Growing up, I could hardly wait for Independence Day - it meant a trip to the country and Uncle Shorty's farm - mouth-watering, finger-lickin', authentic Kansas City barbeque ribs and running around the big farm house, sparklers in-hand, singing "It's A Grand Old Flag". Just as it was getting dark, Uncle Shorty would shout out "ice cold watermelon, gitcher ice cold watermelon!" My cousins and I would come running to eat our watermelon and watch the fireworks display at the drive-in picture theater a few miles down the road.

Those memories will always make Independence Day one of my favorite holidays.

As we approach this 4th of July - I can't help but think of how proud I am to be an American and how proud I am to be a Democrat this year - more so than ever before. And what a privilege it is for me to be a member of this Party in the birthplace of our Nation.

Making history means making memories. Our Party has certainly been doing our share of that. From January to June, from sea to shining sea, across amber waves of grain, Americans engaged in the democratic process, registered and voted in record-setting numbers in OUR Democratic primaries. In the Keystone State alone, we now have over a million more Democrats than Republicans. The same thing is going to happen in November and the Democratic Party will continue to make history. As a Democrat, an American and a proud Pennsylvanian, I just don't know how it gets any better.

Uncle Shorty must have taken his rib recipe with him to heaven, but I've been trying to perfect a new one for years. Friends I have shared this with tell me it's terrific. Although, for me, no ribs will ever taste the same as Uncle Shorty's. And since I really did grow up in Kansas City, we can call them authentic KC BBQ Ribs.

Let me know how they turn out for you. And if you like my rib recipe, why don't you tell me so by clicking on this link and contributing $7.04. Heck, for that matter, just lie to me about the ribs and contribute $7.04 to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party anyway.

Happy 4th of July fellow Democrats! I look forward to making history and memories with you this year.

Best,

Mary Isenhour, Executive Director

Mary's Authentic KC BBQ Ribs
¼ c of dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 tablespoon salt
3 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
5-6 lbs ribs (IPrefer country pork ribs)
Wood chip - I like hickory
BBQ sauce (see below)

The evening before, mix together all dry ingredients. Rub generously over the ribs and place in pan, cover with foil and place in refrigerator.

On the morning of the 4th of July, remove ribs from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Soak wood chips in water.

Bring grill to a temperature on low fire - 200 to 250 degrees. Place wood chips in foil pan and place on grill. Place ribs on grill and cook for approximately 5 hours. During the last 30-40 minutes of cooking, slather ribs with your favorite barbeque sauce or use the recipe below.

If I can't get home to Kansas City to purchase one of my favorite KC BBQ sauces, I'll whip this recipe up for my ribs.

Mary's Authentic KC BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 white onion diced
½ cup ketchup
2 cans of diced tomatoes - chili or Mexican style such as Rotel
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup of dark molasses
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (more if you want a real kick)
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire

Melt the butter with the olive oil over a medium heat. Sautee the garlic and onion until just soft.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Let cool and transfer to food processor to puree.

To anyone who missed the state committee meeting in Camp Hill last weekend - bad move!

Sure, we had another series of our top-shelf training seminars. And sure we had the guys from our Web team interviewing attendees and finding out what they think the next five months will be like. And sure, we had a great BBQ dinner indoors, so that nobody melted.

Click here to see interviews with State Committee members, candidates and elected officials.

But you know what else we had? We had Ed Rendell and Bob Casey.

That's right, the Governor and the Senator both stopped by this weekend to say hello to the Democratic troops and talk a little bit about the long primary season and the upcoming general election.

Click here to watch Governor Rendell's speech to the State Committee.

As you know, unless you've been living in a cave, Governor Rendell and Senator Casey supported different candidates for President. But both came to State Committee to call for the Party to unify behind our candidate, Barack Obama.

Click here to watch Senator Casey's call for unity at State Committee.

The Governor and the Senator are right on the money. It was a long, tough primary battle, but now we need to come together. While we may disagree as to which candidate is the most qualified, we can all agree that John McCain will be nothing but a Bush clone in office.

The Governor gave Clinton supporters ten days from the Primary until tomorrow, Saturday, June 14, to be upset. Then, it's back to work electing Democrats up and down the ticket. And as Senator Casey said, whoever wins Pennsylvania will win the Presidency.

It just so happens that June 14 is Flag Day. So on that tenth day, June 14, as you raise your American flag, help us raise some money by visiting PADems.com and contributing 10 dollars to the Party. Lets show Bush and McCain that they don't own our flag or the rights on patriotism. Let's show them it's our country too, and we're going to take it back by electing Barack Obama our next president.

Click here to invest 10 dollars in a Democratic win in Pennsylvania.

This is the most important election in the new century. So let's all get out there and make sure it's a win for our nation and the Democratic Party.

Thank you for all that you do every day.

As we approach the end of the primary season, it's important to realize how fortunate the Democratic Party is to have two great leaders to choose from to serve as our nominee.

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama each have the skills and aptitude to lead this nation with dignity. Either candidate can improve our standing in the world as we suffer through the end of George W. Bush's failed second term. Unfortunately, our national security has been seriously weakened by President Bush's failed foreign and economic policies, his tragic misadventure in Iraq and his lack of a comprehensive energy policy to reduce our dependence on expensive, foreign oil.

While Sen. John McCain's military record is beyond reproach and he will always be an American hero, we are concerned his vision for a better America falls short of America's expectations and represents a third Bush term, harmful for our districts.

This is why it is absolutely imperative that when the nominee is selected by the will of the people, we can all back the winner this fall with all of our energy and enthusiasm. Our nation is at a critical crossroads. We will be choosing between the tired and failed policies of the past or fresh, new ideas from our Democratic candidate.

The Republican leadership in Washington remains out of touch with reality and with Pennsylvanians. Working families deserve a leader that not only understands their daily struggles and sacrifices but someone who is willing to act to make their lives easier. That's the fundamental difference between our two Democratic candidates and the Republican status quo.

While each of us backed a different opponent in the primary, we are solidly unified in our goal to elect a Democrat to the White House and have pledged our individual support for the winner regardless of who he or she may be. Fortunately, the real winners will be Pennsylvanians and Americans who deserve better than a third Bush term.

Sincerely,

Rep. Joe Sestak (7th District)
Rep. Patrick Murphy (8th District)

P.S. Visit Cellphones for Soldiers and find out how you can help the men and women of our armed forces stationed overseas stay in contact with their families. And check out Rep. Murphy at www.murphy08.com and Rep. Sestak at www.sestakforcongress.com.

With the presidential nominating process coming to a close, we want to share our message of unity for the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania as we gear up to work tirelessly this Fall to elect a Democrat to the White House.

While we were on different sides of the presidential primary in Pennsylvania last month, one thing is for sure: We are unified today to make sure that Democrats win in November.

While the primary demonstrated that there are differences between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, those differences pale in comparison to how different we are as Democrats from what John McCain brings to the race.

In the state House, we are working to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, invest in public education and make affordable health insurance available to all Pennsylvanians. We know that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton share our values as Pennsylvania Democrats and will help us accomplish these objectives for the 12.5 million Pennsylvanians who count on us.

We also know that President Bush and John McCain offer more of the same political rhetoric that has led to record gas prices, the war in Iraq, the under-funded and poorly constructed "No Child Left Behind" law, and a health care system designed for and by the special interests. Sen. John McCain has no real plan to deal with these challenges and instead offers little more than a third Bush term.

With only three Democratic primaries left it is important to realize just how much work we have ahead in making sure that a Democrat is elected to the White House in November. It will be a hard fought race here in Pennsylvania as we are again a key battleground state. But if we work together as Democrats, we will triumph.

I hope you will join us as we unify as a party and look toward November with great hope and optimism as we work hard to elect a Democrat to the White House.

Sincerely,

Rep. Josh Shapiro (153rd District)
Rep. Eugene DePasquale (95th District)

As we approach the final stretch of what has been the most exciting nomination process in recent history, one thing is for certain: Each of our stellar candidates will be ready to assume the presidency from the first day in office and promises to perform much better than what we've had in this country for the past eight years.

The failed policies of the Bush Administration will be behind us and either Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama will be in the White House if we make sure everyone is on board this fall as we muster all of our support and enthusiasm behind the Democratic nominee.

While we worked diligently for our respective candidates this past spring in Pennsylvania, we strongly agree that each of us will support the Democratic nominee and will campaign tirelessly across the Commonwealth for him or her. Make no mistake about it, we care deeply about Pennsylvania and the nation. We are mired in an unpopular war that is costing us $12 billion a month and affecting us dramatically at the gas pumps as Pennsylvanians continue to pay astronomical amounts per gallon. We are also staunchly against further tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while our working families continue to struggle with health care costs or continue to exist without it. And we are ready to begin a new period of economic prosperity in Pennsylvania as Bush and his tired leadership begins to fade.

Unfortunately, a clone of Bush is ready to take his place in Sen. John McCain. We simply cannot afford a third Bush term in McCain. He offers no solutions for Iraq, except to commit to another 100 years, and he flip-flopped on Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest. John McCain is not the straight talker that he projects himself to be. We won't be fooled by his Double Talk express that has rolled into many of our communities. Instead, we promise to work together to ensure that we don't elect "McSame" this fall.

In fact, we promise to work together to ensure we elect a Democrat.

Now, we need your help. As we move forward as a unified Democratic Party, let us agree that as Democrats we have a responsibility to our state and our nation to work tirelessly for our nominee. We have one million more Democrats than Republicans in Pennsylvania. Apparently, our friends and neighbors feel very strongly about the Democratic Party and have made their voices known by either switching from another party or registering for the first time. That alone should inspire us.

As the top elected officials in Pennsylvania, we promise to lead our troops this fall in a UNIFIED fashion that will bring home another resounding victory for the Keystone State, for our nominee and for our country.

Sincerely,
Governor Edward G. Rendell
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.

We knew that this was going to be a historic election year, and so far it's safe to say it is living up to our expectations. Pennsylvania has made its preference known, and now the remaining states will do so and we'll go on to declare a nominee at the convention in Denver. In the meantime, we'll be building Pennsylvania more and more blue so the Democratic nominee knows they have a stronghold in the Fall. But we need your leadership on every street, block and town.

But it's important to remember that the Presidency isn't the only office up for election this year. We have three statewide row offices that are generating a lot of enthusiasm. Auditor General Jack Wagner is seeking re-election, while Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli is poised to become the state's Attorney General. And let's not forget state Treasurer candidate Rob McCord who won an impressive victory in last month's primary election.

These statewide candidates, along with our Congressional and General Assembly candidates, will be campaigning hard this year and carrying the Democratic banner all the way to Election Day. We need to make sure we offer them all the help and support they need. So make sure you invite those candidates to all of your county functions, contribute to their campaigns and go out and volunteer to help them spread the Democratic message.

Together, we will continue the tremendous momentum of the past three years and build Pennsylvania and the nation blue. Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,
T.J. Rooney, Chair

While Sen. Clinton deserves to be congratulated for her victory in the Pennsylvania primary, I also want to commend Sen. Obama for running a strong campaign in the Keystone State that brought so many new voters into the process.

Pennsylvania, with its 21 electoral votes, will be a key state for the eventual winner of the Democratic nomination.

We look forward to a stronger and more unified Party once we collectively take a deep breath and begin to organize against a third Bush term in John McCain.

In addition, the Party wishes to congratulate Rob McCord who became our Democratic nominee for state Treasurer. He joins the fine ticket with Auditor General Jack Wagner and John Morganelli, our next Attorney General.

With a voter registration edge of more than one million Democratic voters in Pennsylvania, we will bring resounding victories home in the fall."

Today is Election Day in Pennsylvania! Make sure you vote!

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. all throughout the state. And while this is an exciting day that will undoubtedly bring more Democrats to the polls than any other primary election in recent history, we should be very respectful at the polls to both sides and thank them for being so vocal and passionate about Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

Without a doubt, either of these stellar candidates will make a much better President of the United States than George W. Bush has, and either will be ready from day one to make the changes our nation needs. Senator Clinton or Senator Obama will assume their office ready to tackle ending the War in Iraq, improving our economy and lowering our exorbitant fuel prices.

Either candidate will make a much better candidate for President than Sen. John McCain, or as we refer to him, ?the third Bush term.? He is a flawed candidate who is wrong on Iraq, wrong on the economy and wrong on health care for all Pennsylvanians. He has already shown to be wishy-washy and weak on immigration reform, campaign finance reform and the failed Bush tax cuts.

McCain?s record is the bad news. The good news is that once a nominee is secured, we will have more than 50,000 Neighborhood Leaders in place thanks to the DNC?s 50-State Partnership.

So after Pennsylvania and after the Democratic nominee emerges, our work as organizers and supporters must continue for the sake of our families, Pennsylvania and the nation. We need to unite behind him or her enthusiastically and ensure that we bring home a major victory for the Democratic Party.

--- Abe Amorós, Executive Director

I?m happy to announce that this year?s convention was a success! Chapters from schools all across the state traveled to the City of Brotherly Love for a weekend of trainings, speakers, Democratic fun and the occasional run to the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?s steps.

Thanks to each and every College Democrat who was involved in this event, especially the convention committee. Without your planning, help, attendance and participation, this year?s event would have never been possible. I hope the excitement that we felt this weekend will continue well into November and beyond! That said, I hope everyone will register for the College Democrats of America's National Convention in Denver from August 22-24, and some of it continuing into the DNC (see www.collegedems.com for more information)!

At convention, we also elected the 2008-2009 Executive Board. The leadership will change hands on April 23rd, after the Pennsylvania Primary. In the capable hands of the board, I am sure that the Pennsylvania College Democrats will continue to flourish and made a difference in the lives of Pennsylvania voters. I am pleased to announce the new board:

• Deb Hinchey (Temple University), President
• Jim Sheppard (University of Pittsburgh), Western Region Vice President
• Sean Meloy (Penn State University), Central Region Vice President
• Mary Alice Scott (Franklin & Marshall College), Eastern Region Vice President
• Joe Day (Carnegie Mellon University), Director of Finance
• Weston Fillman (Franklin & Marshall College), Director Communications
• Keith Davis (Temple University), Director of Membership
• Jana Stec (University of Pittsburgh), Director of Political Affairs
Gregory Kauffman (Lebanon Valley College), State Council Chair

On a personal note, this year has been an amazing ride. I hope to follow Governor Rendell?s advice and ?Stay and Invent PA? for quite some time, so please feel free to call on me if I can be of service. Pennsylvania is an amazing place to be a student, a voter and a Democrat and I can?t wait to see what a future here holds. My own special ?thank you? goes out to everyone who has made our success possible. This especially includes the PA Democratic Party and those members past and present whose partnerships have helped us so much: Chairman TJ Rooney, Mary Isenhour, Abe Amoros, Fadia Halma, and Dr. Don Morabito. You are all true assets to the commonwealth.

-- Rachel Moore, Pennsylvania College Democrats President

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and all of its members, I
express our heartfelt and sincere well wishes for Senator Arlen Specter as he
once again battles courageously against Hodgkin?s Disease.

He has been a fighter for Pennsylvania during his years of service in the
U.S. Senate and has fought back once before against this terrible disease
that afflicts millions of Americans.

In the spirit of bipartisanship and as proud Pennsylvanians, we wish him
nothing but the very best as he continues to embody the fighting spirit that
has made the Keystone State so proud of him and his many accomplishments
throughout all of his years of public service.

We will keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers for as long as
it takes for him to once again come away victorious from this disease.