Sunday, October 30, 2011

MD Conservative Says Prince George's, Montgomery, Baltimore are "Axis of Evil" // Plus, GOP Uses O'Malley 2016 to Plug Dream Act Repeal

UPDATE: The Potomac Tea Party blog had this comment on Maryland Juice's coverage: "The “progressive” Maryland Juice gives us a look at the protesters outside in the rain.... Note that the Muslims (maybe all two of them) were supported by Quakers.... Also, remember that it was the Quakers (in the Sanctuary Movement) primarily behind the creation of CASA de Maryland (Bette Rainbow Hoover)!" Guess you can add Quakers to the Tea Party's list of enemies.

Earlier this month, Maryland Juice published a letter from a number of anti-discrimination groups condemning yesterday's Maryland Conservative Action Network conference. Several of Maryland's GOP elected officials were scheduled to attend and speak at the event, so the letter's signers called on them to pull out and planned to protest the event. Our earlier coverage noted great controversy due to the event's speaking lineup, which included a number of well-known extremist speakers. Several national progressive blogs and organizations criticized the event in the days leading up: Huffington Post, Think Progress, Southern Poverty Law Center, etc.

Quakers, Muslims and concerned residents protest the Maryland Conservative Action Network (MDCAN) Conference

The Capital Gazette covered the event and highlighted a number of statements from speakers. We reprint a few choice selections below, but first note this introductory comment:
Event organizer Tonya Tiffany of Howard County said the gathering was not meant to stir anti-Muslim sentiment.... She said the real purpose of the conference was to prod the Republican Party into becoming more conservative. "The Maryland Republican Party is too liberal," Tiffany said.
Former Del. Saqib Ali called into question this "reasonable" facade and provided the paper this quote:
"This stuff is unhinged. The things these people are saying is not unlike what the Ku Klux Klan says, and the KKK can't show its face in polite society."
Maryland Juice will let readers judge the MDCAN speakers comments for themselves. Here are the excerpts from the Gazette coverage:
The 200 activists who attended were almost exclusively white, and they agreed that Muslims, liberals, illegal immigrants, environmentalists and Democrats are the source of just about every problem plaguing America today. One speaker went so far as to call Prince George's and Montgomery counties, and Baltimore city, "The Axis of Evil...." 
[Former Congressman Fred] Grandy and others on the panel said that Koran-based Sharia law is making headway in the United States. 
...John Guandolo, a Naval Academy graduate and former FBI agent, said America's media and leaders... are preaching tolerance when they should be calling for vigilance... Guandolo went on to say the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over the United States....
The article closed with a seeming call to arms by GOP Del. Pat McDonough against the Dream Act, implying that a success would help block Governor O'Malley from becoming President:
"Nationally, this has tremendous implications," McDonough said. "It is a slap in the face to Obama's favorite governor in the United States (Gov. Martin O'Malley) and the (would-be) next president of the United States...."
You may remember Del. McDonough from my Democratic Mega-Rally preview post:

2 comments:

  1. Let's translate GOP-speak into English. Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County have, between them, 21 state senators and 61 delegates, just short of half the membership of both houses (47 and 141, respectively).

    Republicans hold precisely ZERO of these seats, didn't field candidates in the vast majority of them, and had no chance to win even when they ran someone.

    So before a gubernatorial election is held, the score is 21-0 and 61-0. You can't win the game starting out like that; in fact, you can't compete.

    In the rest of the state, it's more competitive: Democrats hold a 14-12 senate edge, while Republicans actually lead in delegates, 43-37.

    So when you hear Republicans call Montgomery/Prince George's/Baltimore City the "axis of evil," translate that to "we can't compete in the largest jurisdictions in the state." Of course, as the lottery people have been telling us for years, "you can't win if you don't play."

    As usual, it all comes down to the same thing with Republicans: WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE.

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  2. It would be even better if they judged for themselves - for example, this is a link to McCain's remarks:

    http://theothermccain.com/2011/10/30/in-which-i-talk-about-new-media/

    Apparently most of the proceedings were videotaped so you can eventually hear what was said straight from the horse's mouth, then judge for yourself. I found the Capital article a little snarky.

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