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Chowder and politics, Scranton-style (Al-Jazeera broadcast from Scranton)
tradingmarkets.com ^ | 10/3/08

Posted on 10/04/2008 6:15:49 PM PDT by Born Conservative

Oct 03, 2008 (The Times-Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX)-- On Thursday night, millions of television viewers around the globe caught a glimpse of something Northeast Pennsylvanians can see any night of the week: Scranton voters talking politics. However, local residents themselves will likely never see the footage of the live news show, broadcast on Al-Jazeera English from the upper room of Cooper's Seafood House in Scranton.

While the network is seen by an estimated 80 million people, it has almost no American viewers, but the fact the station chose Scranton as its locale to broadcast from on the night of the only vice presidential debate further supports how some pundits view the Electric City as a representative slice of the American Pie.

"Our goal is to make the international audience aware of what's going on here in America," producer Mariam Simpson, who flew in from Washington, D.C., on Monday to prepare for the show, explained afterward. The station has also broadcast from the Democratic and Republican national party conventions and is heading to Columbus, Ohio, next week for the second debate between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain.

Ms. Simpson scoped out several locations before deciding on Cooper's, and made dozens of calls to find the right people to represent Scranton to the world.

She chose Maggie Marriotti, Tom Egan and Kathy Moran for the panel.

All three are Catholic and pro-life, but the two women support Mr. Obama while Mr. Egan supports Mr. McCain.

(Excerpt) Read more at tradingmarkets.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: aljazeera; biden; debate; obama; pa2008; scranton
Scranton is Hillary country and very "blue"; they vote blue in all Presidential elections, and it's a blue collar area. However, there has been a lot of talk from Democrats in the area that they may switch their vote to McCain.

And just as John Kerry served in Vietnam, Joe Biden is from Scraton, in case you haven't heard that yet...

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSqnYvwV2JU

1 posted on 10/04/2008 6:15:49 PM PDT by Born Conservative
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To: Born Conservative

Scranton home to Joe Biden and Al-Jazeera.
Nice.


2 posted on 10/04/2008 6:20:33 PM PDT by donnab (some people use change to promote their careers...others use their careers to promote change.)
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To: Born Conservative

I went to the source, but I am confused as to who is doing what to whom.
Enlighten me. This artcle is incoherent.
Perhaps it’s me.


3 posted on 10/04/2008 6:25:58 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: donnab

Wow! That’s not the Scranton of my youth. My kid memory of the place is of being driven through the town in the family car at night and seeing the massive slag heaps smoldering like the devil’s own barbeque. It looked a little like the opening scene out of Blade Runner, minus the spinners.


4 posted on 10/04/2008 6:30:24 PM PDT by 6SJ7 (Welcome PUMAs!)
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To: acapesket

Al-Jazeera came to Scranton on the night of the VP debate, probably had the 3 “panelists” watch the debate at Cooper’s (a seafood restaurant), and then interviewed them. I’m sure the Muslim world is rooting for Obama (for more reasons than 1), so they probably picked Scranton, since Biden is playing up that he was born there.


5 posted on 10/04/2008 7:04:49 PM PDT by Born Conservative (Visit my blog: Chronic Positivity - http://chronicpositivity.com)
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To: Born Conservative
That's what I thought. Why would a town let 3 Cafeteria Catholics set the precedence at the door? A Blue collar city allowing Al Jazeera to take advanage of them like that?
I find it AMAZING!
6 posted on 10/04/2008 7:13:14 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: Born Conservative
So Ol' Joe got his friends to "kick up some interviewin'" to divert attention from the inaction at Katie's Restaurant?

HF

7 posted on 10/05/2008 12:43:18 AM PDT by holden
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To: acapesket

Back in 1999 I was in Scranton all night for a business meeting the next day. I went to a well known eatery for breakfast the next morning. While waiting for my eggs and coffee, a couple of guys in black suits came in, talked to the owner and began coming down the counter. They told me the restaurant would be closed to me in about a half hour. The owner came to me sheepishly, gave me my breakfast and coffee to go and said it was on the house. I was dazed, picked my food and drink up and was heading to the door with three other guys. It hit me that all four of us were in suits, well dressed and obviously businessmen. That night, I was setting in the bar of my hotel and saw the news. Al Gore had come to the diner and was canoodling with the customers, ALL OF WHOM WERE IN BASEBALL CAPS, JEANS AND FLANNEL SHIRTS. Old Al wanted Amerika to see the poor, nonworking people of Scranton.


8 posted on 10/05/2008 1:23:55 AM PDT by Safetgiver (Lord, I'll give to the poor when they stop wanting to be poor.)
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To: Safetgiver

Not at all surprising.

Read this (from a self-described “left wing radical”, Steve Corbett): http://wilknetwork.com/Pass-The-Baloney—Barack/2926549


9 posted on 10/05/2008 4:27:00 PM PDT by Born Conservative (Visit my blog: Chronic Positivity - http://chronicpositivity.com)
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