The First MD GOP Blogger Conference Call

We just finished up the first Blogger Conference call with State GOP Executive Director Justin Ready. Participants included RedMaryland stalwarts Michael Swartz, Greg Kline, Mark Newgent and myself.

This was a fantastic opportunity for Justin to speak with bloggers, talk about the issues important to Republicans, to bloggers, and to our readers, and to foster cooperation. One thing that Justin stressed was the need for cooperation between the party, Republican elected officials and the conservative blogosphere. As a former blogger Justin knows the important role that blogs have, particularly a state like Maryland with a generally monolithic liberal media, and that's going to become even more important as we head towards the General Assembly session and, looking beyond that, the 2010 Election.

Some good news from the call; fundraising, which was an issue during John Flynn's tenure as Executive Director, has greatly improved during Justin's three months on the job, and the part is in an ever improving financial position.

I am glad that Justin took the initiative to hold this call, and I look forward to participating with my fellow bloggers in future calls.

No Model

John Leopold continue his campaign to be anointed as the Republican Nominee for Governor in 2010 by calling urging the GOP to follow him:

Local government is at the cutting edge of bipartisan, pragmatic governance that improves people's lives. In Anne Arundel County, we have built a model for governing in the 21st century that sets a standard for effective governing that should be reflected in our national party platform.

Leopold talks about a lot of the good things that the administration has done here in Anne Arundel County, with a heavy emphasis on public safety and immigration enforcement, two things that the entire GOP can rally around.

Of course, some of the things that Leopold supports and has supported in the past leave me nauseated at the concept that Leopold thinks anybody should use him as a model for the Republican Platform.

• Does John Leopold still want to raise taxes and fees, as he has proposed to do half a dozen times since taking office?
• Does John Leopold still support government-funded abortions, as he did as a legislator in Hawaii and as a former Director of Planned Parenthood?
• Does John Leopold still oppose the small government model set forth by Ronald Reagan, as he did at the 1980 Republican National Convention?
• Does John Leopold still support the energy rate hikes he voted for as a member of the General Assembly?
  

If those are the things that John Leopold wants to do to the Republican Party, he can shove them where the sun don't shine.

Squishy liberal Republicans are the cause of, not the cure for, Republican branding issues in the modern body politic. It is when politicians started acting more like Leopold, and less like small government conservatives, where the Republican Party went awry, as I have stated time and time again.

When it comes to the future of the Republican Party if John Leopold is the answer, you're asking the wrong question...

The Justin Ready Interview

I had the opportunity to interview via email our new State GOP Executive Director Justin Ready. Here is the full Q&A, and it provides a lot of insight into Justin's view on our current situation here in Maryland, where we go for the rest of 2008, and how our party is preparing for 2010 and beyond.

I greatly thank Justin for taking the time to do this!

* * * * * *
Brian Griffiths: You've been on the job for a couple of weeks now, how are you adjusting to the new position.
Justin Ready: I am adjusting pretty well, I think. Its still a process of learning more about day to day responsibilities and technical "stuff" while also looking to move the Party forward and take the next, crucial steps in fundraising and grassroots development. No matter how busy things get, it is an absolute privilege to wake up every morning and be able to work to advance the Maryland Republican Party.

BG: How different is your role as Executive Director from your previous roles on campaigns or in the General Assembly?
JR: In the General Assembly, policy and legislation are the primary concern. In my position with both Senator Greenip and Delegate Jennings, I spent the lions share of my time on researching and in some cases developing legislation, communicating with constituents, and working on problems that individual constituents brought to the Senator or Delegate's attention. At the State Party, it's a little different in the sense that my job is not to make policy but to work very hard to build a strong political infrastructure and organization to elect Republicans and grow our party.

There are a lot of similarities to running a campaign except your pushing all of your candidates while working to stockpile resources for the future.

BG: What are your goals for the rest of 2008?
JR: Building a stronger grassroots infrastructure, increasing the coordination between elected officials and the MDGOP, increasing our file of reliable donors both small and large, working to be sure we hold onto Congressional Districts 1 and 6 while working with our challengers in the other six districts, and beginning the process of recruiting and training great candidates for our races in 2010. How's that for a short list lol? Putting the party in position to elect more Republicans is what I see as my primary objective.

BG: In the past, the state party apparatus has been accused of meddling too much into the affairs of local central committees. What do you think the relationship should be between the state and local parties?
JR: The state party is empowered by the local parties, and not the other way around. I'm not sure about past situations, but my job is to work with our local chairs and central committee members on advancing broad goals not micromanage their processes. The only exception I would make is if there is some extreme case of fiscal mismanagement, corruption, or criminal activity. Even then, it's best handled locally.

BG: One of the concerns that many Republicans have deals with fundraising. How do you plan on ensuring that the party coffers get into and stays in the black?
JR: Our fundraising has been strong this year but we must use this election year interest to expand our donor base. It is so important to bring more and more small and large donors into the party. Part of the challenge is developing good relationships with people around the state who are able to invest a substantial amount, while also letting the small and medium level donors know just how important their donations are. You'll get tired of hearing me say this, but it just takes working very hard and also reaching out beyond our normal boundaries to find new donors.

BG:. There have been several proposals in recent years to allow the state and local parties to endorse in competitive primary elections, something that has proven rather controversial with Central Committee members and activists alike. What are you thoughts on these proposals?
JR: The position of the state party is to stay out of primaries and I think it is the right position. The Republican primary voters in each district should decide and then we should all come together behind the winner of the GOP primary. There are not enough of us to fight amongst ourselves during the General Election. That does not do anything to advance our cause or beat Democrats.

BG: The 1st Congressional District race was particularly ugly and caustic. What do you see as your role in bringing the party back together?
JR: Well, I think the party in many ways is back together. Senator Harris has reached out to supporters of his primary opponents and nearly everyone has gotten completely behind his candidacy, because the major debate in the primary was over policy issues. He has the support of every Eastern Shore GOP Central Committee and the elected officials on the Shore. My job as ED is to point out that the election in CD1 is between a liberal Democrat who wants higher taxes and more government spending and who wants to be an "ally of Governor O'Malley's in Washington," and a common sense conservative who wants lower taxes and less wasteful government spending. When Republicans, Independents, and moderate Democrats see the difference between Andy Harris and Frank Kratovil, I am confident Andy will be our next congressman. My role is to work with the local parties and activists to ensure that our entire Republican infrastructure is doing all they can to bring about victory. It hasn't been a hard sell. Andy Harris has really energized the Republicans across the board as well as many independents and Democrats.

BG:. Despite the party registration numbers, Maryland has a very vibrant conservative blogosphere. How do you think that bloggers can help the party, and how will you try to engage them?
JR: The conservative blogosphere in Maryland is doing a wonderful job of getting information out to activists all over Maryland. The commentary and issue spotlighting that happens on the blogs really encourages our elected officials and lets them know that they are not alone in the fight. With the dominant print media in this state being so left of center, it is vital that we have alternative outlets.

My plan is to be sure we are keeping bloggers in the loop with what we want to do message wise, while respecting their autonomy. It means treating bloggers as allies but not expecting them to be lockstep with us all the time. In addition, I would like to see the conservative blogosphere call attention to our candidates for office and work to drive volunteers and donations toward GOP candidates that are putting their name on the line to help build our party.

BG. One concern that I have had and have argued for is that the 2010 elections are much more important than the 2008 elections due to the composition of the General Assembly, the governorship, and the impending redistricting after the 2010 census. How important is 2010 in your eyes, and what preparations are you taking now for that election?
JR: It is vital for our party to come out of 2010 with positive progress. Even if we do not win the governorship back or a U.S. Senate seat (although those are certainly major goals), we must pick up seats in the General Assembly. If so called "moderate" Democrats are able to come to Annapolis, vote for higher taxes or ridiculous government programs and then get re-elected, then there will be no stopping the left-wing from completely dominating all aspects of our state.

As far as preparations go, my passion is finding hungry, committed candidates for State Senate, House of Delegates, and our county offices throughout Maryland. They must be willing to work hard, raise money, and take an active role in getting themselves out in the community. Our party must stockpile financial resources so that we can have the ability to go after vulnerable delegates and senators BUT we must use our limited resources intelligently. Through identifying winning messages and pairing those messages with grassroots effort from solid candidates, we can make solid gains in 2010. We have to be smart about it as a party though. We need Republicans in every district to get behind their candidates and also their GOP incumbents to ensure that we hold our seats and make gains.

BG: One recent criticism of the state party apparatus has been candidate recruitment, two particularly egregious examples being the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts this year. Have you started candidate recruitment for 2010, and do you think that the party will be able to field stronger candidates for Congress in the future?
JR: We are in the beginning stages of candidate recruitment. My goal is to have quality candidates for every state legislative district and congressional district in Maryland. There are many districts where, with hard-working and enthusiastic candidates, we can pick up seats in the General Assembly. In off year elections, we also have a much better chance in the six Democratically held congressional seats because Democratic turnout is much lower. One of the lessons that I learned running races in 2006 was that in districts with a strong senate candidate and strong delegate candidates, you had a much better chance of picking up House or Senate seats than if you just had one strong State Senate candidate or 2-3 strong House of Delegates candidates. It's important that we have qualified people up and down the ballot. We're working on identifying what ought to be our top targeted districts statewide and want to get our candidates trained and setting the table in their districts very early on.

BG:. Voter registration numbers in recent years have indicated that the younger demographic is registering as independents more than in previous years? How do you think we can reach these voters?
JR: I think we have to have a strong message and show them that they can trust us when we are in power. Also, Maryland Republicans have to break through the stereotypes created on the national level about Republicans. We are the party in Maryland that fights for working families, small business entrepreneurs and employees of businesses small and large. We want to cut taxes, stop wasteful spending and provide free market solutions in health care and energy.

The Democratic Party in Maryland (and nationally) believes that government knows best how to run your life. They want to control how your kids are raised, what car you drive, and whenever they spend too much money, they want to make you pay for their largesse by increasing your taxes. Why do they always blame us for the problem and not their over-spending? Because they think that we taxpayers are greedy, that's why! They think we are desperate for more and more government intervention in our lives and without big government there, we wouldn't have a hope of making it on our own. So they tell us they are hiking up taxes "for our own good". If we can succinctly express this to independent voters, I am confident that we can win a large percentage of them over.

BG: Any other thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
JR: Be a rebel...fight the establishment... support Maryland Republicans.

An Inspired Choice

Justin Ready has been tapped to be the New Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party. And if you are expecting to come here waiting for me to read me blasting the choice....then you'll be disappointed.

The selection of Justin is an inspired choice. Justin actually brings together a lot of the practical perspectives that one needs in order to be a successful Director in the modern age. He has strategic, grassroots, legislative and organization experience. Most importantly, and this is something that I have been harping on for a while, he is a blogger who has some understanding of the importance of the new medium.

Jim Pelura went out on a limb in naming Justin and interviewing a lot of nontraditional candidates. I thank him for that, as well as giving me the opportunity as well. And I am glad that he went against the grain. Rumors swirled all weekend that the choice was going to be Harris Campaign Manager Chris Meekins, and had Meekins been selected we would have looked back at the age of John Flynn as the halcyon days of good management, and we all know how poor of a job Flynn did during his tenure.

I wish Justin well and look forward to working with him.

Lacking Speculation

There has been a lack of speculation out there regarding the possible names who are being considered to fill the vacancy as the Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party. In fact, I have heard of no names being seriously considered, at least names that have made their way to me.

The quick turnaround of the deadline for resumes to be sent to Jim Pelura seems like it may limit the ability of the party to conduct a national search for a replacement. It will be interesting to see if that in anyway impacts the final selection.

So at this time, I can only speculate as to how many resumes have been submitted for the position. But I can confirm this: that after receiving encouragement from several individuals, I have in fact submitted my resume for consideration. I am extremely grateful for those individuals who have confidence in my abilities and asking me to consider serving. And while I do not expect to be selected to fill the vacancy, I feel like I have a duty given my critique of John Flynn's job performance to seek the opportunity to replace him.

We'll see where we go from here...

CONFIRMED: Flynn Out

This note from Jim Pelura is being sent around, sent yesterday:

From: "James Pelura"
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:21:44
Subject: Bittersweet news


Dear Republican Leaders,

It is with mixed emotions that I contact you tonight.

John Flynn, our Executive Director, has given notice that he will be
embarking on a new and exciting adventure in 2 weeks.

As you all know, John has been instrumental in carrying out my plan to
return the State Party to the county Central Committees and the grassroots
Republicans of our beloved Maryland.

I am dismayed in his leaving but extremely happy for him and wish him every
success and happiness in his new position. He will be missed!!

Due to time constraints, I will be interviewing for this position on
Tuesday, April 22 at MDGOP headquarters. Please spread the word and have
the applicants e-mail their resumes to me at jpelura@mdgop.org
by Monday, April 21, 2008.


Dr. Jim Pelura
Chairman
Maryland Republican Party

BREAKING: John Flynn out?

GOP Insiders are telling me that Maryland State GOP Executive Director John Flynn has resigned from his post to take a job with the Harris for Congress campaign.

More news and comment to follow...

Still Past Due

One of my earliest posts on this blog was about the need to repeal the tax on military pensions. Unfortunately, it's a battle that is still going on.

It has always been nonsensical to me that we would want to adopt tax policies that drive veterans out of the state of Maryland to states with a more hospitable tax climate. When you consider the number of high paying, high skilled jobs that are in this area, we should do what we have to do to appeal to those retirees who are qualified to fill those jobs to stay in this area.

Maryland is close to two major metro areas, has a wealth of retiree resources, and access to a number of local military health care facilities. It's a natural fit for retirees, but only if we do our part to be competitive with states that allow those who have served us to keep their retirement income free of taxes.

Today, we close ranks

"Let's grow up Conservatives. If we want to take this party back, and I think we can, let's get to work." - Barry Goldwater, 1960 Republican National Convention

OK folks, the primary here in Maryland is over. The two most contested races that we have seen are over.

John McCain will be the Republican standard bearer for President in the 2008 Election.

Andy Harris is the Republican nominee for Congress in the 1st Congressional District.

We have seen a lot of fur fly over the past year, particularly between the warring factions in the 1st District Scrum. But if we are serious about being a viable party in Maryland, if we are serious about preserving the voice of conservatism for the long haul, and if we as Republicans in the state of Maryland are in it to win it, today we close ranks around John McCain, Andy Harris, and our other Republican candidates. Starting today, we must stand united behind the nominees of our party and start working together towards the 2008 General Election.

Some may not be happy with the nominees. Some people may have had their feelings hurt. But like they say, politics 'aint beanbag. Today, we invoke one of Ronald Reagan's other famous sayings:

The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.

Maryland....let's get to work.

Martin O'Malley must govern some other state I don't live in

So Governor O'Malley unleashed his State of the State address (and you can even listen to it, if you really are in to self-flagellation) on an unsuspecting populace today, and apparently the Governor is seeing things just a bit differently than the rest of us.

Let's review some "highlights":

But the future of our State is very much determined by the strength and the security of the families of Maryland – the hard-working and loving families that we have the honor and responsibility to represent. And today, the vast majority of Maryland’s families, like families throughout our country, are finding it harder and harder just to pay their bills and maintain the quality of life that they have worked so hard to achieve.

The Governor is absolutely right. We need somebody who is going to make sure that taxes are not raised on the Middle Class, and that somebody is standing up for those who are subjected to ever rising energy costs. I just only wish that this imaginary person were Governor, instead of Governor O'Malley, who continues to do what he can to make it tougher and tougher for families to survive in our state. It is stunning that he can say this without snickering, given the financial harm he has inflicted upon the middle and working class people of our state.

Continuing....

For the sad truth of our shared reality is that over the last seven years, real wages in our country have grown by only 1 percent. And unfortunately, the same cannot be said for everything else a family needs to survive.

Over the last seven years, the price of a gallon of milk is up 30 percent, the cost of a loaf of bread is up 20 percent, and yet real wages have increased by just 1 percent.

The cost of a gallon of gasoline is up almost 100 percent over that same time-frame.

And the cost of health insurance is up 78 percent, and yet real wages have by only 1 percent.

Yes, and the State of Maryland was nice enough to drive the cost of the sales tax up in this state by 20-percent and also raise the cost of income taxes as well. So realistically, that makes Martin O'Malley a key part of the problem and not part of the solution.

But we don’t need those numbers and figures to tell us that people are hurting; we see it in their eyes, we hear it in their voices.

And I see it in my bank account, with the numbers and figures tell me how much money Martin O'Malley is responsible for taking from me.

No wonder many of us are frustrated when – in the midst of this national economic downturn – we were also forced to confront a long neglected and huge structural deficit. The frustration is totally understandable. And there is good reason for all of us to be concerned and worried about our economic future.

But, as we have seen, Governor O'Malley has done anything to actual address the structural deficit. All Governor O'Malley did was ensure that the middle and working class families suffered financially, while making minimal cuts to the budget while still making sure that pet projects are funded at impractical and unaffordable spending levels.

Apparently, O'Malley has also established priorities for the state as well:

• To strengthen and protect our middle class, our family owned businesses and family farms,
• To protect our commitment to improve public safety and public education in every single part of our State,
• And to protect opportunity – the opportunity to learn, to earn, to enjoy the health of the people we love, as well as the health of the land, the water, the air and the Bay that we love – for more people rather than fewer.

Is this a joke? Is he serious? Because I'm not sure that anybody is doing less to address these priorities than Martin O'Malley. Families, businesses, and farms have been weakened by O'Malley's reckless spending and tax priorities. How is public education being improved given O'Malley's personal vendetta against Nancy Grasmick, focusing more on removing her than taking real steps to improving our schools? How are the people of Maryland having greater opportunities to learn and earn in these O'Malley years?

It continues to go on like this:

In the coming weeks, months and years ahead, we will be undertaking a number of efforts – legislative, regulatory -- and legal if need be -- to secure fair and reasonable energy rates while also ensuring an adequate supply for our future. Deregulation has failed us in Maryland and we cannot allow our future to be determined by that mistake.

And isn't it something that this gem is contained in a speech the same day that we get reports of higher electric rates?

Now, let's wrap it up towards the closing statements:

Let’s stay focused on the fact that people are counting on us to make these tough times more bearable. Let’s work together – regardless of personality, party or place – to face the challenges ahead.

What tough economic times call for is leadership. Leadership that is responsible to the needs of the people and the needs of the citizenry. What the people need is lower taxes. What the people need is a government that spends within its means. What we need is leadership that will in fact face the challenges without regard to personalities or party. Unfortunately, we currently have a Governor that governs on the basis of his partisan stripes, his desire for revenge, base jealousy, and the greed of personal power. This Governor is the antithesis of what he calls for in his own speech.

We know that Maryland is a stronger state than most. We can get through these tough economic times more quickly than other parts of our country, but only if we can continue to come together to protect the priorities that make us strong.

And again, what we have here is a Governor that is not committed to real priorities that benefit Maryland's working and middle class families. We have a Governor who is committed first and foremost to putting politics before people, and in governing only to benefit his party and his political career.

This Governor's State of the State address is a hubristic nightmare that can only come from the mouth of somebody who believes more in his press clippings, self-genuflection, and his own greatness than he does in doing what is best for the people of Maryland. While the people of Maryland suffer through an impending recession and higher taxes, O'Malley tries to takes steps to improve his political standing, and to continue to implement his O'Malleynomics on our state, with potentially disastrous (yet strikingly obvious) future consequences.

It is sad and depressing to think that middle and working class families of Maryland have to suffer through another three years of Martin O'Malley's reckless mismanagement and misplaced policy priorities.

Time for a Red Card

Apparently the O'Malley folks still don't realize the state has money problems:

With negotiations to build a stadium for D.C. United stalled in the District, Maryland officials have agreed to consider constructing a home for the soccer team in Prince George's County.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has decided to spend $75,000 on a feasibility study to look at the economic impact and potential tax benefits. The step concerned Vincent C. Gray, chairman of the D.C. Council, who noted the team's success and potential for financial growth.

"I continue to believe that we should work with D.C. United to construct the stadium in Poplar Point," Gray (D) said.

The study comes two months after Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) wrote a letter to David Raith, the stadium authority's acting director, asking the state to help the county lure the team.

I'm not really sure exactly how this benefits the taxpayers of Maryland in any way. Particularly when you consider the fact that the through the profligate spending of O'Malley and legislative Democrats, we are still facing a projected deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars. Annapolis Democrats still cannot grasp the concept of basic economics and fiscal responsibility. To say that the state should be spending money on a study to consider spending more money to build a stadium in an area that already has five stadiums of 30,000 or more seats within a 20-mile radius is laughably absurd.

From a business perspective, D.C. United Holdings should be looking at building soccer-specific stadium to fit their needs, and I am sympathetic to the fact that they probably need such a venue to thrive financially. But if they want to build in Maryland, they should have to find the private capital to do it. The state should not be fleecing taxpayers to direct money towards an already mismanaged agency to build venues again beyond their intended scope. If they want government to build it, talk to D.C. or talk to Virginia.

I mean seriously: do Democrats really want to put stadiums before schools?

O'Malley out of touch, out of control

Governor O'Malley is going farther and farther to prove that he has lost touch with reality when it comes to Governing Maryland.

First, take a look at his comments regarding Nancy Grasmick:

Gov. Martin O'Malley called longtime state schools chief Nancy S. Grasmick "a pawn of the Republican Party" yesterday, and other top Democrats said she should resign, indicating on the opening day of this year's legislative session that they might make good on threats to force her out.....

Speaking during a morning taping of WYPR-FM's Marc Steiner Show, O'Malley, a Democrat, said that if Grasmick refused to resign he would support legislation enabling the state school board to replace her with someone who is not a "poster child for No Child Left Behind or a pawn of the Republican Party."

"I'm looking forward to a new superintendent, and I'm looking forward to bringing one [on] in the very near future," O'Malley said.

The concept of long-time Democrat Grasmick being a "pawn of the Republican Party" is laughable considering Grasmick's history. She started out as a Schaefer appointee, remember, and has often been criticized over the past decade or more (often by Republicans, mind you) of the state of Maryland's school system. Of course, O'Malley's thoughts on the matter look even more mindless when you consider that you consider that Maryland school are ranked third in the nation .

Then there is this gem from his opening remarks to the House of Delegates yesterday:

"Important work remains to be done," O'Malley told House members. "As we proved before, progress is possible."

If anything, Governor O'Malley has proved that with him progress is not possible. His continued adherence to outdated ideas of the role of Government, ideas that came forth with the Great Society in the 1960's, prove that Governor O'Malley is committed to progress only for his own political career. O'Malley's continued support of higher taxes and unaffordable spending priorities certainly prove that O'Malley is not committed to making progress for Maryland's working and middle class families.

Maryland cannot make progress when we have a Governor who is out of touch from certain realities, and out of control with his attempts at abusing his power. It's as clear as day that Maryland will not be able to provide a livable future for the working and middle class families of Maryland until Martin O'Malley is no longer Governor of this state and replaced with a Governor who actually cares about the plight of Maryland's citizenry...

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...

FSP crowd winces at truth

The Sun published an editorial saying a lot of things that I have been saying and what has been said at Red Maryland for a long time: Democrats don't care about the working class anymore:

Today's ascendant liberalism isn't driven by the lunch-pail concerns of those workers struggling to make it in an increasingly high-tech, information-based, outsourcing U.S. economy - though it does pay lip service to them.

Rather, such "gentry liberalism" reflects the interests and values of the affluent winners in the era of globalization and the beneficiaries of the "financialization" of the economy. Just as the number of industrial workers and traditional middle-class households has declined, the ranks of the affluent class have grown. And although many of the newly affluent are - as is traditional - politically conservative, a rising number of them are turning left. Surveys by the Pew Research Center indicate that an increasing number of households with annual incomes greater than $135,000 are moving toward the Democrats.

Of course, this is all 100% accurate. Today's liberals are too concerned with protecting special interests, the interests of big business, and playing to pet issues special to urban liberals than they are with the plight of the working and middle classes. All one has to do is to look at the recent special session, with massive tax hikes aimed at the middle class, to see the damaging effects of this new breed liberalism.

Eric Luedtke of Free State Politics responds the way that urban liberals always respond; he whines:

The idea that the Democratic Party has moved away from working class and middle class concerns is an equally ridiculous argument. Maryland's a great example of that. Any list of Democratic success in Maryland over the last few years will mention the living wage, the increase in the minimum wage, work on making college more affordable, support for public education, and expansion of health care support. In fact, the only specific example the authors mention is climate change, arguing that climate change legislation hurts the working class despite the massive number of new jobs that are already being created by the green economy.

This is straight out of the Karl Rove playbook: spread lies and hope to confuse the voters enough to get elected. The Republican Party knows that any chance they have of ever reclaiming the working and middle class 'Reagan Democrats' is quickly slipping away, so these two conservatives desperately try to tie the Democrats to an anti-worker label. To bad all the real world evidence is contrary to everything they say.

And all of which Luedtke wrote above is, of course, total crap. The living wage bill drives up the cost of government, thus creating the need for higher and higher taxes or (if a realistic view of the budget was employed, for once) reduced government services. The living wage, combined with the minimum wage hike, creates localized inflation that inflates the cost of all low-wage jobs in the area, artificially inflating the prices of goods and services in that area. That of course negates those rises in wages, and also diminishes the purchasing power of the middle class.

The expansion of health care supports necessitated, what else, more regressive taxes that disproportionately impact the working classes, those who are most likely to purchase cigarettes.

The only support for public education the Democrats show in Maryland is support for higher wages of teachers. Nobody is too concerned with actually improving education in Maryland, because it is far more important for Democrats to kowtow to the MSTA than it is to worry about educating students.

And it is hard to argue that Maryland Democrats are for lowering the costs of higher education when salaries and benefits for professors and administrators at these schools continue to skyrocket.

And this says nothing of Congressional Democrats who want to (what else) raise taxes, bankrupt government with more unnecessary social programs, and ignore our national security.

Luedtke's knee-jerk reaction to the column in the Sun probably has less to do with a repulsion to Republicanism and more a reaction to a slow realization that is probably very disturbing to him. Luedtke, his party, and this ideas he and the party believe in, are anti-worker, anti-consumer, and anti-Middle Class, and that he and his ilk are clearly working behalf of the rich who think they know how to run the lives of individual Americans better than the individuals do.

The modern Democratic Party, and these modern-day urban liberals don't support democracy as we know it. These Democrats support a modern-day Plutocracy, and they would prefer that you didn't point it out to them...

It's about competence, not ideology

Without calling me out by name, Mike Netherland has called me out and accused me of trying to "smear" Jim Pelura and John Flynn.

Mike however completely misses the point and tries to turn this into an issue of ideology over performance:

The folks I have spoken with personally have no doubt as to what motivates the current smear-merchants. Vengeance and ideology, it turns out are on their agendas. Those currently on the Executive Committee, privy to embargoed documents such as financial statements, budgets and letters clearly marked "Confidential," seek to replace a principled conservative with a squishy, bring-home-the-bacon moderate. I don't know Mr. Redmer but I'm sure he would resent such a characterization. Also, members of this cadre who are not on the Executive Committee seek to right many perceived wrongs against them, the latest of which involved the unpleasantness on the Anne Arundel State Central Committee, by smearing county conservatives.

The argument for the replacement of Pelura and Flynn has little to do with ideology, at least in my perspective, because I am as conservative as they are on the issues. But the fact of the matter is that we can have the most conservative, most dyed-in-the-wool Republicans out there in positions of leadership, but if the leadership cannot display competence, that leadership must be replaced.

I'm not sure what the motivations are of all of those who are opposed to the Pelura/Flynn team. It's not personal to me, I have always been very fond of Jim Pelura. It's not about vengeance, because if it were I have a much longer list of folks to be paying attention to. But what it is about is the success and the failure of the party. It is about the party being in the black or being in the red. It is about the party being viable in 2010 or not being viable in 2010. To assume that there are other motivations behind my call for change is nothing short of myopic.

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.

We must destroy this village in order to save it

"Jim Pelura meets the qualifications of the Chairman that we need, and I am extremely enthusiastic about his prospects as Chairman."

I wrote that one year ago today. Man, have things changed.

In the last year, the party has plunged deeper and deeper into debt. The party has become less and less relevant in Maryland's political landscape. We have completely inappropriate involvement of key GOP staffers in the removal of a duly elected County GOP Chairman. We have a party that was virtually absent during the most recent special session. And we have budget issues that seem to be only the tip of the iceberg.

And things seem like they are only about to get worse. Sources tell me that Jim Pelura has virtually cut off the entire Executive Committee from the day-to-day operations of the party. They also tell me that Pelura is backed only by a small fraction of Central Committee leaders.

And then there is the John Flynn problem. I have never been enamored with the idea of Flynn as Executive Director, given his record of working as a member of the Maryland Accountability Project and covering up attendance records for certain favored members of the General Assembly. But Flynn's performance as Executive Director has been completely abysmal...assuming you can find the record at all. The only thing that most party activists and leaders ever hear from their Executive Director is when he forwards useless, uninteresting emails.

What is Flynn's real record? Well, a lot of people seem to only hear from Flynn when he is complaining about the reduction of his salary and celebrating with those who ousted Mike Collins as Chairman of the Anne Arundel GOP. What has Flynn accomplished as the Executive Direcotr? Do we have credible candidates in all Congressional Districts? Did we have a cohesive, organized message during the Special Session? Have we raised money? Are there more registered Republicans than there were one year ago? Did the party have a financially successful Red, White, and Blue dinner? Did the party host a financially successful golf tournament? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding no.

It has become quite apparent that during the current regime long-time Republican donors are voting with their pocketbooks and choosing not to donate to a party that appears to be in disarray. And given the things that we hear and the actions that we see, it's hard to argue that particular point.

Unfortunately, it has come to the point where we must destroy this village in order to save it. In order for the Republican Party to be a viable political entity in Maryland in 2008, 2010 and beyond, Jim Pelura needs to be removed as Chairman of the Party, and John Flynn needs to be fired as Executive Director. Now.

We have seen the record over the last year, and the record is not good. In order to ensure that there is no further damage to both the Republican Party apparatus, as well as the Republican brand here in the state of Maryland, we need change. And we need it now.

Consensus Reached on Pelura Successor

We reported yesterday about the desire for many to remove Chairman Jim Pelura, but that there was no consensus replacement candidate. Sources now tell me that a consensus has built around former House Minority Leader and Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer to succeed Pelura.

The biggest issue at the moment seems to be actually ousting Pelura as Chairman.

"You can't do it at a convention," one source tells me. "You can't get two-thirds of the Central Committee members to agree that the sky is blue, much less agree to oust the state chairman."

Things in CD-3

So a Christopher Panasuk is a candidate for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District, as well as a candidate for Republican National Convention Delegate as well.

As recently as three-years ago, he was a delegate to the Libertarian National Convention, a Libertarian Party-elector for Michael Badnarik, and a muckity-muck in the Anne Arundel LP organization.

Now, generally Republicans and Libertarians are generally copasetic on a lot of issues, but I have to wonder if this sudden switcharoo has something to do with Ron Paul's quixotic campaign.

And furthermore, this actually brings into focus further issues regarding the Republican Party. While the state party apparatus fiddles with bylaws changes, and spends little on party development while paying 64% of its budget on rent and salaries, we are left with a situation in the 2nd and 3rd Congressional districts while having either no Republican candidate (2nd) or no credible Republican candidate (3rd). Why has the party done nothing to take steps to ensure that credible Republicans are on the ballot in these two districts?

More MD GOP inside baseball

Still more from the rumor mill:

I was told that Flynn and Pelura are trying to take the Treasurer and Secretary's votes away on Executive Committee.

I was also told they have lost their last supporters on the executive committee. The problem now is that there is no new candidate that everyone will jump behind.

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...

You've heard this before

We have talked on the Conservative Refuge Podcasts over the course of the past year about rebuilding the Republican brand, and Mark Sanford is one of the folks who realizes that we need to do just that:

One year to Election Day, and the struggling Republican Party is looking for much more than a new leader.

"It takes time to damage a brand," says South Carolina's Republican governor, Mark Sanford. "It takes even longer to rebuild it."

Sanford is a low-taxes, low-spending type who believes the GOP has lost its credibility as the party of fiscal conservatism.

"The Republican Party, I think, has really been hurt with regard to its brand on the degree to which it will walk the walk on government spending and government taxes," Sanford told CNN in a recent interview at his State Capital office in Columbia.

Read the whole thing. Clearly, the branding issue is a concern of more than just a few guys from Maryland on a podcast. It is an issue of paramount importance to the future of the party, and the main reason I get indignant and angry when Republicans here in Maryland do things like this and this that do great damage to our brand.

Special Session Rumblings

Streiff is all over it at RedMaryland. He's got the reporting that the Special Session will start October 29th and that O'Malley's tax proposals are causing dissent in Montgomery County.

He's all over it, so stay tuned over there for updates.

Straight Tax Talk

Capital columnist Eric Hartley talks straight about the Governor's tax plan today:

"The vast majority of Maryland families will be paying less," Mr. O'Malley said during an event in Ellicott City, one of seven stops he made in nine days.

But that's an assumption resting on some dubious and suspiciously precise numbers. And the truth is, a lot of us probably will be paying more.

How do I know? Let's look at the numbers.

Hartley goes on to show what the numbers really are going to add up to. He concludes with this:

Are the numbers false? Not exactly, but the presentation is carefully calculated to show the poor and middle class saving money. If the chart showed average families paying, say, $50 or $100 more, it wouldn't be so effective.

But then, it's only October. There are plenty of lies, damned lies and statistics still to come.

Which reminds me back from a few months ago when we talked about getting nickeled and dimed. Which is exactly what Maryland Democrats are going to do to the middle class. Maryland Democrats don't seem to care how much the middle and working classes are going to be forced to pay in order to fund their special pet programs....

A Gambling Gamble

Senate Republicans today said no to the O'Malley slots plan:

Senate Republican leaders said that they do not support a special session of the General Assembly and that if Gov. Martin O'Malley calls for one anyway that the GOP caucus would block his slots proposal.

Sen. David Brinkley, the Senate minority leader, chided O'Malley for not releasing the details of his proposal to legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland before calling for a November special session. Brinkley said he and his colleagues would be open to a slots bill, however, when the General Assembly convenes for its annual three-month meeting, which begins in January.

"Part of our concern is that the Republican votes for slots were being taken for granted," Brinkley said in an interview. "The whole package has been crafted without our input."

Presumably, the House Caucus is probably going to take a similar stance.

This is a calculated risk on the behalf of the Senate Caucus. During the Ehrlich Administration, the legislative Republicans were (along with Mike Miller) slots most ardent cheerleaders. Now, this has the potential to be seen as a course reversal for the sake of political posturing.

However, at the moment, this is really one of the few bullets the GOP has in our legislative arsenal. The fact of the matter is that Republican leadership in Annapolis wants a piece of the action on crafting this legislation. And O'Malley along with the legislative leadership, as they are hypocritically wont to do, have completely cut off Republican input in the name of crafting a "bipartisan bill." One of the only ways Republicans can throw a wrench into the works is to unite together and vote no during the Special Session.

Of course, this could backfire. If the slots bill does pass notwithstanding GOP objections, then everybody will have played the fool. And if the failure of slots leads to higher taxes, the Democrats can blame Republicans for not supporting the slots bill.

That being said, it is a smart tactical move. Not only will it (hopefully) get GOP leadership to the table, it may throw the brakes onto any tax increases. If Mike Miller doesn't get slots, I doubt that Administration will get their cherished tax hikes.

Big Fat Zero

I am as big a Maryland basketball fan as anybody, but this is not a good thing to hear:

The Maryland men's basketball team was the only one in the country that failed to graduate within six years any of its recruits who entered school between 1997 and 2000, NCAA statistics released today showed.

The program's graduation success rate, calculated by an NCAA formula, fell for the third straight year at a time when graduation rates are rising nationally for men's basketball programs. The number shows that none of starters and top reserves of Maryland's 2002 national championship team graduated within six years of entering school.

I think the tension between the academic side and the big business side of college athletics are well documented. And maybe it is too much to expect student-athletes to achieve at high levels on the high pressure stage of athletics and academics at the same time.

But the fact of the matter is that most of these kids are getting full scholarships to attend a state school. Perhaps they are attending this public school at the expense of other children who may not have the academic credentials to get it. They may be going at the expense of a student who had the grades, but not the financial means to pay for school. The point is that these student-athletes are getting an opportunity that somebody else is not. They are getting a free education. Many of these athletes have made the most of their time in school, earned degrees, and gone about their business.

As a taxpayer in a state spending itself down a hole, I wonder how much state money is going to fund the education of student-athletes who don't worry so much about the first of their responsibilities...

A Good Idea for a Symbolic Gesture

I was reminded by an article in the Sun this morning about a symbolic gesture the O'Malley Administration could make to prove that they are taking proactive steps to address the budget shortfall other than just sticking it to taxpayers.

Sell Rocky Gap:

Nearly a decade after opening, the state-supported resort in Allegany County has struggled with operating losses that, while gradually shrinking, totaled $1.1 million last year. It has missed payments to bondholders, and the project's owner, the Maryland Economic Development Corp., is negotiating with them to restructure the debt.

In fact, the resort is in danger of defaulting on its debt, said Bruce A. Myers, the state's chief legislative auditor.

"How long can this go on?" asked Myers. "Ten years from now, will there be a larger deficit?"

Rocky Gap is the kind of fiscally imprudent situation the state always seems to put itself in, particularly when you consider that it was virtually just a pork barrel spending project to benefit the home district of former House Speaker Cas Taylor. The state should know better by now than they cannot compete with the private sector when it comes to competing with private industry in competitive service businesses. And we have known for years about all of the flaws with MEDCO and the way their business model works.

The symbolism of selling Rocky Gap would make the administration look good. It takes the $1.1 million operating loss off of the books, provides a large influx of cash immediately, and it starts to get the state out of this particular business. It makes good policy and good politics, which is why it will be a non-starter with this administration.