The Washington Post, The Business Gazette, and The Washington Examiner are reporting on what County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg called "KGB tactics" by county investigators. Ms. Trachtenberg and her aide, Dr. Dana Beyer, M.D. filed an official complaint against Inspector General Thomas J. Dagley with the Ethics [...]
This past weekend, radio talk show host Bob Ehrlich said, "The Republican brand is still in my view tarnished. People have not forgotten that Republicans have screwed up when it comes to spending, scandals and all of that."
Ehrlich is right without a doubt -- period, [...]
Maryland's most powerful public employee union yesterday stood up with advocates of health care and other key public services to urge the Governor and the legislature find alternative funding sources and use "the state's untouched rainy-day reserve fund," according to the Washington Post.
"It is time to [...]
The Washington Post featured an oddly mis-titled article today detailing the sad state of the Maryland Republican Party. The article, entitled "Md. GOP Grappling With Strategy for 2010" is really about nothing of the sort. It's about how few offices the MD GOP holds, how little money they have [...]
6:50pm - I finally found a minute to sit down and type up some thoughts on my first trip to Netroots Nation. We are close to done with day 1 of filming. We filmed 8 panels, interviewed a handful panelists, and are prepping to [...]
Some more observations:
As is obvious to anyone' [...]
By Mario Quiroz, of CASA de Maryland
Delay may be business as usual in Washington, but Baltimore isn't having it.
Yesterday evening, amidst news that President Obama now sees immigration reform delayed until 2010, the Baltimore City Council passed a [...]
originally posted at Sum of Change
Oh, and I totally owe slinkerwink for posting this spreadsheet of town halls.
We at Sum of Change, attended a health care town hall last night, hosted by Congresswoman Donna Edwards. The Congresswoman gave a brief speech, and then opened the floor [...]
A special thanks goes out to shevas01 for giving us the heads up about this press conference.
On Thursday, July 30th, the Progressive Caucus held a press conference to draw a line in the sand when it comes to the inclusion of [...]
I don't have a whole lot to say about the whole "Kratovil hanged in effigy" incident -- it appears to be the act of a lone wolf wingnut rather than something endorsed by a conservative group of any significance -- but I think this is of a piece' [...]
"Our Party is broke, and we need your help."
That rather frank admission is included in a new fund-raising solicitation sent out this week by James Pelura, the embattled chairman of the Maryland Republican Party.
Pelura, who has refused to resign despite a no-confidence vote last week by the party's executive [...]
How bad is the employment situation in Maryland? And how does it vary on the county level? The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an excellent mapping tool for this.
First, how things looked in May 2007, just as the housing bubble was beginning to burst:
Then, how things looked in [...]
So I just got an email from a former Free State Politics blogger, OnBackground taking issue with the analysis of Marc Korman over at Maryland Politics Watch. Korman wrote a piece this afternoon on the players in the at-large race for next year. OnBackground pointed out that while Korman relied [...]
Staff News: You always hear what the big names are doing, but what about the folks behind the scenes who often write the legislation, design the strategies, build the relationships and otherwise make political leaders' initiatives and movement possible? Well, from time to time we'd like to mention those folks. [...]
Free Staters are coming to the realization that the American ideal of equality for all means that everyone should have the same right. We eagerly await Attorney General Doug Gansler's opinion on whether Maryland will recognize valid marriages between same sex couples in other states. At the same time, more [...]
Republicans have been routed in election after election in Maryland. While some talked of a resurgence in their ranks when Bob Ehrlich was governor, few doubt that was a fluke.
As we look toward the 2010 elections, if former Gov. Bob Ehrlich doesn't try to reclaim his job, or [...]
How sad....
How sad....
How sad....
Another Afscme Maryland Video. I hope no one minds my posting these.
[...]
Another Afscme Maryland Video. I hope no one minds my posting these.
[...]
Another Afscme Maryland Video. I hope no one minds my posting these.
[...]
Another Afscme Maryland Video. I hope no one minds my posting these.
[...]
A little holiday message from Afscme Maryland. Show this to your favorite state employee.
[...]
A little holiday message from Afscme Maryland. Show this to your favorite state employee.
[...]
A little holiday message from Afscme Maryland. Show this to your favorite state employee.
[...]
A little holiday message from Afscme Maryland. Show this to your favorite state employee.
[...]
Today's Capital got me shaking my head, tsk, tsking and wondering what the hell is so wrong with government half of the time--or is it just Annapolis? The first piece is an editorial about the failure of the special tax increases from the special session to do much of anything [...]
Today's Capital got me shaking my head, tsk, tsking and wondering what the hell is so wrong with government half of the time--or is it just Annapolis? The first piece is an editorial about the failure of the special tax increases from the special session to do much of anything [...]
Today's Capital got me shaking my head, tsk, tsking and wondering what the hell is so wrong with government half of the time--or is it just Annapolis? The first piece is an editorial about the failure of the special tax increases from the special session to do much of anything [...]
Today's Capital got me shaking my head, tsk, tsking and wondering what the hell is so wrong with government half of the time--or is it just Annapolis? The first piece is an editorial about the failure of the special tax increases from the special session to do much of anything [...]
Bi-monthly Board of Public Works meetings have been sparring grounds for Gov. Martin O'Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot, but yesterday the sharp-tongued tax collector issued rare kind words for his' [...]
Bi-monthly Board of Public Works meetings have been sparring grounds for Gov. Martin O'Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot, but yesterday the sharp-tongued tax collector issued rare kind words for his' [...]
Bi-monthly Board of Public Works meetings have been sparring grounds for Gov. Martin O'Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot, but yesterday the sharp-tongued tax collector issued rare kind words for his' [...]
Bi-monthly Board of Public Works meetings have been sparring grounds for Gov. Martin O'Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot, but yesterday the sharp-tongued tax collector issued rare kind words for his' [...]
The single greatest thing we can do to honor the spirit of Obama's campaign and life work is bring as much enthusiasm to holding Obama accountable as we did to electing him.
Personally, I could not agree more. I'm [...]
The single greatest thing we can do to honor the spirit of Obama's campaign and life work is bring as much enthusiasm to holding Obama accountable as we did to electing him.
Personally, I could not agree more. I'm [...]
The single greatest thing we can do to honor the spirit of Obama's campaign and life work is bring as much enthusiasm to holding Obama accountable as we did to electing him.
Personally, I could not agree more. I'm' [...]
The single greatest thing we can do to honor the spirit of Obama's campaign and life work is bring as much enthusiasm to holding Obama accountable as we did to electing him.
Personally, I could not agree more. I'm' [...]
The Awful Truth, The Next Stage, Hot Stuff!
Dear Readers,
Wrapping up all the loose ends in their final session this year, the city council banned all gas-powered devices including leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, and trains. They "municipalized" every telephone pole in town, seizing them from the utility [...]
The Awful Truth, The Next Stage, Hot Stuff!
Dear Readers,
Wrapping up all the loose ends in their final session this year, the city council banned all gas-powered devices including leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, and trains. They "municipalized" every telephone pole in town, seizing them from the utility [...]
The Awful Truth, The Next Stage, Hot Stuff!
Dear Readers,
Wrapping up all the loose ends in their final session this year, the city council banned all gas-powered devices including leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, and trains. They "municipalized" every telephone pole in town, seizing them from the utility [...]
The Awful Truth, The Next Stage, Hot Stuff!
Dear Readers,
Wrapping up all the loose ends in their final session this year, the city council banned all gas-powered devices including leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, automobiles, trucks, buses, aircraft, and trains. They "municipalized" every telephone pole in town, seizing them from the utility [...]
Next, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore tears into Neel Kashkari, head of the Wall Street bailout program, over reports of AIG handing out multi-million dollar executive bonuses even [...]
Next, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore tears into Neel Kashkari, head of the Wall Street bailout program, over reports of AIG handing out multi-million dollar executive bonuses even [...]
Next, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore tears into Neel Kashkari, head of the Wall Street bailout program, over reports of AIG handing out multi-million dollar executive bonuses even [...]
Next, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore tears into Neel Kashkari, head of the Wall Street bailout program, over reports of AIG handing out multi-million dollar executive bonuses even [...]
Ball or Bash? Pro-Rake! The Purple Line's Extreme Right!
Dear Readers,
Would you hand a loaded revolver or your car keys to a toddler? Of course not. Then why did some of you suggest an event to the city council without NAMING it first? A couple of citizens independently [...]
A while back, Gov. O'Malley, who opposes the death penalty but doesn't have sufficient political cover in the General Assembly to actually ban it, created a panel to study the issue and make recommendations. They've responded:
The commission voted down a proposed amendment to retain the death penalty for people [...]
In addition to the controversy over Joe Lieberman in the Senate, House Democrats are also divided over who will be chairing the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress. John Dingell of Michigan, one of the longest-serving Congressmen in history and a major advocate for the US [...]
Tuesday night was a bitter-sweet celebration. We came together to witness the first black man who will become our president, yet watched in sadness as Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California all voted down equal rights for all citizens.
This is not a 4 state issue. This is an issue [...]
Fox News is reporting that former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is interested in running for the chairmanship of the RNC and may announce his candidacy as early as Thursday. Fox further reports that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has issued a statement disavowing interest in the [...]
It looks like she'll be running for a fifth term in 2010. David Nitkin argues that she'll have an easy time of it, and I agree: Although I've been frustrated at Mikulski's recent towing of the Bush administration line on Iraq and domestic surveillance, chances are that [...]
While Barack Obama is working on his transition to the White House, there's a new conflict brewing in the Senate, over whether to oust Joe Lieberman as Chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. As you know, Lieberman's record of hard right-wing stances on critical issues like [...]
It's official and State Senator Andy Harris has conceded to Frank Kratovil in what the Baltimore Sun reported was a less than one-minute but "cordial" phone call. Hmm. I doubt it was cordial. That's not the forte of the combative, irascible, pugnacious, insulting, vituperative Harris that we have all [...]
MurlandGuy on the Ronnie White case:
I've been thinking about this story, and how it is related to a number of other accounts of misbehavior by various government officials. They all qualify as instances of the security theater that rules our post-9/11 world, although there are some additional dynamics [...]
This is very, very suspicious:
A video camera that Prince George's County jail guards were required to use in June as they rushed into the cell of an unconscious inmate accused of killing a police officer failed to record the crucial minutes when the guards arrived and moved [...]
The absentee ballots have been counted, and Frank Kratovil now has an 1,800 vote lead. The provisional ballots will be counted next week.
Apparently there were some problems with the counting of ballots from Harford County, one of Andy Harris' strongholds:
At Harford's elections board headquarters in Forest Hill yesterday, the [...]
Banging for Obama, Councilmember Collapse, Election Fever, Purple Line, Worms
Dear Readers
Score one for Councilmember Clay who three weeks ago was pooh-poohed by her colleagues (and a certain commentator) when she asked if the city was prepared for spontaneous street demonstrations on Election Day eve. More longtime residents [...]
Right now, Frank Kratovil has a 1,000 vote lead over Andy Harris. A good sign, but none of the major media outlets are calling it yet; only when the absentee ballots are counted Friday, and the provisional ballots, will we know who the winner is.
In either case, the amazing [...]
Barack Obama: An American Portrait originally uploaded by tsevis.
A change in leadership in this country has been long overdue. Despite popular repudiation of President Bush and the Republicans in 2006, we have still been largely in the grips of the agenda they began to put [...]
I've been watching the Ficker Amendment pretty closely, and it's been closing - the yes lead has shrunk from over 2k votes to about 700. In Montgomery County, the more liberal precincts in the south and east of the county usually come in later than the more conservative precincts in [...]
9:13 PM: With 1% reporting, the Yes vote has 63%. Not good news for the anti-slots camp: These first precincts seem to be from the 4th and 5th congressional districts, i.e., one of the areas believed to be [...]
9:20 PM: This looks like a rout. The Yes vote has 69%, with 1% reporting.
10:07 PM: Yeah, it's a rout. 72% for the Yes vote, with 25% reporting.
[...]
9:53 PM: Bartlett has 59% with 4% reporting.
11:33 PM: WaPo calls it for Bartlett. Shame that Dougherty didn't materially improve on Andrew Duck's total in 2006.
[...]
9:18 PM: First results show Harris with a sizable lead, 57%-40%, with 4% reporting.
9:26 PM: Harris now leads 54%-44%, with 6% reporting.
9:55 PM: With 20% reporting, Harris has 51%, and Kratovil has 46%.
10:02 PM: With 25% reporting, it's [...]
6:54 PM: Earliest of early results has Obama with a narrow lead in Indiana.
7:04 PM: Polls close in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, inter alia. The election could be decided within the hour.
7:31 PM: Polls close in Ohio, West [...]
I voted for him in both the primary nine months ago and today, but the experience today was different.
I remembered back to late 2003-early 2004, when I started hearing from my brother, who lives in Chicago, about an insurgent US Senate candidate named Barack Obama, who was garnering support from [...]
My home precinct:
in 2004, 1,720 total voters
in 2008, at 3:00 PM, with five more hours of polling and the after work voter rush still to come, 1,385.
That's over 50% turnout with a lot of voting left to go. My bet is that there will be long lines at a [...]
