Kratovil: Look for the Union Label

Eric Luedtke has his knickers in a knot because Andy Harris has accepted $9,000 in contributions from Oil Company PACs.

That got me thinking, how much money has Frank Kratovil taken from, say union PACs?

AFL-CIO COPE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE	03/26/2008	2500.00	28990858481
AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION-COPE	02/22/2008	250.00	28930766435
AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION-COPE	03/14/2008	500.00	28990809503

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVT. EMPL. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE	03/24/2008	500.00	28931214256
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - P E O P L E, QUALIFIED	03/27/2008	5000.00	28990875596

COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA-COPE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE

02/21/2008

5000.00

28930818828

DRIVE - DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN INDEPENDENT VOTER EDUCATION - PAC FOR INT'L BROTHERHOOD OF T	04/09/2008	1000.00	28931584922
ENGINEERS POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE (EPEC)/INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS	05/21/2008	5000.00	28991319554

DRIVE - DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN INDEPENDENT VOTER EDUCATION - PAC FOR INT'L BROTHERHOOD OF T	04/09/2008	1000.00	28931584922
ENGINEERS POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE (EPEC)/INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS	05/21/2008	5000.00	28991319554

MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POL LEAGUE OF THE INT'L ASSN OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS

03/27/2008

5000.00

28990788019

NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION

03/28/2008

1000.00

28990863773

POLITICAL EDUCATIONAL FUND OF THE BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES DEPARTMENT AFL-CIO

02/27/2008

1000.00

28990616933

SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (SEIU COPE)	02/06/2008	5000.00	28990697192
SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (SEIU COPE)	04/11/2008	5000.00	28931693286
SHEET METAL WORKERS' INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION LEAGUE	03/25/2008	2500.00	28990855976

TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE	05/01/2008	1000.00	28991270198
UAW - V - CAP (UAW VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM)	03/10/2008	1500.00	28931127438
UNITED ASSOCIATION POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE	03/27/2008	5000.00	28931174045
UNITED FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ACTIVE BALLOT CLUB	01/16/2008	1000.00	28930610559
UNITED FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ACTIVE BALLOT CLUB	02/29/2008	5000.00	28930819742
UNITED STEELWORKERS POLITICAL ACTION FUND	03/31/2008	2500.00	28931077829
UNITED STEELWORKERS POLITICAL ACTION FUND	03/31/2008	2500.00	28931077829

That's $63,750 in contributions from unions to the Kratovil campaign. Not counting other donations from D.C. PACs.

If Andy Harris has been "bought" by the oil companies, does that mean that unions bought Frank Kratovil seven times over?

Hard to argue with this logic

People need to get in the game, and apparently they needed some....er, extra motivation:

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) challenged Republicans on Tuesday to get off their "dead asses" and start raising money for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

And the Republican leader wasn't the only lawmaker berating his GOP colleagues to raise more money for the committee's March 12 fundraising dinner: According to sources in the room, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) also used a closed-door session at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday to challenge Republicans to raise more campaign cash.

The normally upbeat Cole told Republicans that if they don't start raising more money for the committee, they should get used to life in the minority. Blunt told his colleagues that Sen. John McCain's spot atop the ballot should give Republicans the opening they need to regain their majority.

Well, it's a sad state of affairs if the party in Congress cannot get motivated to try and win back the majority. But these members of Congress do have a responsibility to try to work to restore the majority the way it should be. A lot of these members are Congress are the ones who got us into this mess; they need to do the work to try to get our party and our nation out of this hole.

Of course, one could also argue that if we're having a hard time getting our Representatives motivated, that's probably not a good sign for getting the base motivated. I just hope that notion is incorrect...

CD-1: I Endorse Wayne Gilchrest

I'm coming down off of the fence and throwing my endorsement to Congressman Wayne Gilchrest in the 1st District.

As Greg Kline noted in our RedMaryland endorsements, this is a conflicting race for a lot of reasons. Clearly, Congressman Gilchrest is not as conservative as I would like to see in a Republican member of Congress.

But does not not make him unfit to serve. Wayne Gilchrest is a good man, a man of charachter. Sure, I may not agree with him all of the time on the things that he has done and the votes that he has made, but he has served in Congress with honor. With Wayne Gilchrest, you know what you are going to get, and that consistency is not a bad thing under our current circumstances.

E.J. Pipkin is a worthy opponent, and is more conservative than Congressman Gilchrest. Under different circumstances, I would consider supporting him. But under the current situation, I think Senator Pipkin best serves the people of Maryland in the State Senate, trying to work to rein in profligate spenders in our General Assembly, and challenging Martin O'Malley's mismanagement of our state. He has served us well, and I hope he continues to do so in Annapolis.

There is not much more I can say about Andy Harris that I have not already said, starting with my original un-endorsement. But last night really sealed the deal for me. He gave remarks at the Baltimore Area Young Republicans Super Tuesday event at the Ropewalk in Baltimore. He spoke, and you can just get the sense from him when he spoke. He's insincere. He's a phony. He lacks gravitas. There is just something about him that make me feel very uncomfortable sending him to Congress. He just reminds me of the type that you can't trust, and that he would "go native" in D.C. quicker than you can blink. I look at Senator Harris and see the type of politician we should not send to Washington.

Yes, Andy Harris is the most conservative candidate in the race. But charachter counts for a lot, which is why Wayne Gilchrest has my support.

The Brian Griffiths Minute: 01-02-2008

Yes, I'm talking about my decision to issue an un-endorsement of Andy Harris...

The Un-Endorsement

Remember how I said that I would not endorse a candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District? Well, I'm still not going to endorse a candidate.

However, I am giving an Un-Endorsement. Vote for whomever you want, just don't vote for State Senator Andy Harris.

You know, it kinda bugs me that I am taking such a step since Harris is certainly more along my line of conservative thinking than incumbent Wayne Gilchrest is. But unfortunately, this has little to do with ideology and everything to do with campaign conduct.

Let's face it; the Andy Harris campaign has virtually no substance to it. Ever since Harris jumped into the race, it has been all attack, all the time. It has been incessant attacking of an incumbent Congressman. Then, we had the stupid Banks fiasco where a paranoid campaign sent out feelers accusing Congressman Gilchrest of planting Banks. Then, the guns were trained on State Senator E.J. Pipkin, where the Harris camp has had the audacity to call Pipkin a liberal despite the fact that Pipkin was one of our leading voices against the O'Malley Tax Hikes. Then it turns out that the campaign lied about some of their endorsements as well.

I can't think of one thing that Andy Harris has said he would do for the 1st District of Maryland during this campaign that hasn't been a direct attack on Congressman Gilchrest or Senator Pipkin. If it weren't for the constant drumbeat of attack attack attack, the Harris Campaign would cease to be a campaign for Congress and, if operated in the same manner, would be a Seinfeldian campaign about nothing.

And let's face it, this constant drumbeat of attack attack attack is, frankly, unbecoming of a United States Congressman. Sure, attack ads and comparative literature and TV commercials are part of the campaign landscape, and a useful tool. We as Republicans should be winning on ideas, not the personal attacks that the Harris campaign continues to launch. I mean, this crap is cute if there is a there there, in the campaign; problem is that right now the Harris has no there there.

And if the Harris campaign had spent more than lip-service on issues, then maybe the Harris campaign would not have acted like they were completely panicked by the entrance of Pipkin into the race. And if the Harris campaign had talked more about issues and less about Wayne Gilchrest, Harris probably would have stood a better chance of winning than he does know; certainly, he would have been positioned better to survive Pipkin's entry into the race.

(Incidentally, it is still sad that we are facing a nasty primary at the hands of Harris and his team while our John Flynn can't even bother to recruit a credible candidate to run in the 2nd District)

I've been blunt from the get go that I think Harris is going to lose this campaign, but more and more I come to realize that this is a good thing for Maryland. At the end of the day, the goals of the Republican Party are not served by elected Andy Harris, so I encourage all 1st District residents to vote for somebody else on February 12th...

Try the Gruel

Comrade Pelosi apparently liked the concept of bland, Soviet-style cuisine, because under her watch it sounds like they really messed up the House kitchen:

So long, fatty and foreign food. Cafeterias serving staffers on the House side of the Capitol have ditched such meals in favor of healthier menus that include organic and locally grown cuisine.

The crossover in food services is part of the "Green the Capitol Initiative" mandated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, a move that also has eliminated foam cups and plans to illuminate the Capitol Dome with environmentally friendly lighting.

Good grief. Needless to say, the free-market folks are not happy:

Some House staffers are not pleased with the changes.

"Staffers are about as thrilled with this nonsense as most taxpayers will be when they learn that they're subsidizing sushi, tofu, couscous and other pretentious meals for federal employees," said one Republican leadership aide.

"Most people here want a real lunch during a hectic day on the Hill, not organic noodles with nonfat soy nuts or a lecture from nannies and nutritionists," the aide said.

A second House staffer called it an "unnecessary and useless renovation of the House kitchens and cafeterias."

I'm so glad that Nancy Pelosi is focused on fixing the important things while serving as Speaker. Maybe this will explain why Congressional approval ratings are in the tank...

The GOP Face of the Maryland 2nd

"Leading the charge for Ron Paul in AA County and district two. Please support Ron Paul as much as you can, with dollars and your time. If you are on the fence, let me answer any questions you might have about Ron Paul and his grassroots movement"
- Richard Matthews, The Republican Nominee for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District

Golly, I have never been so proud to live in the 2nd in my entire life.

Three cheers for our Republican leadership to make sure that this is the face of the Maryland Republican Party for 2008!

Another Paul Person

Yes, PolitickerMD.com reports that another Ron Paul flunky has filed for Congress, this time in the 2nd District.

This just further reemphasizes the complete failure of John Flynn to recruit credible candidates to run for office, in both the 2nd and 3rd Congressional districts.

And just so we all understand where we are....

...E.J. Pipkin filed for Congress today.

BREAKING: Pipkin to run in CD-1

Sources are telling me that State Senator E.J. Pipkin is going to jump into the Republican primary for Congress in the 1st Congressional District.

This takes an already muddy campaign picture and distorts it even further. It also makes Senator Harris's life more difficult since Harris would be just one of two State Senators in the race.

Every day, Congressman Gilchrest's re-election seems more likely, and this merely reinforces the fact.

An Exaggeration

Harris Campaign Manager Chris Meekins has an...er...interesting perspective on the endorsement of Governor Ehrlich.

‘‘It’s pivotal in the fact that Governor Ehrlich is the Republican Party in Maryland,” said Harris campaign director Chris Meekins. ‘‘It not only brings grass-roots support, but also a lot of his senators and his money people will be willing to open up their checkbooks.”

Well, there are two things here that just drive me crazy.

One is the fact that the party is bigger than one person. Bob Ehrlich is not the Republican Party an and of himself. And I think Governor Ehrlich would say that as well, considering he often thanked extensively those that supported the party and supported him during his campaigns.

Second, the concept that Ehrlich delivers Senators and money to the Harris campaign is unproven. A lot of people thought that the Governor's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani was pretty much the end of serious discussion regarding the support of Presidential candidates in Maryland. And it has been anything but, with a strong Romney organization, and a developing Thompson organization as well (though one that has been completely absent from here in Anne Arundel County). If the Ehrlich pull were as strong as the Harris team would like to think it is, that would not be happening.

The Ehrlich endorsement was a big get for the Harris campaign, but it is not the exclamation point that the Harris team thinks it is...

Anything but Confidence

Memo to Harris supporters: I understand that the candidate and his supporters are confident that the Senator is going to beat Congressman Gilchrest in the primary. However, when supporters start talking to the press about half-baked theories about why certain candidates are jumping into the race, that doesn't exactly exude confidence, now does it?

Again, I'm not supporting or endorsing a candidate. But color me unimpressed with the lame attempt at spin of some Harris supporters...

On my own island

I said before that I have not endorsed, nor will I be endorsing any candidate in the 1st Congressional District scrum. But from the perspective of being an observer, am I the only person who does not think Andy Harris is going to beat Wayne Gilchrest?

The Numbers Game
The numbers are just not adding up for the Harris campaign. The lowest percentage Gilchrest ever received during a primary as an incumbent was 47 percent of the vote, back in 1992 when the district had a larger slice of Anne Arundel County. With the current composition of the District, he beat Dave Fischer 60-36 in 2002, and Richard Colburn 62-38 in 2004. It's hard to imagine that such a large slice of the electorate would defect after two contested elections.

The Others
Also complicating the issue for the Harris team is the fact that there are three other candidates in the race: Joe Arminio, Robert Joseph Banks, and John Leo Walter. Arminio and Walter have been in the race for some time and have both campaign extensively across the district. One would have to almost assume that those three candidates will split around 10 percent of the anti-Gilchrest vote.

District Geography
Senator Harris represents only two precincts that vote in CD-1. He does not start off with the name ID that one would usually expect from a State Senator challenging and incumbent Congressman, and certainly at more of a disadvantage than Senator Colburn (who represented a large chunk of the Shore) did in 2004.

Additionally, it seems that a lot of Eastern Shore Republicans prefer their Congressman to be one of them, living on the eastern shore. That, from the people I have talked to, seems to be as much of a determining factor as ideology. This also plays into the Walter factor, since Walter is a resident of Centreville. On top of that, Arminio lives in Arnold, Anne Arundel County. That may peel a few extra votes away from Harris than might happen otherwise.

The Kratovil Factor
Some Republicans I have spoken with are fearful of Frank Kratovil, Queen Anne's County State's Attorney and current Democratic frontrunner. There is a fear in some that a Harris win will make it more likely that Kratovil, not Harris, will be elected in November. They point to Kratovil being, like Walter, from the Shore and being somewhat of a moderate yet popular elected Democrat. It may mean that a lot of moderate Democrats who may otherwise pull the lever for Gilchrest (or most Republicans in most years) would switch to Kratovil.

To his credit, Senator Harris has been running a textbook campaign, one that has been more effective than any of the previous primary challengers. But he needs to run a perfect campaign and cross his fingers for luck in order to win this race. Missteps like his awkward new TV spot that mixes messages do not help his campaign any.

There is a long way to go between now and February 12th, but if the election were held today I would say that Wayne Gilchrest is going to win the primary by between five and eight percent...

The Ugly Truth

Stephen Moore lays down the ugly truth on taxes and the GOP:

America's swing voters, especially the suburban "security moms," who abandoned the GOP in droves in 2006 still hold Republicans in very low regard. What has party tacticians especially spooked is that these independents are apparently not much attracted to what the Republicans are saying about taxes. That's a bitter pill for party leaders to swallow, because for 25 years the anti-tax banner has been a political trump card for conservative candidates. A top strategist at the Republican National Committee who attended the meeting told me: "Our tax message has worn thin."

And he's right. Unfortunately, the message of tax cuts cannot in and of itself save the GOP anymore. Not because people want to pay more in taxes; check out Maryland's reaction to Governor O'Malley's attempts to swindle us out of more money and you'll see that. It's because Republicans, particularly in Congress, stopped being about what Republicans have been about. Smaller government and less government spending. Something the American people do understand:

There is another GOP imperative: The anti-tax message must be linked to wasteful government spending. "There's no question that for seven out of 10 American voters, wasteful government spending is one of the largest problems in Washington," says pollster Tony Fabrizio. "For many of these voters it's a bigger issue than taxes." All of the polling consistently finds that voters believe about 40 cents of every dollar spent by Washington is wasted. So this widespread aversion to the way government mishandles money may be the best shield against tax hikes--at all levels of government.

In Mr. Winston's survey, 75% of respondents agreed that, "Taxes should not be increased as long as Congress continues to waste the tax money it already receives." Only 23% did not.

We need to reclaim the Republican Party as the party of small government conservatism, not statism wrapped in a conservative bow. To continue to spend like Democrats only further imperils our current political state...

Volunteers Needed?

To date, as far as I am aware of there are no Republican candidates for Congress in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th districts. (When I say that the Anne Arundel Central Committee had better things to do, this is the kinda thing I meant).

The most problematic of these are the 2nd and the 3rd, where the districts are reasonably competitive under the right set of circumstances, i.e. we have a good candidate who is willing to put the time, effort, and shoe leather into running a good race.

So, I ask this question: what Republicans should take this "free shot" opportunity to run for Congress next year? And do you think that we are again going to wind up, particularly in the 2nd District, with another list of candidates that even die-hard Republicans can't recognize?