The Thin Man

Jack Wagner on the stump

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner was the keynote speaker at the Obama campaign rally Tuesday night in State College, but he was also the prize for Democrats who had contributed to cover the rent of the Democratic headquarters ($1,500 a month).

Those contributors, perhaps 50 of them, got to meet privately with Wagner for half an hour or so in a back room (of course, a back room) before the public part of the HQ opening.

As keynoter, Wagner was the last to speak and he was forceful and effective, loud and clear. He took to the microphone and right off the bat alluded to Obama.

"Are you fired up? Are you fired up? Are we fired up and ready to go?" Wagner said.

He recalled Obama's March 30 campaign rally on Old Main Lawn, said it was extraordinary and said people all over the state and nation read about it.

"You really said something special that day," Wagner told the crowd of 200.

He thanked the Democrats whom he'd just met with privately for financing the headquarters.

He recalled the 1960 election, when America elected JFK, and reasoned (not so convincingly) that this election year is even more important than that one.

"This year I think is more important because it is about your future," he said by way of argument.

He told the crowd he is a Vietnam veteran, and a wounded Vietnam veteran at that.

"We don't need to see a continuation of a war that should have never occurred," he added, referring to Iraq.

He said the price of gas when the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 was $1.62 a gallon. He said the price of oil alone is issue enough to leave no doubt about whom Americans should elect president.

"This is about change," he said.

For Obama to win in November, he said, "it can't be done unless we win in Pennsylvania."

"This is the Keystone State in more ways than one," he said.

To bolster that point, he told the crowd that Pennsylvanians in 2006 elected Bob Casey, the first Democratic senator elected to a full term from Pennsylvania in 44 years.

He closed by urging everybody to in turn urge their family members and friends to vote for Obama.

Earlier, Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno had joked that there are a lot of Republicans in his family but that he is working on them little by little to see the light and vote for Obama.

Wagner told everybody to do the same with the people they know.

A rally with legs

References to Barack Obama's March 30 campaign rally on Penn State's Old Main Lawn came up again and again Tuesday night at a gathering to open his headquarters in State College.

Auditor general Jack Wagner, delivering the keynote address at Tuesday's grand opening, said reports that Obama had attracted an audience of 22,000 people to Old Main Lawn spread across the state and nation.

"You really started something special that day," Wagner told about 200 people Tuesday at the Obama headquarters, 224 S. Allen St., State College.

And Penn State quarterback coach Jay Paterno reflected on his experience in watching the Old Main Lawn rally from a perspective on the Old Main steps, behind Obama and facing that vast crowd.

Paterno said he didn't keep his eyes on Obama but instead on the reactions to him from audience members in the first three dozen or so rows.

"I watched the faces of the young people more than I watched Obama," Paterno said. "I had tears in my eyes because there was so much hope in those faces."

5th District 'likely' GOP

The latest edition of the highly regarded Cook Political Report projects the open-seat race in the 5th Congressional District as "likely Republican."

That's on a scale of seven: solid Republican, likely Republican, lean Republican, toss-up, lean Democratic, likely Democratic and solid Democratic.

The 5th Congressional District had been solid Republican in previous Cook reports.

The 5th District, which includes all of Centre County and part or all of 16 other counties, is the only open-seat race among Pennsylvania's 19 districts.

Republicans have a 13,000-voter registration advantage in the 5th District.

The candidates are Centre County Republican Glenn Thompson and Clearfield County Democrat Mark McCracken.

Democratic voters slide

The Democratic backslide in Centre County voter registration numbers may have just begun.

But I doubt it will last for long.

The latest Centre County registration data, through July 1, shows the Democratic numbers falling by 26 since the middle of June, the Republican numbers falling by only three, and no-affiliation voters dwindling by 20.

So the bigger drop is among Democrats, who became the county's biggest political party with the close of registration before the April 22 primary.

But the Obama forces are registering new voters already this summer. When another 6,500 freshmen land in the valley next month for the fall semester, they'll be fresh registration targets for a political operation that's had lots of practice.

Obama out there already

The Democrats organized, the Republicans not?

Can such things be?

And yet, in State College, one mere block from the downtown nexus of College Avenue and South Allen Street, Barack Obama's local presidential campaign headquarters has opened in time for July Fourth.

And John McCain's counterpart headquarters? Nowhere in sight, it's location not yet settled on and not expected to open (somewhere) until next week. In time for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, perhaps, but not in time for the 4th Fest and the world's greatest political holiday.

The Obama headquarters? You can't miss it. Ten Obama yard signs in Andy Warhol soup-can repetition lead the way from the sidewalk to the door at 224 S. Allen St., the old Verizon building, the same place the Obama campaign used for the primary.

You could tell you were there Wednesday. When you walked in the door, a near life-size cardboard cutout of Obama stood at the top of the stairs, as if in welcome.

Obama clothing — sweatshirts and the like — were stacked on shelves ready to be sold, competition for the Nittany Lion garb ready to be sold in stores just down the street: Politics challenging the uncritical enthusiasm of collegiate rah-rah for the T-shirt dollar.

Obama people are waiting there in the headquarters, too. They're already signing up new voters, first-time voters among the ranks of just-arrived Penn State summer freshmen. That's organization.

And where is the McCain presence in town? Republican Party officials say they're working on it.

But it'll be catch-up work.

Seen an Obama yard sign lately as you drive by the homes of Centre County residents?

Of course you have.

Seen a McCain sign lately?

Maybe that's why we're reading today about another shake-up in McCain's campaign.

Undecided panel? No takers

Here's a little political lesson for me: Don't underestimate the decidedness of local voters in this presidential election year.

Last Sunday, we put a little column in the Centre Daily Times trying to recruit undecided voters to form a panel to work with during the four-month run-up to election day, Nov. 4.

The idea was — still is, actually — to find a half dozen or so people people who at this point were genuinely undecided about whether they preferred Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain (or someone else) as the next U.S. president.

I'd hoped to interview the panel members throughout the campaign — before and after debates, as new TV commercials were launched and in the event of campaign visits to the area — to document their experience and follow their thoughts on the way to Nov. 4. I asked interested undecided voters to send me an e-mail.

I wrote the column last Friday, and it was scheduled to run and did in fact run on Sunday. On Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday the worries began. How would I narrow down all the would-be panel members to the five or six we thought would be a workable number?

A lot of people who e-mailed me would end up disappointed, wouldn't they? I began to formulate phrases saying thank yo very much but so many people are interested that we just can't possibly get everyone on the panel. I cleaned out my in-box to make room for the avalanche of e-mails.

When I checked that in-box Monday morning and couldn't find a single response, my first reaction was that I must have neglected to put my address in the column. But it was in there, all right.

It's now near the end of the workday Tuesday, and still no responses from undecided voters. Not a single one, even though the latest Rasmussen Reports survey of state voters found 8 percent of them undecided
and even though more than 11 percent of Centre County voters are registered with no-affiliation, a high proportion compared with other counties.

But is there no one left out there who considers herself or himself undecided? What's that mean for the campaign ahead? For starters, probably less real debate over the issues than is needed, and more gamesmanship than otherwise would happen.

Anyway, here's that e-mail address again, in case you have not yet decided whom you prefer and missed Sunday's column: mjoseph@centredaily.com.

And the winner (still) is ...

Remember that nine-candidate primary election race for the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District?

Well, it doesn't seem to want to go away.

The Pennsylvania Department of State said Monday that it mistakenly posted incorrect election returns on its Web site over the weekend showing that Clearfield County financial planner Derek Walker, not Centre County health care professional Glenn Thompson, had gotten the most votes in the April 22 primary.

By mid-afternoon Monday, the state said, it had traced the mistake to a clerical error in certified election results from Tioga County, one of 17 counties in the district, and had posted correct results that showed Thompson still the winner over Walker and the seven other candidates.

The matter came to the state's attention after reporters noticed at about 2:30 p.m. Monday that new election returns on the state's Web site showed Walker at the top, with 14,134 votes, and Thompson with 13,987. An hour later the margin widened. The Web site showed Walker again at the top with 14,148 to Thompson's 13,988.

But soon afterward, a third set of election returns were posted that showed Thompson at the top with 13,988 and Walker No. 2 with 13,153. Those numbers hadn't changed by early Tuesday morning.

"The correct numbers are now posted," Department of State spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said in an e-mail Monday afternoon. "Thompson is the winner.  Tioga County made a clerical error on the certification, caught the error, submitted a correction and we posted the correction."

Amoros added: "We posted Tioga's initial certification results Friday afternoon, June 6, on the Web site.  We learned of the discrepancy around 2 p.m. today and started researching it. Tioga then called us with the correct information and then we updated the site with the correct number around 3:30 p.m."

Thompson, who made an appearance with U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pleasantville, on the state Capitol steps in Harrisburg Monday morning (opposing Interstate 80 tolls), had not heard of the state Web site's ups and downs until a reporter told him late in the afternoon. He reacted calmly.

"That means I won twice," he said.

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Did I hear this right?

That Hillary Clinton really doesn't want to be vice president, but that she wants Barack Obama to ask her to be vice president, so she can turn him down.

And that Obama doesn't want her as vice president, and will agree to ask her to join the ticket only if he receives assurances ahead of time that she will not accept the offer.

And that Clinton's conditions for such theatrics also include the provision that, whoever Obama does then choose for his running mate, it can't be a woman.

Wow.

It's almost as difficult as figuring out, once the decision to go out to dinner has been made, which restaurant to actually go to.

Open 5th seat in spotlight

Republican losses this year in three special elections for congressional seats should turn up the spotlight on the race for the open seat in Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Centre County.

Republicans in Congress woke up Wednesday with their heads spinning after a victory by Mississippi Democrat Travis Childers in traditional Republican district. Democrats also captured earlier special elections for congressional seats in Illinois and Louisiana.

The 17-county 5th Congressional District went up for grabs on Jan. 3, when 12-year incumbent U.S. Rep. John Peterson announced he would not seek re-election after his current two-year term expires.

The April 22 primary elections were won by Howard Township Republican Glenn Thompson, former chair of the Centre County Republican Committee, and Democrat Mark McCracken, who is in his second term as a Clearfield County Commissioner.

Registered Republicans in the 5th District outnumber Democrats by 13,000, an advantage that will have to be overcome by any Democrat trying to match the special-election upsets in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois.

The Republican losses there were broadly attributed to dissatisfaction with the policies of President Bush. With the special-election victories, U.S. House Democrats now outnumber Republicans 236 to 199.

Big 5th move comes late

In endorsing Glenn Thompson of Centre County last Friday, U.S. Rep. John Peterson seemed to acknowledge that it might be a little late, with barely a week left until the April 22 primary election.

At least three of the nine Republican candidates probably have built up stronger name recognition than Thompson because they've been buying expensive TC air time to broadcast commercials to promote their names.

Peterson said he didn't make the final decision until Thursday morning, the day before the Toftrees news conference was hastily arranged to announced it.

"I should have decided quicker — I apologize," Peterson told the Toftrees audience.

Club for Growth: Shaner

The Club for Growth PAC on Monday endorsed State College businessman Matt Shaner, for the 5th Congressional District seat.

The endorsement e-mail said Shaner has shown the courage to fight against wasteful spending in Washington by signing an anti-earmark pledge.

The Club said Shaner is also a strong believer in cutting taxes, opening foreign markets to American exports and limited government.

The Club identified Shaner, Clearfield County financial consultant Derek Walker and Lycoming County businessman Jeff Stroehmann as the three top candidates for the Republican nomination.

They are the only candidates so far spending money on TV commercials.

The president of the Club for Growth is former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, whom Shaner supported when Toomey unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in 2004 for the Republican nomination for senator.

“A lot of candidates like to call themselves ‘conservative’ but don’t take the steps to back up their words," Toomey said in the press release. "By signing a pledge to reform the earmarking process, Shaner demonstrates the backbone necessary to fight for taxpayers in Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District.”

Cahir on King anniversary

Bill Cahir, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 5th Congressisonal District, issued the following statement today in recognizing the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“The 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminds us that Dr. King was more than a spokesman for civil rights. Dr. King was one of the great heroes of the 20th Century. He challenged all Americans to make real the Constitution's promise of equal rights, universal justice and due process under law.

"We remember Dr. King not as a victim, but as a leader who helped revive the Southern economy, enhance the voting rights of all citizens and breathe new life into the U.S. Constitution. Dr. King was a rebel and a patriot; his dream is alive today; and the country is a better place because of it.”

Rendell endorses Vilello

Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello, one of three Democrats competing for the 5th District congressional nomination, captured the endorsement of Gov. Ed Rendell on Tuesday night.

The governor was quoted in an e-mail sent by the Vilello campaign saying that Vilello would continue the economic development for the 5th District that he has undertaken in the Clinton County city of Lock Haven.

The other Democrats in the 5th District race are Bill Cahir of Bellefonte and Mark McCracken of Clearfield County.

Booties on Obama bus

Everybody loved the booties. Some called them Team Booties, alluding to the short term for the Obama campaign.

The men and women on the Barack Obama media bus — mostly people with cameras — had to slip the blue plastic bags over their street shoes before they walked into Penn State's dairy complex Sunday.

The booties were not to protect our shoes from manure from the scores of Holstein cows and calves inside the barns, even though manure was a distinct possibility.

"There will be manure," an Obama staffer standing in the front of the bus shouted toward the back.

No, the booties were to protect the inside of the barns and the cows from what the people might carry in on the bottom of their shoes.

The booties made it look like we were wearing poor man's moon suits from the knee down, and the photographers especially were eager to know whether they'd be able to witness booties over Obama's shoes as well.

But that was not to be. Both Obama and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey showed up not wearing booties, but what appeared to be brand new Timberland boots.

And the manure? Penn State had the concrete walkways in the barns cleaned up for the most part. The walkways were instead covered with sawdust.

And the cows? They just kept on eating.

Obama arrives at Penn State

Sen. Barack Obama accompanied by Sen. Bob Casey arrived at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday.

With Secret Service agents posted around their bus, Casey got off first and then Obama, wearing a suit and waving to bystanders who shouted out greetings.

Two women on the sidewalk in front of the hotel got his attention, and Obama waved them past the Secret Service agent. Each posed with Obama while the other snapped a cell phone photo.

Obama then continued into the lobby and got onto an elevator with Casey, as a lobby full of well
wishers cheered him on.  The Obama campaign has taken an entire floor of the Penn Stater.

A second bus carrying reporters from major newspapers and otehr media outlets followed the Obama bus.

Obama is scheduled to appear at a rally that starts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on Old Main lawn on the Penn State campus.

Links to Congress crowd

With nine Republicans and three Democrats running for the 5th Congressional District seat in Pennsylvania, it can be hard to keep track.

So here they all are again, in alphabetical order, linked to their Web sites so you can check out what they say about themselves:

• Former Centre County Commissioner Chris Exarchos of Lemont, College Township, Centre County.
• Insurance agent John Krupa of Avis, Clinton County, a former supervisor of Pine Creek Township.
• Elk County Coroner Lou Radkowski of Saint Marys, a funeral director.
• Keith Richardson of Clarion, pastor of the First Baptist Church.
• Centre County businessman Matt Shaner of Patton Township.
• Jeff Stroehmann of Linden, Lycoming County, former Woodward Township supervisor.
• Clarion Mayor John Stroup, executive director of a hospital foundation.
• Health care professional Glenn Thompson of Howard Township, Centre County.
• Financial consultant Derek Walker of Bradfor Township, Clearfield County.

Three Democrats are competing for their party's nomination:

• Bill Cahir of Bellefonte, a Marine Corps reservist and Iraq War veteran.
• Clearfield County Comissioner Mark McCracken of Lawrence Township.
• Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello, a self-employed building inspector.

Morris backs Vilello

State College Councilman Peter Morris said Thursday he will support Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District, saying the paramount issue is the war in Iraq.

"To me, the most important national issue right now is the continuing tragedy of the war in Iraq," Morris said. "Of all the candidates, Rick is the most forthright and honest about the necessity of ending the loss of American lives and wealth in the Iraqi quagmire."

"In some ways, this was not an easy decision," Morris said, "but I am confident I have made the
right one."

Morris is treasurer of the State College Peace Center, which sponsored an anti-war rally at College Avenue and South Allen Street Wednesday evening. Vilello attended the rally.

Mifflin's Riden backs Thompson

Mifflin County Commissioner Otis Riden on Thursday endorsed Howard Township Republican Glenn Thompson for the Republican nomination for the 5th District congressional seat.

"I think he will have the people's interest in mind," Riden said.

Riden was appointed commissioner in 2006 and won election to the post last year.

Thompson is one of nine Republicans competing for the nomination. Thompson and two others — former Centre County Commissioner Chris Exarchos and State College businessman Matt Shaner — are from Centre County.

None of the candidates is from Mifflin County.

Wozniak, Hanna back Vilello

Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 5th District U.S. congressional seat, announced Thursday he's been endorsed by two state lawmakers whose districts include Clinton County: State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven, and state Sen. John Wozniak, D-Johnstown,

Hanna praised Vilello's "track record in revitalizing our downtown and fostering economic development," and Wozniak said Vilello's understanding of local government can help find "solutions to many of the issues rural Pennsylvanians face."

Vilello said he's also been endorsed by Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley, president of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty. 

Veterans endorse Cahir

The political action committee for VoteVets.org, a group representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced today its endorsement of State College native Bill Cahir, a Marine Corps veteran of two tours in Iraq.

Cahir, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve, is the only veteran running for office in Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District. He is one of three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. Nine others are competing for the Republican nomination.

Cahir received a $1,000 contribution from the VoteVets.org PAC in conjunction with the endorsement.

NOW backs Tosti-Vasey

The political action committee of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women has endorsed Bellefonte Democrat Joanne Tosti-Vasey for the 171st state House district seat.

Tosti-Vasey is president of Pennsylvania NOW.

Justine Andronici, the Pennsylvania NOW PAC interim treasurer, said that "feminist voters have the tremendous opportunity to send one of our own to the Pennsylvania State Assembly" and added that "Joanne is a committed feminist who is dedicated to full equality for all women."

Tosti-Vasey is competing with Spring Township Democrat Tim Wilson for the Democratic nomination in the 171st state House district. The winner will face incumbent Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, in the November election.

County posts election data

Centre County revised its Web site today to emphasize information about the April 22 primary election. It placed three links at the top of its home page: to an election guide, polling places and election results.

There's a ton of helpful information here, as useful if not more so than any other county Web site I've come across in Pennsylvania at least.

You can get stuff on how to register, how to vote by absentee ballot, where you vote and what to expect at your polling place.

The results of every primary and general election from 1996 to last November in on line.

You can find out there that the biggest primary election turnout happened last May, when a highly competitive race for the State College Area school board helped attract 26,228 people.

That number will almost certainly be topped on April 22 because voters across the county including thousands of Penn State students will be driven to the polls by fiercely competitive Democratic presidential candidates as well as rivalries for the Democratic and Republican nominations for the open 5th District congressional seat.

Voter registration shifts

For at least the last 10 years, and probably a lot longer, the proportions of Republicans and Democrats in Centre County has remained stable.

The Republicans have always claimed more than 44 percent of the registered voters, and the Democrats no more than 38 percent.

The percentages would wiggle around a little bit, but those two thresholds held fast.

Until now.

This week, for the first time that I can remember, the Republican share has fallen to 43.8 percent (36,745), and the Democratic share has increased to 39.1 percent (32,779). Total registration is 83,748.

From the start of the year to this week, the Democrats have added 1,080 to their ranks while the Republicans have added 145. The number of no-affiliation voters has diminished by 111.

Most of this shift surely owes to the hot Democratic presidential primary ahead, as independent and Republican voters switch registration to Democratic to vote for either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.

A question for later will be whether the shift lasts, or falls back.

100 at Obama meeting

One hundred people or more came to a Barack Obama campaign meeting Thursday night at the State College Municipal Building to brainstorm strategies to register voters.

The crowd did not include any Penn State students that I could tell — about 60 members of the Penn State Students for Obama met the previous evening in a Willard Building classroom on campus.

But they did include an 18-year-old State High senior, Krishna Esteva, and octogenarian Owen Trout, and others in between.

On Sunday at the Sunset West Restaurant in Pleasant Gap, 60 or more supporters of Hillary Clinton gathered to map strategy, though their organizer declared all but an opening speech off the record.

These meetings are the start of what will be an intense voter registration period until March 24, the last day to register for the April 22 primary. Then there'll be a month of campaigning — Iowa on steroids, as someone else has remarked — until the voting for the Democratic presidential nomination.

At the Obama meeting, organizer Stephen Ekema-Agbaw, who worked seven months in South Carolina before the primary there, introduced two others from Obama's national staff who'll be in town until April 22.

"We're going to be getting more," he said. "We're going to be getting a whole lot more."

Then he told everyone in the room to stand up, find someone he or she didn't yet know, and take five minutes to get to know that individual.

Then the crowd split up into about 10 groups of 10 to brainstorm voter-registration strategies.

"It takes a lot of courage to change your registration after you've been registered one way all your life," Ekema-Agbaw said.

Sam Smith backs Walker

Republican congressional candidate Derek Walker of Clearfield County received what he called a key endorsement in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, this morning from state House Republican Leader Sam Smith.

"I am announcing my support for Derek Walker because I believe Derek will bring a fresh voice to the debate in Washington," Smith said in a prepared statement.

"As a life-long resident of small-town Pennsylvania, Derek understands the struggles facing our communities and will fight to protect our rural values," Smith said in the statement.

Walker said Smith's support is important because he is highly respected in Jefferson County and the the rest of the state.

Rudy, Saylor back Cahir

Former state Rep. Ruth C. Rudy and former Centre County Commissioner John Saylor have endorsed Bellefonte resident Bill Cahir for the Democratic nomination for the 5th District congressional seat, the Cahir campaign announced Monday.

"Our region needs an infusion of new ideas and new energy and Bill brings both of those to the table with his candidacy to be our next congressman," Rudy said in a prepared statement."

Ruth Rudy, as past president of the National Federation of Democratic Women, is a member of the Democratic National Committee and a superdelegate to the member to the Democratic National Convention.

In the same prepared statement, Saylor, an Air Force veteran, said he was "proud" that Cahir had served two tours of duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine.

Vilello sees a blue 5th

Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello had a Centre County gathering of Democrats all to himself Saturday evening as his two rivals for the nomination could not attend.

Bellefonte resident Bill Cahir had a weekend drill in the Marine Corps, and Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken was kept away at the last minute by a faimly health matter.

The event was a $10-a-plate spaghetti dinner for Spring Township Democrat Tim Wilson, a candidate for the 171st state House district.

Vilello told about three dozen people that he's "excited" about the prospects this year for a Democrat to capture the 5th congressioonal district seat, which in modern history has been held by a Republican for all but two yars.

But this year the Democratic presidential contest is driving reccord numbers of voters to the polls in primaries across the country, and Pennsylvania's own April 22 primary could be climactic.

"I think we have a real opporunity to flip the 5th District from red to blue," Vilello told the other Democrats. "If there's ever a year we could flip the district, this is it."

Wilson, who is competing for the state House nomination with Bellefonte Democrat Joanne Tosti-Vasey, told the gathering in Centre Hall that his platform has four pillars: jobs, health care, education and government accountability.

He would work to harness the region's research and educational assets to grow "green collar jobs," help every child to get health insurance run by the state, make sure education emphasizes teaching ahead of testing, and improve even the recently improved state open records provisions.

"It doesn't go far enough," Wilson said. "It opens the government up to newsmen, but not to the rest of the citizens."

Gerrymandering forum set

The League of Women Voters of Centre County announced Thursday it will sponsor a public forum with state legislators and Pennsylvania’s top reform advocates to discuss what the Pennsylvania legislature should do in 2008 to reform gerrymandering — the practice of dividing legislative and congressional districts to give an unfair advantage to one party.

The forum, “Democracy Denied: Pennsylvania’s Gerrymandered Election Districts,” will take place 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Mount Nittany Middle School, 656 Brandywine Drive, State College.

Panelists will include the state Senate Republican policy chairman, Jake Corman of Benner Township; a state House reform committee member, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte; and state Reps. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township and Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven.

Also participating will be Common Cause of Pennsylvania executive director Barry Kauffman and Democracy Rising executive director Tim Potts.

The Pennsylvania League of Women Voters officially advocates legislative action this year to create an independent commission to redistrict after the 2010 census, rather than allowing legislators to redistrict their own districts.

Local League President Candace Dannaker calls safe districts — districts with an unfair advantage for one party — “the root cause of many of our problems with government today, including the polarization and paralysis of the legislature and disenfranchisement of a large percentage of registered voters.”

The forum will be televised by the Pennsylvania Cable Network and by local cable channel C-Net. The League encouraged the public to attend and participate in the discussion and to post comments on a blog  set up by the Centre Daily Times redistricting reform at http://www.centredaily.com/opinion/blogs.

For more information on the forum, contact forum moderator Christopher Lee at 814.466.9266 or chris@boalmuseum.com or the forum organizer Nancy Crane at 814.238.0647 or nlcrane@comcast.net <mailto:nlcrane@comcast.net.

5th Dems duel for backers

Fifth District Democratic rivals Bill Cahir and Mark McCracken showed the results of competition for endorsements Wednesday as first Cahir and then McCracken issued statements noting support from key Democrats.

Nicholas Gianvito, a Democratic State Committee member and Punxsutawney attorney, endorsed Cahir, according to a Cahir press release issued early in the day.

"As I listened to the candidates, I recognized that Bill has the right experience to represent us in Congress," Gainvito said in a prepared statement released by the Cahir campaign.

"With his two tours of duty in Iraq as a United States Marine," Gainvito said, "he is by far the most knowledgeable candidate on the Iraq War, Democratic or Republican. I believe that he understands the need for a real plan to ensure that our troops come home safely."

McCracken, a Clearfield County commissioner, followed with an e-mail that listed three backers: Jefferson County Commissioner Jeff Pisarcik, Rush Township supervisor Mike Savage and former Centre County Commissioner Keith Bierly.

Bierly said McCracken "is making decisions every day that affect the lives of our citizens," adding that he's  "a life-long resident of the district," alluding to Cahir's return to his native Centre County after working as the Washington correspondent for several Pennsylvania newspapers.

Pisarcik called McCracken "the only qualified person for this job" and said the Congress seat should not be "given to people because of their name or because they have money and buy their position," an allusion to Republican candidates.

Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello of Clinton County  is also competing for the Democratic nomination for the 5th congressional district seat.

With one candidate each from the three big counties of Centre Clearfield and Clinton, the Democratic rivals appear to be turning attention next to Jefferson County, which has a substantial population as well but is not home to any candidate.

Registered voters in Clearfield and Clinton counties are fairly evenly divided. Republicans outnumber Democrats and Centre and Jefferson counties, but not by so great a proportion of many of the other counties in the 17-county district.

District-wide, Republicans out-register Democrats 50 percent to 38 percent.

 

Walker to Peters: No tolls

Republican 5th District congressional candidate Derek Walker said Tuesday he sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters expressing his opposition to tolling on Interstate 80.

"As a small businessman in Clearfield County, I can assure you that it is universally agreed among the business leaders in this region that the proposal would be detrimental to our economy along the I-80 corridor," Walker said in a prepared statement, quoting from the letter.

In the letter, Walker said the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot (ISRRP) Program, under which Pennsylvania has applied to toll I-80, was not designed for the purpose envisioned by Act 44 of 2007. He said the legislation was designed to raise funds to reconstruct and rehabilitate the road for tolling, not to raise funds to be reallocated to different regions of the state.

"We must give businesses the resources necessary to create new jobs and opportunities in our region,". Placing tolls on I-80 would cripple our regions economy and make it more difficult for businesses to compete. As the next Congressman from Pennsylvania's 5th District, I pledge to work tirelessly with federal and state leaders to ensure tolls are not placed on I-80."

Fifth District Democratic candidate Mark McCracken, a Clearfield County commissioner, pointed out that the commissioner board in December wrote to Peters as well, urging her to to deny the turnpike Commission's application.

The commissioners' letter raised concerns that tolls would "cause a significant loss of jobs and will severely damage our local economy."
      

Luse backs Cahir

Centre County Jury Commissioner Ruth Luse on Tuesday endorsed Bellefonte resident Bill Cahir in the race for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district race.

Luse, who serves in leadership of the Pennsylvania Federation of Democratic Women, said Cahir, a State College native and State High and Penn State grad, has the experience to make a big difference in changing the region for the better.

"Bill's work to push legislation on health care reform while working for Sen. Harris Wofford proves to me that he has the guts to take on the big issues facing Pennsylvanians and never back down from the special interests groups who want to keep affordable health care out of our reach," Luse said.

Cahir drew attention to Luse's role as a leader among Democratic women.

"Having the Luse stamp of approval sends a message to women across our district that I will always work for their best interests every day I am in Congress," Cahir said in a prepared statement. "I would be proud to do so."

12 Congress rivals stick to it

The deadline for objections to nomination petitions passed without any challenges arising among the 12 5th congressional district candidates, and none of the nine Republicans or three Democratic contenders has withdrawn yet, though there's still time.

Wednesday is the last day for candidates — who submitted enough signatures b Feb. 12 to get their names on the ballot — to withdraw from the race and take their names off the ballot. The deadline is necessary so ballots ca be prepared.

One thousand valid signatures were required on the nomination petitions. Many candidates filed petitions with 1,500 signatures or so to be safe. Keith Richardson, Baptist pastor from Clarion County, appears to have filed the most: 2,798.

In other races, only one candidate has so far withdrawn. State College Republican Charles Gable, a borough planning commission member, has withdrawn his name as a candidate for alternative delegate to the Republican National Convention from the 5th congressional district.

Silly, sillier and silliest

Question of the night: Who gave Sen. Hillary Clinton the following line and why didn't she credit him or her for it?

“I think that if your candidacy is going to be about words, then they should be your own words. Lifting whole passages from someone else’s speeches is not change you can believe in; it’s change you can Xerox.”

'So the last shall be first'

A former township supervisor in Clinton County, John Krupa, was the last candidate to file nomination petitions for the wide open 5th congressional district race.

But he captured the top ballot position on the April 22 primary election ballot.

The top ballot position could be unusually fruitful because nine Republicans are vying for the nomination. That means the voting will tend to be thinly split to begin with, and any votes that owe to  ballot position alone will have more proportional weight than usual.

Here's the complete ballot order for the Republican candidates, from top to bottom, as posted Thursday by the Pennsylvania Department of State:

John Krupa (Pine Creek Township, Clinton County)
John Stroup (mayor of Clarion Borough, Clarion County)
Lou Radkowski (Elk County coroner)
Matt Shaner (State College businessman)
Jeffrey Stroehmann (Woodward Township, Lycoming County)
Keith Richardson (Baptist pastor in Clarion County)
Chris Exarchos (former Centre County commissioner)
Derek Walker (Clearfield County financial consultant)
Glenn W. Thompson (Centre County Republican Party chair)

On the Democratic side, Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken got the top ballot position, Bellefonte resident and Iraq War veteran Bill Cahir is second, and Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello is third.

In the Democratic race for the 171st state House nomination, Joanne Tosti-Vasey of Bellefonte got the top ballot position, and Tim Wilson of Spring Township is second.

And they're off ...

The 5th congressional district race has picked up speed on both the Republican and Democratic fronts as candidates who entered their campaign already well funded air TV commercials and other candidates try to raise money so they can get into the act.

Clearfield County Republican Derek Walker, 32, a financial consultant and scion of coal industry entrepreneurs, held a news conference 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at Toftrees, attracting more than 100 supporters and introducing retired state Sen. J. Doyle Corman of Bellefonte as his honorary campaign chair.

Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken, 44, a Democrat, announced that State College attorney Jennifer Bierly will chair his campaign in the sprawling 17-county district. Bierly, niece of former Centre County commissioner Keith Bierly, helped Leslie Dutchcot win her Centre Region magisterial district judge seat last year.

Keith Bierly, by the way, who almost got into the 5th District contest himself, is also backing McCracken, even though the two other Democratic candidates, Iraq War veteran Bill Cahir of Bellefonte and Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello, also could have benefited from Bierly's endorsement.

It's not surprising that Clearfield County has both a Republican and Democratic candidate in the race. The county is one of the biggest in the district and is centrally positioned as well.

Centre County of course has more registered Republicans and Democrats than any other county, but many are Penn State students who'll still be on campus for the April 22 primary but may have final exams rather than congressional candidates on their minds.

On the Republican side, Centre County has three candidates destined to split the local vote: former county commissioner Chris Exarchos, State College businessman Matt Shaner and county Republican chair G.T. Thompson.

Shaner has begun airing TV commercials, calling for a crackdown on illegal immigration, an issue he spotlighted as well at the Clinton County Lincoln Day Dinner last Saturday night, telling 120 other Republicans that it's high time to act.

"It's time to stop talking about it and go down and do it," Shaner said. "We need to build the fence."

Nine Republicans in all filed enough nomination petition signatures to get their names on the April 22 primary election ballot, but some may withdraw by the Feb. 27 deadline to get their name taken off the ballot.

In that field of nine, Keith Richardson, a Baptist pastor from Clarion, stood out at last Saturday's Clinton County gathering. His presentation, highly critical of the caretakers of the nation's economy, was highly polished. It was evident he'd put a lot of work and thought into what he had to say.

Red-hot campaign

We couldn't help notice that the dinner table occupied Saturday night by 76th District state House candidate Bud Yost and 5th District congressional candidate Chris Exarchos caught fire.

It happened at the Clinton County Lincoln Day Dinner, on the second floor of the Sons of Italy club on Henderson Street in Lock Haven, when the eight people seated at the table got up to serve themselves buffet-style pasta and meatballs.

The tables had been set with small candles that were lit. Someone departing for the buffet put a paper napkin too close to one of the candles, and the fire began to spread, from candle to napkin to a woman's purse to the tablecloth.

Fortunately the table also bore glasses filled with water and other drinks, so the fire was extinguished in a few moments, though not before to spread smoke around the closed room, and not before it provided material for several jokes during after-dinner speech making.

Pennsylvania's primary numbers

Pennsylvania, increasingly likely to have a decisive role in the presidential nomination of either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, has 188 Democratic delegates to apportion between the two candidates through the April 22 primary.

A total of 103 of those delegates are elected from the 19 congressional districts. Five of those 103 delegates will be chosen by Democrats in the 5th congressional district on April 22. Both Obama and Clinton will have a slate of delegate candidates.

If either Obama or Clinton gets at least 15 percent of the 5th congressional district vote on April 22, as both will, he or she will get a share of district's delegates. A similar process in the state's 18 other congressional districts will apportion the rest of the 103 delegates.

Thirty-five other delegates are at-large; they are allocated in proportion to the vote for the presidential candidate herself or himself. The remaining 50 are super delegates, elected officeholders and so forth. They can support whomever they like.

Obama man looks to Pennsylvania

Substitute the word "Pennsylvania" for the word "April" in the following quotation and you'll have an idea of how Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe is anticipating a primary election campaign that matters in the Keystone State.

He's talking about campaign contributions from supporters and the Democratic campaign between Obama and Hillary Clinton. The campaign is referred to as "it."

“We think that the strength of our financial position and the number of donors does speak to financial sustainability if it ends up going through March and April,” Plouffe told an Associated Press reporter yesterday.

Pennsylvania's primary election on April 22 is the only primary in April. Nearly half of the others will take place Tuesday. Then it's on to a few other states, before it's on to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania could look like Iowa

Barack Obama's victory in South Carolina on Saturday, evening the score with Hillary Clinton, increases the chances that Pennsylvania's April 22 presidential primary could be important, if not also decisive.

And if Pennsylvania's primary does turn out to be crucial, then the big Keystone State will look something like Iowa looked in the run-up to Iowa's Jan. 3 kick-off primary. That is, crazy with politics.

Pennsylvania will look like Iowa because the Mississippi primary election on March 11 will be the last Democratic primary before Pennsylvania's. That's six weeks of campaigning. The candidates will have nowhere else to go for those six weeks because Pennsylvania alone has a primary on April 22.

Here's another thing: The Democratic primaries, unlike the Republican primaries, apportion convention delegates not on a winner-takes-all basis but roughly proportionate to vote shares. So all the voting in 22 states on Feb. 5 could work to keep the race for delegates even.

Penn State classes don't end until May 2. So the university's 42,000 students will still be in State College on April 22 — the biggest concentration of educated young people in the state.

Old Main lawn may have to be cleared for a campaign rally or two. And central Pennsylvanians may get a look at political history, up close and personal.

Give me a T? Not so fast

Pennsylvania has gained a much oversimplified reputation of having a political geography that is shaped like a "T" — the idea is that the "T" shape when imposed on the rectangular form of the state traces the rural Republican center and northern tier of the state.

The white spaces to the lower right and lower left of the "T," in the southeastern and southwestern corners of the state, are the contrasting liberal Democratic strongholds of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

But the three counties in the 5th congressional district — the home counties of the three Democrats in the race so far — Center, Clearfield and Clinton counties — help underscore a strengthening notion
that Pennsylvania's political geography less resembles the shape of a "T" and more closely looks like and "H."

Clinton and Clearfield counties, flanking Centre east and west, each has a nearly equal number of registered Democrats and Republicans. The Republican advantage in Centre County is not nearly so great as it across the 5th District as a whole. The three counties form the horizontal stroke of the letter "H."

Then there's Erie County in northwestern corner of the state and Monroe, Carbon, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties in the northeast — all have more Democrats than Republicans. They offer points to connect vertical strokes of the letter “H” from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

It was a Clinton political strategist in 1992 or thereabouts that advanced the notion of Pennsylvania's "T." But U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who makes the rounds of the entire state each year, has said that it's like touring through six different states. Six seems more like an "H."

State senator points to the future

State Sen. Jake Corman, in addressing the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County membership at its monthly luncheon Tuesday, started with a joke.

He asked everyone who wasn't running for Congress to stand up. That drew laughs from the crowd.

"This is a full field and getting fuller all the time," he said.

He then recognized the two candidates for office in attendance, State College businessman Matt Shaner and Bigler businessman Derek Walker. Corman asked them to stand.

"These two guys are putting themselves on the line, putting ideas out there," he said, adding that they're the future of the area.

He said they were bright, energetic young men.

Then he told the crowd not to believe everything they read in the media.

"Be a good citizen and find out what's out there," he said.

Afterward, in response to a question posed privately, Corman said said he could have better phrased his remark about what you read in the media.

What he meant, he said, was that people should explore other ways of getting to know their candidates, not just reading about them.

5th District mirrors national race

The free-for-all primary election races developing for Centre County voters and the rest of the 5th congressional district may owe in part to the most competitive presidential election in 56 years, and in a way reflects it.

Not since 1952 have Americans had a presidential contest so wide open that there's wasn't an incumbent president or vice president on either of the major-party tickets.

The Republican presidential primaries, characterized now by having no clear front-runner, seems to be reflected in the 5th District field of hopefuls so far, after the presumed front-runner, state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner  Township, opted out.

The three strong Democratic presidential candidates — Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards — could be paralleled in the 5th District by three strong Democratic candidates: Lock Haven Mayor Rick Vilello, State College native Bill Cahir and, of he decided to run, State College businessman Benson Lichtig.

Heavy issues confront the next U.S. president and Congress, in 2009. You could sum them up by mentioning the Iraq War and the economy, and you could sum those two up by mentioning just the economy.

Maybe a lot of good leaders will have to make a lot of difference for the better next year. Maybe that's why so many people are getting ready to compete for the major-party nominations for Pennsylvania's 5th District congressional seat: To make a difference.

When party leaders talk turkey

We heard an inside account of last Thursday's meeting of Centre County Republican Party G.T. Thompson's advisory council, and it goes like this:

Although the meeting had been convened to discuss the 77th District state House race against incumbent state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, the discussion turned quickly to the race for the 5th congressional district seat to be vacated by U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pleasantville.

Former Centre County Commissioner Chris Exarchos worked the room of 15 or so asking for support, and got support from incumbent commissioner Steve Dershem, county controller Chuck Witmer and others. County Treasurer Rich Fornicola made a strong speech on Exarchos' behalf.

State Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, and state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, said they would not support anyone at this time because they are on good terms with several people who are interested in running for the seat. 

Thompson, among others, expressed frustration to Exarchos for not running a campaign in the commissioner primary last spring, and then running a write-in campaign during the general election.

Thompson, who is weighing his own prospects as a congressional candidate, apparently said he would not support Exarchos in the primary.

Exarchos came away from the meeting saying he had a "consensus" and a "green light" from the group to go ahead and run. Thompson said the next day that this was the case.

But, as often happens, the details rough up the smooth generalizations.

The GOP divide: local and national

The brand new Republican congressional nomination process in Centre and 15 other counties looks amazingly like the Republican presidential nomination process.

Both processes face improbable difficulties in getting centered around a single candidate — improbable because Republicans prefer to get their act together in private living rooms sheltered from the weather before they go out into the public storms.

One big difference between the local and national Republican processes is that in the presidential case, the Democrats are expecting to win in November while in the 5th congressional district it will be hard for the Democrats to overcome the Republican registration dominance.

If the Democrats don't present a strong candidate for the 5th congressional district this year, there may not be a more advantageous year than this one. The general mood, though not the 5th district registration difference, is with the Democrats.

No strong Democrat means that the April 22 Republican primary election will be decisive in deciding who represents the people of Centre and 15 other counties in Congress. The usual ideological contest between Republicans and Democrats will have been replaced by a regional contest between west-district and east-district Republicans.

Problems of Democracy, Part II

The problem isn't that so many Centre County Republicans want to run for the 5th District congressional seat now that the early odds-on front-runner, state Sen. Jake Corman, has taken himself out of consideration.

That's not the problem. How can "so many" of anything but Karl Roves be a problem in a democracy? The more the merrier. That's democracy.

The problem is Pennsylvania's first-past-the-post primary election system. The system allows any number of candidates to run for a major-party nomination in the primary, and all you need to win it is a plurality of the votes.

If there are four rivals in the race, one of them can win the party nomination with as little as 26 percent of the vote. You just have to move votes than anyone else: First past the post.

So if you're a candidate in a race and then your chief political competitor decides to get in the race as well, whom would you like to see run as a third candidate? Your chief political competitor's best friend, of course.

In Centre County two years ago, when state Rep. Lynn Herman decided not to seek re-election after the state Legislature's pay raise scandal, Herman's handpicked successor, Barbara Spencer, won the Republican nomination with 37 percent of the vote in the 77th state House District. Three competitors canceled each other out by splitting the rest of the vote.

In 1996, when the 5th congressional district seat was last up for grabs, three Centre County candidates split 62 percent of the vote. John Peterson, from distant Venango County in northwestern Pennsylvania, won with 38 percent of the vote.

The first-past-the-post system is a hand-me-down from the British way of doing things. Some of the younger U.S. states do things more sensibly.

The way out of this is not to discourage as many people as possible from running, but to change the first-past-the-post system to a runoff system, in which the top two vote-getters in the initial free-for-all then face off against each other.

It's more expensive and more time consuming, of course. But it's also one way to ensure that the majority rules, rather than that the majority loses.

Pa. primary could really count this year

Could it come down to Pennsylvania and its still seemingly far off April 22 primary election?

Could a neck-and-neck horse race for the Democratic presidential nomination between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton not be decided until they come to Pennsylvania looking for the Keystone State's 188 Democratic delegates?

Yes, it's conceivable.

There will be 4,049 delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver. It will take a majority of those 4,049 for a candidate to capture the nomination.

By the time Pennsylvania's April 22 primary rolls around, primaries or caucuses or other delegate selection systems will have been held in 45 of the 55 states and territories and the like sending delegates to the convention.

Those 45 states and territories — starting with Iowa on Jan. 3 and continuing through Mississippi on March 11 — have a total of 3,358 delegates to distribute between candidates. If Obama and Clinton happen to divide them evenly, then Pennsylvania's 188 delegates will be crucial.

Picture it in the late Spring semester: Clinton in front of the Creamery recalling how her husband ate there, that her father and brother were Penn State students, and that her brother was actually a backup quarterback for Paterno; and picture Obama, standing in front of Old Main with the lawn before him turned into a sea of screaming supporters, full of hope.

Then picture 10,000 or so no-affiliation voters in Centre County, not nearly so excited. They're unable to cast a ballot in this historic presidential nomination process because they didn't change their registration in time. March 24, if you might be one of them, is the last day to register or change your registration for the April 22 Pennsylvania primary.

No other state has a primary election on April 22. For Pennsylvania, it could mean more than 15 minutes of fame.

Congress race dances to musical chairs

If you picture a game of musical chairs, you can get a sense of part of the reason the open 5th congressional district seat in Pennsylvania may not be so appealing.

Two Republican state senators in the 16-county district — Jake Corman of State College and Joe Scarnati of Brockway — have decided not to run for seat that will be vacated by the retirement at year's end of six-term U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pleasantville.

State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, whose state House district is right in the center of the most populous area of the big congressional district, said he won't run for the federal seat. And state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, isn't interested either.

One of the issues facing potential candidates is that Pennsylvania is expected to lose one of its 19 congressional seats if the 2010 census confirms projections that the state has grown so this decade at a rate of only 1.2 percent — a slower rate than all but four other of the 50 states.

In the political power intrigue that will re-map 18 congressional districts in time for the 2012 congressional and General Assembly elections, the least senior or least powerful of the state's 19 U.S. House members could get the hook.

Benninghoff referred to this issue Wednesday in announcing he will not run, and State College businessman Matt Shaner, in announcing Wednesday that will run, said he would work to build alliances with state and federal lawmakers to make sure he's not the one left without a seat.

5th District gives voters a primary

Voters in Centre and 15 other counties in the 5th congressional district now have a primary election April 22 that can make a difference.

U.S. Rep. John Peterson's decision not to run again has created a wide open seat, and state Sen. Jake Corman's decision not to run for the seat has opened the floodgates for rival candidates to get into the race.

The 5th congressional district is dominated by registered Republicans, so the really decisive race could be the Republican primary election. Expect at least two Republican rivals, one from the Centre County area and the other from the northern reaches on the sprawling district.

It could be a Democratic year in the presidential race, but the 5th District still appears to be a secure Republican stronghold. The Democrats will have to set forth a strong candidate to make the Nov. 4 general election as competitive as the April 22 Republican primary.

For no-affiliation voters or Democratic voters who want a voice in choosing the Republican nominee, March 24 is the last day to change your registration before voting in the April 22 primary.

Pennsylvanians voters may not have much a decision left in the presidential contests by April 22, but they almost certainly will be able to make a difference in the congressional primary.

Pennsylvania fails its independents

The fierce competition for independent voters in New Hampshire these days calls attention to a significant difference between voting systems in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

In New Hampshire, non-affiliated voters can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary election. But in Pennsylvania, non-affiliated voters cannot vote in either major-party primary.

That means that in Pennsylvania, if you prefer to live your political life as an independent voter, you have to change your registration at least a month before the primary election in order to voice a preference for either a Republican or a Democratic candidate.

So you have to know that far in advance who you like and don't like, and how you want to spend your vote.

By contrast, in New Hampshire, independent voters today are being hotly pursued by both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Many haven't yet decided which party to vote with Tuesday.

That difference surely has a lot to do with why 45 percent of New Hampshire's registered voters are independents, while in Pennsylvania non-affiliated voters make up less than 15 percent.

You can't switch from independent to Republican or Democrat, of course, but being forced to do so at least a month ahead of time means that only a few do.

It's another way that big-party politics has taken the power out of the hands of everyday voters. Another shame, especially for such a big and important state like Pennsylvania.

Local vote machine issue makes the Times

Three months after he observed Centre County voting machine testing, New York Times Magazine writer Clive Thompson writes in Sunday's issue that his experience in Bellefonte helps understand "where the next great eruption of voting-machine scandal is likely to emerge."

Thompson's three paragraphs on his Bellefonte observations are near the end of the magazine's lead story, put up on the Times Web site a day early.

The story focuses on "the erratic behavior of voting technology" with the primary elections as a peg, and the passages about Bellefonte and Centre County use as sources county elections director Joyce McKinley and Bellefonte resident Mary Vollero.

He quotes McKinley as saying "the voters around here love 'em," referring to the touch-screen iVotronics that have gotten the county through three fault-free elections so far and curiously taking pains to introduce a typographically rendered divergence from standard speech into McKinley's quote.

The story uses Vollero as a representative of "a handful of anti-touch-screen activists" at the voting machine test and doesn't quote her but points out that she "wore pins saying 'No War in Iraq' and 'Books Not Bombs.'

Thompson's Centre County material says the big type on the iVotronics makes them good machines for county's "substantial elderly population." But in the end the story sheds no new light on the county's  voting-machine issue that Centre Daily Times reporter Anne Danahy has been thoroughly covering for more than two years.