Just too much breaking here to do one diary - so I'll make this a little mixed bag Friday.
Take a look at what's happening in Scranton:
Bishop Martino is wondering why Catholics aren't going to church anymore -
We're getting ready for a HUGE Biden/HRC rally on Sunday -
Our most recent Franklin & Marshall College Poll covering the 2008 presidential election shows some really good news!
We're opening new Obama/Biden campaign offices all over NEPA -
So come on in for a visit to Scranton on this beautiful Friday morning.
Well, where to start?
Let's take a look at the most recent The Franklin & Marshall College Poll for the 2008 presidential election. You may know it by its former name, the Keystone Poll.
The latest Franklin and Marshall College Poll, conducted in
Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, shows first-term incumbent Democrat
Christopher Carney leading his Republican challenger Chris Hackett by 14 points,
39 percent to 25 percent. Carney’s lead is a bit larger when undecided but leaning
voters are included, 48 percent to 33 percent, with 18 percent completely
undecided. The 10th Congressional District is normally a reliably Republican
district; George Bush defeated John Kerry by 20 points in 2004 and he defeated
Al Gore by 16 points in 2000.
So in this Republican area, Obama is closing the gap like a high speed train:
Republican Presidential candidate John McCain leads Barack Obama by seven points in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District, 46 percent to 39 percent. McCain and Obama both perform well among their partisans in the district and Obama has a slight advantage among independent voters.
McCain leads among men, veterans, those with less than a college degree, Protestants, and those over 35 years of age.
Obama leads among union households, college graduates, Catholics, and those under 35 years of age.
Speaking of Catholics voting for Obama, let's just see what our infamous Bishop Joseph Martino is up to this weekend...
Bishop again appeals to flock
He's looking to possibly put more than half of the Diocese of Scranton's 224 parishes on the chopping block, and he is delivering another letter along with a tape-recorded message of his booming voice asking Catholics why they fail to show up for church each week:
... with only about one-third of local registered Catholics in attendance each week, according to a church-sponsored survey undertaken last fall. "Many of our churches have plenty of empty pews each week," the letter states.
Gee, Bishop Martino...I can't understand why Catholics would object to you forcing your priests to endorse John McCain last week from the pulpit? (By the way Bishop Martino, the Franklin & Marshall College Poll shows 47 percent of our Catholics prefer Obama/Biden over McCain's 36 percent).
The previous letter caused a stir among area Catholics, with some on both sides of the abortion issue interpreting the letter as an effort to influence their vote for President.
The letter referred to abortion as a "homicide" and in a previous letter, from 2005, Bishop Martino said he would "not tolerate any politician who claims to be a faithful Catholic who is not genuinely pro-life."
Okay, what's next? Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton will be in Scranton on Sunday and it promises to be a huge event! Just blocks away, nearly 1900 runners who bring friends and family to Scranton from all over the country will be completing 26.2 miles of the Steamtown Marathon and hopefully heading over for a rally with our famous four visitors.
The marathon runners, volunteers and sponsors have contributed nearly $500,000 to St Joseph's Center, founded by the IHM nuns to care for disabled children and adults, and also to assist parents who are trying to have children and need support NOT to have an abortion - which to me, seems to echo what Obama wants to do - support parents and children, born and unborn:
http://www.stjosephscenter.org/...
A sponsored mission of the Congregation of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Joseph’s Center strives to be a sign of hope to individuals and families who have special needs. Beginning as an orphanage back in 1888, St. Joseph’s has evolved, in response to changing needs, into a multifaceted service provider. Today, individuals diagnosed with mental retardation or a developmental delay, pregnant women, young families, couples hoping to adopt, and people who require outpatient therapy can find help at St. Joseph’s Center...
...For over a hundred years St. Joseph’s has been dedicated to preserving the life of the unborn child and the dignity of motherhood. Although changing times have broadened the scope of this program, safe, supervised settings and respectful service remain its hallmark.
Pregnancy and life skills counseling, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and access to baby supplies and furniture are available to women who are pregnant; to homeless, single mothers and their infants; and to young families in need. In every aspect the goal is to support women in their decision making, protect the welfare of children, and promote happy and healthy families
Next? Tomorrow we are opening dozens of new local Obama HQ's and the new volunteers are jumping at the chance to be a part of them. I've added six new people to our neighborhood team today, and it's only 10:21 a.m. here.
So it's a lovely day here in the center of the universe. And at The Office.