Scranton

As I watched the prospect of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate get kicked around on cable the last few nights, I was struck by something I noticed during the endless death march that was the Pennsylvania primary. Namely, when did Pennsylvania, and Scranton in particular, become this magical land filled with "regular people"? I was a hardcore political junkie as a teenager -- to the extent that in 1990, my Sunday afternoons revolved around C-SPAN's weekly airing of campaign ads from around the country -- and don't ever recall hearing Scranton invoked as the heart and soul of "regular America." Was it after I left in 1992?

Open letter to Senator Clinton

Dear Senator Clinton,

Always remember: The Caseys are patient. Very patient.

It just gets weirder.

Joe McDade's excellent adventure continues:

In addition to the woman near the pool, a married couple told police they had seen Mr. McDade expose and fondle his genitals.

When the wife got up from her beach chair, Mr. McDade followed her to a boardwalk that leads to the hotel and, still exposed, watched her wash her feet under a shower, the report said.

The wife told police she thought Mr. McDade was a mental patient “because he did not try to hide himself,” the report said.

First Don Sherwood, now this...

What IS it with Republicans who represented my hometown district in Congress?

February 14,2007 | SANIBEL, Fla. -- A former Pennsylvania congressman was accused Wednesday of exposing himself to two women at a beach resort.

Joseph M. McDade, 75, was issued a summons on a charge of exposure of sexual organs, a misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

A court date was not immediately set.

Calls to McDade's Fairfax, Va., home and at the Washington lobbying firm where he works were not immediately returned.

Oh, Joe.

This is probably not a good day to bring up the fact that Joe Biden and I went to the same middle school, albeit several decades apart, given his latest gaffe...though if this kills his campaign, who will fill the role of the Veteran Senator Who Does Poorly In The Primaries (cf Bob Graham, Orrin Hatch, Dick Lugar...)?