There has been lots of speculation that Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball, and NE Philadelphia native, will run as Dem against Arlen Specter in 2010. Matthews has been approached before about coming back to the state and running for senate, but has so far resisted doing so.

But, if you have watched Matthews recently on Harball you’ll know he openly admits how much he admires president-elect Obama. Matthews, a former Peace Corps volunteer, is still, at heart, an idealistic baby-boomer. It’s so easy to see how Obama’s message just resonates with him; he almost glows. IMHO, if Rendell or Bob Brady approach Matthews now about running against Specter, I believe he would jump at the chance to serve in congress supporting an Obama administration.

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert A. Gleason Jr. must be an eternal optimist.

His party is in shambles, having lost more ground to the Democrats in successive election cycles, but Gleason is choosing to look at the few bright spots in Tuesday’s Election Day debacle.

From a statement Gleason released after the GOP took a beating at the polls Tuesday:

“First of all, we would like to thank John McCain and Sarah Palin for the race they ran and their commitment to our Party. Tonight, was certainly a historic night and we recognize Barack Obama for a hard-fought victory. That being said, our Party is proud of the work we were able to accomplish, but certainly not satisfied.”  read more »

There really isn’t a lot left to say as we head into the final 24 hours of the campaign. First, and most important, Kelly, Amanda and I want to thank everyone who has helped in any way with the campaign. The one thing I will take away from this experience, regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, is the people I’ve met, the communities I’ve visited and the stories we’ve shared.  read more »

As someone who was raised in York, Pennsylvania, and proud of it, I want to explain why I believe it is so important to Pennsylvania and America for Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States, and why I so strongly support him.  read more »

The campaign schedule has been pretty intense over the last week and will continue to be so until the BIG day on Tuesday, November 4th. I want to congratulate everyone for putting so much effort into this year’s election, not just for an individual campaign, but for the entire Democratic ticket. I’ve seen people in every community throughout the 5th district working to make sure the message is getting out.  read more »

Well that’s the latest marketing approach from the “reinvent your campaign every day” smart boyz at McCain Central.

The paraphrase is; “I’ve been tested, so our enemies won’t come after us.”

Excuse me, but what tests is he specifically referring to? The ones his oncologist did?

The man has been a US Senator. It is not a leadership type position. He has never had to make life-altering, nation-securing decisions. He, like Obama and other 98, deal with serious issues, but they never have to be the ONE whose ass is on the line. So, John, shut up. I have a hard time taking you seriously as a “man who has been tested” when you sing “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran,” though it is instructive in the way he views the world….  read more »

Earlier this week I received an email from a 5th district voter with very strong pro-life beliefs who would like to vote for me. She told me via email that she is comfortable that I am Catholic and my stance on pro-life issues is similar to that of Sen. Robert Casey. She feels it is very likely Barack Obama will be elected President and the Democratic Party will gain seats Congress. Where her concern lies is what actions a newly inaugurated President Barack Obama and a United States Congress with a strong Democratic majority will take after January of 2009. She is afraid there will be a far left agenda that will attempt to overturn pro-life initiatives put into effect like the ban on partial birth abortions.  read more »

Senator Obama is on top of his game about health care during tonight’s debate. His continual reference to health care issues shows the importance he places on improving access and reducing costs.

In response to the first question, the very first example he gave of a wasteful federal program involved health spending. Senator Obama said that he would cut the overpayment by Medicare to private insurance companies that don’t do any better for Medicare beneficiaries. The overpayments to Medicare HMOs have been well documented by MedPAC, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, among other organizations, all of which recommend the cuts Obama mentioned. See, http://www.cbpp.org/5-13-08health.htm.  read more »