EXCUSE ME? Potomac's Millionaire Congressman John Delaney Voted with Republicans AGAINST Obamacare for Big Business

WTF: Coming off the heels of freshman Congressman John Delaney's bad vote to allow the NSA to spy on his constituents, The Baltimore Sun's John Fritze is reporting that Delaney (a Maryland "Democrat") recently voted with U.S. House Republicans against President Obama's health care reform proposal (aka "Obamacare"). After all that Democrats went through over the last few years with the birthers, Tea Partiers, and hysteria about Obamacare "death panels" -- did we re-draw the Congressional districts of all of our Democratic House Representatives in order to facilitate the election of a conservative 1%-er? Fritze's piece also highlights a range of support from Delaney for Republican legislative proposals (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Something unusual happened when the controversy over the nation's health care law erupted again on the floor of the House of Representatives this month: A Maryland Democrat voted with Republicans.

Rep. John Delaney, the state's newest member of Congress, was one of 35 Democrats out of 200 to vote for a Republican proposal to delay a requirement that large businesses offer health coverage to workers. He was the only Democrat from Maryland to do so.

"I've said from the beginning that Obamacare is an imperfect piece of legislation..." Delaney said of the vote.... And so Delaney has positioned himself to the right of the rest of the state's congressional delegation. He has split with a majority of Democrats on six major votes on issues such as oil drilling and domestic surveillance. He courted more than a dozen Republicans to co-sponsor a bill to fund infrastructure projects and recently joined a bipartisan "no labels" coalition that is seeking middle ground in Washington....

This month, Delaney became the only House Democrat to sign on to a proposal to study federal monetary policy — a longtime cause of conservatives. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill said Delaney's business background gives him a sense of authority on debates about the economy and employment. "He came by and spent a lot of time with me," said Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican and deputy majority whip who is co-sponsoring one of Delaney's bills....

A New Jersey native, Delaney in 2000 founded a successful bank called CapitalSource and led it as CEO for nearly a decade.... His former career makes him among the wealthiest members of the House. Delaney spent $2.3 million of his own money on the 2012 campaign.... Delaney remains a major shareholder and is poised to collect tens of millions of dollars under a pending sale of CapitalSource.

NOW WE KNOW WHERE JOHN DELANEY STANDS ON THE ISSUES - Below Maryland Juice highlights a few pieces of disturbing evidence of John Delaney's conservative views. But it is worth noting that before writing this article, I posted a link to The Baltimore Sun article above on my social media accounts, and I've been surprised to see that its been viewed by hundreds of people. News of Delaney's fondness for Republican legislative proposals has many Maryland Democrats angry (samples below):

DELANEY'S SIGNATURE CORPORATE TAX BREAK PROPOSAL IS OPPOSED BY THE CLINTONS' THINK TANK (AND MANY MORE) - Notably, John Delaney's election to the U.S. House was facilitated heavily by an endorsement from Democratic President Bill Clinton. But an anonymous source pointed out that Delaney's signature legislative proposal (a bill to allow corporations who hid their money abroad to "repatriate" their earnings) is being opposed by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think tank established by the Clintons to bolster their policy agenda. CAP is joined in opposition to Delaney's corporate welfare proposal by a range of progressive groups including MoveOn, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, SEIU and many more (details below):

Letter Opposing Rep. John Delaney's Tax Repatriation Amnesty Bill

The craziest thing about all this is that unless he's moved recently, it doesn't even appear that Potomac banker John Delaney lives in the 6th Congressional District he represents. Congressman John Delaney appears to be represented by Congressman Chris Van Hollen:

But I guess turnabout is fair play, because it is apparently the case that anyone who lives in the state of Maryland can run for the 6th Congressional District seat --- I repeat, any Maryland resident can run (hint, hint!).

Anti-Marriage Equality Lawmaker Sam Arora is Getting Married (To a Woman) // Double-Standard for Maryland Politician?

UPDATE: A number of readers are pointing out that Sam Arora's wedding would've been illegal in 1967 (especially if Maryland Senator Norm Stone would've prevailed in outlawing interracial marriage). Additionally, in the comments section below a reader points out that Sam's wedding in DC is ironically on the same day as DC's annual pride parade.

Congratulations are in order for Maryland lawmaker Sam Arora! After breaking a campaign promise to support marriage equality, Montgomery County's lone state legislator to oppose equal rights is now getting married himself. Though he won't allow others to get married, Sam Arora and his bride to be (yes, he is marrying a woman), apparently submitted their announcement to the Washington Post's Express newspaper (hat tip to an anonymous source):

Notably, Sam Arora is a member of Washington, DC's Capitol Hill Baptist Church and is therefore holding his wedding in the District of Columbia. The current state of the law in Maryland allows same-sex couples to get married in DC too, and to have those marriages recognized in Maryland. I guess Sam now has something in common with the LGBT families he has discriminated against. The main difference could be that Sam might pay his wedding license fees to Maryland (where he lives), whereas Maryland's LGBT couples will hand that revenue to DC -- unless Maryland voters approve marriage equality this November.

You can congratulate Del. Sam Arora on his forthcoming wedding at the following email addresses:

sam.arora@house.state.md.us
info@samarora.com

MD High Court Upholds Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages // Sen. Mike Miller Questions Obama LGBT Marriage Endorsement

UPDATE: The Washington Post reports that the NAACP has endorsed marriage equality:

WASHINGTON POST: The NAACP’s board of directors voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage rights – adding the influential voice of the country’s leading black civil rights organization to a debate that has divided the African-American community....

The NAACP now presents itself as a counterbalance to the influence of the traditionally socially conservative black church. It can also help establish closer ties between blacks and gays, two of Obama’s most loyal constituencies....

JuiceBlender: Dead Body Found at Rep. Steny Hoyer Event // PLUS: Sen. Mike Miller Undermines Marriage Equality & More

Here's a random blend of political tidbits from recent news, starting with news of the weird regarding Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer:

LEAKED DOC: Maryland Lawmaker Sam Arora Sends Constituent Letter Explaining Marriage Equality Betrayal

UPDATE: AmericaBlog has caught wind of Sam Arora's response to constituents. The bloggers are outraged and say Arora is flat-out lying:

AMERICAblog: Maryland Delegate Sam Arora just issued a letter claiming that he never fully considered the issue of marriage equality before last year, 2011, and that's why he got so confused when the issue came up and flip-flopped on the issue, ultimately betraying his promise, his friends, and his constituents.

Only problem?  There's lots of proof that Arora considered the issue in 2010 and was fully in favor of marriage equality when he ran for election the first time.  So why is he so blatantly lying?

Now that Maryland's crazy primary elections are done, politicos can once again turn their eyes toward the November election and the corresponding 2014 jockeying. The timing couldn't be better, because everyone's favorite villain in Montgomery County politics is back in the hot seat this week. 

After weeks of stonewalling constituents, readers report that freshman lawmaker Sam Arora is finally mailing out letters explaining his betrayal of marriage equality supporters. We have obtained a copy of his constituent letter, which we publish below. Note: we have removed the constituent's name from the letter.

BACKGROUND: To catch you up, Sam Arora is a Democratic Delegate from Maryland's District 19 in Montgomery County. He won his first primary in 2010 while campaigning as a marriage equality supporter and fundraising from the LGBT community. After he won office, he inexplicably flip-flopped and voted against marriage equality. Even worse, he refused to provide an explanation to his friends, donors, constituents, and supporters -- many of whom felt betrayed by Arora.

For those hoping for an explanation of Sam Arora's betrayal, I hate to be the one to tell you that you won't find it here. The crux of the half-hearted "explanation" below is in the following statement from Sam Arora's constituent letter: 

SAM ARORA: "before last year, I had not fully considered the issue of legislating same-sex marriage." 

Uh, okay. This explanation amounts to an "oops" and does a great disservice to the residents of District 19. You can read the meaningless letter for yourself - see below.

REPLACE SAM ARORA WITH JAY HUTCHINS: Luckily, District 19 residents already have a solid alternative to Sam Arora in the 2014 Democratic Primary. The 2010 runner-up to Arora -- progressive Democrat Jay Hutchins -- has already announced he is ready for a rematch. 

Earlier this week, Hutchins contacted Maryland Juice to let us know that his campaign site is back up and he is now launching his campaign fundraising efforts. We are commemorating the occasion with a new website ad in support of Mr. Hutchins (@gojayhutchins on Twitter). 

Donate online at JayHutchins.org

Maryland Lawmaker Sam Arora's Letter to Constituents Explaining Marriage Equality Betrayal

Sam Arora Crossword Puzzle: "Deception"

Two Maryland Juice readers forwarded us a Sam Arora-themed crossword puzzle that a blogger recently created. The Baltimore 21201 blog provides some background about the project, but we re-print the puzzle below (with a slight layout modification).

Quick Reminder: Sam Arora is a Democratic lawmaker in Maryland from a progressive legislative district. He campaigned and raised funds based on his support for same-sex marriage, but then he backstabbed constituents and supporters by voting no on marriage equality this month. Temporary Del. Sam Arora is now refusing to explain his betrayal. It is no wonder that the anger continues to build. One has to be pretty pissed off to spend this kind of effort on such project, no?

Sam Arora Crossword Puzzle

Sam Arora Breaks His Silence, Moves On to Other Issues // State Senator Roger Manno "Disappointed," No Decisions on Slate

WJLA/ABC7 might be the only news outlet that has managed to get a response from temporary Maryland lawmaker Sam Arora. He refused to respond to previous media requests from WTOP at the time of his "no" vote on marriage equality. Last night WJLA printed an email response from Montgomery County's backstabber:

Montgomery County Democrat Sam Arora seems to be getting the brunt of the backlash. Arora, who campaigned in 2010 in support of same sex marriage and co-sponsored last years bill, voted No this year, even after repeatedly being lobbied by Gov. Martin O'Malley and former President Bill Clinton.

Because of that vote, Arora's legislative director immediately resigned and the delegate's Facebook wall has been peppered with dozens of angry messages, calling Arora a coward and his vote a betrayal.

There's even an online petition demanding Arora resign or refund campaign dollars....

Despite repeated requests for an on-camera interview, Arora said he was too busy but he did respond via email:

"This has been an emotional debate and I understand that there re those who disagree with my vote. Now that the bill has passed, I've turned my focus to my efforts [on other issues] in Maryland."

LEAKED DOC: Resignation Letter from Arora Staffer Who Quit // Huffington Post: "Sam Arora's Political Career May Be Over"

The Washington Blade has managed to get its hands on a leaked copy of the resignation letter from Josh Lapidus, temporary Maryland Delegate Sam Arora's legislative director.

WASHINGTON BLADE: A senior adviser to Maryland Del. Sam Arora has abruptly resigned in protest over Arora’s vote against the state’s same-sex marriage bill.

Joshua Lapidus, Arora’s legislative director, quit Friday night just after the marriage vote in a scathing resignation letter obtained by the Blade:

Defiant Sam Arora Meets With Catholic Conference, Receives Massive Applause // SOURCE: "He's Walking Around All Cocky"

UPDATE: A Maryland Juice reader provides a contrast with how another MoCo lawmaker's office handled the lobbying from marriage equality opponents: "Saw your post about Sam Arora -- my Delegate met with the catholics tonight as well (25 of them in a small, confined office!). When marriage equality came up and the group said it was wrong, my Delegate came back with another reason why it was a big accomplishment to vote in favor of it on Friday. And kept advocating for marriage equality for 10 minutes."

Boy this makes my blood boil. An anonymous source in Annapolis tells Maryland Juice that temporary Delegate Sam Arora appears to be defiant about lying his way into office. Last Friday, the dishonest lawmaker broke a campaign promise to support marriage equality -- and he never found the courage to tell his constituents why. But apparently he has time to meet with the Catholic Conference -- one of the groups leading the charge against marriage equality in Maryland. Their newly promoted archbishop has been trying to stoke anti-equality feelings in Maryland. Check out the online chat dialogue below:

Aide: Sam Arora. Jeez. The Catholic Conference was in his office and he was giving some speech to them.

Juice: Did you hear any of it?

Aide:  No. Just the multiple rounds of loud applause. He's walking around all cocky. He doesn't care.

SAM ARORA GOES VIRAL: Unfortunately for Sam Arora, his donors and colleagues care. In fact, in just two days, Maryland Juice's round-up of attempts to defeat Sam Arora has become our second most popular series of all-time. The story of Montgomery County's notorious backstabber has gone viral, making it a more popular story than Delegate Nic Kipke's hypocritical affair and even more popular than the release of Maryland's new Congressional districts. In fact, based on readership rates, only the issue of censorship pisses off Maryland Juice readers more than Sam Arora's backstabbing.

WTOP radio recently covered the story, and included the following comments from some of Sam Arora's Montgomery county colleagues:

Dear Sam Arora: If You Have Any Honor Left, Please Resign Immediately

An Open Letter to Maryland Delegate Sam Arora

Dear Sam Arora:

If you have any honor left, please resign from the Maryland House immediately.

In 2010, you tricked voters and donors into thinking you were a Democrat who stood for social justice and that you would support marriage equality. Instead, you turned out to be just another bullsh#t politician. You broke your campaign promises and sided with hate, and worst of all you did it at precisely the moment when victims of hate needed you the most. You couldn't even face your constituents and explain yourself. For that reason alone, you are unfit to serve in public office.

The only honorable thing left to do is to resign -- immediately. Already, disappointed advocates have started a petition calling on you to resign. Meanwhile, some of your Montgomery County colleagues are already endorsing your former opponent. To ensure your defeat, we are also now publicly asking your District 19 colleagues (Senator Roger Manno and Delegates Ben Kramer *ahem* & Bonnie Cullison) to promise not to slate with you in 2014.

You see Sam, The Democratic Party still means something to some of us, and your contamination of the brand must not be met with silence. Say goodbye to Democratic politics: You are hereby ex-communicated!

Signed,

We the People

P.S. We welcome your public response on this serious matter. You still haven't explained yourself.

JUICEBLENDER: Sam Arora Becomes National Lightning-Rod & Internet Meme // MD Lawmaker Backstabbed Progressives

INTRO: Maryland Juice had a feeling that a vote against marriage equality from freshman Delegate Sam Arora would not go over well with his constituents, friends, colleagues, former classmates, etc. I was right.

Sources report that right around 4:20 pm yesterday, Sam Arora's legislative aide quit. 10 minutes later, the historic House vote on marriage equality began. When the dust had settled, Arora had voted against the legislation.

Within minutes of the passage of marriage equality in the Maryland House, the Internet exploded with activity to defeat Sam Arora in 2014. The outburst of anger is attributable to the fact that Arora was a former ally on the issue and many of his supporters, donors and volunteers feel betrayed. The anti-Arora activities sprouting up range from hilarious to sad to downright aggressive. Instinct Magazine summarized the explosion well: