Tuesday, September 10, 2013

JuiceBlender: Controversy Over Gansler's Campaign Manager "Mudcat," MoCo Voting Rights Effort, D15 Delegate Candidates

Below Maryland Juice provides a few tidbits of news that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: VIRGINIA POLITICAL OPERATIVE ACCUSES DOUG GANSLER'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER OF STEALING THE NICKNAME "MUDCAT" - Last month, The Washington Post reported that Attorney General Doug Gansler hired a new campaign manager for his gubernatorial campaign (excerpt below):
WASHINGTON POST: Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D), who is gearing up to announce his 2014 bid for governor next month, has hired a new campaign manager. Matthew "Mudcat" Arnold recently took over for Carrie Glenn, who has left the campaign for health-related reasons, Gansler aides said Friday.... In his LinkedIn Profile, Arnold lists his "likes" as red meat, bourbon, logic games and bar trivia. His "dislikes" include paying for parking and life without a dishwasher...
MUDCAT VS. MUDCAT: It turns out Gansler's manager, Matthew Arnold, is not the first campaign operative to use the nickname, "mudcat," and that has the "real" Mudcat (Dave Saunders) fuming. The Roanoke Times reported on the controversy today (excerpt below):
ROANOKE TIMES:  Identity theft is a big deal these days. But rarely are its victims’ nicknames appropriated, too. Which brings us to my friend Dave Saunders, who everybody knows as “Mudcat.” He was 13 when he began demanding his friends call him that. That was 51 years ago....

On Aug. 30, The Washington Post listed “Mudcat” as one of the 10 best nicknames in all of politics. Saunders was the only political operative who made the list..... But now another guy is using it — Matthew "Mudcat" Arnold, a young Democratic whippersnapper from Mississippi. Arnold’s mom was still changing his diapers when the real Mudcat was earning his chops in politics.

In August, Arnold was hired as campaign manager for Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, who’s running for that state’s governor in 2014.... He told reporters to call him "Mudcat."

This has left the real Mudcat more frustrated than an Amish electrician. When I talked to him last week, he sounded madder than a three-legged cat trying to bury turds on a frozen pond.

"What pisses me off is, I've got to deal with it," the real Mudcat told me. "Now I’m getting calls for the Maryland governor’s race.... This guy is nothing like a Mudcat. It's a very redneck nickname. And this guy isn't any kind of redneck...."

Arnold might have been better off picking a moniker he could build into his own legend. Something distinctive — like Dogslobber or Squirrelly. Or perhaps Poseur. At least that shoe may fit.

JUICE #2: MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCILMEMBERS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION CALLING FOR EXPANSION OF VOTING RIGHTS AND DC SUFFRAGE - In response to the war on voting rights by conservative politicians and the U.S. Supreme Court, the Montgomery County Council is embarking on an effort to promote 21st century voting rights in MoCo. Councilmember Nancy Navarro has introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by the entire County Council calling for a series of voting reforms (excerpt below):
1. The Council calls on Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would grant an individual right to vote to every American citizen of voting age. 
2. The Council calls on Congress to restore Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by creating a new coverage formula to determine which states and local jurisdictions should have voting changes reviewed for potential discriminatory impact. 
3. The Council calls on Congress to give residents of Washington, DC full representation and voting rights in the House of Representatives and United States Senate. 
4. The Council supports Maryland’s recent expansion of early voting and the adoption of same-day voter registration. We support placing new early voting sites at locations that are easily accessible by public transportation. 
5. The Council establishes a Right to Vote Task Force to:
a. Review all local laws and practices that may affect the right to vote;  
b. Review and recommend changes at the local level to uphold voting rights and increase voter participation;  
c. Develop plans and take action to promote early voting and same-day registration and make recommendations to the Council on any policies or actions needed to strengthen these efforts;  
d. Develop plans for a voter registration program designed to register eligible high school students and support voter education programs to increase citizenship knowledge and participation in the democratic process;  
e. Review Maryland election laws and regulations and recommend legislation that would strengthen the right to vote in Montgomery County, including whether the General Assembly should adopt automatic voter registration, allowing eligible voters to “opt-out” of the voter registration database instead of “opt-in”; and  
f. Review with the Montgomery County Board of Elections the strengths and weaknesses of our election practices and regulations after the 2014 general election. 

JUICE #3: UPDATE ON POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR A FUTURE DISTRICT 15 DELEGATE VACANCY - Maryland Juice previously published a list of potential candidates for a District 15 Delegate vacancy, in the event that Delegate Brian Feldman is selected to replace Rob Garagiola in the State Senate. We have a few updates to our running list (details below):

The changes to the list above are as follows: 1) Sources previously indicated that Kevin Mack would likely skip the MCDCC appointment process and run straight for the June 2014 Primary, but we are now hearing that Mack may seek an appointment after all, 2) Based on a source's information, we've added Tony Puca of Potomac, Maryland to the list of potential candidates, and 3) We've dropped Tim Whitehouse from the list above, as he's now indicated he has decided to run for a voting position on the MCDCC instead of Delegate (see email below):
From: Timothy Whitehouse <xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.com>
Subject: Voting member of MCDCC
Date: September 10, 2013

Hi everyone:

I wanted to follow up with all of you about my plans for the coming election season.  After considering my various options, I have decided that I would like to seek a voting position on the MCDCC.  I think I would be a great assets to the MCDCC in their effort to build and maintain a strong party in Montgomery County.

I'll keep you all posted.

Thanks,

Tim

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