning Pennsylvania. And Obama's path to victory probably includes a win in Pennsylvania.

When I went to this meeting I really had no clue as to what to expect, so I thought I would post this diary to share my impressions and experiences. The overall purpose of the meeting was to form "neighborhood teams" that would cover all the neighborhoods in the 14th ward. Each team consists of a volunteer coordinator, a data entry specialist, and other team members with more flexible roles.

I'm well into my staycation in New Jersey - wherein I fall in love with my home area - by exploring the wonderful things I don't do because they don't seem "exotic."

I live near the place that George Washington crossed the Delaware, turning himself from a lunatic mob leader into a brilliant military genius in a few hours time.   I have availed myself frequently of a few of the historical treasures of this area, including some of the splendid re-enactments of colonial life.   Every 4th of July here on PA's side of the Washington's Crossing Parks, local citizens show dress up as colonials and show us how to spin wool into yarn, how to bake bread, how to be a wheelwright, how to print incidiary political phamplets and, of course, how to shoot cannons at any redcoats who might be in the area.   The re-enactors are all splendidly informed people and if you really want to understand the industrial basis of American life, this would be a great place to learn about it.

Today I want to report on a place I have never visited in 13 years of living in this most magnificent place:   The Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, which is a short distance South of New Hope, PA (About 100 km north of Philadelphia.)   This will be a short throwaway diary.

Today I spent a few hours with a group of Armed Guard and Merchant Marine veterans.  Their monthly meeting is always held at Hoss’s though it is difficult to navigate a buffet with canes and walkers.  The group is 59 strong if all are in attendance – some bring their spouses or are driven there by a relative since they can travel 30 miles to be there.  

The new Franklin & Marshall poll shows a 44-36% lead for Obama. Solid numbers.

But what is downright fascinating is the source of Mac's weakness: apparently independent voters are somewhat disgusted by him:

http://www.wgal.com/...

http://www.fandm.edu/...

Obama leads McCain by eight points, 44 percent to 36 percent among registered voters, and by five points, 46 percent to 41 percent, among likely voters.

Poll director Terry Madonna said that the survey shows that Obama hasn't been able to pull away despite signs it should be a big Democratic year in Pennsylvania.

"He's on third base, but so far he can't seem to find a way to get home," Madonna said. "Look at the underlying trends. The economy is a huge issue. Bush's ratings are terrible. But too many voters are concerned about Obama's experience, and don't yet have enough confidence in his ability to lead."

When asked whether, regardless of how they plan to vote in November, they would be concerned if Obama were elected president, 51 percent said yes.

http://www.philly.com/...

With an uninspiring candidate, an enthusiasm gap and a host of fundamentals against them, obstruction and suppression is really all the Republicans have left.  You can see exactly where they're worried from this story:

As Barack Obama tries to draw hundreds of thousands of new voters to the polls, Republicans are beginning to scrutinize registrants' eligibility as both sides draw a major battle line over voting rights.

Republicans are moving to examine surges in voter registrations in some states. A Republican lawyers group held a national training session on election law over the weekend that included campaign attorneys for Sen. John McCain and other Republican leaders. One session discussed how party operatives can identify and respond to instances of voter fraud.

There are two battlegrounds:

Drill Here, Drill Now -- But What Are The Oil Companies Planning?

Nationally, Drill Here, Drill Now seems to be the only issue where Republicans are gaining any traction with voters during 2008.  For those who don’t know, Drill Here, Drill Now started on the website www.americansolutions.com.  A couple of mouse clicks on the American Solutions website will take you to a screen with friendly welcome from none other than former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.  

With the Olympics begun, the focus of the world is on sports rather than politics.  Now it is time for the candidates for Congress to raise money and get ready for a brutal two months of fall to capture their seat in the House of Representatives.  The Democrats have the majority in the House and are likely to keep it.  However, with so many freshman Democrats, the Republicans are aiming to get back some of what they lost in 2006.  Still, the Republicans are the ones who likely will lose seats.  The NRCC has already told GOP candidates they won’t get as much support as they did in 2006.  Many GOP candidates have retired or resigned, while far fewer Democratic seats are open.  The GOP already lost 3 seats so far this year alone.  In fact, if you account for the three seats Republicans already lost, the Democratic list would be 21 instead of 24.
Below is an overview of all the critical seats of contention in 2008.  The Democrats have 24 seats that may be vulnerable, with 16 seats that are clearly vulnerable (including the three seats they picked up in 2008), while the Republicans appear to have 47 seats that may be vulnerable, with 30 that are clearly vulnerable.  
Below the flip is a list of key races in 2008.

Last week I had a huge influx of readers interested in my piece on Eric Cantor. Seems I'm not the only one thinking McCain might just pick Cantor. I think it's a longshot, but possible.

Things are getting very hectic personally. This may be the last newsletter for a few weeks or more. We will be on vacation in California for a couple of weeks and I will have Grand Jury duty after that. Plus work is exploding for me and Joy's dissertation is overdue. Even politically, I will need to put some extra effort into my friend, Devin Cohen's primary election September 9th. But this newsletter I cover some pretty critical stuff.

21st Century Democrats is excited about the extraordinary amount of enthusiasm Barack Obama’s nomination has generated. The Pew Research Center is suggesting increased voter turnout in the general election bodes well for Democrats. However, some stats from the primary season show that increased turnout for the presidential election doesn't always help down-ballot races.

In fact, assuming a strong Presidential ticket will pull Democratic candidates in the House, the Senate, and local offices to victory is dangerous. This assumption is not in line with electoral empirics or America’s personality. Splitting tickets will always occur in our nation which prides itself on having a "maverick spirit" and values competence over loyalty. More importantly, many Americans will rightfully not vote for candidates they are unfamiliar with. Why would anyone put someone they know nothing about in a tremendous position of power? In the midst of all the excitement generated by the Obama campaign, we cannot forget that voters need to have face to face contact with canvassers for all our candidates, not just our candidate for President.

White House Announces Bush Administration to Leave a Record Budget Deficit of $482 Billion.

Since January when we began our campaign for the 5th District seat in the US Congress, I've consistently stressed that my biggest concern is the fiscal mess that has happened in Washington.  This week, White House officials admitted the Bush administration would leave office in January 2009 with a record budget deficit sitting on the books of $482 BILLION.   This record $482 billion deficit is coupled with a record debt of $9.5 trillion.  

On January 20th, 2001, when George W. Bush was sworn in to his first term in office and the Republican Party had control of both houses of Congress, the United States government had a record budget surplus, our economy was in a period of record expansion and the national debt was being paid down.  In fact, if the Bush administration would have continued the fiscally responsible polices from the 90's by continuing to grow the surplus and pay down the debt, the federal debt could have been retired by 2013.

Last weekend my fiancé Steve and I traveled from Chicago to the ‘Alabama of the North’, middle Pennsylvania, Altoona specifically (remember the Obama/Casey bus tour and bowling?), to attend his annual family reunion.  As huge Obama supporters, we took the opportunity in between reunion events to talk to people about his visit, question them about their general election preferences and advocate for Obama.  As Steve is a big guy and always wears an Obama t-shirt that elicits many comments (almost 100% are positive BTW), people knew right away what side we were on.

Four teens were charged with ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault, two of them were charged with murder, in the beating death of an undocumented Mexican. Unindicted cosponsirators are millions of Americans and the rabid right-wing talk radio.

Some major developments this week involving corruption and domestic terrorism. Shootings, anthrax, and indictments. I have been talking for quite some time about Republican corruption and Ted Stevens of Alaska is somoene I declared as the most corrupt politician in America. Well, this week he was indicted. I have also been writing for some time about right wing fanatics in government and on talk shows inciting intolerance and violence. Well, we had another example of right wing terrorism in Knoxville, TN, quite possibly inspired by right wing talk shows.

Meanwhile, speculation about who Obama and McCain will pick for the VP spot is is the current rage. Everyone has tips, inside info and rumors to share. Well, I have no idea who either will choose, but one possibility for McCain was mentioned to me that would be interesting: Eric Cantor, Congressman from Virginia who makes Joe Lieberman look liberal. I discuss him this week. I also review my past coverage of Republican election fraud in Florida and Georgia. I am sure we will see the same kind of fraud in both states again this year. Plus I have been trying to flesh out my state-by-state coverage.

Those who read our diaries know Project Vote as the organization that fights voter suppression and helps election protection efforts. What you may not know is that in addition to being on the frontlines in the fight for voter rights, Project Vote is also the largest voter registration organization in the United States.

Since 2003 over one-third of all registration applications submitted through voter registration drives in the U.S. have come through Project Vote. In 2003-04 we submitted 1.13 million applications, in 2006 just over 547,000, and by Friday we will collect our 1,000,000th registration for 2007-08. Half of our registrants are under 30, and almost all of them are African-Americans or Latinos. One-third of them have never registered before in their lives.

With one month left in the drive we have 270,000 more registrations to collect and you can help!

OK...short diary here.  There are a batch of new polls out just now.  Most of them have good news for Obama overall.

Some of these have been written about already this morning but I am trying to capture all of them and place the info in one diary.

Below the flip for the latest and greatest:

The Senate Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure finally, finally held a hearing this past week, on July 24 on the role of tax subsidies in creating the boom in states leasing their highways. Tax and Financing Aspects of Highway Public-Private Partnerships. The hearing was before the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure. Senator Bingaman's opening statement may be found here. It was not linked at the hearing website, so it took some searching to find it.

Here is what the witnesses had to say.

crossposted from unbossed