Author: vmo1701

While Memorial Day weekend is recognized as the unofficial start of the summer season with the first family picnics and backyard barbeques, we must take time to remember the true meaning of the Memorial Day holiday.  First and foremost, Memorial Day is to remember and honor those who accepted the call into military service to protect our country.  I always take a few moments while visiting local cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend to notice the flags marking the graves of deceased veterans.

This year, at Calvary Cemetery in Clearfield, there is a flag in place for the first time marking the grave of my recently deceased father, a World War II veteran.  My father was always proud of being a World War II veteran and the sad fact is the number of World War II vets is dwindling with each passing year.  They were called the “Greatest Generation” for their efforts to win the war against two powerful enemies on two different fronts.  Then, they came home and became the working force behind a strong economy, the expansion of our national infrastructure and they were the parents of the baby boom generation.

Back in the days following World War II, our nation and our leaders recognized the debt owed to the brave men and women who served during World War II.  Our government provided for their return to civilian life with the GI Bill to provide funding for education and financial assistance to purchase homes.

It was encouraging this past Thursday when the US Senate overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century post-9/11 GI Bill that was proposed by Virginia Senator Jim Webb.  The post-9/11 GI Bill passed the house the proceeding week and will provide veterans of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan with the opportunity for comprehensive educational benefits when they return home.  This was the right thing to do for our service men and woman and I congratulate Senator Webb and his colleagues for taking action on this important legislation.

Blossburg Coal Festival:  On Saturday, Kelly, Amanda and I traveled to Tioga County for the annual Blossburg Coal Festival.  We took part in the parade through Blossburg on Saturday morning.  The plan was for Kelly and Amanda to ride in our vehicle with the “McCracken for Congress” signs on display while I walked tossing candy.  When it was time for the parade to start, Amanda announced that she wanted to walk the parade route with me and help toss the candy.  I wasn’t sure how far her 5 year old legs would take her but I figured if she got tired I would put her in the car.  Well, Amanda must have a future in politics because she walked the whole parade route and had a smile on her face the entire time.

After the parade, we stayed at the festival for several hours where I worked at the Tioga County Democratic Party booth while Kelly and Amanda enjoyed the food, games and rides.  While was standing at the booth, I spoke with a number of people about many issues of concern in Tioga County.

Not surprisingly, people wanted to talk about the price of gas, the rising price of food and the war in Iraq.  I also was asked where I stood on Second Amendment rights and my support for alternative fuels including corn based ethanol.  The overwhelming majority of the people I spoke with were in agreement with the opinions and ideas I shared with them.  Tioga County is a wonderful place and the people there are very interested in our campaign.  I look forward to many more trips to Tioga County during the coming months of the campaign.

In closing, Kelly, Amanda and I wish everyone a safe and fun filled Memorial Day weekend.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

May has been a busy month and it is more than half over.  I have a few important things to announce this week.

1. CHANGES IN THE CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION — We are going to make several important changes to the campaign organization this week.  These moves will bring in some new people with important knowledge, experience and expertise to the campaign and will change the roles of some people already involved with the campaign.

Henry Guthrie of DuBois will be moving from the position of Vice Chairman to Chairman of the McCracken for Congress committee.  Henry and his wife Molly have been very involved with the campaign since we began in January and I have great confidence in his political knowledge and abilities.  I worked closely with Henry in 2007 when we were both candidates for office at the county level.

Victor M. Ordonez will continue in the position of Media & Policy Advisor.  Victor brings years of political experience working in campaigns.  His prior positions have included working for Rep. Joseph Sestak (PA-07) and helping to get Senator Robert Casey Jr. elected in 2006.

Keith Bierly is coming on board as a campaign advisor.  Keith brings a wealth of knowledge to the campaign serving 12 years as a District Justice and 16 years as Centre County Commissioner.  Keith will be working on specific areas of the campaign to coordinate the efforts of the entire committee and we’re pleased to have him take this official role with the campaign.

Tim Fannin from the accounting firm of Catalano, Case, Catalano and Fannin will be taking over as Treasurer.  Running for federal office with all the required FEC and IRS filings takes a great deal knowledge.  Tim is a highly experienced accountant in the Clearfield area who has served on many boards and organizations including the Clearfield County Industrial Development Authority and the Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation among others.   With the appointment of Tim Fannin as Treasurer we are moving Milt Weisman to the position of Assistant Treasurer where he will remain involved with the campaign.

Recognizing the key role that Centre County plays in the 5th Congressional District, it is important to name someone to the position of Centre County Coordinator.   I didn’t have to look far to find someone with the credentials I was looking for.  Tim Wilson shares a passion for many of the same issues I’m stressing in the race for US Congress.  Tim is interested in alternative fuels, environmental issues, fiscal responsibility, health care reform, farmland preservation, support for public education and many of the other issues the McCracken for Congress campaign is all about.  An additional benefit of having Tim on our committee is, while he is now living in Centre County, he is originally from Jefferson County and will be able to help the campaign in those areas of the district also.

We’ve also invited Andrea Smith of Glen Richey to take over the role of Secretary of the committee.  Andrea has worked for many years as a legal secretary in the Clearfield area and has supported and assisted me in my past campaigns for school director and county commissioner.

We’re excited to have these people on board with the campaign.  We also have a number of people from every county in the 5th district offer to work for the campaign.  The solid organization we are putting together will help us run strong in every county in the 5th district.

2: CONGRATULATIONS TO TRAVIS CHILDERS — This past Tuesday Democrat Travis Childers was elected to the US Congress in a special election to fill a vacant seat in the state of Mississippi.   This was the third Democratic victory so far in 2008 in special elections.  The 3 seats in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois (the seat of former Speaker Dennis Hastert) were all considered to be traditional Republican seats and have been captured by Democrats.  It will take a great deal of hard work but we can accomplish this same feat here in the 5th Congressional District in November.

3: ARMED FORCES AWARENESS DAY — On Saturday, I took part in the Armed Forces Awareness Day ceremony in Clearfield.  This is the 5th consecutive year that I’ve participated as a county commissioner in this moving ceremony.  It is so important that we take time to recognize the commitment of the men and women who are serving and who have served in our armed forces.  

The ceremony in Clearfield is always so special with emotional speeches, patriotic songs by the DuBois American Legion Band and special recognition of the veterans and active servicemen in attendance.  This year, there were several very special guests including 2 Gold Star Mothers and a Clearfield County veteran who is a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

4: This coming week, Kelly, Amanda and I will be spending Saturday in Tioga County to attend the Blossburg Coal Festival and participate in the parade.  We also will be traveling later in the day to Wellsboro to meet with people who are interested in helping with the campaign.  If anyone from Tioga County would like to meet with us in Wellsboro, please email the campaign at mccrackenforcongress@verizon.net.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

Unity is the Key in 2008:  As I’ve been meeting with people since the primary election, I can tell that Democratic voters in the 5th district are unifying behind our campaign and identifying with our message.  Before the primary election, I felt certain if the Democratic candidates made our campaigns about the important issues and trusted the voters to make their choice on election day, it would be easy for Democrats to unite behind the winner for the general election campaign.

During the time I was out campaigning and seeking support, I spoke with many people who were up front and informed me of their support for either Rick Vilello or Bill Cahir.  Early on, I made the decision to spend an equal amount of time with everyone, regardless if they were supporting me, one of my opponents or were still undecided.  I even took the time to speak with voters who identified themselves as Republican, Independent or were registered with other parties.

While there were many important strategic decisions I had to make with the direction of the campaign, I feel this was possibly the key that will keep our momentum going throughout the summer.   We were able to quickly move on from the primary campaign, unify the Democratic base and be ready for the real challenge – electing a Democrat in the 5th Congressional District on November 4th.  I also feel the foundation has been laid to attract those crossover votes we need to win this race.

On the national level, we need to have the same unity behind our nominee for President.  Everyone needs to realize the problems facing our country must be solved and we have to elect a leader at the top who can handle the challenge.  Our democracy is at a critical point and important decisions must be made starting in January of 2009.  

We’ve seen the last 2 presidential elections produce very controversial outcomes that have weakened our faith in the process and caused other countries to doubt our democratic form of government.  In 2000, we watched as ballots in Florida were counted, recounted and eventually uncounted and the only result history will remember is 5-4 from the Supreme Court.  Then, in 2004, our party’s nominee was “Swift Boated” and we watched as the final outcome from Ohio was only slightly less controversial than the Florida 2000 result.  

In 2008, we must not allow the other side to manipulate the process to their advantage.  We have to be unified on all levels so we can elect people who will solve the problems facing our country.  Waiting another 4 years is not an option.

The Week in Review:  This week saw trips on Monday to DuBois for the DuBois City Democratic Committee Meeting and on Tuesday to Coudersport for the Potter County Democratic Committee Meeting.  Additionally, I’ve had several meetings this week with people who will be taking key roles with the campaign as we move forward.  Things are going to start getting busy over the last 2 weeks in May with events in State College and Clearfield this week and Tioga County the following week.  Then, there will be several important events around Memorial Day and we get real busy in June, July and August with county fairs, parades and a regular diet of corn dogs and funnel cakes.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

As we move the campaign from Democratic primary to general election mode, I am going to make some changes to the weekly progress report.  Over the last few months I’ve used this weekly report give updates on the events we’ve participated in over the past week.   I’ll continue to keep you informed on where we’re at and what we’re doing but I’m going to provide comment on issues of interest to the citizens of the 5th district.   We’ll also keep you updated on what is going on inside the campaign.

Truckers Converge on Washington – Fuel Prices Are Hurting Everyone:   Last week, truckers converged on Washington to protest the high price of diesel fuel and to show members of Congress the negative effects on the transportation industry that is so vital to our nation’s economy.   In response to the trucker’s rally, Congressman John Peterson issued a press release stating the following: “For the past year and four months, the House Democrat leadership has done absolutely nothing to reduce the price at the pump. Their unwillingness to address the energy crisis at it’s roots “supply and demand” will only further enhance the economic burden on every man, woman, and child in America.  The protest today, by blue collar, working class truckers, further emphasizes how out of touch the Democrat-controlled Congress is with the American people.”.

I have to take issue with Congressman Peterson’s statement placing blame on the policies of the Democratic Congress over the past 16 months.   In fact, this crisis has been building in the 6 years prior while the Republican Party had total control of the White House and Congress and no meaningful legislation was offered to avert the impending crisis.   Additionally, it must be recognized that the instability of the Middle East, brought on by President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, is a factor in OPEC’s ongoing policy to drive oil prices to record highs.  

It should also be noted that President Bush has done little to influence OPEC policies either.   I can remember in the 90’s when OPEC would begin to drive up the price per barrel of oil, President Bill Clinton would immediately order a release of strategic oil reserves to put more oil on the market which would stabilize oil prices.

Frankly, blame must lie on both sides of the aisle in Washington.   Back in the 1970’s, our nation received a wake up call but leaders in Washington ignored it for the last 30 plus years.  While other nations invested in alternative fuels and worked to decrease their dependence on oil from the Middle East, government leaders in the United States continued to allow the powerful petroleum industry to dictate our energy policies.  

Now, we are at a critical point again.   Families are struggling to afford gas and heating oil.  Truckers are feeling the pinch of higher diesel fuel prices which will be passed on in higher prices to the consumers.   Everyone is hurting, except who?  Who is making record profits?  The same powerful petroleum industry that our government leaders allowed to dictate our energy policy for the last 30 plus years!   And, does anyone really believe the solution is to allow the petroleum industry access to traditional oil reserves.   No, we need to move away from “Big Oil” controlling our energy policy and move towards renewable and alternative fuel technologies.  The wake up call has returned, the alarm clock is ringing and we better not hit the snooze button again.

I’ve made it clear from the start of this campaign that I’m not running against Congressman Peterson.   He has been very helpful and supportive to Clearfield County and our county commissioners have built a very positive relationship with him throughout his service as our congressman.   The point I’m making is the oil crisis we are facing is truly a threat to our economy, our national security and our way of life.   There is no time for partisan finger pointing.  Congressman Peterson is correct in this regard.  We need our leaders in Washington to address this issue NOW.   Congress needs to forget it is an election year and get to work on plausible solutions in a bipartisan manner because the people they claim to represent are suffering.  They can’t wait for January 2009, they need help now.  

Campaign Organization Changes:  Over the next few weeks, we will be announcing some important changes and additions to the McCracken for Congress campaign committee.  The changes will put organization in place throughout the 5th Congressional District.  We know going forward, the race will be tough and we need to work to earn votes in every county in the district.   It will be important to have organized campaign teams in every county to work at the local and county level to spread our message.  It will also help to have people we can count on at the local level who know their communities and will help me learn more about the issues important the people they know.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

The last 4 months have been exciting and rewarding to travel around the 5th district campaigning.  I’ve learned a lot about the district, the people and myself in the process.  It all came to a climax on Tuesday, April 22nd as the voters in the 5th district went to the polls to select who would be the 2 remaining candidates to continue on to the November 4th general election.

From a personal standpoint, I learned that in politics, the best thing you can do is plan your strategy and stay the course.  You have to be honest with the people, explain where you stand on the issues important to the people you want to represent and trust their instincts when they go to the polls.

As Kelly, Amanda and I watched the election returns on Tuesday evening I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done enough to get our message out to the voters in the 5th district.  Kelly was nervous and Amanda’s only concern was “Is daddy winning?”  At the end of the evening, just after 11:00 PM, both of the area TV stations called the election in our favor.  A short time later, both of my opponents called to offer their congratulations and I gave them both thanks for the positive, clean campaigns they both ran.  

Waking up on Wednesday, I have to admit I was still overwhelmed by results from the night before.  The day found many people calling and stopping in the office to offer congratulations.  In the evening, I traveled to Reynoldsville for the monthly meeting of the Jefferson County Democratic Committee.  It was fitting that I was making my first appearance as the Democratic nominee for 5th district at the same meeting I attended as my first event as an official candidate back in January.  

Of course, the reality is that for everything we accomplished on Tuesday, the real work began on Wednesday morning.  It is going to be busy between now and November 4th.  I’ll continue to keep everyone updated on how the campaign is going.  If you know of any events that we should be attending, please email the campaign and let us know.  Also, if you have any ideas to help reach out to the voters please forward them to the campaign.  

I’ll conclude with this.  Most of the media interviews I had on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning all asked “Can you win this seat in November?”  After about the fifth or sixth time I got the question, I finally responded “We can and we will.”

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

“I want to thank all the Democratic voters who came out and voted in the 5th district yesterday. I congratulate Bill Cahir and Rick Vilello for the positive campaigns they ran. As candidates, we ran campaigns that showed respect to each other and to the voters in the 5th district.

I also want to congratulate the winner of the Republican primary Glenn Thompson. Mr. Thompson stayed on course with his message throughout his campaign and I look forward to our competition in the November general election.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped with our campaign. There are so many people throughout the 17 counties of the 5th district who were involved in the campaign. What started in January with 12 candidates is now down to 2. There is much work to be done over the next several months. After meeting with people in the 5th district for the last 4 months I am convinced that our campaign’s message is strong and we will prevail in November.”

Mark B. McCracken

Still – Your Candidate for Congress

Another Busy Week – Less Than 1 Day To Go!!!

I started out the week on Monday with a trip to State College to meet with the PSU College Democrats. I took the time to give special thanks to the PSU Dems for their hard work getting students registered to vote in this election. It really is encouraging to see how interested young voters throughout the district are about this election. I think our young people realize that they have to get involved and make a difference in this election.

Later in the week on Thursday, I had an afternoon radio interview on WPHB followed in the evening with a trip to Clarion for the Clarion University Young Dems Spring Unity Banquet. The Clarion Young Dems have a very involved and active group. They have had representation at every 5th District candidate event held in Clarion throughout the campaign. It was great to get a final chance to meet with them before Election Day. We also had people in attendance throughout the day at the stops by President Clinton in Brookville, St. Marys and Clearfield.  The crowd in Clearfield to see Pres. Clinton wrapped around the front of the Clearfield Middle School and wrapped around onto Mill Rd.  Everyone was in high spirits and thankfully the weather cooperated.  Our campaign stopped and talked about the issues important to citizens of the 5th District and we feel that our message was warmly received by the gathered crowd.

Friday, I traveled to DuBois to participate in Eyes Wide Open, a traveling exhibit to help educate the public on the real costs of the Iraq war. The exhibit contained several banners that describe the monetary costs of the war and compares what we could do here in the United States with the funds. The most moving part of the exhibit was the 183 pairs of military boots with the names attached of the fallen PA soldiers and civilians who have died in Iraq during the conflict. It was a very moving exhibit and should make our resolve even stronger to end the conflict and bring the troops home as soon as possible.

On Saturday, we attended the annual Blue White Game at Penn State. It was a warm sunny day and it was a lot of fun working the tailgate parties in the parking lot. However, I found 2 things: 1 – The majority of Penn State fans travel in from outside of the 5th district, and 2 – A good number start drinking the hard stuff early in the morning and have no interest in politics once the alcohol takes effect. I do want to thank State Rep. Scott Conklin, the PSU College Dems and the Obama State College Campaign Staff for hosting a great tailgate event.  One note from the blogger:  You can see more about the Blue White Game in the CDT article written by Mike Joseph.  It can be found here:although I’m not sure if I would make a good caddy.

The week ended today with a trip back over to Happy Valley to work the line waiting to attend Sen. Hillary Clinton’s visit to Penn State. It was an excited group waiting to see Sen. Clinton and their spirits were high in spite of a cold downpour that started around 5:30. I really enjoy the one on one campaigning that we were able to do both Saturday and Sunday.

I’ll close this last report before Election Day with a round of thanks to everyone who has helped with the campaign thus far. We started back in mid-January and what has been accomplished so far is because of everyone who has been involved. I also want to thank and wish the best of luck to all the Democratic candidates who are on the ballot on Tuesday. It’s been a privilege to campaign and attend events with these people.

Finally, I want to give a special thank you to my 2 fellow Democratic candidates in the 5th District race. I truly admire the way Rick, Bill and I have focused on the issues of this campaign, met with the voters and kept our campaigns positive. I’ve told several people over the last week, our party and our eventual nominee in the 5th district will be stronger because of the positive campaigns all 3 of us ran. Regardless of who wins on Tuesday, we are tested and ready to take on the Republican candidate in November. I have a stronger opinion today than I did in January when I started the campaign – a Democrat WILL be elected in the 5th Congressional District in 2008.

One final note: Please tell as many people as you can – Support Mark B. McCracken for Congress – #1 on the Democratic Ballot.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate For Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

6 Counties in 1 Week:

Monday — Tioga County:   I started out the week with a day long visit to Tioga County with the day’s agenda coordinated by Emily Rizzo.  Emily took me around to several communities in Tioga County including Wellsboro, which included a visit to the Tioga County Courthouse to meet the elected officials, and to Mansfield where we stopped to meet with the staff at the Obama headquarters.  I found Tioga County to be one of the most scenic counties, not only in the 5th district, but in the entire state.

The day ended with a candidate forum that was attended by 10 of the 12 candidates (the 2 missing candidates had people stand in for them) for the 5th district seat.  For the first time at one of these multi-candidate events, I drew the 12th position so I had to sit and wait as every other candidate did their 10 minute presentations.   Here is what the Elmira Star Gazette wrote about my presentation:

“After sitting silent for two hours, Democrat Mark McCracken, a Clearfield County commissioner, finally got his turn to speak.   He said the nation’s $9.4 trillion debt was tragic and that his priority would be getting the federal budget back in order.   “We’re in a deeper hole than we have ever been in before,” he said.    “This is a threat to our national security.   Foreign interests could pull the rug out from under us at any time.”

“Congress also needs to address energy costs and supplies…We missed a wake-up call in the ’70s,” he said. “We really need to get an energy plan in place. We need to be looking at alternate energy sources.    This is our second wake-up call. We’d better take it.”

Tuesday — Clarion County:   Tuesday evening, Kelly and I made the trip to Clarion County for the Spring Democratic Banquet.  Like Democrats all over the region, the folks in Clarion are excited about our party’s prospects for 2008.

Wednesday — Elk and Mifflin Counties:  Wednesday morning brought a trip to St.Marys for a candidate forum in front of members of the Allegheny Hardwoods Utilization Group AHUG.  The members of AHUG quizzed 11 of the 12 candidates on where we stood in regards to the lumber and timber business that is so important to the economy in north central Pennsylvania.

Wednesday evening brought a trip to Lewistown to appear at a candidate forum sponsored by the Mifflin County Farm Bureau.  It was decided that the 3 Democratic candidates would have our own portion of the forum since the Republican candidates would be arriving later due to party event also being held in Lewistown.

Thursday — Clearfield County:   The DuBois Democratic Committee sponsored a forum for the 3 Democratic candidates at the Penn State DuBois Campus.  PCN was on hand to record the forum which they will run several times over the next few days.  

I have to congratulate the people who put the event together.  It was a unique format which included the standard Q & A, followed by a 1 on 1 session with a moderator, then questions from the audience and ended with 5 minute closing statements from each candidate.  The format was different from any event we’ve participated in thus far and was a good challenge for me personally and I think for the other 2 candidates as well.

Friday — Centre County:  Friday evening Kelly and I traveled to the Tussey Mountain Lodge to attend the Centre County Democrats Spring Banquet.  This event turned into a celebration of the extraordinary gains in voter registration the Democratic party has made in central Pennsylvania.  Centre County led the way with the excitement for Sen. Obama’s candidacy leading to a huge wave of young people registering Democratic.  But, the excitement doesn’t end in Centre County as my home county of Clearfield and Rick Vilello’s home county of Clinton also turned “BLUE”!   Hmmm, with everything going the Democratic way, maybe a Democrat can win the 5th district after all.

Saturday — Clearfield County: I spent the day working on behalf of the Obama campaign doing some door to door canvassing at the invitation of Jody Grumblatt.  Jody has been putting her heart and soul into campaigning on behalf of Sen. Obama.  She was even out on the Clearfield Courthouse Plaza on a cold day a few weeks back registering voters.

Sunday — Clearfield County:  Kelly, Amanda and I went to the DuBois Democratic Committee spaghetti dinner.  Many campaigns were on hand for this well attended annual event.  

Auditor General Jack Wagner was the main speaker with Jay Paterno on hand to speak for the Obama campaign.    Rick Vilello and I each spoke to the crowd to make our case for votes on April 22nd.

Maybe the Wrong McCracken in on the Ballot:  Kelly had a very lucky week.    She won 4 tickets to a Pirate baseball game at the Clarion County Dinner and really cleaned up at the spaghetti dinner in DuBois winning 2 gift baskets.  

Amanda was really excited with the one gift basket that had a porcelain doll that she really liked.

We’re heading into the last full week of the primary campaign and there are a lot of miles left to travel.    Please be sure to remind your family and friends to vote on April 22nd.  Of course, a mention to vote for the 5th district candidate listed in the #1 position on the ballot would be appreciated.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate for Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

IF IT’S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELLEFONTE:

The headline says it all as it was a very busy and sometimes hectic week.  I started out the week Sunday and Monday in Harrisburg where I was attending the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania spring conference.   I really wish I could have been in State College to see Senator Barack Obama’s historic visit to Penn State but, I had already scheduled to attend the CCAP conference several weeks ago.   I’ve heard from people who attended and they were all still buzzing late in the week from the rally.

I left Harrisburg Monday afternoon to attend the Lycoming County Democratic Dinner in Williamsport on Monday evening.   Lycoming County Chair Jessie Bloom put together a fantastic event that was so well attended they filled up 2 rooms with Democrats who are excited about 2008.  

Lycoming County is split between the 5th and the 10th congressional districts.  As I was working the rooms, I shook hands with one gentleman who apologized and said “sorry, you just wasted a handshake, I’m from the 10th district”.  I countered back to him, “No, it wasn’t wasted, if I met a Democrat who is going to be working to get Democrats elected in 2008 that was good enough for me”.  All the candidates in attendance got the chance to speak and Auditor General Jack Wagner was the keynote speaker for the evening.

Tuesday brought 2 events in Centre County with an afternoon forum for the 5th District Democratic candidates at the Foxdale Retirement Community in State College.  Art Goldschmidt moderated the event and the residents asked many important questions.  

Then it was on to Bellefonte for a candidate’s forum with the 3 Democratic candidates taking center stage from 6:30 to 7:30 with the Republicans getting their chance from 8:00 to 9:30.

Wednesday brought an early morning trip to Clarion for legislative breakfast sponsored by the Clarion Chamber of Commerce.   This event had 16 candidates, 5 for the PA House seat being vacated by Rep. Fred McIllhatten and 11 of the 12 candidates for the 5th District seat.   Wednesday evening had us back in Centre County for the League of Women Voters debate.  Again, the Democratic candidates went first from 7:00 to 8:00 with the Republican candidates following.  Is it wrong to think the Republican candidates had viewers tuning out in favor of American Idol both nights?

Also on Wednesday, we released the news that both the IBEW Local #5 and the Ironworkers Local #772 have endorsed my candidacy.   It is important to me that we get endorsements from organizations that represent the hard working people of the 5th Congressional District.

You can read the endorsement letters here!

Thursday we had the Jefferson County Democratic spring banquet in Reynoldsville followed by a candidate forum for the Democratic candidates at the IBEW building in Clearfield.

Friday brought an important visitor to Clearfield County as US Senator Richard Durbin, the Assistant Majority Leader (also known as the Majority Whip), stopped in Clearfield and DuBois to support the Obama for President campaign.  It really is an exciting time for Democrats in central Pennsylvania as we are getting real attention from the presidential campaigns for the first time in my lifetime.

The longest day of the week was Saturday.  I was up a 5:15 AM to drive to Warren for a Democratic breakfast at 9:00 AM.  I found my theme that communities in the 5th district share many similarities took a new twist on Saturday morning.  The Clearfield County Courthouse sets at the corner of Second and Market streets and, believe it or not, the building where the Warren County breakfast was held was on the corner of Second and Market streets.  I pointed this coincidence out and the crowd got a chuckle from my observation.  I shared the microphone with 3 of the candidates running for the 3rd congressional district along with fellow 5th district candidate Rick Vilello.  We also heard from Jeff Eggleston for the Obama campaign and Congressman Marion Berry for the Clinton campaign.

Then it was on to Clarion for a League of Women Voters debate at Clarion University at 2 PM.  Rick Vilello and I shared the stage with 7 of the 9 Republican candidates for a joint debate.  Rick and I did the Democratic party proud as we addressed the issues important to the hard working people of the district.  The event concluded with a brief verbal skirmish between 2 of the Republican candidates during the closing statements.  I was very pleased when the Clarion County Democratic Chairman and several people in the audience came up and congratulated both of the Democratic candidates for our performances.

Saturday ended in Ridgway with the Elk County Democratic Spring Banquet.  Kelly joined me in Ridgway to hear 2 keynote speakers, Congressman Marion Berry representing the Clinton campaign and Jay Paterno representing the Obama campaign.  And, I can’t forget to mention that Victor Ordonez represented the campaign in Mifflin County for their spring dinner on Saturday evening.  A big thank you to Victor for making the trip to Lewistown.  It would have been impossible to do the debate in Clarion and also make it to Lewistown.

It was a long day to end a long week but I feel our campaign made great progress over the last 7 days.  The only downside to this is the reality that campaigning in such a large district is taking a toll on the family life.  Kelly and I knew what we were getting into back in January but it is difficult now that we are in the middle of the campaign.  April 22nd is coming fast and it will be nice once the outcome is known.  Either we will be campaigning through November or life will settle back down.

Mark B. McCracken

Your Candidate for Congress

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page

Contact: Victor M. Ordonez

Email: vmo1701@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

McCRACKEN RECEIVES MAJOR LABOR ENDORSEMENTS

Electrical Workers” and Iron Workers” Union Endorses McCracken Campaign

Mark B. McCracken, Democratic candidate for United States House of Representatives in the 5th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is proud to announce that he has received the endorsements from the 2,760 plus members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union #5 and the 263 member International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers Local Union #772.

In receiving the endorsement of these important labor organizations, Mr. McCracken stated “I am honored to have my candidacy endorsed by two organizations that represent the working people of Pennsylvania.  I know firsthand the struggles our working class face and I plan on being a strong voice in Washington for the people who work hard everyday, but lack the representation at the federal level they deserve.”

During McCracken”s tenure as a Clearfield County Commissioner, he has worked to establish a working relationship with representatives of organized labor within Clearfield County to keep them advised on economic development projects.  In endorsing McCracken”s candidacy, Michael Dunleavy, Business Manager for IBEW Local #5 wrote “I am convinced that your viewpoints and stance on issues that concern not only organized labor, but the well-being of all working Pennsylvanians are sound.  Your inclusion of labor as part of the process of economic development and job creation is commendable.  To us, your background and professional experience makes your candidacy a sound investment.”

These labor endorsements offer a significant boost to the candidacy of Mark B. McCracken to be the next congressman for the 5th congressional district.  The endorsements by the IBEW and the Iron Workers offer positive proof of the pro-active and involved leader that Mark B. McCracken is as a county commissioner which is the same effort he will put forth as a member of Congress.

###

If you”d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Mr. Mark B. McCracken, please email either mkamccracken@verizon.net or the Media & Policy Advisor at vmo1701@gmail.com.

————————————————————————————————–

You can read the endorsement letters here!

————————————————————————————————–

This diary is cross-posted at McCracken’s campaign blog, PA’s Blue Fifth

Mark McCracken for Congress

ActBlue page