OnBackground

O'Malley/Brown Tout Anti-Union Climate

2008-07-11T17:33:00.000-04:00

The state Department of Business and Economic Development's web site is apparently all about drawing businesses to the great state of Maryland by touting how bad things are for working people who want to organize to improve their standard of living.

In a page headlined by the smiling faces of Governor O'Malley and LG Brown businesses considering relocating to Maryland are offered a "very favorable labor climate." Do Messrs O'Malley and Brown think a favorable labor climate is one in which working people are discouraged from organizing for fair treatment, living wages, and a voice at work?

Union Participation
While not a "right-to-work" (RTW) state, Maryland offers businesses a very favorable labor climate.

A quality workforce supplies a great resource, key to achieving corporate goals.
The percentage of private sector union membership in Maryland is 7.2 percent, which is lower than the national average of 7.5 percent and lower than most northeast and midwest states.
13.8 percent of the state's private sector manufacturing workers are union members, a lower percentage than two of the RTW states, as well as other states including New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
(Source: Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.)

An analysis of companies new to Maryland from 1990 to 2001 (excluding firms that were already unionized upon their entry to the state and firms with fewer than 25 workers) reveals that:

Only two percent of the over 3,200 companies were petitioned by unions.
Half of Maryland's counties experienced no petitions for union elections.
Unions won representation rights for only one percent of the total new firms during the period analyzed.
Although petitions were filed most frequently in the services and manufacturing industries, unions won representation rights in just four percent of new Maryland manufacturing firms.

Duck for Congress

2007-07-30T12:32:00.001-04:00

Call me a skeptic, but I've wondered how Iraq War vet Andrew Duck thinks he can unseat right wing curmudgeon Rep. Roscoe Bartlett in Maryland's 6th Congressional District. In short, this is one of the most conservative parts of our state and Bartlett seems well entrenched.

I had a chance to talk with this energetic, down-to-earth candidate recently and found that Andrew Duck may just be the next Congressman from the 6th District. Duck cites his 20 years service to our nation in the Army, his local roots, and a host of moderate stands on the issues that should appeal to the voters of western Maryland. He points to his strong numbers challenging Bartlett last year, to his ability to convince voters that he'll be the best representative once his message reaches them, and to the strong early pledges of support he's receiving from state and national party leaders. Duck may just be able to win this.

And Maryland, as well as the nation, need Duck to replace Bartlett, one of the most conservative and erratic members whose presence in the House blocks progress.

Reports are coming in that Ex-Cumberland mayor Frank Nethken (R) is entering the race to challenge Bartlett. While Scott Rolle proved with his energetic, charismatic, conservative campaign that a primary challenge to Bartlett is unlikely to succeed, a Republican former elected official attacking the incumbent before the primary could give Duck a boost.

Duck faces a tough fight, but he can really only win it if enough people consider this their fight and support him directly. So, if you've got a few bucks or some time, how 'bout sharing with Andrew Duck at DuckforCongress.org.

Got a Bad Boss?

2007-07-24T16:16:00.000-04:00

Have some complaints about your supervisor? Share them with the world:

Work For a Jerk? You’re Not Alone
Overwhelming Response Prompts Bad Boss Contest Sequel
http://www.workingamerica.org/badboss/
Winner with Worst Boss to Receive Free Vacation Package

(Washington, July 24) - - Building on last year’s runaway success, Working America is launching its second My Bad Boss contest today, www.workingamerica.org/badboss/, asking Americans to vent about the **!#*!@*’s that sign their paychecks.

My Bad Boss 2.0 officially kicks off to the public today, July 24, though there are already stories on the site from Working America members. For the next six weeks anyone can submit their stories online and visitors to the web site can vote on the best – or is that worst – tales from the workplace and reward the most abused workers with what many of them need most - a vacation.

Last year’s contest clearly touched a nerve. During the six-week contest, nearly 50,000 votes were cast and the site had two million page views. More than 5,000 stories were submitted online in the contest.

Working America, the 1.6-million member community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, brings together workers who don’t have unions on the job and gives them a powerful voice on the issues that matter to them most. The first Bad Boss contest came about when they began hearing from their members about mistreatment in the workplace.

“We knew there was a problem out there, but we have been really stunned by the extent of it,” said Karen Nussbaum, director of Working America. “While many of the stories are funny – at least to the reader – many are painful, even tragic. They all drive home the point that unless they have a union, working people have virtually no rights on the job.”

Each week the online votes will be tallied and a finalist announced for the contest. Two grand-prize winners will each receive a vacation package and all finalists will get Working America’s sort-of-patented “Bad Boss Survival” kit, complete with earplugs to tune out the yelling, a rear-view mirror to see the boss coming, and other assorted goodies. All entries are anonymous. There will also be:The Bad Boss Quiz
Name that Bad Boss
Commentary from celebrities, including actress Jane Fonda and Robert Sutton, author of “The No Asshole Rule” and radio host Jackie Guerra.

For complete contest details and entries please see http://www.workingamerica.org/badboss/.

Unofficial Obama Video

2007-06-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

A new video by an Obama supporter is brilliant. After viewing it I couldn't decide if she’s promoting herself or her product (those t-shirts) and using what she rightly imagines will be hits she’ll get from his supporters, or if she’s a supporter who’s using her image to make being an Obama fan seem cool. If you look at her site, it's hard to decide because she's selling the song and t-shirts, but she also seems to be really promoting the candidate.

Things are getting interesting in public involvement in campaigns. It's amazing what we'll come up with when we get a chance to use our creativity and initiative, rather than just responding to the latest email "action alert" or other cookie cutter request from a candidate or organization.

Bartlett Declares

2007-06-05T15:00:00.000-04:00

National Journal's House Race Hotline reports that annoying conservative Roscoe Bartlett will run for another term. Challenges from Andrew Duck (D) and a Republican ex-Mayor are expected to the outlier in the Maryland congressional delegation.

No "Vacancy"
"In an attempt to lay retirement rumors to rest," Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R) filed papers last week to seek a 9th term. "A vacancy ... would probably set off a huge scramble" on the GOP side, with Bartlett's son, state Del. Joseph Bartlett (R) "among those in contention." But the elder Bartlett "probably can hold the seat for as long as he wants it." He will have "at least one" GOP primary challenger in ex-Cumberland Mayor Frank Nethken, and '06 nominee/Iraq war vet. Andrew Duck (D) "is expected to try again" in '08 (Kurtz, Roll Call, 6/5).

Nice touch

2007-05-31T12:37:00.000-04:00

CQPolitics.com, commenting on the entry of fmr Sen. Fred Thompson to the presidential race, mentions a good shot the DNC took on him:

Thompson probably will face tough questions about his tenure as a lobbyist and also grapple with accusations that he had a thin legislative resume as a senator. Responding to news that Thompson is preparing an official campaign, the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday released what it called a “backgrounder” on Thompson’s “major legislative accomplishments.” The page was completely blank.

Rockville Mayoral

2007-05-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

While most political junkies in Maryland are lining up for next year's the presidential primary election, and many locally are eager to learn about Donna Edwards challenge to Al Wynn in the 4th Congressional District next February, local races are heating up for this fall.

In March, youthful Mayor Larry Giammo surprised political observers by announcing that he wouldn't run for reelection as head of one of the largest cities in both Montgomery County and Maryland. That set off a furious scramble to succeed him.

Today at 12:30 PM at Rockville City Hall Drew Powell will kick of his campaign for Mayor, touting prominent supporters and speaking "about issues facing the city, solutions and his vision for a more citizen-friendly Rockville." Powell has been a key leader in the effort to make Montgomery County government more accountable and transparent, while exposing developer influence and financing of candidates in Montgomery County, as chair of Neighbors for a Better Montgomery.

Other candidates to succeed the mayor, include Silver Spring marketing staff/Rockville City Council member Susan Hoffman.

Words have already started flying...

Fake Job Interview (Presidential Ad)

2007-05-10T16:33:00.000-04:00

This is kind of funny for a presidential tv ad. Well done. Atypical enough to get some attention.

Sarcastic Wednesday

2007-04-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

Funny audio about how much we love our jobs.

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=2490462393260M193923335Y&product_id=

Straight Talk from the Boss

2007-04-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

Check out this funny Hallmark card (hat tip to the Change to Win blog) -- Interview with an honest boss

Maryland Roundup

2007-03-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

The front page of today's Examiner in an uncharacteristic piece, has a bold headline and story touting research asserting that spending on the Intercounty Connector toll highway will suck funds away (http://www.examiner....) from not only the proposed Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transitway, but important transportation projects to deal with new residents from base realignment (http://www.gazette.n...).

In other statewide news, the House of Delegates last week pushed forward an effort to expand state health coverage in Maryland by doubling the tobacco tax (http://www.gazette.n....) and the Maryland Court of Appeals is rumored to be preparing to rule in favor of marriage rights for all (http://mocopolitics....).

Locally, the Montgomery County Civic Federation has some scathing commentary on its site about the Board of Education and other matters (http://www.montgomer...). Also, recently Republican activist and perennial candidate Steve Abrams, no longer welcome in that party, is trying to become a Democrat in time for the next election. Given his efforts to get former Montgomery County Council President Tom Perez kicked off of last year's AG ballot, his racial remarks in the context of a physical confrontation with another Republican last year, and his generally disruptive activities, it seems likely that this opportunistic party switch won't lead to a warm welcome from Democrats or help him hold onto a Montgomery County school board seat ( http://www.gazette.n...).

Nationally, Maryland Reps. Steny Hoyer (http://www.cqpolitic... )and Chris Van Hollen (http://www.cqpolitic... ) are plowing big bucks into the 2008 effort to support Democratic incumbents and win new seats in the House.

In other Maryland-relevant news, former Sen. John Breaux is facing questions about his eligibility to run for governor of Louisiana because he votes now in Maryland (http://www.cqpolitic...), state Sen. Paul Pinsky gets a national mention for MD's progress toward public financing of elections to return control of state government to the people (http://www.cqpolitic...) and local trivia makes it onto CQ Politics' blog (http://www.cqpolitic...).

Big Brother

2007-03-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

Dollars Coming and Going

2007-01-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

The Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute has a preliminary analysis of the Governor’s budget that goes into a bit more detail than what the administration released or the papers ran.

Speaking of taxes, the Post reminded us recently how backward our state tax structure is:

What's needed, as we've written before, is a top-to-bottom revision of Maryland's obsolete tax system, conceived in the 1960s and barely updated since then. The elements of such an overhaul might include a more progressive personal income tax, since the current one is virtually flat and therefore favors the rich; tougher corporate income tax collections to eliminate shelters; an increase in the gas tax, last raised 15 years ago, to yield badly needed funding for the state's roads and mass transit; and a levy on services, most of which remain inexplicably untaxed even though they constitute the backbone of Maryland's economy.

More detail about how Maryland’s taxes are taking a bigger bite out of the budgets of low- and middle income taxpayers than the wealthy is available by clicking on Maryland at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. With new Comptroller Peter Franchot promising to be a champion for progressive policy and the advocates at Progressive Maryland on the job, surely tax and budget policy that serves all Marylanders is coming our way.

Former Montgomery County Council President Tom Perez has been nominated by the Governor to be Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, an post important to the working families of the state (hat tip to Steve Fine).

Mouth Revolution

2007-01-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

Take action

2010

2007-01-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski turned 70 in 2006. While this might mean nothing, the fact that she'd be 78 at the end of another term (and the lack of competitive races in Maryland in 2008) has restarted the perennial speculation about whether she might retire. Names bandied about as potential challengers for her seat, should she retire are:

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore: with a deep wellspring of respect from his work in the civil rights movement and as a Member of Congress, the likelihood of multiple candidates from the DC area, and the recent complaints by MD African Americans that Democrats take them for granted, makes him a prime candidate.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County is young, ambitious, and while chairing the DCCC over the next two years will build relationships that could serve him in good stead should he choose to run for Senate. As he develops contacts in the House, however, he could see a future in leadership there that would make moving on less attractive (a la Steny Hoyer).

Former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan is unlikely to be interested in serving in Congress, but given his relative youth and the strong relationships he built in his brief gubernatorial bid, could be a contender.

Rep. Al Wynn of Prince George's County has long been trying to build a base of big money donors to run for Senate. After his near defeat at the hands of a little known challenger this past cycle and his lack of statewide credibility, he is unlikely to be a serious contender for the Senate seat in 2010.

Former Ann Arundel County Executive Janet Owens could always emerge as a candidate but is seen as less likely to do so or to really set the campaign on fire, just as former Baltimore County Executive and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger would be a solid but unlikely candidate. Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson was rocked by a serious challenge in the last cycle, so he's less likely to be maneuvering for the Senate but if things change he might be looking for a new job at the end of his second term so anything could happen. Of course there may be ambitious execs elsewhere in the state, but it's hard to imagine the new Howard County Exec, new Balto Mayor Dixon, or a host of others really being contenders. A lot can happen in four years, but what do you know or suspect now?

mOSTLY fLUFF

2006-12-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

CQPolitics has a piece on Chris Van Hollen's new role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that recycles things most of us have heard, but reminds us that: "If Van Hollen has any major challenge for his upcoming tenure, it is that the big Democratic gains of 2006 surely will be impossible to duplicate." After this year, only holding most Dem seats and increasing the number will earn Van Hollen wide acclaim, though insiders will consider him effective if the slippage is minimal. Given a number of the seats Dems will want to hold despite a 2004 vote for Bush and how tied this election will be to the presidential, that's a tall order, even for someone with his abilities. He was very on-message in the interview, so he wouldn't talk about expectations or strategies, besides emphasizing the importance of Congressional Democratic leaders to deliver on campaign promises in winning for 2008.

A Sun piece on Ike Leggett is similarly unenlightening to people who've been reading about him for the last few years (though Baltimore folks might need the 101 on the new MoCo Exec). You've got to like the comment of Blair Lee though: "Political graveyards are full of people who have misinterpreted his nice-guy demeanor as political weakness." Readers who are hoping from big things from the Executive are reminded by the Sun that: "In Montgomery County, the real power of government lies with the County Council."

It should be an interesting four years, as MoCo Politics notes. Maybe the hottest topic in state politics lately has been about the death penalty, though the budget, wages, transportation, and health care are likely to take on some prominence next year.

And have you noticed that New Hampshire north of the Beltway (DC, that is) is named after soon-to-be-former-Sen. Ida Ruben?

Ouch. Not THAT way...

2006-12-12T14:01:00.000-05:00

The headline in today's Post Metro section can't have been what Ike Leggett was shooting for: "Leggett Repeats Call For Gas Tax Increase."

When it first came up during the campaign, many remembered how then-VA Gov. Warner had spun his move to raise taxes to fund sorely needed transportation infrastructure, particularly in gridlock-plagued Northern Virginia. It was disappointing that candidate Leggett did not manage to effectively make that same case for needed infrastructure that would help businesses, commuters, the environment, etc. Somehow the article before the primary screamed about the suggestion of a tax increase, and then gave the reasons behind it in a whisper.

Now it's obvious that Leggett talked about why the tax was needed, and it may well just be that the Post writer heard magic words about raising taxes and wrote her article around them. In the end, it may well be that an issue of this magnitude has to be worked a little harder before you say the magic words that can all too easily rally opposition (or fear in the hearts of policymakers), so that it doesn't go in the wrong direction. Perhaps you need a commission or a study: maybe leaders need to agonize a bit about the problem and the costs of the solutions, then agree to bite the bullet after lining up the support they need.

The actual announcement needs work, too. Quotes like the following can't be allowed to stand alone. "I believed it then, and I believe it now," Leggett said yesterday. "We need to increase the gasoline tax." Simply put, if you give a reporter free standing quotes with punch like that, you are begging to be quoted. It has to be structured so that the rationale leads the scary part -- in the same sentence so they can't be separated in the coverage.

We absolutely need to fix our growing transportation problems. We need to build more transit options with a focus on rail, secure dedicated funding for Metro, build the Purple Line, and even fix and improve some roads. Most Montgomery County residents, and lots of Marylanders generally, know this and, if pitched correctly, would even agree to pay more to get out of the traffic nightmare we're living. And with Roger Berliner, Mike Miller, and others agreeing that something needs to be done, it's certainly possible to do so. If we have to come up with more money to fix our problems, let's say so clearly and effectively.

Chalk on Walk

2006-11-27T11:09:00.000-05:00

More at http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7567 Thanks Kathleen, for the link!

From Hubble

2006-11-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to Thomas Nephew for this great image:

Hubble mosaic image of Crab Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll
(Arizona State University)

When Not Being Endorsed is Good News

2006-10-31T12:47:00.000-05:00

You may have read about the Post's recent endorsement of Bobby haircut for governor, and of a number of odd birds for local office. Well an an anonymous reader sent an interesting piece our way.

The campaign of Marc Elrich breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when it learned that the Washington Post had NOT endorsed Elrich for Montgomery County Council. “It looks like we’ve dodged a bullet,” said Dale Tibbitts, Elrich’s campaign manager, adding that, by escaping the endorsement, Elrich’s reputation for independent thinking and working on behalf of citizens’ interests would remain intact.

The campaign received a similar boost during the Democratic primary when neither the Post nor the Gazette endorsed Elrich, who later placed second in the primary contest for one of the four at-large seats on the Council. An unlucky candidate who wasn’t able to avoid the Post’s “approval” lost the primary race, perhaps as a consequence of the newspaper’s robust backing: “A no-show at too many council meetings, his caustic temper has alienated colleagues and constituents alike. We endorse him….”

Ouch! And there's more:

Some political observers suggest that national newspapers like the Post have a quota on the number of progressive candidates they will support lest they be labeled as part of the “liberal media establishment.” Others say that newspapers have an important obligation to their advertising base. According to Keith Berner, a campaign consultant, you “can’t blame the Post for endorsing developers’ minions when you consider the size of the Saturday Real Estate section.”

In the upcoming general election for at-large candidates, the Post has thrown its weight behind all of the nominated Democrats except Marc Elrich, choosing instead to support Republican Steve Abrams, a candidate not elected in the primary but who wangled onto the ticket by pressuring another Republican nominee (the only African-American) to step aside. No one was more surprised than Abrams’ own supporters. “Its baffling,” said a source close to the Abrams campaign. “Steve is for assault weapons, supports the Ficker amendment (to cap taxes) and approves of using county police to round up immigrants, all issues the Post editorial board has taken a stand against. He’s even lukewarm to the Purple Line!” Nevertheless, the editorial board selected Abrams as among those it believes will provide Montgomery County with outstanding leadership in the coming years, adding that “His manner is often off-putting, as is his constant quest for public office. Mr. Abrams flits from one candidacy to another and is running for council now only because his bid for state comptroller failed.”

Given that kind of verbal backing for Abrams, the Elrich campaign expressed optimism for their candidate’s prospects on November 7. “The fact that the Post does not seem to be aware of Marc’s existence seems to be working in his favor,” said supporters Marcie Stickle and George French. Added campaign worker Mary Reardon, “It’s remarkable how relevant a newspaper can be in a kind of irrelevant way.”

When contacted about the non-endorsement of Elrich, a member of the Post editorial Board, who chose to remain anonymous, explained its decision simply. “Because we had endorsed Ehrlich for Governor,” said the source, “we didn’t think we should also endorse one of his relatives for the County Council.”

JFK Ad

2006-10-25T13:35:00.000-04:00

Ds and Rs

2006-10-22T09:59:00.000-04:00

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her
altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse
me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago,
but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air
balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 346 feet
above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and
100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is
technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're
going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot
air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me
to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in
before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

From the Shore

2006-10-17T10:13:00.000-04:00

Dr. Jim Corwin is running for Congress in Maryland’s first congressional district as a hard working physician with a background in public service willing to take on the problems Marylanders face and to point out the incumbent’s (Rep. Wayne Gilchrest) failures. Corwin says “This Congress is so bogged down with its own self-interest, corruption and secrecy that it is unable to provide balance and oversight to this president, not come up with effective solutions to our nation's challenges.” And continues “The incumbent, despite his 16 years of incumbency and 12 of those with the majority party, is still a small cog in the Republican Congressional machine. If we elect him to another term, he'll continue to be ineffective at doing anything about the rampant mismanagement of our national government.”

That’s a strong statement, but maybe what’s necessary to get people to get past what Corwin concedes is the nice guy/moderate image of Gilchrest to hold him accountable for what he hasn’t done while serving in Congress.

Corwin offers a different kind of leadership: “I have served thousands of Marylanders over the years as a physician. My patients pour out to me their hopes and fears, their dreams and aspirations, always knowing that I'll be open, direct and honest with them, and always do right for them. As a member of Congress, the voters can expect the same level of service - that I will listen to THEIR needs and advocate for THEIR best interests.”

Corwin talks about serving in the National Health Service Corps and being “involved in Public Health Service funded community health centers for 20 years.” As a doctor who sees how health care financing impacts Marylanders, he’d probably focus on fixing the system (details of the plan at CorwinForCongress.com). Corwin cites cost from private bureaucracies as a problem for individuals, businesses, and governments, and proposes something different: “My plan simplifies the payment system, puts purchasing power back in the hands of consumers, and brings transparency to pricing. The reduction in waste, inefficiency, fraud and abuse will lower costs and permit access to quality care for all Americans.”

He’s got other priorities, you know jobs, security, good education, the Bay, and energy self-sufficiency (again, go to his web site to get the details. But in contrast to the incumbent, what Corwin is really offering is that he’s “…a leader and not a follower. In my professional career have built coalitions between very diverse groups to get health care to over one hundred thousand Marylanders that would otherwise have no access. In most cases, the incumbent waits for the leadership in his party to tell him what to do. For example, getting him to vote for the so-called GAS act and oil drilling in Alaska when he said he would not. Or, more recently, when he said he would wait for the others in his party before deciding on whether to call for Speaker Hastert's resignation over his brushing off of the Foley abuses.”

Despite the anti-incumbent sentiment around the country, Corwin faces a tough challenge in this race, of course: Gilchrest has won reelection with strong numbers (77%, 79%, 64%, 69%, 62%) and President Bush won this district by significant margins (beating Kerry by 26% and Gore by 17%). Corwin shrugs off these statistics, saying: "Past performance is not guarantee of future results. The mood of the district has changed dramatically in the past two years. There is a strong anti-incumbent sentiment. The voters disapprove overwhelmingly of the job Congress is doing. Mr. Gilchrest is one of those members not adequately serving the voters. The Star Democrat reported that Mr. Gilchrest wants to be re-elected so he can "continue working" on cleaning up the Bay, making housing more affordable and health care more accessible. I say, during his tenure, less people can afford to buy a home, more people are locked out of health care, and last year the Bay got it's worst report ever! How many times does the incumbent want us to send him back to "continue working" on whatever he's working on that just isn't working?!”

So yeah, Dr. Jim Corwin is a long shot in Maryland’s 1st congressional district, but you never know with credentials, support and an effective message: “Under the current administration, and with the consent of this Congress and my opponent, America has lost her stature and standing in the world. The world is a more dangerous place than it has been in decades. We cannot choose a new president this election, but we can send a message. We can send a representative to stand up for openness and honesty, with the courage to advance new ideas and follow them through to completion.”

Just do it

2006-10-13T17:13:00.000-04:00

Let's Talk About Polls

2006-10-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

Do we have an expert on polling or at least interpreting polls in the audience?

I ask because the SurveyUSA poll of Maryland voters on the senatorial and gubernatorial race is making me scratch my head. Maybe you can help.

So, it's not a big surprise that whites favor Ehrlich but maybe a bit that they tilt toward Steele at the same rate. And Steele does significantly bettter among African Americans. The numbers that threw me were that among Hispanics Ehrlich beats O'Malley 50 to 17%, and Steele bests Cardin 61 to 37%. This isn't what most of us expected. What's the deal? Anyone want to take a look at the methodology to take a crack at whether these numbers make sense?

Cardin Ad

2006-10-10T11:53:00.000-04:00

Go West Young One

2006-10-09T10:45:00.001-04:00

So, in the wake of the Lamont upset, the near-victory of Donna Edwards against supposedly unbeatable Al Wynn, the sudden hope given to long-shot Democratic challengers in Florida, New York, and elsewhere by the House Republicans’ bumbling of the Foley situation, and so many other races that have gone the direction the conventional wisdom told us they wouldn’t, let's look together past the obvious.

We know that all of the House incumbents in Maryland are going to win reelection, right? So there’s no reason to focus on anything but O’Malley and the Senate race, right? Nah, let’s talk about the less noticed challengers in tough races to see what they’ve got to offer.

First up is Andrew Duck, the former military man who is going up against long-term curmudgeon, conservative Roscoe Bartlett in western Maryland’s 6th congressional district. Now, we know he's got an uphill battle in this final month, since Bartlett has won by wide margins (over 65% in each of the last two general elections) and Pres. Bush won the 6th CD by more than 60% in the 6th in both 2000 and 2004. But Duck says he hears from a lot of folks in western Maryland that they want change, that “…this year, incumbency is not much of an advantage. People are disappointed with Congress and they want a change.” Last week we interviewed Andrew Duck to get you the details – here’s the short version.

Duck talks about stuff like it being time for a change, cutting the deficit, intrusive government, and our foreign policy weaknesses, proclaiming “As an Iraq War veteran, I know that we have got to have people in Washington who are more focused on accomplishing the mission than making money for their friends.” He talks about ensuring health care coverage for every American by getting back to preventive care instead of all too often taking it to the emergency room. On education, Duck says that No Child Left Behind must be scrapped because it doesn’t work for our kids and creates undue burdens on teachers: “A one size fits all, standardized test is not an effective measure of education. We know that a child that studies music does better in math, one that studies art will do better in english, etc. And any program that says a school that is labeled as "failing" should have their funding cut is not interested in fixing the problem. We need solutions.”

As a former serviceman, Duck has particular credibility when he talks about the fiasco in Iraq: “I also served on the ground in Iraq, and I saw example after example of interference by politicians in Washington because they were more interested in making money than accomplishing the mission. I could not do my job, so I retired and am focused on fixing the problem.”

Duck also says:

"We are losing soldiers and marines every day because of the failed policies. We must change course and change course now."

"We need to transition from traditional combat to peace enforcement and counter-insurgency operations."

"We need to stop torturing people, and hold accountable all of those responsible for torture."

"We need to actually want to bring democracy to Iraq. That means they get to pick their leaders, not us. That is what democracy is all about."

"We need to build security from the local level up, not impose it from the national level down. Right now they are training security forces, and moving the Sunnis to Shia areas and vice versa. We need to build security block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, allow people to protect their home areas."

"And most importantly, we need to have policies that are focused on accomplishing the mission, not on making money for favored companies. Right now the politicians in Washington are more focused on the money than getting the job done, and it is costing the lives of our soldiers and marines."

Clearly Duck isn’t enamored with Bartlett, saying: “He claims to be a conservative, focused on balancing the budget, and working for a smaller government. But he has voted for the three biggest deficits in the history of the country and voted to increase the size of government 30% over the last 6 years. We now have the largest government in our history, and it is not able to accomplish the most basic missions, as seen in the response to Katrina last year. He does not listen to the people, and has not been addressing the needs of western Maryland. It is time for a change.”

Rap Political

2006-10-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

Internal Poll Suggests Hastert Could Devastate GOP

2006-10-05T16:16:00.000-04:00

From Fox, today:

House Republican candidates will suffer massive losses if House Speaker Dennis Hastert remains speaker until Election Day, according to internal polling data from a prominent GOP pollster, FOX News has learned.

"The data suggests Americans have bailed on the speaker," a Republican source briefed on the polling data told FOX News. "And the difference could be between a 20-seat loss and 50-seat loss."

Most GOP lawmakers have stood by Hastert, pending a full airing of the facts in his handling of the Mark Foley affair, in which the former Florida representative was caught exchanging salacious messages with teen pages in Congress. The new polling data, however, suggests that many voters already have made up their minds.

The GOP source told FOX News that the internal data had not been widely shared among Republican leaders, but as awareness of it spreads calculations about Hastert's tenure may change. The source described the pollster who did the survey as "authoritative," and said once the numbers are presented, it "could change the focus" on whether the speaker remains in power.

While internal GOP polls show trouble for Republicans, the newest AP/Ipsos poll also showed that half of likely voters say the Foley scandal will be "very or extremely important" when it comes time to vote on Nov. 7. By nearly a 2-1 ratio, voters say Democrats are better at combating corruption.

Had Enough?

2006-10-04T11:59:00.000-04:00

Mud, mud, everywhere

2006-10-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

Jousting for Justice brings up recent attempts by Gov. Ehrlich "trailing his challenger in every poll" to throw mud at Mayor O'Malley.

But Ehrlich's most recent campaign mailer instead accuses O'Malley of being investigated by the FBI. In a glossy, full-page mailer, the back of which is made to appear as if Mayor O'Malley has been fingerprinted, a banner reads, "The FBI is investigating Martin O'Malley's Leadership of the Police Department."

But a Department of Justice official said there is no active investigation into O'Malley's activities. Federal agents were bewildered by the accusation and the police department was furious. Deputy Police Commissioner Marcus Brown stated angrily that the "FBI currently does not have an open investigation in relation to the leadership of the Police Department or Martin O'Malley's leadership of the Police Department."

O'Malley's folks call this a desperate move, and Jousting for justice says this is the real start of the mudslinging.

Puppies or Bush -- You Decide!

2006-09-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't see the DSCC's response to Michael Steele's ad about loving puppies.

Quoting an R

2006-09-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

I don't often find Republican quotes to be worth quoting here, but I have one I need to share. CQ had this tidbit on the congressional hearings on HP's devious internal spy scandal:

“Pretexting is pretending to be someone you’re not, to get something you probably shouldn’t have, to use in a way that is probably wrong,” said full committee chairman Joe L. Barton, R-Texas.
The Energy and Commerce committee approved a bill in March to make pretexting illegal, but the measure has stalled. Barton said he was urging the House leadership to pass it before the end of the year.

Rolle and Duck

2006-09-28T17:23:00.000-04:00

Progressive Maryland and the Maryland NAACP confronted Rep. Bartlett in what seems like a rare show of grassroots activism in western Maryland yesterday. Although the Dem nominee Andrew Duck is a bit of a longshot, it makes it a bit more interesting and after Al Wynn’s recent near-defeat, anything is possible in the anti-incumbent mood of today.

Have you thought about Scott Rolle lately? He’s the ambitious Frederick County state's attorney who challenged Bartlett from the right for the western Maryland seat in Congress two years ago. Now Rolle is running a quixotic campaign for attorney general against Doug Gansler. No one gives Rolle much chance of actually winning, but I guess if it gets him back in the good graces of the Republican establishment (Ehrlich has been saying nice things about him and apparently Bartlett gave him several thousand earlier this year) by improving turnout in the more conservative counties in the west, then he’ll have smooth sailing when the 80 year old Bartlett decides to retire.

Many Maryland progressives have to sit with me in the corner because we largely sat out Donna Edwards' challenge to Al Wynn, thinking she wouldn't get close (even though we knew he was vulnerable). So, so as not to let this happen again, I thought I should look closely at the two Republican Members of Congress from Maryland -- Bartlett and Wayne Gilchrest from the Eastern Shore to decide whether Democrats should be focusing on helping their opponents before that November Tuesday. Anyone know anything interesting about the incumbents or their challengers?

2006-09-28T11:03:00.001-04:00

From fourseasonspress.com

Whaaaaaaaa?

2006-09-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

In case you never saw it, above is Dennis Rasmussen's cartoon trying to appeal to midddle-o-the-roaders.

Switch

2006-09-27T13:54:00.001-04:00

Ann Arundel (District 21) State Senator Gianetti, recently defeated in the Democratic primary, apparently decided to switch parties or, as Blog Arundel put it, "Senator Speedo Considers Pulling a Lieberman."

Commentary includes:

"It would be a strange move for a guy I put on a bus in the winter of 2003 to go to Vermont as we worked together in the Howard Dean campaign," said David Paulson, a spokesman for the Maryland Democratic Party. Last night, he called Giannetti a "sore loser whose political career is essentially over."

Steele: Running from the Truth

2006-09-26T13:04:00.000-04:00

Vote?

2006-09-22T16:04:00.000-04:00

WTF: Stupid Hire

2006-09-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

Now why would you hire someone for a six year job that you knew they only wanted for two years? And if you knew that they'd start spending gobs of time looking for a new job as soon as they started working for you, you'd be crazy to hire them.

So, are the forty-something percent of Virginians who say they might vote for George Allen crazy? I mean, come on folks, you know that if you reelect him he's gonna start campaigning to be president right after the vote. Do you know how much time these guys spend campaigning? He's not even going to be a part-time senator for the two years -- he's going to spend every second he possibly can kissing up to Iowans and New Hampshirites, not working for Virginians. Come on, you're not that gullible, are you?

--------

Oh, and one of Mfume's sons apparently decided to back Steele: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0906/362890.html

Bits and pieces

2006-09-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

Check out:

* new poll results that show the Senate race is neck-and-neck.

* the nasty little Republican attack ad attempting to portray Democrats as racists?

* updates on the election in CD4

* sneaky, confusing campaign tactics in a state senate race (as reporter by the Sun)

* interview with state Senate candidate Pat Foerster (of the Maryland Teachers Association)

* and apparently Steve Silverman's been doing some of those forbidden meetings again.

It’s a bit late, but when the altercation between folks from Al Wynn’s campaign and Donna Edwards’ volunteer happened, there was some question about someone who was working for both Wynn’s congressional office and campaign. Find out the truth of who works where, and see staff salaries.

It's almost funny to see how now everyone (including Bobby Haircut) agrees with those on the margins who used to be the only ones worried about screwed up elections now that their fears have come true.

From CQ : According to new Rasmussen Reports polls, Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, now leads Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, 47 percent to 41 percent. In Rhode Island, Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse has opened up an even bigger lead, 51 percent to 43 percent, over GOP Sen. Lincoln Chafee. And in Montana, Democrat Jon Tester has surged ahead of Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, 52 percent to 43 percent. In the last survey taken before Chafee’s primary victory on Sept. 12 over a conservative Republican, Whitehouse led by only two points. DeWine led in the Rasmussen surveys through April “but Brown has now held a lead for three polls in a row,” and has moved outside the margin of error. Burns and Tester were tied in the August survey.

Avast Matey!

2006-09-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

The Sun wouldn't say this, but the Pirate (no, the one with the hat) said "As you order Gov. Ehrlich --we'll cut their health care, charge them more for education, and support the President's failed war!"

Ha!

2006-09-20T09:22:00.001-04:00

From Tuesday's Washington Post: the newspaper in the kid's hand says "SPINACH CAN KILL YOU"

Yeah, yeah

2006-09-18T17:57:00.000-04:00

I know, I should write something substantive, but I just don't feel like it. So, I'll just point you to several interesting things...

MoCo Slacker suggests that, unhappy with the results of the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Council, the Chamber of Commerce is looking for candidates to back in the general. That's exactly what the Democrats need to unite and really get behind anti-developer sentiment -- good plan guys.

The last race in question in Maryland apparently is the one for the 4th congressional district, where one of our contributors continues to raise questions. We'll see if Donna Edwards can pull from behind to beat incumbent Al Wynn.

Amongst all of the post-election commentary, one pundit says that the Montgomery County Education Association (the teachers – you know, with the apple ballot) were the real power in the primary, though many of us think that a backlash against irresponsible development and an anti-incumbent mood made a big difference.

Lastly, there's some good stuff about Gaithersburg, day laborers, and development is on offer.

Who the f**k is Ted Stevens?

2006-09-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

Jon Stewart on Sen. Stevens' escapades:

2006-09-15T16:08:00.000-04:00

Get off your fanny

2006-09-14T17:53:00.000-04:00

Any of our readers who lost their primaries (though progressives had one of the better election days in recent Maryland history) and think they might want to file to run as an indpendent (or pull a Lieberman) should check in with Blog Arundel, 'cause ya can't!

The rest of you should just take a minute to kick yourself for not spending (more) time and money to help Donna Edwards beat Al Wynn in the 4th congressional district.

What's that, you thought she didn't stand a chance?

You say you were too busy or you don't have the cash?

Well, the race is still up in the air as provisional ballots are counted (MoCo Progressive is calling the race for Edwards). Just think, if she'd started earlier or run a stronger campaign, or if you'd helped her, we'd have a progressive woman in Congress representing Maryland for the first time in a long time except for Sen. Mikulski! Seriously, just try to name a reasonably progressive woman (not a Republican) from the Free State other than Barb. Now we've got to make that feeling that we coulda, shoulda and woulda into a new call to action. Get off your fanny and start working, either on the election or on organizing people in your community for the long haul.

In other (way late) news, from National Journal’s Hotline:

Ehrlich Still Boasts Big Funding Lead

Fundraising figures reported 9/1, covering the period 8/9 to 8/27
(State Board of Elections).

Raised Spent CoH
EHRLICH $566K $728K $8.35M
O'MALLEY $333K $932K $3.84M

When running-mate totals are included, Ehrlich raised $630K to
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley's (D) $455K. Del. Anthony Brown (D) "proved
to be an effective fundraiser," doubling Disabilities Sec. Kristen Cox (R)
with $121.7K raised (Rich, Washington Post, 9/2).

Governor: MARYLAND: Blame The Feds

Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) "squared
off" at a forum on disabilities issues 9/5. The discussion "became more
intense" as O'Malley tried to link Ehrlich with the nat'l GOP by blaming
Pres. Bush's admin for cuts in Medicaid, Medicare and fed. insurance
programs for the disabled. O'Malley: "We need a governor who will stand up
to the ... cuts being shoved down the throat of state and local government."
Ehrlich: "The federal government is not the enemy. In fact, with our
administration, it's been the friend of many people in this room." Ehrlich
running mate/Disabilities Sec. Kristen Cox (R), "who is legally blind,"
filled in for Ehrlich after he left 15 minutes early (Fritze, Baltimore Sun,
9/6).

O'Malley Fights Back

O'Malley is up with a new TV ad. Full script, "Plus":

ANNCR: "Can we really trust Bob Ehrlich on education? He broke his promise
to support the Thornton school funding plan. He cut $176 million in school
construction. Ehrlich even increased college tuition by 40%. No surprise
from the same governor who opposed a $1 increase in the minimum wage. Who
sided with the big corporations to raise utility rates, and deny middle
class workers health coverage. Bob Ehrlich, a record of siding with the
powerful corporate interests, instead of families like yours."

The ad closes with a picture of Ehrlich and Bush (Fritze, Baltimore
Sun, 9/6).

Numbers, please!

2006-09-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

The numbers are still not in conclusively for yesterday's primary, but for those of us in Montgomery County, the best source is still the 5 am report of the Board of Elections. The statewide results are even less thorough as some counties apparently hadn't sent in their results yet. Those and links to other counties are on the state BoE site. I assume you can read, so I'm not going to repeat or even parse the results yet, except to say that it seems that a number of unexpected things happened yesterday.

Stuck in a Silverman

2006-09-11T12:15:00.000-04:00

First, from local Democratic activist Keith Berner, a funny with a political bite:

Q: What do you call it when you’re in your car and there are cars in front and behind and nothing’s moving?
A: A “Silverman,” as in: “Honey, I don’t know if I’m going to make it home in time for dinner. I’m stuck in a terrible Silverman on the Beltway.”

Be sure to vote tomorrow, and vote progressive.

Good Italian in MoCo

2006-09-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

If you've had as much difficulty as this writer in finding good Italian food in southeastern Montgomery or northern Prince George's county, check out Christina's Italian Ristorante (at 2666 University Blvd W, in Silver Spring, tel: (301) 942-4137). And for Italian groceries, excellent sandwiches (try the mozzarella and prosciutto), and deli-style food, check out Da Marco on Colesville, across from the AFI. Tasty!

Life is a Cabaret

2006-09-09T13:22:00.000-04:00

Arena Stage's production of Cabaret is entertaining, sexy, thought provoking, and for first-timers, maybe even a bit shocking. It's a musical story about love, the rise of Nazis and Nazism in the hearts of Germans, even as the audience gets sexy dance numbers and bizarre characters (the Emcee is particularly well done).

Welcome to Cabaret – a delicious, decadent journey to pre-World War II Berlin featuring unforgettable music and a powerful story. Young American journalist Clifford Bradshaw lands at the notorious Kit Kat Club, home to the social rebels and bohemians of Europe, where he falls madly in love with English entertainer Sally Bowles – but their affair is tested as her wild and reckless lifestyle overwhelms him. All the while, the Kit Kat Emcee taunts and satirizes the locals and visitors to the cabaret with dazzling musical numbers in a score that includes “Money (Makes the World Go Around),” “Maybe This Time” and “Two Ladies.”

With brief but interesting hints of the homosexuality in pre-WWII Germany, men and women both play sexy roles in the cabaret where age, gender, and race matter little, making Cabaret an interesting romp through a gradually darkening time. Playing through the end of October, Cabaret is worth your time and more than worth the low price of the tickets.

Bush Praises Steele

2006-09-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

LG Michael Steele is working overtime to tell people he'll be something different, while deliberately hiding his right wing ideology and his ties to George W. Bush. But, through the magic of video (and the folks at the DSCC) you can remind your friends of W's deep commitment to getting the Republican elected in Maryland:

Stop Digging!

2006-09-08T12:12:00.000-04:00

Marc Elrich, at-large candidate for the Montgomery County Council, was just running out of school (he teaches 5th graders at Rolling Terrace Elementary) when I caught him for an interview on his candidacy and his priorities.

Elrich has served in government as an elected official for 19 years while teaching full-time in our public schools and working with numerous committees and civic groups on community matters, redevelopment and development generally, transportation, and other issues: “I don't pigeon-hole very well, and I see the County in all its dimensions.”

One of the silliest parts of elections is when complex topics are boiled down to silly soundbites. Since Elrich really addressed the issues in detail, I've decided to give you a feel for where Elrich thinks the County should go and how we should deal with the challenges we face with a minimum of commentary, by just giving him some space.

I think the county faces pretty serious challenges, but none more serious than trying to manage growth in a responsible way. Not because I'm nuts about growth and think it's the center of the universe, but because funding what it takes to support growth affects a host of other funding decisions. I want to be sure we make good decisions and that we avoid simplistic approaches that primarily end up digging us a deeper hole. I think we're ill-served by a debate over the growth "rate", and that the real issue is growth "policy". I'm not "no-growth".

Whether I'd be fast or slow growth would depend on the three things: the policies that govern it, the infrastructure to support it, and the availability of resources to fund the infrastructure. People who try to get out of this by saying we're simply going to grow by 300,000 people and that's a fact, ignore the reality that we have some power and something to say about this. But worse, they refuse to say how they're going to accommodate it with either the facilities or the capital to build them.

No one talks about the cost of infrastructure to pay for the roads and schools, they just talk about "gotta have growth". How bout the other gotta haves: police, fire stations, rec services, classrooms, and transportation (roads or public)?

I would focus on using our capital resources to do the fixes that we need now - school additions and modernizations, road projects that improve local mobility, and I'd put off projects that are meant to foster further growth. Every dollar that growth siphons off is a school not fixed or a road not improved, or a limitation on our ability to expand library hours and rec services. Park and Planning told the Council that growth is costing more than the revenue it generates, so under current practices we're both neglecting existing problems and digging a deeper long term hole to get out of. Just one example, the Annual Growth Policy Report in 2003 told the council we needed 12 fire stations - we're, in this Capital budget over the next several years - building the first 4 stations that we've constructed since 1981. So I'd prioritize spending on getting us caught up.

I'd raise impact fees on new development to make sure it paid for itself - with higher impact fees, fees that covered the cost of expanding the infrastructure you could sustain more growth than you can with lower fees - and the Council, when it gave up Policy Area Review and the fees that came with it and replaced it with Impact Fees actually created a system where they collected less money than before - and this was told to them by both the Planning Staff and their own staff.

I want to say something else about building what we need and fixing existing problems. If we're fixing things because people find the schools overcrowded and the roads over-congested, you'd think your goal would be to keep them fixed. But under the changes this council made to Adequate Public Facilities Law (and in truth this has been going on for longer than the past 4 years, they just made it worse), anything you fix is guaranteed to be wrecked again because all of the failing intersections, the congestion and the crowded schools are what the Council and Executive have defined as "adequate public facilities". So if you want real improvement you have to adopt better, more sane definitions of adequate: a definition that fits with what the community would consider adequate, so that when you fix a school or an intersection, it stays fixed, rather than simply making it possible for the next development to come along and fill it back up again. No wonder people are frustrated, we fix something and then let it get messed right back up again.

I'd increase the fees for new development so I didn't compound the problem. I'd prioritize how we spend current revenues and the projects in the CIP to address the existing shortfalls. There's no quick way out of this mess.

There's a lot at stake. Oddly, it's really a matter of degrees and over what period of time.

Most people who listen realize I'm not talking about grinding the county to a halt and most people think this is a pretty conservative business-like approach. I've had business people tell that my approach is how they'd approach running their business - you build capacity for expansion and you don't saddle yourself with unsustainable long-term obligations.

That's Marc Elrich up close and in detail. So what do you think? Do you prefer full interviews like the ones Crablaw has featured on FreeStatePolitics, posts based on interviews with some quotes like the pieces I did on Tom Perez and Jamie Raskin, or hybrid pieces like this that avoid some of the repetition that comes out in an interview without inserting too much of the writer's opinion?

What did YOU do?

2006-09-07T21:44:00.000-04:00

Take a look at a homemade video political short from Silver Spring, via google:

Tidbits

2006-09-07T17:56:00.000-04:00

In today's Maryland political news:

Lublin has an interesting take on the D20 Maryland Senate race and points us to a Gazette piece assessing Delegate open-seat races in Prince Georges,

Sharon in MD has a good review of the campaign in the district of House Speaker Busch (D30),

NOW PAC endorsed Kweisi Mfume, for Senate -local-headlines

and CQ points out the advantage of name i.d. for John Sarbanes in the crowded 3rd CD primary, while Paula Hollinger got Rep. Cummings support.

Abhorrent

2006-09-07T17:51:00.001-04:00

You know, the most compelling article in today's Post was about an Austrian girl who was kidnapped at age 10 by a stranger and held for eight years in his home until she escaped. Sometimes she was put into a pit beneath his house for days, deprived of food, and almost certainly mistreated. Can you even imagine? The world is a scary place.

District 20 Delegate Endorsement

2006-09-06T15:05:00.000-04:00

Silver Spring and Takoma Park residents will vote Tuesday for at least one new state Delegate. They should base their votes on who will be the best progressive legislator and representative of the community. With a bumper crop of Democrats with legislative experience, it should be easy to elect three capable legislators.

There is one clear choice: Tom Hucker. While the other candidates generally have legislative experience and indicate support for some liberal programs, none have stood up repeatedly and effectively to actually pass progressive legislation in Annapolis like Hucker has as executive director and founder of Progressive Maryland and previously with other progressive groups. He has the knowledge, experience, and relationships to pass important legislation, represent Silver Spring and Takoma Park, and build important coalitions to make a difference.

Without questioning the professed beliefs of congressional staffers, one still cannot help but applaud the one challenger who has been a leader in his own right – Tom Hucker has demonstrated that he will lead on our values and really accomplish something.

...not a potted plant

2006-09-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

In notes on Maryland campaigns in today's Post, U.S. House Minority Whip (not Leader yet, as the Post wrote) said defended the potential diversity of the Democratic ticket, even as he backed Senate candidate, Rep. Ben Cardin. In particular he focused on LG candidate/O'Malley running mate state Del. Anthony Brown, saying "I am really outraged at the press's treatment of Anthony Brown. Anthony Brown is not a potted plant. This is not some throwaway guy." Powerful words.

Who controls our public space?

2006-09-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

I'm probably going to vote for Kwiesi Mfume for Senate, but I've been kind of interested in Allan Lichtman and his campaign. There's been a lot of talk about who should be included in debates and while it is a tough question with no easy answer (if you include everyone who files than you'll have a debate that isn't substantive, but when you start to narrow the field it gets arbitrary), it gets tougher when a semi-public entity supported by taxes, in this case Maryland Public Television, is making the decision.

Lichtman's supporters put up a couple of videos of his recent arrest while trying to get into a debate between the two "leading" Senate candidates. Amidst all of the rhetoric, tension, and even action (between 1:20 and 2:20 is where things get energized and Lichtman gets arrested), the most interesting question isn't really explored.

The real question is, who controls the public space, both literally and figuratively? What happens when public television staff decide who gets to be on tv? And what happens when security staffers keep Lichtman or really anyone out of a particular publicly funded and controlled (i.e. by your tax dollars) space, namely the MPT studio? Lichtman asks under what authority they are trying to drive him out and then, under what authority they are arresting him. He asks what laws were violated, what right they have to arrest him. And it's a good question.

Who decides who can come on public property and what they can do there? And is it just the fact that they are government employees that the police can arrest someone? I don't think so. I'm not sure if we need to be as scared for our democracy as Lichtman suggests in a subsequent letter from jail, but this is something we need to grapple with. How far will some go with power if we don't question them?

Roundup: Attacks, Investigations, Protests and Jon Stewart

2006-09-04T16:04:00.000-04:00

Check out Steve on CircleWoods for his investigation of what "appears to be a phony charge planted by the Ruben campaign (or an ignorant operative) that Raskin's campaign had stolen hundreds of her lawn signs from her own neighborhood."

The Edwards campaign is drawing attention to big donations to Al Wynn's campaign from telecom interests, utilities, and other big businesses.

According to Progressive Maryland, on Thursday in DC there will be
Civil Rights March Protests Republican 'Immigration Bill'
Thurs. Sept. 7, 4 pm on the National Mall. Join CASA of Maryland, Progressive Maryland, and many thousands to oppose the Republican "immigration bill", which would undermine the civil rights of all U.S. citizens and human rights of legal, documented immigrants. More at www.casademaryland.org

And I know this is dated, but it's always fun to get your news from Jon Stewart-- it's so much more fun than the news channels.

D18 Delegate Endorsement

2006-08-30T16:36:00.001-04:00

In case you're wondering who to vote for in the District 18 state legislative race, let me recommend to you James Browning, for three simple reasons.

First, experience. Browning, as former executive director of Common Cause Maryland and leader of the American Cancer Society's legislative work in Maryland, has the practical experience with the legislature that no other challenger can match. Silver Spring, Wheaton, Kensington, and Chevy Chase need someone who can be effective from day one -- Browning and only Browning has that.

Second, progressive values. Browning talks straight about the realities of building the Purple Line, about fixing health care and education, about the economy and development. He's got the practical ideas and the grounded thinking to actually get something done.

Third, integrity and energy. Besides being the clean government guy in Maryland for four years, Browning isn't one of those slick, tell-you-what-you-want-to-hear politicians whose speech you have to parse to have any clue about what they really mean. He's got the drive to get things done and the honesty to tell you what he's aiming for. That's rare in politics.

So I support Browning for Delegate because our community needs a leader who can progressive laws passed: James Browning has the integrity, experience, energy, and progressive values to serve us well.

Halloween?

2006-08-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that at the end of August Halloween candy is going on sale? Really, check out your local CVS or other purveyor of packaged junkfood.

Comptroller's Race

2006-08-30T14:24:00.000-04:00

An interesting Sun article about the Comptroller’s race, gives some new perspectives on Ann Arundel Executive Janet Owens:

Among the issues on which she disagrees with the incumbent is his vote this year to support Ehrlich's proposed cut in the state property tax -- a move she dismissed as an election year gimmick that would worsen the state's long-term fiscal picture.

and

She said she would focus narrowly on the issues that concern the comptroller -- matters such as tax collection and procurement -- rather than broad policy issues.

And Owens wouldn’t commit to supporting Del. Peter Franchot in the general if he wins the primary.

A new statewide poll on the comptroller's race showed Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens steadily gaining on incumbent and fellow Democrat William Donald Schaefer, coming within four percentage points.

The survey, conducted by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies from August 18-26, found that 34 percent of the Democratic voters likely to cast ballots in the Sept. 12 primary said they would vote for Schaefer and 30 percent for Owens. Montgomery Del. Peter Franchot, had support from about 15 percent, with the remaining 21 percent undecided.

Franchot pointed out the pollster’s ties to Owens as discrediting the results. In the end, what we’re seeing is that there is clearly support for ousting Schaefer, but that the two challengers are splitting the vote.

In other campaign news, Reps Elijah Cummings and Al Wynn endorsed Kweisi Mfume for Senate. Polls show O’Malley ahead of Ehrlich in the gubernatorial primary, and Cardin in front of Mfume in the Senate primary. Finally, today the Post went out on a limb and endorsed Donna Edwards over Al Wynn in the 4th congressional district. Edwards and Jamie Raskin were on Kojo Nnamdi’s Maryland Politics Hour today talking about the sense of “entitlement” some incumbents seem to feel about their jobs.

Mfume Bio Speech

2006-08-29T14:16:00.000-04:00

Halloween?

2006-08-28T16:32:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that at the end of August Halloween candy is going on sale? Really, check out your local CVS or other purveyor of packaged junkfood.

Perez Out

2006-08-26T14:37:00.000-04:00

In a move certain to shake up the Attorney General’s race, Maryland’s highest court ruled that Montgomery County Councilman Tom Perez is not eligible to run to be the state's lead prosecutor.

The Sun has lots of folks spinning the decision, but we'll have to see whether the decision helps Simms or Gansler.

Geography has loomed large in the race from the start. Baltimore lawyers have had a lock on the attorney general's office for decades, and many in the Montgomery County political community thought it was time for one of their own to take the job. But with two of them in the race, the conventional wisdom held that a solid candidate from Baltimore -- particularly an African-American -- could sweep in and win.

And as folks in Montgomery County wonder what will become of Perez, an email from George Leventhal reminds activists that Stephen Abrams, the Republican Schol Board member who pushed the lawsuit, is up for reelection in 2008.

Muck

2006-08-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

I love to get your tips and submissions -- send them to: on_background at yahoo dot com. Also, please share other Maryland politics links.

I got two tips from Prince George’s County recently without attribution or details, so we’re not going to publish the visuals, but one was a video attack ad aimed at Jack Johnson (County Exec) on crime and other matters, the other was a shot at Bill Ashkinazi (candidate for Senate in D15), or a supporter whose car has oodles of stickers on it, for parking in a handicapped spot. Also, we recently were sent a link to a site attacking Ike Leggett, and information about the personal donations and outside support of D18 delegate candidates Jeff Waldstreicher and Dan Farrington, but we don't want to get too much into the muck now do we?

The one image we do want to share is a Youtube video correcting some of Gov. Ehrlich's statements:

ACORN Endorses Mfume

2006-08-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

Pressuring Voters

2006-08-23T17:35:00.000-04:00

A MoCo Dem activist named Keith Berner is sharing a transcript he made of a push poll he got called for on Monday. Once you get down a bit it’s obvious whose poll this is – Steve Silverman’s. One of the interesting things is how many times Doug Duncan’s name is raised and the question “How important is it that next county executive be like Duncan?”

I’m skipping the early fluff questions. The push part of the poll comes from questions like:

Leggett says he supports for Purple Line, but has consistently voted against it, while Silverman has always supported the project. Does this make you more or less likely to support Leggett?

and

Leggett supports raising the gas tax to the highest in the nation. Does this make you more or less likely to support Leggett?

Then it gets worse:

On issue after issue Leggett says what people want to hear. For example, he said that he supports a massive increase in the gas tax, but has now backed away from it; he supported a massive new building project, but now doesn¹t; he supported using public money to buy supplies for private schools and has now backed away from this. Does this make you more or less likely to support Leggett?

Similar questions about the Purple Line, ICC, development, contributions from developers appear in the lengthy poll, hitting most of Silverman's key message points of late. So if you're not sure what a push poll is, this should clarify that while a legitimate poll asks you questions so that the client can understand what you care about, a push poll gives you information to pressure you to change your answers to get support for their clients. It's a questionalble way to win votes, but ofen effective.

Review: Local Bloggers Make Good

2006-08-22T14:36:00.000-04:00

Local Bloggers Make Good: Even the Baltimore Sun has decided to run a piece about bloggers in Maryland elections, so we must be important, right? Right?

Maryland’s comptroller, William Donald Schaeffer has been truant the last couple of years, missing many meetings of one of the state’s most important committees

Hat tip to Stephanie Dray for pointing to a video of the aftermath (sorry readers we can’t get you the prize fight) of the incident between a couple of Wynn supporters and an Edwards supporter last week.

Did you see this funny satire of what Republicans see when they look at the NY Times? (thanks to Isaac of The Old Line)

There’s a summary of glbt candidates running in Maryland.

Marc Elrich for Council

2006-08-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

So in case it hasn't been obvious, I'm supporting Marc Elrich for Montgomery County Council At-Large because he has the best experience in matters that county government deals with, combined with strong progressive values that he doesn't push aside as too many politicians do. We need responsible leaders who make sure that growth and develop happen only when they benefit residents and when we have the infrastructure to support them; we need Marc Elrich on the County Council.

Don't Vote for the Incumbents

2006-08-16T09:35:00.000-04:00

The message that comes through the dense text that Cary Lamari (an at-large candidate for the County Council and someone yours truly has barely heard hint of in this busy election season) was handing out at a Metro Station this morning. Although he makes it more complicated, the gist of his hundreds of words is that the quality of life in Montgomery County, as indicated by things like traffic, education, affordable housing, and accountability, is getting worse. And the End Gridlock slate of county councilmembers, including Nancy Floreen, Steve Silverman, Mike Subin, and George Leventhal, is responsible.

Now I'd point you to the candidate's web site so that you can learn more about how Floreen, Silverman, et al have jammed more folks than we can handle into Montgomery County without worrying about silly things like infrastructure or public facilities, but it doesn't seem to work. In the meantime, check out the solution to the problem -- Marc Elrich and Duchy Trachtenberg. And if you haven't already, take a gander at the funny cartoon about selling out MoCo residents to developers.

Did I Miss Something?

2006-08-15T13:17:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of surprised that not many have commented on the Post's endorsement of Ike Leggett (in addition to the Gazette's) for Montgomery County Executive over the weekend. Does this not surprise anyone else? I mean, Silverman's been running a paid operation with several staffers and all of the trimmings that big developer dollars can buy since sometime the middle of the last year, while Leggett's been running a shoe-string operation without big guns or noticeable structure.

For County Executive, Ike Leggett

Something big is happening and with most residents noting that things have been getting worse, not better over the past four years, finally incumbent candidates who haven't gotten the job done on the most important issues of growth, transportation, and education are feeling the heat. One can't help but wonder if we're on the cusp of a change in the county...

I love the attempts by Donna Edwards camp to use the Lieberman/Lamont upset to get Prince Georges and Montgomery residents to change sides with quotes like: "Albert Wynn is Maryland's Joe Lieberman."

Did you know that George Bush Sr. won MD in 1988?

Read today’s Post piece on Mfume/Cardin -- I think it'll give you a clear picture of the different priorities and styles of the two candidates. Unless you imagine that there is some chance that Lichtman, Rales, etc. have a shot, it should help you know which way you’re going to vote. For me it's not much of a contest if it's between Mfume and Cardin -- Mfume has both the brain and the heart to get something done. Cardin's only got the brain and isn't progressive.

Let's Talk About Sex

2006-08-14T14:33:00.000-04:00

So I kind of want to write today about how former Governor Hughes is endorsing Tom Perez for AG, Peter Franchot apparently has $900k racked up, or the other hot races in Maryland, but I can't. You see, we'd better talk about sex.

Specifically, today's post is about Montgomery County Public Schools and sex ed. I'll give it to you pretty simply: the schools are grappling with how thoroughly to teach MC young people about sex and sexuality and the most energetic people locally on this issue are often conservatives who want to limit the education our kids get, limiting their knowledge as they make difficult choices that shape their lives. Sexual behavior, contraception, sexual orientation -- these are things our kids need to learn about. A Board of Education election coming up that will decide 4 seats and maybe impact what our kids are taught, but it's getting little notice with so many higher profile races in the County and across Maryland.

The Gazette did a questionnaire of Board of Education candidates that reveals stark differences between the candidates on what should be taught to students on issues like sexuality, pregnancy and contraception. So, if you think MC students should learn about these important subjects without conservative interference, check out the responses of candidates for the Board of Education about sex ed. The Gazette's question was:

Should the school system's health curriculum include discussions of
homosexuality and demonstrations of contraception use?

SHIRLEY BRANDMAN, AT-LARGE

The school system should provide responsible, age-appropriate sex education with
the option for families to elect participation in accordance with their beliefs.
If we truly want students to grow up informed and ready to make choices that
keep them safe and healthy, we must provide a curriculum that is comprehensive
and medically accurate. Discussion of sexual orientation and homosexuality
should be included. We know that combating prejudice and bullying targeted at
students who are ''different" by virtue of being gay requires education. By
including information about sexual orientation in the health curriculum, we will
foster an environment of greater tolerance in our schools.

Similarly, the video demonstration of condom use should be included in a
comprehensive curriculum. Condoms are the only form of birth control that can
prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The number one
reason for condom failure is improper use. In 2004, at the request of health
teachers, MCPS piloted a condom use demonstration video in three high schools,
designed to present information in a way that would hold students' attention.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. If we are serious about protecting our
students' health and giving them access to information about how to protect
themselves from sexually transmitted infections, HIV AIDS and unintended
pregnancies, we should include the demonstration in our instruction.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOMMY LE, AT-LARGE

No, the public tax money is use to provide the student with education of
sciences, math, English and other academic-related subjects. The discussions of
homosexuality and demonstrations of contraception use are part of parental
guidance and family value retention responsibility and should be no part of our
public school curriculum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARQUILLA RIDGELL, AT-LARGE

I think that the parents should be the final decision makers in the area of sex
education. I think that we are in an age where schools can create a
''customized" sex education curriculum. I am a believer in developing
non-traditional means to achieve an end result. In the 21st century , we have
VCR's, DVD players, IPODs, ect.... You could have a sex education program that
is ''video-teleconferenced" (where parents could be a part of the sex education
classes if they choose to.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dana Eugene Gassaway, At-Large
Responses not available
John Horan Latham, At-Large
Responses not available

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JUDITH DOCCA, DISTRICT 1

The health curriculum should be comprehensive and fact based.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MICHAEL IBANEZ, DISTRICT 1

Parents are in the best position to decide what their children will learn about
health, sex, sexuality, homosexuality, alternative lifestyles, abstinence,
contraception and other components of the county's health curriculum. Some
parents have decided that discussion about homosexuality and demonstrations on
the use of contraception is appropriate for their child; while other parents
have decided these discussions and demonstrations conflict with their religious
and moral values that they teach at home.

Unfortunately, parents in effect have only one choice - to opt in or opt out
their children in these discussions and demonstrations. Children, whose parents
choose to opt out, are relegated to the library or some other ''holding
classroom" until they are allowed to return to health class. The BoE should
change this policy by giving parents the additional choice of opting in their
children into health classes that teach the values and morals that are
consistent with the values and morals they teach their children at home.

MCPS sets high standards for students in math, science, English, social studies,
visual and performing arts, athletics, reading, literature, history, in all
areas of the curriculum except one - health education. MCPS has watered down the
health curriculum to the lowest expectations of our children. Our children
deserve better.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PATRICIA O'NEILL, DISTRICT 3

I strongly support the planned revisions to the health education curriculum, to
include discussions about homosexuality in grades 8 and 10 and a condom
demonstration video in grade 10. Parents will have the opportunity to preview
the curriculum and will still be required to sign a permission form to allow
their children participate. I support 21st century health education for our
students.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHIL KAUFFMAN, DISTRICT 5

I support a comprehensive health curriculum. I foresee my role as a BOE member
to listen to the recommendations of the community advisory panel that is
currently reviewing proposed curriculum changes. It is likely that if the panel
recommends a proposal that includes discussions of homosexuality and
demonstrations of contraception use, I will be supportive.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NANCY NAVARRO, DISTRICT 5

Yes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUSIE WERNER SCOFIELD, DISTRICT 5

Homosexuality and contraception use are a part of society and the facts about
both should be taught in a responsible and unbiased manner that demonstrates
respect, responsibility and abstinence. Many students and their families in
Montgomery County don't wish to participate in such discussions and this point
of view should be accommodated by having a strong, meaningful alternative to
those who do not opt in to the health curriculum that includes these topics.

Dangerous Precedent

2006-08-14T13:43:00.000-04:00

The Wrong Kind of Friends

2006-08-10T12:04:00.001-04:00

Donna Edwards, candidate for Congress in Maryland's fourth takes a swing at absentee incumbent Wynn for skewed priorities. Wynn's ignored the real needs of his constituents living in Prince George's and Montgomery counties to be at the beck and call of big money campaign contributors. It's time for someone new, someone with cool campaign graphics!

Felton and NeighborsPAC

2006-08-07T12:05:00.000-04:00

I and a fair number of my neighbors got a postcard over the weekend from Reggie Felton, a candidate for Montgomery County Council. Most of the card is pretty generic, not giving the reader much idea of what Felton will stand for. On one side is a list of goals the candidate has. You know, pretty generic things like good schools, better transportation, etc. The one that caught me is "Safer Neigbors." Since his web site says "Safer Neighborhoods," let's assume the postcard version is just a mistake and not a suggestion that we start screening our neighbors.

If you haven't yet already, take a look at a funny and pointed animated issue ad from NeigborsPAC online -- it makes some good points about how special interest contributions can skew the policy agenda. Getting most people to pay attention to the elections and getting them more than just the pap the candidates want them to know is a challenge. NeighborsPAC might make us pay attention with this.

And if you haven't checked out the current edition of Street Sense, you might want to for both the article about the rise in homelessness (including double-digit percentage increases in Montgomery and Prince George's County) and for an even more painful one. The more touching article is about how the shortage of homeless shelters in the DC area can force women and children fleeing domestic violence back to their abusers.

Let's See What the AG's Office Can Do

2006-08-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

Tom Perez, former prosecutor, civil rights attorney and consumer advocate, and current member of the Montgomery County Council, showed this writer a willingness to think outside the box to tackle important problems as he runs for Attorney General during an interview this week.

Saying that “only about 10% of the job” of the Attorney General is traditional criminal prosecution, he pointed to “the breadth and depth of experience I bring to the job” and the “number of unique perspectives on how government and the law can be used to serve people well” as reasons he would best be able to serve the people of Maryland.

Perez touted his own experience as being the best fit for the broad, diverse job of Attorney General of Maryland:

“Many people perceive the office to be a Statewide "State's Attorney" but it’s not. The bulk of the work is in the areas I described above -- consumer protection, health care, environmental protection."

"To be sure, there is work done prosecuting environmental crimes, health care fraud, etc. -- but that is a different kind of prosecution altogether that requires some manner of subject area expertise which I bring."

Perez presents a new perspective on what the Attorney General’s office can do, saying he wants to broaden the work of the AG’s office in innovative ways, for example:

"I think we can use civil rights laws to reduce health disparities for low-income and minority Marylanders. Consider, for example, that diabetes is a disease that disproportionately affects African-Americans. We can use the leverage of equal protection laws to ask why it is that most insurance companies don’t cover routine preventative foot exams to screen for diabetes. Cost = about $40. But the insurance companies happily cover the cost of below the knee amputations when diabetes takes hold. The AG has broad powers to investigate corporate practices, including those that might be discriminatory. I'm not suggesting necessarily that the practice is....but it’s worth asking the questions and seeing if we can’t find some reasonable solution with the insurance industry."

He pointed out that both of his opponents in the primary (former Baltimore State’s Attorney Stuart Simms and Montgomery County States Attorney Doug Gansler) “are criminal prosecutors by background." While he talked about his experience as a prosecutor, he gave examples of his other work that reflects on what kind of AG he’d like to be: “Working with my law students at the University of Maryland, we successfully sued the Ehrlich Administration on their decision to remove 4,000 pregnant women and children from the Medicaid rolls -- based on civil rights laws.”

Perez stood behind his bill against predatory lending, calling the fines it imposes a “significant deterrent” to the “few unscrupulous lenders …taking advantage of people." He also went on the offensive, saying “The Ehrlich Administration had utterly abdicated its responsibility to make funding available to Attorney General Curran for consumer protection. “

Perez points to his many endorsements which, in addition to state and local organizations, prominent people, etc. include "the entire law enforcement community in Montgomery County" and said “I'm the only candidate who has articulated a truly progressive agenda for the office on health care, the environment, etc.”

Go to candidates’ web sites if you want to get the boilerplate about their positions and priorities. I’m going to leave it at: “My three priorities for the office are to improve access to quality, affordable health care, to transform the office in terms of environmental protection, and to protect consumers from fraudulent and unfair corporate practices.”

TNR

2006-08-04T11:58:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to link you to the New Republic, since they've been cutting off access to articles for non-subscribers, but I loved this quote "The life of a member of Congress is set up for infidelity in a way that I can't think of for any other profession--aside from being a rock star."

Snarky DC

2006-08-03T17:51:00.000-04:00

Snicker, snicker http://goodatdrinkingbadatlife.blogspot.com/2006/08/solution-to-dc-crime-wave.html

Wink And A Nod

2006-08-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

From National Journal's Hotline:

Meanwhile, Compt. William Donald Schaefer (D) will unveil new PSAs
today that feature Ehrlich's wife and son promoting tax-free shopping. TV
and radio ads will run 8/23 through 8/27. State Senate Pres. Mike Miller
(D): "For [Schaefer] to continue to cozy up to the governor at this late
stage of the election process isn't going to sit well with some Democratic
primary voters." Schaefer spokesperson Kevin Kane said he's required by law
to implement the tax-free shopping and that he didn't pick the "ads' stars."
Ehrlich spokesperson Henry Fawell said Kendel Ehrlich was approached by the
MD Retailers Assn., which paid for the radio production costs. WMAR-TV in
Baltimore paid TV production costs (Wagner/Mosk, Washington Post, 8/3). MD
Dem spokesperson David Paulson: "I think it's a blatant misuse of special
interests by Ehrlich" (Donovan, Baltimore Sun, 8/3)

Always On

2006-08-02T15:57:00.000-04:00

A Sun article talks about how Ehrlich isn't doing a lot of campaigning, except that campaigning has always been woven into his gubernatorial work. The takeaway line is:

"He's been campaigning since the day he got into office," said Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, a Democrat who admires Ehrlich. "If anybody thinks he isn't campaigning, take it from me," Schaefer said. "He is."

Ouch

2006-08-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

Take a look at a new ad put out by Americans United for Change that has a simple but powerful message about why the Republicans' plans for privatizing social security will hurt seniors across the country. An elderly woman's face is gripping as she cuts her pill in half. The zoom on a hot dog as an older couple cuts it in half tells the story well.

MoCo Best?

2006-07-31T12:33:00.000-04:00

Did you know that the Utne Reader named MoCo as the number one suburb in the country (thanks to Just Up the Pike for the tip?

Why?

2006-07-25T11:05:00.000-04:00

A thought provoking excerpt from Daniel Gordis:

This is a different kind of war, and an old kind of war. In the last war, when they blew up buses and restaurants and sidewalks and cafes, Israelis were enraged, apoplectic with anger. This time, it’s different. Rage has given way to sadness. Disbelief has given way to recognition. Because we’ve been here before. Because we’d once believed we wouldn’t be back here again. And because we know why this war is happening.

A rocket hit Haifa in the first days of the war, killing no one, but injuring a number of people. It also tore the face off an apartment building, leaving the apartments inside eerily exposed, naked, for all to gaze into. That small block of Haifa, with its shattered shell of a building, rubble all along the street, citizens dazed as they wandered about looking at it all, appeared to be exactly what it was – a war zone.

And yet, the people in the street stayed near their homes, going nowhere. The newscaster asked them why they didn’t go somewhere else, where it might be safer. One man answered with statistics. “Why leave now? We’ve already been hit. The chances of us being hit again are one in a million.” To which another man responded almost with outrage. “What do numbers have to do with it?” he asked. And then, he turned to the camera, almost screaming, pointed to the broken building, and said, “This is our home. Mi-po ani lo zaz. From here, I am not budging. And he repeated his refrain over and over again. “This is my home. And from here, I am not budging.” Mi-po ani lo zaz.

Israelis understand what this is. This is a war over our homes. Over our homes in the north, for now, but eventually, as the rockets get better and larger, all of our homes. This is not about the territories. This is not about the “occupation.” This is not about creating a Palestinian State. This is about whether there will be a state called Israel. Sixty years after Arab nations greeted the UN resolution on November 29 1947 with a declaration of war, nothing much has changed. They attacked this time for the same reason that they did sixty years ago.

The essay continues at http://www.danielgordis.org/Site/Site_Dispatches.asp

Bob Ney

2006-07-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

Hey, am I the only one who saw Bob Ney's face on the side of a Metro bus? I'm pretty sure I saw an advertisement saying something about the scandal that's put the otherwise safe congressional seat of the Ohio Member at risk. Anyone see it more clearly?

Wide

2006-07-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

The AG’s race is wide open, with 2/3 of respondents in a Sun poll saying they are undecided http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.poll18jul18,1,646395.story?page=2&cset=true&ctrack=1&coll=bal-local-headlines

And Ralph Reed lost the LG’s race in Georgia http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5568259

Ruben v. Raskin

2006-07-19T16:52:00.000-04:00

There's a fun (yeah, I know you're skeptical about that) political campaign documentary on the D20 race online done by a cable tv program. If that gets your juices flowing, there'll be a debate between Raskin and Ruben tomorrow night at the Takoma Park Community Center...

Midnight

2006-07-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

Maryland Moment reports that the Asian American community is starting to fight back (with others) against the Comptroller’s stupid, sometimes xenophobic comments, and that he’s not backing down yet: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/ If Janet Ownes hadn’t jumped into the race, Peter Franchot might stand a real chance of beating Willie Don.

Mocopolitics rips Mfume’s staff for his poor fundraising performance: http://mocopolitics.blogspot.com/2006/07/mfume-doesnt-have-cash.html. It's not clear whose fault it is, but this has been surprising for months. And that site has the best list of links to MoCo candidates’ sites.

Who runs a statewide campaign by going out to hospitals, supermarkets and convenience stores during the dead of night to talk with people about government and policy? The Zeese campaign does. Now, it may not surprise you to know that Kevin Zeese and some of his supporters, running an independent bid for the Senate, managed to find some late night people who seemed to agree with their take on the two party system. But it’s kind of refreshing to see a candidate willing to go out and talk to people retail-style.

The local AFL-CIO unions just announced their DC endorsements (they went for Linda Cropp for Mayor) and word is that they’re coming out with their support from some Maryland pols very soon. Apparently there are some surprises.

Ehrlich Outed on Purple Line

2006-07-17T15:03:00.000-04:00

The big news is that Bob Ehrlich's former appointee to WMATA (the folks that run the Metro) wrote a letter to the Post that admits that Ehrlich's administration is stonewalling the Purple Line.

The Ehrlich administration has been stringing this project out for all it's worth. It is leading a prolonged attempt to obfuscate, alter, study and delay the project so as not to face up to the fact that, without a tax increase, the project is underfunded. All money available is going to the intercounty connector and, indeed, even future federal money has been bonded for that project.

Without parsing the endorsement of every group here, I was surprised how many non-incumbents the Montgomery County Green Democrats backed in their just-released list. They supported Jamie Raskin over incumbent Ida Ruben in Silver Spring’s District 20 state Senate race, Dan Fox for State’s Atty, and all challengers lead by James Browing in the D20 delegate race. As you wonder what to think about how endorsements are made and what value they have, you might think about the disclaimer at the bottom of the Green Dem’s email – “Endorsements were based on feedback from the active membership of Montgomery Green Democrats.”

In case I haven't done this lately, you might want to check out a collaborative, progressive Maryland political blog: Free State Politics.

Link to Kos for US Senate polls.

Stealing from Your Children

2006-07-13T12:28:00.001-04:00

Federal budget and tax policy is really boring, but it impacts our lives in ways you don't even think about. Voices for America's Children has a great little tool that in 5 seconds will tell you how much Peter is getting robbed for to benefit Paul (or whatever that phrase is supposed to be).

Stealing from Your Children

2006-07-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

Santorum Helps Green

2006-07-11T12:32:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit late bringing you this tidbit from CQ:

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is backing the efforts of Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli to win a spot on the November ballot — a move likely to siphon votes from Democrat Bob Casey Jr. if it succeeds.

Coming Out Swinging

2006-07-10T17:25:00.000-04:00

So what should be the role of blogs in Maryland elections this year? Should it just be to ask the standard questions to candidates (yeah, I know, like in the Raskin interview I did)? I'm looking for something more, but trying to get more than the stump speech out of a candidate when they're on the record is like pulling teeth. Maybe I should let them know ahead of time that if they've already put it on their site or it's been in another local forum I'm going to ignore it. I could ask the hard questions and then refuse to print the pablum.

Now sometimes candidates give you something substantive, yet lively. In a release just in, Marc Elrich, at-large candidate for Montgomery County Council (a teacher and member of the Takoma Park City Council) lit into some members of the current Council saying that in terms of infrastructure keeping up with development "Our situation is getting worse, not better." He suggested a connection between contributions from developers to some council members and our declining transportation, education, and other infrastructure (you know what he's talking about), calling the county's development priorities "badly skewed."

Elrich said “You shouldn't be able to buy influence. I'll talk to anyone, I'll welcome them in my office and I'll listen to their ideas. I'll support them when I think it's good for the County, and stand up to them when it's not. No one should have to write a check in order to be heard. I listen for free – to everyone."

Anyway, I'll ask what you want to read about Maryland politics over the next four months? Do you just want the opinions of local pundits (yours truly included)? Do you want to know about upcoming events to decide for yourself? Do you want interviews to hear straight from the candidates?

Kinda Young

2006-07-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

I don't know much about Kristen Cox, so this really isn't about her, but at 36, is Bob Ehrlich really telling us that he thinks that she's the most experienced, capable person to run the state of Maryland if he quits, etc.?

It reminds me of the look of surprise on the faces of people at a meeting last year to pick a replacement for Delegate Hurson (D18) when a 23 or 24 year old made the case for his candidacy (in the company of candidates who had been working with policy and politics longer than he had been alive) saying that he was the most experienced candidate.

I guess they're not really saying that she's the most experienced or necessarily the most capable of being Governor, but that the candidate's other assets are more important. Hmmm.

Digging Out

2006-07-05T16:58:00.000-04:00

* Roll Call had an article on the 4th Congressional District entitled “Wynn Gets First Credible Challenger in Many Years”, describing Donna Edwards as “an attorney and former Capitol Hill lobbyist for nonprofit groups who gained local stature in recent years as a leading critic of a proposal to build a huge resort along the Potomac River in Oxon Hill — a multimillion-dollar project that Wynn and most other elected officials in Maryland have championed.” The piece talks about her relatively good fundraising in a short time and features a quote: "She's got the intellect and the skills to run a top-notch campaign."

* So candidates just finished filing to run across the state -- in Prince George’s somewhere near half of the candidates did so Friday. Polls continue to show Kweisi Mfume in very good shape in the Senate race, so good that one has to wonder why so many people think that Cardin is the frontrunner. As suggested by The League, maybe this really is a race. And we'll be trying to bring you more on the races as they heat up...

* A Poll from the Post: Conducted 6/19-25; surveyed 902 RVs; margin of error +/- 3% Party ID breakdown: 51%D, 29%R, 20%I/O.

General Election Matchup Dir. Of MD Now 1/04 10/02
LVs RVs Right direction 44% 56% 57%
O'Malley 55% 51% Wrong track 50 36 35
Ehrlich 39 40
Other/undec 6 9 Fav/Unfav
Ehrlich 55%/38
Ehrlich As Gov. Now 1/04 MD Dem party 54 /32
Approve 56% 64% O'Malley 51 /30
Disapprove 41 29 Doug Duncan 48 /20
Kendel Ehrlich 41 /22
Biggest Issue Facing MD? MD GOP party 40 /45
Public education 35%
Crime 20 How Much Has Ehrlich Accomplished
State economy 13 In 1st Term?
Taxes 12 Lot/fair amount 48%
Growth and devel. 9 Some/not much 51
Transportation 7
Ehrlich Deserves Credit For
MD's
Does ___ Describe Ehrlich? Projected Budget Surplus?
Well Not Yes 71%
Is likable 77% 16% No 24
Is honest 75 21
Has vision for Who Deserves Blame For Rising
MD's future 66 30 Energy Costs? Does Not
Willing to make Util. companies 90 9
reas. comps. 60 35 State Leg. 88 9
Ehrlich 70 28

Does ___ Have Influence On Ehrlich
Admin? Too Not Right Who Would Do Better
Controlling
Much Eno. Amt Energy Rates In The Future?
Large business 66% 8% 22% State leg. 40%
Utilities 56 15 24 Ehrlich 25
Gambling grps 38 30 26 A Dem Gov. 21
Unions 17 37 34
Enviro grps 15 51 30 Bush As Pres. Now 1/04
Teachers grps 10 63 22 Approve 33% 54%
Minority grps 8 52 34 Disapprove 67 45
People like you 2 67 29

Bush Backing A Candidate
Would
How Are Things Going In Baltimore? Make You ___ Likely To Support?
Well 49% More 19%
Not well 44 Less 56
No difference 23

Has O'Malley Made Things ___ In
Baltimore? War In Iraq Worth Fighting?
Better 41% Yes 36%
Worse 11 No 63
Hasn't changed 40

Abortion Should Be ___
In Most
Support State Leg.'s Effort To
Cases?
Force Wal-Mart To Pay Employee Legal 63%
Health Costs? Illegal 35
Support 77%
Oppose 21

Bad Boss

2006-06-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

You've probably heard of the internet site where high school students have been rating their teachers -- it's caused a bit of an uproar. And maybe you know that someone started a web site where you can complain about dangerous or rude drivers and post their license plates and info about their offenses.

So I'd been thinking lately that we need a web site where you can paste one on the boss who's be on your butt, mistreating employees, getting away with stuff, and otherwise just being evil. Well, someone at Working America apparently had the same thought and actually did something about it. Check out Bad Boss, where you can tell your story and maybe even win a vacation!

Shaking

2006-06-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

In an effort to bring some insight into the races that don't always make the headlines, I'm going to try to bring you updates on a few of the candidates running for office in Maryland, specifically in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, this year. First up is Jamie Raskin, candidate for state Senate in District 20.

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You may have heard something about the bumper crop of energetic, thoughtful, progressive leaders running for office in Montgomery County this fall. The normally staid, often incumbent-driven politics are being upended as these candidates bring forward new ideas and a willingness to do the hard work to solve the problems we face and improve our community. And the all-too-often passive incumbents are running for their political lives.

Nowhere is this more true than in the heavily Democratic 20th legislative district, encompassing the southeastern corner of Montgomery County (Silver Spring and Takoma Park), where in less than 80 days we’ll have the most exciting election in several cycles. In the most interesting race, long-time incumbent Ida Ruben is being challenged by public advocate and American University professor Jamie Raskin.

In a recent interview, Raskin laid out an ambitious agenda, to "be the State Senator who makes universal health care for Maryland a reality, achieves funding for the Thornton Commission's pre-K mandate, builds an effective state/local/federal coalition to make the Purple Line happen, succeeds in moving to abolish the death penalty in our state, enacts 100% voter registration by making registration a condition for graduation from high school, pushes for Clean Cars legislation and active state involvement in a Mid-Atlantic regional compact to dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions, and builds a wall of separation between our politics and corporate money by abolishing corporate contributions to candidates for state office."

One of the primary complaints of some of the incumbents is that they and their work are little seen or heard back home. Raskin recognizes that we want something done in Annapolis and plans to team up with members of the community to build a statewide coalition to help make real change possible. He’s already started that process by getting in touch with many by “building the most powerful and far-reaching grassroots campaign for the State Senate that anyone has seen in decades in our district. I'm knocking on thousands of doors and we're mobilizing younger voters, older voters, middle-aged parents like me and my wife, PTA presidents, environmentalists, teachers, students, labor activists, community and civic activists, progressive change agents, and everyone who has been bypassed and ignored by the remnants of the political machine. “

Raskin refused to attack the longtime incumbent for her campaign’s rumored misrepresentations, push polls, and other shenanigans. Instead, he said “But I know from being out there every day that this campaign is not about the last 35 years, it's about the next 35 years.”

And stated his profound dedication to making a difference: “The answer is that the chance to make sweeping changes in our politics and in government is extraordinary right now, and I have three kids that will inherit the future that we create for them. I've got a responsibility to do this. I love Maryland, I love Silver Spring and Takoma Park, and it turns out that I love campaigning too. I hope to represent our community with vigor and vision for the next four years.”

To learn more about Jamie Raskin, take a look at his web site.

Duncan Out

2006-06-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

I was going to get on today to write about the huge waste of money the state D party is engaging in by funding glossy mailings for incumbent Senators in tight primaries, but I've got to let you know the big news.

Hotline is reporting that Duncan is quitting the gubernatorial race. Yes, you heard it here! No independent confirmation, but this is a doozie if true.

Elrich out, Ervin In

2006-06-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

The Gazette is running a piece that confirms that Valerie Ervin is in the District 5 County Council race (Kensington, Takoma Park and parts of Silver Spring and Wheaton) and that Marc Elrich would be jumping to the at-large Council race. The article mentions that Joy Austin-Lane may be shifting to another race, but doesn’t mention the intentions of Hans Riemer, a long-time progressive leader and Silver Spring activist.

Great analysis of news visuals at http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/