I'll be writing more about Gov. Sarah Palin's remarkable rally Thursday night in Beaver, PA, a few miles from where I live. I have tremendous admiration for the Governor and her wonderful family. I met a number of superb women yesterday, including Alexandra, who was taping a program for HBO and Melissa Hart, a fine candidate for Congress in western PA.

On my Hillary Supporters for McCain blog, which is not long for this world, I'll be talking a great deal this week about the strengths of Sarah Palin and the manifold deficiencies of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Come visit.

New Yorkers for McCain -- Scranton

The NYC Area Democrats For McCain had a very successful canvassing effort in Scranton, Pennsylvania over this past weekend. And people of color were well-represented in the crew.

Our conclusion is that there are many Democrats in Scranton who could be persuaded to vote for John McCain.

Barack Obama must be defeated now, rather than later. And, we will not be able to defeat Obama by just hoping that others will do the job, by hanging out mainly in the blogosphere talking to other NObama folks, by just giving up... Here are three recommended actions that you should do over the next three weeks to ensure that Obama is defeated now, rather than later.

ACTIONS YOU MUST DO TO DEFEAT OBAMA...
1. Canvass in Scranton, PA (door-to-door, or where people congregate) ... we need 50 people on each weekend day to get FREE transportation from the McCain campaign
2. Phone-banking to swing states (from your own home...call fellow Democrats)...see instructions below
3. Financial support (please, please help us to cover costs of flyers) ... click here for PayPal
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NYC AREA DEMOCRATS CANVASSING IN SCRANTON, PA...we need 50 people each day to get FREE transportation from the McCain campaign
Please email your commitment to pocpuma@aol.com

* Sat Oct 18th
* Sun Oct 19th

* Sat Oct 25th
* Sun Oct 26th

* Sun Nov 1st
* Sat Nov 2nd

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JOIN REAL DEMOCRATS USA GROUP IN CANVASSING TOUR IN OHIO...Oct 17th-19th
See schedule below. Contact Paulie Abeles at pabeles@RealDemocratsUSA.org

Fri Oct 17th:
* Columbus (meet-up to start and briefing)
* Circleville (Pumpkin Festival)
* Washington Court House
* Wilmington
* Lebanon (King’s Island Haunted Halloween Festival)
** Overnight in Lebanon (2 per room cost of $43 per person)

Sat Oct 18th:
* Hillsboro
* Chillicothe (WWF wrestling expo)
* Bainbridge (Festival of Leaves)
* Waverly
* Piketon
* Portsmouth
** Overnight in Portsmouth (2 per room cost of $46 per person)

Sun Oct 19th:
* Jackson to
* Chillicothe (WWF)
* Circleville (last day Pumpkin Festival)
** Columbus (ending point and debriefing)

*********************************************************************************************
PHONE BANKING TO SWING STATES...see instructions below
1. Study talking points on John McCain (file attached).
2. Click one of the two phone bank links below (Daytime, Evening/Weekend). You will be prompted to sign up for phone bank. Fill out form (takes less than 1 minute).
3. After signing up, you will be sent an email from john@johnmccain.com to set up your password.
4. After setting up your password, click one of the phone bank links below, again.
5 At the top of the screen you should see "Voter2Voter Phone Bank"
6. Scroll down to the area where you can select the state (lower left side). Then, select a swing state such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Colorado, etc)
7. You are set to go. You will see a name of a fellow Democrat in the upper left corner of screen.
8. Study the script (make sure you review all questions...you will have to scroll down to do so)
9. Start making calls. Be courteous. Be well!

Daytime Calls Phone Bank
10am to 6pm Eastern Time
http://www.johnmccain.com/PhoneBank/?guid=59169733-6F60-4228-8A8F-7FD538E52989
Evening and Weekend Calls Phone Bank6pm to 9pm Eastern Time:http://www.johnmccain.com/PhoneBank/?guid=A72D7DE9-5BFE-41D6-808C-F1E8CCF9E500
**If you have any questions, contact Imri Eisner, ph-703-220-8582, email ieisner@mccain08hq.com

Obama Spews Venom on Pennsylvanians

Obama: "Not someone who deserves to be a serious presidential candidate . . ."

For those of you who have been vacationing in a distant land (or, alternatively, don't have access to FOX News), here are the comments Barack Obama made to a group of "wealthy donors" in Nancy Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Since I am a Pennsylvanian and live in a small town (Ambridge, 15 miles west of Pittsburgh), I will have plenty to say about Obama's comments.

Since I am a Pennsylvanian and live in a small town (Ambridge, 15 miles west of Pittsburgh), I will have plenty to say about Obama's comments. In fact, Obama's San Francisco statements provide no insight in the lives -- and beliefs -- of people in Pennsylvania. There are surveys of beliefs and attitudes that are completely at variance with Obama's views -- the standard ones we hear regularly from liberal journalists and politicians.

I've been writing recently about Rep. Jason Altmire, congressman from PA's 4th congressional district (west and north of Pittsburgh). I'm very curious what Altmire has to say about Obama's negative comments about small-town Pennsylvanians. Actually, I assume Altmire, like most PA Democrats, hopes the whole thing blows over.

The national media is based most of its comments on Obama's statement on the word "bitter." In other words, they're saying that bitterness is the core of the San Francisco remarks.Actually, Obama is saying that Pennsylvanian's Christian faith and their belief in the Second Amendment is reflective of social and economic disorder. He's also saying that many Keystone Staters don't like people who are know like them (us, since I'm one).

In fact, Obama's views reflect his tendency to make broad, racially focused statements about large categories of people. For example, Obama refers to his very untypical grandmother as "a typical white person." Of Kansas farm boys during his grandfather's childhood, Obama says "they stank like pigs." Since he never smelled a single such farm boy, one wonders how he knows.

Frankly, one also wonders: what's wrong with this man? If he is a post-racial candidate, as he has claimed, then why does he see everything through the prism of race (or class)? This graduate of Columbia and Harvard reflects the elitism and vague anti-Americanism of those institutions. He's not someone who deserves to be a serious presidential candidate.

(More to come.)


"LargeBear" (Randy) of the Black Conservatives Group on Yahoo is performing a major public service: he is demonstrating, with facts and logic, that the standard Left-wing anti-military and anti-American views have no merit. For example, the notion that American soldiers like to kill civilians is the reverse of our country's military practices. The vast, vast majority of liberals never serve in the military and have no understanding of what makes soldiers tick. There's a recent book out by an economics professor at Syracuse that does more to explain liberals than anything else I've ever seen.

(It's the book that uses sophisticated surveys to arrive at the point that conservatives tend to be much happier (and better able to cope with life) than liberals. It also points out how liberals' faith in -- and dependence on -- government makes it extremely difficult for them to handle a free society.

The books author is Dr. Arthur Brooks, and its title is: "Gross National Happiness."Among other things, the book says (in the words of one reviewer): ". . . The American Left is now a coalition of groups that define themselves as the victims of social and economic forces, and in as much as its leaders encourage people to feel aggrieved, he [Brooks] thinks they make America a glummer place."

Reading Brooks's study is like having a 10,000 watt light bulb come on. It won't come as a big surprise to most members of the Black Conservatives Group (or other conservatives). One of the fascinating things about Dr. Brooks is that he's not especially conservative; he's a scholar who tells the truth as the evidence indicates.

For an economist, Brooks has a great sense of humor. For example, he talks about having a child who was a "biter," that is, one who bit other people, children and adults. Brooks says, "There are many things in a parent's life that bring great joy. For example, spending time away from [one's] children." He's being "parentally incorrect," but also accurate. :-)

Russell Meeting Upcoming

There will be an important "Meet the Candidate" upcoming (details will follow) in Johnstown, PA. The featured candidate will be Lt. Col. William T. Russell of Johnstown, who's running for the 12th District congressional seat against John Murtha. It will be a great opportunity for you to meet fellow political activists.

Many people have contributed to Bill Russell and many, many more will. If you haven't contributed yet, do at the Russell web site. If you'd like to send a check by mail, it should go to:

William Russell for Congress
P.O. Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907

It's critically important to raise "early money" in order to establish a foundation for victory. This is a national effort that's getting support from all 50 states.

I've written many columns here on exactly how Murtha can be defeated. However, the key to victory lies with people like you who believe deeply that the Murtha era must come to an end for the good of our troops and the country as a whole.

Lobbyists and other who have benefited from Murtha's government handouts are pouring money into his campaign. These people need to be confronted with the error of their ways, as their "contributions" are compromising our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as causing economic harm to the country.

To defeat both Murtha and the special interests that support him, people of moderate and conservative views need to step up and back an outstanding American, Lt. Col. William T. Russell. The total focus of this campaign is victory on Election Eve.

Team Russell needs your strong support. You'll be part of an army of volunteers.

John Murtha: "Where's The Bacon?"

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 (This is part of a column from my other site: Scroll down a little to see the "Where's the Bacon" piece, the most important one I've ever written about John Murtha.

MURTHA: TREATING VOTERS LIKE CHILDREN
As more and more of you are learning, I'm "transitioning" from this web site to a new, permanent site at: http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com/. I'll be writing this month (December) about some extremely important races for the House and Senate -- Melissa Hart (R.) against Rep. Jason Altmire (D.) in the PA 4th District, Lt. Col. William Russell (R.) against John Murtha (D.) in the PA 12th District and Heather Wilson (R.) against Steve Pearce (R.) in the Republican primary for the New Mexico Senate race.Please visit my new site (you're on it now) and bookmark it.

You're always welcome here. My goal is not, unlike many other blogs, to "steal" tidbits of news from the campaigns or the MSM. Instead, I will dicuss how Republicans (moderates AND conservatives) can wage effective campaigns against tough opponents, such as John Murtha and Jason Altmire.

I will not accept "conventional wisdom," such as (erroneous) statements about how much Murtha has done for the 12th District.In short, I'm not into gossip, titillation, and nonsense. What I say about the Russell-Murtha race applies to many other districts around the country.
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In the 12th Congressional District, people in the Johnstown, PA, home of John Murtha (and of Lt. Col. William Russell) often say something like: “Yeah, ole John is something of a loudmouth and a bully, but he sure does one thing: He brings home the bacon.”

Mark Twain once said, “The problem with many people is that what they KNOW is true . . . isn’t.”

In the 12th, John Murtha has brought home something, but it doesn’t really qualify as bacon.

Here's how the wonderful Almanac of American Politics describes the 12th District:"The mountains and valleys within a 100-mile radius of Pittsburgh comprise one of America's most beautiful--and economically troubled--regions. This has been tough, hard-working country ever since Scots-Irish farmers settled here in the 1790s. Their first big product was whiskey--this was the site of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794--but historically the most important product was bituminous coal. Discovered in the 19th century, it was the basic energy source for the production of iron and steel."

The Almanac continues: "The offspring of the original settlers were joined by immigrants from Italy, Poland and Czechoslovakia, living in little frame houses packed into the towns on interstices between hills and rivers, within walking distance of steel factories, foundries and coal mine shafts."

Now, the steel mills are mostly closed and coal mines mainly abandoned. They haven't really been replaced. And the District has more in common with traditional Appalachia than it does the pricey ‘burbs of Philly and Pittsburgh.

So, John Murtha, “where’s the beef?” And, especially, where’s your legendary bacon?

It’s nowhere, unless the bacon consists of federal handouts – “earmarks” for special projects -- that benefit the few -- and have little or no effect on the many.

In the 12th congressional district, the median household income (MHI) in the Almanac's 2006 issue was $30,600. In the inner-city mostly Black 2nd district of Philadelphia, represneted by Democrat Chakah Fattah, , the MHI is . . . $30,600. Wow.

Fattah's district is one of the two in PA that's losing population -- the other being the city of Pittsburgh district (the 18th) represented by Democrat Mike Doyle. Most areas of the 12th have also lost population, but that's balanced by strong growth south of Pittsburgh. (See the discussion below of Washington County.)

In Mike Doyle’s mainly down-at-the-hells city district, the median household income is $30,100 -- just a hair below the number in Murtha's 12th.

In contrast, look at the Pennsylvania 4th District, where I vote. Half the district consists of old mill towns, such as Aliquippa and Ambridge, where I live, as well as semi-rural areas north of Pittsburgh. However, the MHI in this district is $43,500 -- nearly $13,000 more than in the 12th.

In Republican Rep. Tim Murphy's 18th district, mostly area south of Pittsburgh, the MHI is $45,000. If Murtha lives to age 125, the 12th will not see a MHI that high.

Many people in the 12th, particularly those in Johnstown, firmly believe that "John Murtha takes care of us." If we just look at MHIs, we find they're dead wrong.

Washington County, far west of Johnstown, is largely ignored by Murtha. That County is increasingly dominated by Republicans, such as Diana Irey, and economic growth, job creation, and tax restraint are very strong. Once a Democratic bastion, Washington should go strongly for Russell.

Generally, however, the 12th is a place where young people can get a good education (at places like Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Washington & Jefferson, Pitt-Johnstown, Waynesburg College). Then, many of those college graduates say good-bye to their families and go elsewhere to get a decent job.

John Murtha's temporary infusions of taxpayer-funded jobs has no appeal to them. Yes, some people, mostly corporate executives and lobbyists, have benefited greatly from Murtha's earmarks.

He has apparently used "earmarks" to raise the compensation of some hospital surgeons from roughly $200,000 annually to $250,000 and up. And a few Johnstown lobbyists far from their corporate headquarters wait in vain for their phones to ring while they meditate on their six-figure salaries.

For the most part, the people of the 12th, particularly those in rural Greene County, have not prospered as a result of any actions by Murtha. He has abjectly failed to bring in the kind of businesses that would raise the wages and benefits of real people -- the kind that make up most of the population of the 12th. That district has MHI at or below the numbers we find in areas identified with urban poverty.

Granted, some voters in the 12th fear that, for all his faults, Murtha's leaving would make things worse. Frankly, that may not be possible.The region, as the Almanac suggests, is beautiful. The people come from sturdy stock and are willing to work hard. It’s an area that yearns for some good-paying manufacturing jobs.

So, why is Toyota be establishing a huge auto assembly plant in tiny Blue Springs, Mississippi -- and not in the 12th District? One reason may be that they don't want to deal with a congressman, John Murtha, famous for pushing people around and extorting huge campaign “contributions.”

Trust me, Toyota and other successful companies want nothing to do with "The Prince of Pork."The solution obviously is to elect a man dedicated to creating real jobs and promoting private enterprise businesses. That individual is Lt. Col. William Trower Russell.

If Murtha stays as congressman, the 12th will remain in its own version of suspended economic animation.