Stacy McCain continues to beat the Bushes to find the details in Pa-12 and some of these seem to be familiar:
While I was at Burns campaign HQ Friday, I interviewed a registered Democrat from Fayette County who stopped by the office to pick up a yard sign. This was a blue-collar working man who had voted for Murtha in the past, but who has no use at all for the agenda currently being pushed by Obama and Nancy Pelosi.
Again we have a situation where a district was comfortable with a longtime member of congress and perhaps looking the other way on certain things because he brought home the bacon and had power, but now that he’s gone people will now vote their own interest.
I don’t mind doing the drive down there although the election is on my Birthday so the family might be a tad annoyed, but if the time to panic is at hand any kind of thing that generates income is welcome.
So if you want to the DaTipJar to send me to PA 12, that’s great. (Specify PA-12 in the comment) Stacy’s calculations leave out any kind of Hotel or place to sleep but we are talking 10 hours down and ten hours back. Assuming I can get a cheap hotel for $50 a night. If I can Get $500 by the end of the week to DaTipJar then I’ll head down. If by the 8th I have said $500 I’ll pick a day to head there. For every extra $250 a day that comes in I’ll add an extra day. (That covers hotel plus my fee).
It’s all up to you guys. Should I stay or should I go, or to put it another way: Is what I do here worth it to you? Excitable Andrew actually managed to raise $80k a year to blog independently from his readers before he got his Atlantic gig. What would this on site reporting be worth to you?
I’ve had a full nights sleep that hasn’t been preceded by a drive out of Boston for the first time in days. When I came downstairs Robert Stacy (I’ll sleep when I’m dead) McCain was still typing at the dining room table, has there ever been a person who works so hard for such a small amount of cash?
I took him for a quick cig run to Tedeschi’s market (that took over the store 24 in Fitchburg) and ran into the mother of a friend of mine who does Janitorial work at the Post Office and the Hospital. She said people were very happy in both locations, but for liberals the anger was extreme, but apparently not all of them.
The worst is that I can’t help but feel like the main emotion people in the caucus are feeling is relief at this turn of events. Now they have a ready excuse for not getting anything done.
Four days ago I told a certain Mr. McCain who happened to be sleeping on my couch that democrats in congress were hoping for an upset to give them an excuse to get out of yet another vote that could push them off the cliff. I thank Mr. Marshall for proving me right in print (well in pixels anyway).
Stacy is picking a bad time to leave Fitchburg. The front page of our local paper is that Planned Parenthood is about to open an office here. The must think the timing is good with 4 Catholic Parishes due to close by June.
It is in fact exactly the opposite, it’s not only bad it’s really bad. The natural anger that the closing would have generated at the church, combined with the anger over the economic and employment situation now has a place where it can be re-directed. The large Hispanic (I hate that word, what does it mean?) population here is very Catholic as well.
The only good news about this? With such a new opening perhaps the Charming Roxeanne will be in town to blog about it a bit and I can introduce the young lady to the wife and kids. My oldest is active in right to life, they should get along like a house afire.
Well the train beckons so I must go. It’s been a great week, but like Cincinnatus I now prepare to return to being just another guy looking for a job (that elusive$800 a week) in Massachusetts who runs a small blog where I talk about things that interest me.
Thanks for joining me for the ride, and if you like what you have read you are welcome to stop by to read anytime.
I’m still in a bit of a daze as I start to re-transition to a normal life and try to catch up on sleep but I noticed that I didn’t do the “fun” posts that Dan and Stacy did so here is some of that:
Would you believe I was so tired I didn’t recognize Norah O’Donnell? Until I read Dan’s post I didn’t realize she was there. Then again ok it’s Norah O’Donnell she’s there, big deal.
Ace of spades is a nice quiet guy, his actual self is so counter instinctual to his blog.
I must have been the only guy there not drinking.
Ali Akbar (Brown’s new media guy) is a smart young young who has such a clear idea of what he wants to do it’s amazing. With the experience that age will bring he will really be a go to guy.
Update/Clarification: I should mention that Ali is not with the permanent staff but was hired by the Brown campaign. If what I saw was any indication I strongly suggest any person thinking of running a senate/house campaign give him a call to snap him up. He will be invaluable to you.
Oh and did I mention that some bloggers had better seats than media. (I wasn’t one of them) but that’s ok, in my opinion the stage wasn’t where the action is.
There is nothing that gives you the impression of the approach of old age than seeing all these people working and having the thought “My God they’re so young!” go through your head.
Speaking of going through one’s head, Pam Geller of Atlas tried on my fedora and I had to look away, my comment was I’m glad my wife didn’t know what I was thinking at that point. What was that thought? My God is this woman attractive!
I also complemented her on her work, the stuff she covers is very important, particularly with the level of indifference concerning Radical Islam.
Funny story I was discussing radical Islam with her for a bit when I realized that I hadn’t introduced myself to the lady to her left. (I’d already met Kerry Pickett) thinking I was being impolite to a lady I apologized and introduced myself. That person was Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine. I get the distinct impression that she thought I was trying to schmooze (hey look time talks to me), but unless she reads this (unlikely) she will never know.
Speaking of Kerry Pickett she was filing stories from my dining room table on Friday night. You can’t help but like this woman, she has competence in places that people don’t have, and has the bluntness of my older sister. She also has what I call the “20 year face” she is the type of woman who will look just as nice 20 years later. She reminds me of my wife brains and beauty. The fact that some lucky young man has not married her is a striking blow to the reputation of the entire male sex or a tribute to her good judgment in waiting for a guy worthy of her.
And yes I’m an old Sicilian Catholic that’s the way I think.
Speaking of young smart woman one of the great pleasure of the night was speaking with Roxeanne, ironic as one of my favorite films is Jose Ferrer’s as Cyrano de Bergerac
The concept that 1000 people were interested in what I had to say on a webcast was fascinating.
Strangely enough I had no interest in talking to the Brown daughters, but I must say I felt very good for his wife Gail who must have spent a lot of time biting her tongue in the last few weeks.
Carl Cameron is a very nice guy and gave us respect and time.
I can’t wait to find work so I can get a new laptop, mine is on its last legs.
That is me in the background, While most of the reporter types were busy talking to themselves, I was interviewing the waitstaff. Why? Because they were the only voters in the room! I talked to more than a dozen of them and got great information on all kinds of things. It speaks volumes that a room full of reporters didn’t think of doing this.
If you want to get real answers to real questions ask Joe Malone, not Mitt Romney.
The local reporters don’t know how lucky they are. The Brown win will lead to more competitive races, which are less boring to cover.
I am not used to the amount of hits and e-mail I’ve gotten, it will be a bit till I’m caught up, and I apologize if I didn’t reply in my normal prompt way. No wonder instapundit doesn’t do comments.
None of the celebration stuff hit me, once I decided the race was over in my mind I was already thinking about the next story or maybe it was sheer exhaustion.
On and speaking of celebration I discovered Atlas dances while sitting down as I do.
Speaking of sheer exhaustion I’m hitting the sack since I have to be out of the house by 4. I can’t wait to return to a regular sleep cycle.
…who was so kind to listen to an old man pontificate. I’m actually at a 2nd computer so I will be linking to your blog as soon as my laptop is back up and unpacked. I will include said link in this post. and other.
And to the rest who are reading this, she may not think she has things to add to the conversation but after talking to her, I think she does.
Everyone has something to offer and that little bit can make a big difference. In yesterdays election everyone who voted for Scott Brown contributed a single vote, but together it made history.
Oh and check out her blog, a young woman of such intelligence and gifts, who has been quietly applying them to the cause of life, should be heard.
And to the nice young man who was with her, my complements sir!
And Stacy introduced me, for that alone you should hit his tip jar.
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