Another sign of the incredible energy expressed by Democrats are the record voter registration numbers.

The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary.

The same day, President Bush spoke at an economic summit in New Orleans and stated at a news conference: "We're not in a recession, we're in a slowdown ... [T]here's no question we're in a slowdown and people are concerned about it, obviously."

The registration deadline was March 24, and tens of thousands of new registrations flooded in, from both new voters and party switchers. Elections officials have been counting them since, and posting the changes in drips and drabs.

Today, the new tally in Bucks shows 185,413 enrolled Democrats, compared with 181,941 enrolled Republicans.

In Montgomery County, the new tally shows 245,209 Democrats, compared with 238,208 Republicans.

Building up the party from the local level. That sounds oddly familiar...

Arlen Specter: "What Senator Lott said was in no means out of line." Sounds like a ringing endorsement...

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

Pennsylvania Democratic Party
300 North Second Street, 8th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101
717-920-8470
717-901-7829 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 103
At-Large Delegates: 35
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 20
Unpledged Delegates: 29
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 187

Alternates: 26

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 213

System type: Primary

State convention page: Available
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

Among Romney’s most notable flip-flops: on taxes, he signed a “no new tax” pledge he once mocked as “government by gimmickry,” and has bragged about supporting President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy, despite once opposing them. Romney has also changed his position on other key conservative issues, including abortion and campaign finance reform.

“Smooth Talking Mitt Romney has about as much credibility left as the Administration he hopes to replace,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. “Unfortunately for Romney, the American people already changed their minds, and want principled leadership and a real vision for America’s future.”

Romney On “No New Tax Pledge”:

Old Mitt: Romney Refused To Sign “No New Tax” Pledge, Called It “Government By Gimmickry.” When he thought he needed to look more moderate to get elected governor in 2002, Romney’s campaign mocked the pledge as “government by gimmickry.” [Boston Globe, 1/5/07]

New Mitt: Signed Pledge to Hide Tax Raising Record. This month, Romney signed the same “no new tax” pledge he refused to sign in 2002 to hide the fact that under his failed leadership, Bay Staters saw their tax burden increase by more than 5 percent, and Romney’s cuts to local communities sent Massachusetts property taxes to their highest level in 25 years. [Massachusetts State-Local Tax Burden Compared to National Average (1970-2006), The Tax Foundation; Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05]

Romney On Bush’s Tax Cuts:

Old Mitt: Refused to Publicly Endorse Bush Tax Cuts. Romney refused to endorse tax cuts at the heart of President Bush's economic program in 2003. Romney's spokesperson said that it's "just not a state matter." [Boston Globe, 4/11/03]

New Mitt: Bragged About Support for Bush Tax Cuts. During a November 13, 2006 press conference held in Arizona, Romney outlined differences between himself and McCain. Romney said "he was quicker than McCain to endorse President Bush's tax cuts." [East Valley Sun, 11/14/06]

Romney On Abortion:

Old Mitt: Supported a Woman’s Right to Choose, Courted Pledged to Respect And Will Protect A Woman's Right To Choose in 2002. In 2002, Romney said on a NARAL questionnaire, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose.” He also reached out to Republican Majority for Choice to ask for its endorsement and later issued a press release highlighting that endorsement. Romney also completed a Planned Parenthood questionnaire in Apr '02, saying "yes" to a question about whether he supported "the substance of" Roe v. Wade, "yes" to "state funding of abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women" and "yes" to supporting "efforts to increase access to emergency contraception." [Weekly Standard, 2/5/07]

New Mitt: Views Have “Evolved.” “Romney says his anti-abortion views have ‘evolved and deepened’ since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic stem cell research. ‘In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead - to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,’ Romney wrote in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe.’ He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the ‘one size fits all’ precedent of Roe v. Wade. [newsmax.com, 7/27/05]

Romney On Campaign Finance Reform:

Old Mitt: Supported Campaign Finance Reform. During his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney “proposed taxing political contributions to finance publicly funded campaigns,” while during his 1994 Senate campaign Romney “publicly advocated placing spending limits on congressional campaigns and abolishing political action committees (PACs).” [The Hill, 2/8/07]

New Mitt: Opposes Campaign Finance Reform, Calls It “One Of The Worst Things In My Lifetime.” Referring to the McCain-Feingold law on campaign finance reform, Romney called it “one of the worst things in my lifetime.” [The Hill, 2/8/07] Romney pledged to "fight to repeal McCain-Feingold." [Remarks to Conservative Political Action Conference, 3/2/07]

This past election, the DNC invested resources in communication and organizing efforts in the faith community on the local level. As part of that effort, the DNC advertised on rural and religious radio and held listening sessions across the country talking about the Democratic Party's values.

In the speech Governor Dean talked about his own personal background as a person of faith saying:

"My faith has been a journey; it has been about conviction and purpose; it has had corrections and introspective moments. I'm a member of the [First Congregational] United Church of Christ in Burlington and I worship in a church that has chosen to be supportive of cultural diversity as an expression of love. And while there are certainly differences between UCC and other denominations, the basic tenets of our beliefs: the ability to worship with freedom, that all life has value and worth. Those are values that are shared by almost every religion and also shared by people who profess to have no religion."

Governor Dean outlined how his values inform his public life:

"I'm a Democrat because I believe that no child should go to bed hungry. I believe that every person in America ought to have the kind of access to health care, the same as in all other industrialized countries. I believe that war should be a last resort only after diplomacy has been exhausted. I believe that we owe our veterans proper care when they come home. I believe that every American deserves respect and dignity and equal rights under the law. I believe that we must be good stewards of God's creation. I believe that hard working people ought to be able to support their families with what they're able to make. I believe that we ought to not pass debt on to our children. I believe that faith ought not to be used to divide people. And I believe that virtually every person in this room has more in common than we have differences."

Dean acknowledged that Democrats allowed a divide to grow between the Party and the faith community in the past but that now as part of the 50 state strategy we are reaching out to everyone, everywhere saying that:

"A divide developed in part because people in politics sought that division in order to polarize people so they can get votes... In this climate, [Democrats] failed to effectively articulate an understanding and respect for the intersection of faith in public life. And because we refused to stand up for what we believe in and our principles, the media and others defined our values in the eyes of Americans.

"As we reach out to people in the 50 states, many we had abandoned entirely, people began to realize in fact that we had more in common. If you don't reach out to people, if you don't ask people for their vote, then you haven't shown them the basic level of respect required to win their vote. And one of the reasons we are all in all 50 states. is because it is a sign of respect to ask people for their vote even when you know they may not vote for you. When you present yourself at somebody's door, you can no longer be one of 'those people.' You are a human being and you strike up the relationship that human beings strike up across cultural, political, ethnic, demographic, and generational boundaries. That's what the 50 state strategy is about."

Governor Dean went on to talk about the issues where there is common good and shared values and he called on students to get active politically:

"There are conservative religious leaders in this country today who firmly believe that part of their mission is to do something about the environmental catastrophe that we're heading for; that part of their mission is to address what's going on in Darfur; that part of their mission is to deal with poverty; that part of their mission is to deal with equal opportunity in education. So there is an enormous amount that we have in common.

"The basis of the Democratic Party is a fundamental agreement on issues such as HIV/AIDS and Darfur."

Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean
What: Remarks at Eastern University
When: Thursday March 29, 2007 at 3:30 PM
Where: Eastern Eastern University, Gymnasium, 1300 Eagle Road, St. Davids, Pennsylvania

For press credentials please contact: Eastern University at smackey@eastern.edu or Damien LaVera with the DNC at 202-863-8148.

Good morning. This is Lois Murphy of Pennsylvania.

On Tuesday, Americans from every city and town will go to their local high schools or churches or meeting halls, and we will pick up a ballot, and we will vote.

And at this important crossroads we face a clear choice between fear and a new direction for our country.

And as we pull that curtain back we can choose the ugly side of this campaign season – the threats, the negativity, the 30-second attack ads and the angry talking heads on TV.

Or this time, we can choose to change the way our government works.

We can choose based on the fact that right now, there are 140,000 of our bravest sons and daughters fighting a war they did not ask for half a world away. As of today, more than 2800 of them will never come home, including 136 from right here in Pennsylvania.

We can choose based on the fact that no matter how bad Iraq gets or how many respected Americans say that our strategy is not working – no matter how many times former Secretaries of State Colin Powell or James Baker say that we need to change course; no matter how many different intelligence agencies tell us that Iraq is creating more terrorists than we had before; and no matter how many generals say Rumsfeld should go – our President and his Republican Congress have promised not to change a thing if they are returned to power.

This pattern of being out-of-touch and out-of-sync with the American people –this failure to take responsibility- has carried over to the corruption that plagues our Congress; the deficit that threatens our children; and the health care costs that burden our families.

This time, there are everyday Americans all across the country who are running to take this country in a new direction. They are veterans and local leaders and concerned citizens who have listened to the people in their communities, as I have, and understand their desire for change and their hunger for leadership.

All across America, they have joined the party that is focused on our future – the Democratic Party – a clear alternative- a hopeful alternative.

From the outset when this new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will tackle the challenges that we face head on. We will fight for a new direction in Iraq to change the President's failed course so that our troops can finally come home.

In the first days of a new Congress, we will make our homeland security a top priority and finally enact all of the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission to make America safer.

We will raise the minimum wage in this country to ensure that no working American lives in poverty.

To get our fiscal house in order, we will restore pay-as-you-go budgeting, no new deficit spending.

We will break the link between lobbyists and legislators by passing meaningful ethics and lobbying reform to restore faith in our government.

We will put seniors first by allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

We will give hope to millions of American families touched by devastating diseases by respecting science and promoting life-saving cures through stem cell research.

And we will cut in half the interest rate on student loans to make college education more affordable for our young people.

I talk about these issues every day as I travel across Pennsylvania’s beautiful, diverse sixth congressional district. Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike have spoken to me of the need to address these issues and the need for change. These are common-sense goals that do not belong to me or to Democrats alone.

It’s time we had a representative and a Congress that feel the same way.

The challenges we face are great. Progress will not come through partisan infighting or the silencing of the opposition, but through working together on behalf of the American people to get the job done. After all, common sense does not depend on party affiliation, and our common good should rise far above it.

I realize that some see the prospect of Democrats and Republicans working together as inconceivable. But the only thing I see as inconceivable is another two years of the same partisan Washington we’ve had for the last six years.

It’s time that politicians in Washington didn’t dismiss good ideas just because they came from another party.

We need a Congress that is known for its dialogue, not its discord.

It’s time for a New Direction for this country. It’s time for a change. It’s time to vote based on our hopes rather than our fears.

This Tuesday, when you close that curtain and look hard at that ballot, the choice you face will be clear.

If you are satisfied with the way things are going…if you think this is the best America can do…that we should stay in Iraq without changing a thing; that we should keep spending our children’s money; that we should sit idly by while the cost of health care and tuition and energy continue to soar; that we should look at scandal and corruption as just another part of Washington life, then you should return my opponent and his Republican colleagues to Congress for another two years.

But if you believe that things can be different; that we can do better; that hope can win over fear and that what unites us is stronger than what divides us – then you have another choice on the ballot on Tuesday – I urge you to choose that new direction.

This is our vision for America, and I hope you will join me in making it a reality. I’ll see you at the polls.

This is Lois Murphy of Pennsylvania. Thank you for listening.

If you think President Bush is doing a fine job managing the war on terror, controlling the cost of government and generally making America and its people more secure and prosperous, you can re-elect the incumbents.

But if you -- like this newspaper -- are horrified at the incompetent, arrogant and downright delusional behavior of the Bush administration, change is absolutely crucial.

(snip)

By any objective measure, the Bush administration has made a mess of things. And contrary to its claims, the world will be a far more dangerous place when this president's term ends in two years. The administration has failed miserably to unify the world against Islamic radicals, undercut the efforts of Islamic moderates and stood by as the real threat of nuclear proliferation has mushroomed in North Korea.

Meanwhile, the administration's true abilities were on display last year in the days leading up to -- and following -- Hurricane Katrina. And although the White House is now touting its economic success, its main claim to fame is a ballooning of the federal deficit.

It's easy to boost the economy in the short term when you're borrowing on future generations. What happens when the bill comes due? Despite some short-term success in trimming the deficit, the long-range figures are a looming disaster. And the Bush administration is doing nothing to address them.

But the administration is not alone in its manhandling of American domestic and foreign policy. A compliant, Republican-controlled Congress has gone along, with barely a peep of protest.

Federal agents raided the home of the daughter of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) and his longtime friend Charlie Sexton this morning.

The agents departed Karen Weldon's three-story brick home on Queen Street in Philadelphia with arms loaded with boxes.

A government car pulled into the alley to the back door of the house and loaded boxes into it. Three agents standing in an alley declined to identify themselves.

"I can confirm that we conducted a number of searches regarding an ongoing investigation," said FBI agent Jerri Williams, a spokeswoman in Philadelphia. "Details regarding those investigation cannot be provided because the accompanying affidavit is sealed."

In Delaware County, FBI agents had blocked off Kelli Lane leading to Charles P. Sexton Jr.'s Springfield house, and were removing at least one box and a bag of material from his home late this morning. Sexton, a long time ally of Weldon and a power in Delaware County GOP politics for more than three decades, is a business associate of Weldon's daughter.

The raids came three days after news broke that the FBI is investigating whether the Delaware County congressman used his influence to help his daughter, a registered lobbyist, win consulting contracts.

Weldon is being challenged by Fighting Dem, Joe Sestak.

To listen to his remarks, click here.

Good morning. This is Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania.

13 years ago, I wore the uniform of the United States Army for the first time. Over the following ten years, I rose through the ranks to become a Captain and a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne division.

When 9/11 happened it changed all our worlds and it changed mine.

On September 12th, I walked into my Commander's office at West Point and volunteered to join a combat unit. Within eight months I deployed to Bosnia. A year later I deployed to Baghdad.

I have seen first hand the right and wrong way to engage in war, and it’s clear that President Bush and this Republican Congress have it wrong. In Baghdad in 2003, I ran conveys up and down Ambush Alley in a Humvee without doors. 19 men in my unit never came home.

Now, more than three years after George Bush declared "mission accomplished," my fellow soldiers continue to die in Iraq without a clear mission, without benchmarks to determine success, and without a clear timeline for coming home.

Just yesterday, Anthony, a young Marine from Bucks County who was injured in Falluja and whose two best friends were killed in Iraq this past week, walked into my office and asked how he could help.

You see, Anthony, like most Americans, knows if we are going to keep American families safe we need a new direction. We need to implement all of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission. We need to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. And above all, we need to start bringing our troops home from Iraq and refocus on the real War on Terror.

Even our own national intelligence agencies have told us that the open-ended commitment in Iraq has made us less safe. Yet instead of changing course and implementing a real plan to win the War on Terror, President Bush and my opponent taunt patriotic Americans with phrases like "cut and run" and "stay the course." "Staying the course" isn't a strategy; it's a slogan. And leaving our troops in the middle of a civil war isn't resolute; it's reckless.

Under President Bush and this Republican Congress's watch, our country has become less safe - both domestically and abroad. We have seen the number of terrorist attacks increase around the world. We have seen North Korea and Iran - two members of the President's axis of evil - enhance their nuclear weapons capabilities. We've witnessed our military forces stretched dangerously thin and their readiness decline to levels not seen since Vietnam. We've seen the CIA shut down their Bin Laden unit. We have seen American diplomacy wane. And, as evident by the latest Republican scandal on Capitol Hill, we've seen Republican leaders in Washington show more interest in protecting their own party's political ambitions than ensuring the safety of our children.

We do not make America more secure by sticking our heads in the sand. Neglect will never make us safer, nor does disengagement and denial make our enemies less dangerous.

President Kennedy said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

One of the fundamental responsibilities of our government is to ensure the safety and security of all Americans, and we need leadership in Washington that is committed to this responsibility in every sense. This means recognizing that homeland security begins with hometown security. This means restoring the Bush Administration funding cuts that put more cops on our streets. This means making real investments to secure our borders and ports, and our chemical and nuclear plants.

America needs policies that are both tough and smart. This Administration and the "Do Nothing" Republican Congress have stood on the sidelines for too long as the situation has in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea has grown more dangerous. The American people and the world are craving a new direction and new leaders that will live up to these responsibilities.

I have no allusions that the path ahead will be easy. Whether it is bringing our troops home from Iraq, ending nuclear proliferation, or restoring American prestige, there are no easy answers. But I fought for an America who never shies from the challenges it faces and always rises to meet even its greatest threats.

We need leaders who understand that America faces real challenges in an ever more dangerous world. In my time in the United States Army, I was taught that true leaders tackle the toughest challenges head on. And when I am elected to the United States Congress, I will continue to do the same. I'm Patrick Murphy and I'm running for Congress because I believe we need to change the direction of our country.

Thank you for listening, and may God bless America.

“In far too many families with young children, both parents are working, when, if they really took an honest look at the budget, they might confess that both of them really don't need to, or at least may not need to work as much as they do” (Rick Santorum, It Takes A Family, Page 94)

Today, Democratic candidate Bob Casey has launched a new ad featuring Debbie Balcik, a working wife and mother, taking Senator Santorum to task for his radical, out-of-touch ideology.

There’s a reason why Americans can’t afford to spend more time with their families—politicians like Rick Santorum have spent their careers voting for special interests and against working families. For example, Senator Santorum’s shameful record on the minimum wage:

“Santorum has voted to stop increases in the minimum wage six times since 1995… feeling the political heat as another election draws near, Santorum tossed his own proposal to increase the minimum wage on the table – but one that would exempt up to 10 million workers from coverage by minimum wage and overtime laws and would even prohibit local and state governments from raising the base pay for employees receiving tips.”

And his shameful record on jobs:

“On March 16, Santorum voted against a [Senator Robert] Byrd (D-WV) amendment to the 2006 Congressional Budget Resolution to preserve Amtrak funding by closing corporate tax loopholes. That would have saved Amtrak and its 3,000 Pennsylvania employees from budget cuts. But with Rick Santorum’s help, the Byrd amendment failed 46-52”

And don’t forget his failed attempts to privatize Social Security:

“Santorum has not only been at the forefront of the effort to replace guaranteed benefits with ‘Wall Street Roulette’ for retirees, he’s been ahead of the pack in the push to slash Social Security benefits under the current system. In 1994 he made his view of the options clear:

‘You can raise taxes, you can cut benefits or you can push back the retirement age in the future…It is ridiculous that we have a retirement age in this country at age 65 today. ...Push it back to at least age 70… I'd go even farther if I could, but I don't think I could pass it.

Then, in 2002, he moved his goal from ending all benefits for retirees under the age of 70 to the goal of privatizing the system, claiming this:

‘There are three alternatives--raise taxes...cut benefits or...we could establish personal retirement accounts.’

Meanwhile, Senator Santorum voted to raise his own pay by $37,000 since he first took office, from $125,100 to $162,100. In addition, he stuck Pennsylvania taxpayers in Penn Hills with a $55,000 dollar tuition bill, even though he didn’t even live in their district and pulled his children out of their schools.

Then there is the fact that while Senator Santorum enjoys world-class health care — courtesy of the American taxpayer — he voted for President Bush’s 2007 budget, which will hike health care costs for Pennsylvania’s 2.2 million Medicate beneficiaries and jack up veteran’s health care premiums by 50%.

There’s a reason why Bob Casey is leading in the polls — while Rick Santorum’s radical conservatism has led him to vote against Pennsylvania’s working families time and time again, Bob Casey is standing up for the people of Pennsylvania:

“He has been a fiscal watchdog who made nursing homes safer, child care more affordable [and] government more accountable… Casey aggressively fought to stop waste and fraud involving tax dollars and improve the effectiveness of government services and agencies. His efforts directly resulted in changes that have saved Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $1 billion. He'll fight to end no-bid contracts, sweetheart deals, and wasteful spending…he will work to hold the administration accountable rather than being a rubber stamp for failed economic, fiscal, and foreign policies."

It’s time for a new direction in America: Bob Casey for Senate

Today I introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for the immediate resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The President must show the American people and the world that there is accountability for the mistakes that have made in the war in Iraq. We must restore our credibility with our allies and the world in order to effectively fight the global threat of terrorism.

Secretary Rumsfeld has failed in managing the military response to this threat and should be replaced with someone who is capable of not only recognizing the mistakes that have been made but addressing them head on for the good of our military and our great nation.

Read the full text of Rep. Murtha's resolution in the extended entry.