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POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY is knocking on Pennsylvania’s door, and Keystone State residents are taking full advantage.
The distinct prospect of having a defining voice in the presidential campaign has engaged more Pennsylvanians than ever before.
Consider these points:
• An unprecedented number of voters statewide have registered.
• Democratic Party registration has swelled, thanks to the showdown between two trailblazing candidates.
• Locally, an astounding 3,100 absentee ballots were requested in Luzerne County this year, and more than 5,800 new voters have registered since the Nov. 6 general election.
• And the drama will continue. John McCain, the presumptive Republican Party candidate, is getting a pass during our primary election this week, but Pennsylvania should be a key player again in November.
The politicians are talking, and voters are acutely attuned.
For Northeastern Pennsylvania, the attention has been compounded. Former President Bill Clinton journeyed twice to Wilkes-Barre to speak on behalf of his wife. Never before has a former president taken such an interest.
Earlier this month, both Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama came to the Diamond City on the same day to woo voters. Now a young professional, Chelsea Clinton was here for a different event. Not to be outdone, Obama’s supporters locally are visible, active and genuinely enthusiastic.
Scranton, our neighbor to the north, has seen even more campaigning. Hillary Clinton, who’s been to the city three times so far, was the centerpiece of the city’s legendary St. Patrick’s Day parade. Not to be outdone, Obama spoke to the Friendly Daughters of St. Patrick that same week.
Of course, both cities shook off the dust again when the “old coal town” label was cast by the national media hounds, who forget President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House when coal was king.
Locally, the political chatter is seemingly nonstop.
At the convenience stores, customers talk about which candidate might lower budget-busting fuel prices. Outside the Osterhout Free Library on Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, friendly campaigners promote their candidates to patrons. Political banter now has become common even on Public Square.
Democracy doesn’t get any better than this, folks. Voters are engaged, encouraged and excited. Luzerne County residents are discussing the issues, dissecting the two Democratic contenders and checking out McCain’s record and heroic past.
Pennsylvania’s a player, and Northeastern Pennsylvania figures prominently in the equation.
It’s all about the math, according to G. Terry Madonna, who ranks among the state’s most respected analysts. He noted the state’s 188 delegates – 103 of them elected out of congressional districts – are the largest prize remaining in primaries.
The last time the state was decisive, he said, was in 1976 when a coalition of labor party leaders, committed to Henry “Scoop” Jackson, failed to stop Jimmy Carter from winning Pennsylvania.
It’s our time again, and the Democrats are knocking – loudly. Tune in Tuesday to see who we let in.

Democracy doesn’t get any better than this, folks. Voters are engaged, encouraged and excited.