Outside Erie

A poll released this morning by Quinnipiac University finds that Sen. Barack Obama has a thin lead over Sen. John McCain in Pennsylvania — 48 percent to 45 percent.
But McCain appears to be gaining ground. The margin was 49-42 on Aug. 26 (during the Democratic Convention).
The reason, posits the Harrisburg Patriot-News, is McCain’s choice of […]

ABC TV’s morning news-entertainment show Good Morning America will pull into Erie a week from today, Tuesday, Sept. 16 as part of its “Whistle Stop Tour ‘08″ series.
The show will be touring the country by train as part of its election coverage and will be making a stop at The Brewerie at Union Station as […]

For those of you watching last night’s Giants-Redskins game instead of the convention, here’s former Gov. Tom Ridge’s speech last night.

Erie’s Tom Ridge will be among those who will take the stage at tonight’s Republican National Convention.
Ridge told a group of Pennsylvania delegates this morning that he’ll be among those who will warm up the crowd before Sen. John McCain’s speech accepting the party’s nomination for President.
“The slotted me in tonight to talk a little […]

Sen. John McCain made an interesting choice this morning, tapping Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate.
Given her experience — or lack thereof — in national-level politics, the choice was certainly a surprise.
Was it the right one?
Is Palin a better fit for the McCain ticket than a more experienced hand, like Erie’s Tom Ridge?
I’d […]

If you watched any of the early speeches during last night’s Democratic National Convention, you likely noticed that there was a lot of discussion about investing in green technologies.
The idea that, as a nation, we should prioritize technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and would have the added benefit of creating new domestic […]

DENVER — Partisan political followers are a strange breed on the surface.
They cheer unabashedly for their party’s leaders with a zeal that turns those leaders into almost messianic figures.
Here in Denver, where I’m visiting for a conference unrelated to the Democratic National Convention that is descending upon the city this week, the party foot soldiers […]

Fox News is reporting that Erie’s Tom Ridge has been taken off the list of potential running mates for Republican Sen. John McCain.
We’ve noted previously that Ridge’s pro-choice background could be a sticking point for McCain, who is trying to maintain his support from conservatives.
The Fox News report echoed that sentiment:
“it appears uproar from conservative […]

Independent Steven Porter has long been a vocal critic of incumbent Rep. Phil English – and gave him more than a cursory challenge for Pennsylvania’s third-district seat in 2006.
Now, as English faces perhaps his biggest challenge from Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper, Porter could end up being English’s best friend.
The Wall Street Journal notes that Porter is […]

Nice to see news that Congress could soon be giving $500,000 to researchers who are testing John Kanzius‘ cancer treatment theory.
Cynics will note that it took Rep. Phil English until the eve of a hotly contested reelection campaign to make this project a priority.
But the motivation isn’t what’s important here.
This project is vitally important to […]