JUICE - A Way Forward for MD Democrats: Brian Frosh vs. Anthony Brown and Lessons from Connecticut & Minnesota

A WAY FORWARD FOR MARYLAND DEMOCRATS: Politicos have been chattering about Anthony Brown's loss this week, and everyone seems to have their own theory about how this happened. Was it a a reaction to partisan gridlock in Congress? Was it a canned campaign by the Democratic nominee? Was it a revolt against taxes? Was Maryland just part of the national anti-Obama wave? We'll never know for sure, but there are clear lessons for the future looking at examples both from outside and inside Maryland. Indeed, it seems clear that neither Democrats nor Republicans can take for granted the message from the electorate. To be sure, my side missed the populist tide sweeping through the electorate, but Republicans would be equally foolish to see this as a mandate for conservatism or austerity measures. Below, I make the case for Democrats embracing economic populism (as a contrast to an anti-tax agenda) in the coming years. After all, many of the Assembly Democrats who are closer to Hogan than Brown on tax policy lost this year anyway.

IT'S STILL ABOUT THE MIDDLE & WORKING CLASS: I previously wrote that my key takeaway from Maryland Democrats' disastrous election night was that the state party needed to step up its game on economic populism -- especially in a way that counters the GOP's trickle-down economic talking points (eg: the idea that tax cuts for millionaires and corporations will magically create jobs and wealth for ordinary Marylanders). But Larry Hogan's simple anti-tax message clearly had appeal with Maryland voters, because our Democratic Party simply didn't even try to present a progressive or populist vision on economic issues. And when we did, it wasn't really responsive to anyone except the wealthy and industry interests (who are often one and the same). For example, in the last few years Maryland Democrats tried to disarm the Hogan-style message by passing an estate tax cut on inheritances up to $5.9 million and reducing the state's millionaire's tax. I don't begrudge Maryland Democrats for trying to play the anti-tax game, but I think the ineffectiveness of the strategy in fending off Hogan warrants discussion (without even getting into the policy and revenue merits of these cuts).

In an era of a much-talked-about, historic wealth gap, how many ordinary Marylanders will actually benefit from these measures? Are those who declined to vote really in the dark about growing income and wealth inequality, or did they simply think Democrats weren't planning on doing anything different than in the past? The question is not, are you better off today than you were four years ago -- it is, will you be better off four years in the future than you are today if we are in charge. If you have children at the pre-K age, you might've been able to answer yes to this question -- but if you don't....

To be sure, trying to jump on Larry Hogan's broad anti-tax bandwagon didn't work this year. But I think this had less to do with taxes per se, and more to do with a failure by the party to passionately address the policy sins we all know exist that have led to the spiraling gap between the rich and the poor (both in Maryland and nationally). As Roy Meyers, a professor of political science at UMBC, noted in Maryland Reporter (excerpt below):

ROY MEYERS (UMBC PROFESSOR): "...repeatedly promising 'no new taxes' in this campaign was insufficient protection from the narrative Republicans, and Hogan in particular, have been building over recent years. Much of that narrative was false or misleading, yet many voters bought it. Though Maryland is still one of the richest and most productive states in the nation, the Republicans convinced many that the economy was worse than most other states’. Though even after the tax increases of recent years, when Maryland still has below-average tax rates per individual incomes, many voters came to believe that the tax burden promoted flight of high-income taxpayers (there’s no convincing proof of this)."

Indeed, many Maryland politicos (Democrats included) over the last few years have become cheerleaders for the idea that we're losing millionaires (we're not) and that we're losing residents to Virginia (we're not). In fact, The Washington Business Journal recently reported that effective corporate tax rates are often lower in Maryland than Virginia. So rather than fight trickle-down economics in Maryland, we've largely embraced it as a policy solution for unquantifiable problems like "poor business reputation" or millionaires maybe/potentially/hypothetically leaving the state (some day).

But where I believe Democrats have faltered is on prioritizing relief for the middle-class and working class. During the gubernatorial race, there was always a lingering choice about whether to try and mobilize the base, or whether to try and convert voters on the other side. In many ways, these choices were mutually exclusive. Karl Rove famously chose the former tactic (to great success) in multiple elections. But in some states, it appears that the populist message was the winning one -- and it's not always a partisan message. Larry Hogan ran a populist campaign running against taxes. But in other states, the populist campaign manifested as sick leave and economic justice.

A LESSON FROM OTHER BLUE STATES: CONNECTICUT & MINNESOTA - Many politicos have been looking at Maryland in the same light as elections across the nation, where Republicans won tight races. But a better apples-to-apples comparison would be comparing Maryland to Connecticut (another traditionally Blue state with a tight Governor's race). Luke Brinker at Salon.com just did exactly that, and I think he's got some good points (excerpt below):

LUKE BRINKER (VIA SALON.COM): Amid this week’s disastrous Democratic drubbing, Connecticut emerged as one of the few bright spots for Democrats. Facing a formidable challenge from wealthy investor Tom Foley, whom he defeated by less than one percentage point in 2010, Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy secured another term, fending off Foley 51 to 48 percent....

But Malloy also boasted something many Democrats who lost Tuesday night did not — an actual track record of economic populist accomplishments. Malloy could point to specific policies he’d signed into law — most notably, mandatory paid sick leave and the nation’s first-ever state-level minimum wage increase to $10.10 an hour — that benefited Connecticut families but would be jeopardized if Foley, who opposed those policies, won the governorship....

A late-stage Malloy ad — aired as public polling indicated a tied race — put the issues at the very top. “On Tuesday, you future is on the ballot,” the ad’s narrator began. “What kind of state will Connecticut be? Tom Foley’s made his plans clear. No paid sick days for workers. No to raising the minimum wage....”

Lindsay Farrell, Connecticut director of the Working Families Party, told Salon that the issues resonated with a broad swath of voters.... But, Farrell noted, Malloy signed both paid sick leave and the minimum wage increase into law despite encountering opposition among more moderate Democrats in the state legislature, particularly on the former.... “Things that give people economic security and tackle economic inequality in this country are popular with voters,” [Farrell] added.

Results elsewhere bear this out. Bloomberg Politics’ Dave Weigel observes that while Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia barely survived after running a “radical centrist” campaign about the importance of slashing the national debt, Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken cruised to a 10-point victory over his GOP opponent after a remarkably economic populist campaign. Earlier this year, most commentators — including this one — would have told you that of the two senators, Warner was almost certain to win by a larger margin....

And so the push for paid sick leave in Maryland begins (again)....


A LESSON FROM WITHIN MARYLAND: BRIAN FROSH VS. ANTHONY BROWN - Indeed, it would be foolish of Maryland Democrats and Republicans to extrapolate lessons for the future only from this year's Governor's race. After all, my suspicion is that Hogan's win is more of a mandate for populism than it is for conservatism. Within Maryland results, comparing the vote totals of Anthony Brown and Democratic nominee for Attorney General Brian Frosh is very instructive. After all, the Frosh race makes it hard to see the rejection of Anthony Brown as a rejection of Democrats (or liberal political ideology more broadly). I think Frosh's race and multiple other races in the state suggest that the message, tactics, and tone of the Brown campaign were more decisive than party label or liberal vs. conservative.

Indeed, Brian Frosh is a clear liberal politician from Montgomery County (representing much-maligned Bethesda, no less). He's also been the target of true hatred and ire from the NRA and gun owners, many of whom blame him for shepherding Maryland's tough new gun regulations through the State Senate. As a Senator, Frosh has also not been afraid to raise taxes, and voted for bills like transgender nondiscrimination that the rightwing base has revolted against. Frosh also opposed the estate tax cut and tax cuts for Lockheed Martin. He's not exactly a Larry Hogan clone, and would be the perfect foil if we were indeed witnessing a wave of anger toward Democrats. But Frosh won big, and that counters the narrative that voters were looking to blindly oust Democrats or liberals. Indeed, in a realignment cycle like we saw this year, several underfunded Republicans defeated better-known, better resourced candidates.

PROGRESSIVE SENATOR FROSH WON WHERE BROWN LOST: Looking at the voting totals below, you can see that progressive lawmaker Brian Frosh beat his Republican opponent by almost a quarter-of-a-million votes, and he did so by winning in places that Anthony Brown failed to carry: Baltimore County, Charles County and Howard County. Frosh even nearly tied his Republican opponent in Kent County.

	Brian Frosh Democrat	Jeffrey Pritzker Republican
Allegany	5707	12056
Anne Arundel	71548	91789
Baltimore City	108198	17471
Baltimore	132912	108605
Calvert	11330	18009
Caroline	2708	5491
Carroll	16927	40940
Cecil	8065	16127
Charles	26045	17579
Dorchester	3979	5355
Frederick	30799	41319
Garrett	1823	6194
Harford	30289	52859
Howard	54534	41781
Kent	3394	3537
Montgomery	163238	72205
Prince George's	178809	24346
Queen Anne's	5836	11670
St. Mary's	10283	18779
Somerset	2292	3452
Talbot	5496	8045
Washington	11584	23005
Wicomico	9604	13904
Worcester	6430	11031
Totals	901,830	665,549

PROGRESSIVE SENATOR FROSH OUTPOLLED BROWN IN EVERY MARYLAND COUNTY: Even more interesting is that Brian Frosh got more votes than Anthony Brown in every single county in Maryland, netting over 115,000 more votes for Frosh than Brown. Looking at the results below is a depressing vision of what could've been:

	Brian Frosh Democrat	Anthony Brown Democrat
Allegany	5707	4539
Anne Arundel	71548	55918
Baltimore City	108198	102219
Baltimore	132912	100121
Calvert	11330	9355
Caroline	2708	1900
Carroll	16927	10181
Cecil	8065	5396
Charles	26045	23936
Dorchester	3979	3067
Frederick	30799	27041
Garrett	1823	1588
Harford	30289	19404
Howard	54534	48019
Kent	3394	2568
Montgomery	163238	151593
Prince George's	178809	177993
Queen Anne's	5836	3715
St. Mary's	10283	8030
Somerset	2292	1979
Talbot	5496	4285
Washington	11584	9480
Wicomico	9604	8572
Worcester	6430	5427
Totals	901,830	786,326

OTHER COUNTER-INTUITIVE TEA LEAVES FROM MARYLAND ELECTIONS: Before you start extrapolating that there was something special about Brian Frosh (not that he isn't special), I would point out that rabid anti-tax, pro-business deregulation Republican Blaine Young lost his bid for Frederick County Executive this year to Democrat Jan Gardner -- even as Republicans swept 5 of the 7 County Council seats, and Brown lost big in the county. Moreover, Democrat John Delaney won re-election not just through Montgomery County -- he carried the Frederick portion of his district too. Rep. Elijah Cummings carried the Baltimore and Howard County portions of his district; Rep. John Sarbanes won the Baltimore and Howard County portions of his district, and nearly tied in Anne Arundel; Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger won in the Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, and Howard County portions of his district; and so on....

On the other hand, you could listen to the advice of Comcast's Maryland lobbyist Sean Looney, who apparently wants to preserve corporate tax loopholes, thinks the Assembly's incoming freshman are anti-business and a "headache," and believes some of Maryland's Democratic incumbents are "wackos." Stay classy!

GUEST POST: Progressive Maryland Sounds Off On Estate Tax Cut Proposal // By Kate Planco Waybright, Executive Director

Maryland Juice received the following guest post from Kate Planco Waybright, Executive Director of Progressive Maryland:

Maryland Progressives Lead Charge to Give Top 2% a Tax-Break 

on the Backs of Working Class Marylanders

KATE PLANCO WAYBRIGHT: Something smells fishy in Annapolis, and it’s not crab cakes. Unfortunately, some so-called progressive legislators (wait till you hear who!) have hopped on the Republican bandwagon—they are seeking to increase the Maryland estate tax exemption from the current level of $1 million to the federal level of $5.34 million. At a time when income inequality is one of the nation’s most discussed issues, a reduction in the estate tax fails to encourage a fair and progressive tax structure and will serve only the wealthiest Maryland citizens at the expense of hardworking middle and lower class families.

A just-released Baltimore Sun poll of 1200 registered voters likely to vote in the June primary show that a whopping 71% are concerned about the state budget deficit. At a time in which 594,000 Marylanders are still living in poverty, it is difficult to understand why any lawmaker—let alone one who bills him or herself as progressive—would cast a vote in support of cutting taxes on the wealthiest estates in Maryland, especially when such a measure will cost the state tens of millions each year. With a current estate tax exemption up to $1 million, less than 3% of estates are subject to the tax while nearly $90 million in revenues each year go to the state’s General Fund for core public services. These public services help provide a critical social safety net for our state’s most vulnerable citizens, and support our state’s investment in schools, job training, health care, public safety, infrastructure, clean energy, and so much more.

Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker of the House Mike Busch are the most enthusiastic about this move. They have sponsored bills in their respective chambers and lined up an impressive array of legislators as cosponsors. In the Senate, for instance, we have Montgomery County Sens. Jennie Forehand, Brian Feldman, Karen Montgomery, and Nancy King. Prince George’s County Sens. Joanne Bensen and Ulysses Currie. And Baltimore City Sens. Lisa Gladden, Nathaniel McFadden, and Catherine Pugh. That’s not the full list of Democrats adding their name to the proposal, either.

In the House, we have Montgomery County Delegates Jim Gilchrist, Ana Sol Gutierrez, Kathleen Dumais, Anne Kaiser, Ariana Kelly, Susan Lee, Aruna Miller, Lou Simmons, and Craig Zucker, plus a whole crop of Democrats from other parts of the state, including 2 attorney general candidates—Jon Cardin and Bill Frick. Full details on: SB602 & HB739.

Right above the lists of Democrats are these bills' fiscal notes, which say this:

The bill increases the value of the federal unified credit used in the calculation of Maryland estate taxes equal to an exclusion of $1.75 million for decedents dying in calendar 2014, $2.5 million in calendar 2015, and $3.5 million in calendar 2016. Beginning in 2017, the value of the credit will be equal to the amount of the federal exclusion allowed in the taxable year. As a result, general fund revenues decrease by $27.9 million in fiscal 2015, $58.6 million in fiscal 2016, $84.7 million in fiscal 2017, $121.9 million in fiscal 2018, and $137.7 million in fiscal 2019.

So, to review: Democrats in Maryland want to join Republicans in passing a tax break for the very wealthiest of Marylanders that will result in millions lost from our General Fund—more than $100 million in a few years. And to think—people say Maryland is so progressive. If that’s the case, what are these so-called progressives thinking?

Let me knock out some of the arguments I have heard. First, it’s important to note that while the estate tax is imposed on the transfer of the taxable estate of a deceased person, all property left to a surviving spouse, no matter the amount, is exempt from the estate tax. Second, you should be aware that the estate tax is not a duplicative tax, which some argue. Yes, Maryland has an inheritance tax—but inheritance taxes aren’t paid by the estate of the deceased, but by the inheritors of the estate. And the inheritance tax doesn’t apply to a direct beneficiary that includes a child, parent, step-parent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, other descendent, or a corporation if all stockholders are direct beneficiaries. That’s a pretty generous list.

Advocates for raising the exemption claim that wealthy, older Marylanders are leaving the state to avoid having their estates pay this tax, but arguments of tax migration are just a myth. Recent studies have confirmed Maryland’s distinction as the number one state for millionaires per capita. (The top six states in millionaires per capita in 2013 all have an estate tax!). In fact, a December report by the Maryland Dept. of Planning confirmed that people over 55 are the wealthiest segment of Marylanders, and that our state continues to gain wealthy residents in this age bracket.

Advocates also cite the burden on farms, but Maryland law protects family farms by exempting up to $5 million of unqualified agricultural property passing from a decedent to a family member who will continue to use the property for agricultural purposes for at least ten years. State law also limits the tax rate imposed and provides for a 3-year payment deferral for estate taxes on family farms.

So why would so-called progressive legislators in Maryland allow us to go in the wrong direction? Are they donning their George W. Bush masks because it’s an election year and they want to curry favor with conservatives? Do these legislators themselves have estates worth more than a million dollars? Do they feel it’s more important to ensure their wealthy constituents can hang onto every last penny of their millions than to take care of all Marylanders? 

Since 2010, six states have reinstated or increased their estate tax. Passage of this measure would be a grave injustice to the residents of the state of Maryland—helping the very few at the expense of many. Reducing taxes for the wealthy while robbing the state budget of funds that support programs that working families depend upon is just wrong. Progressive Maryland believes that a fair tax system asks all citizens to contribute to the cost of government services based on their ability to pay. We hope Maryland Juice readers will join us in opposing these efforts to increase the estate tax exemption for Maryland’s wealthiest citizens.

Please take a moment to send a message to your letters in opposition to these proposals:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5206/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9194

Kate Planco Waybright
Executive Director, Progressive Maryland

JON CARDIN INTERVIEW PART 3: Attorney General Candidate Talks About Marriage Equality, Lockheed Martin, Taxes & More

This is part 3 of 3 of Maryland Juice writer Dan Furmansky's exclusive interview with Delegate Jon Cardin (a candidate for Attorney General).

ARTICLE 3 OF 3: JON CARDIN ON THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY FIGHT, WELFARE FOR LOCKHEED MARTIN, AND CORPORATE INFLUENCE


SECTION 1: JON CARDIN ON THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY FIGHT
DAN FURMANSKY: On your website you call yourself a strong advocate of marriage equality and other LGBTQ rights, including transgender equality. You know I was the executive director of Equality Maryland from 2003-2008 and I lobbied in 2009 for them, so obviously I have an unique vantage point of who I see as a strong early supporter, and I probably wouldn’t place you in that category. I mean, I would not place you in that category.

JON CARDIN: Because I didn’t cosponsor the bill?

DAN FURMANSKY: You didn’t cosponsor the marriage equality bill in 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011 and you didn’t speak up publicly for the legislation either, and I do recall instances where you were on the radio talking about civil unions long after the marriage equality train had left the station.

And I don’t believe you cosponsored the legislation to ban discrimination transgender Marylanders. That doesn’t negate the fact that you voted the right way on these issues, and quietly committed your vote early on to your colleagues. But you weren’t out there and in front. So given that you’ve taken a backseat on issues like LGBT rights, where the current AG was very bold with his opinion about out-of-state marriages, why would Marylanders who deeply care about these issues trust you to fight for them in the future?

JON CARDIN: Okay, I would respectfully disagree. I would only say that I came out publicly, uh, in support of the legislation every year that it came up. I believed that the legislation, it could have been done better and I, in fact, what you didn’t hear but I was saying is that I believe that all marriages ought to be civil unions. And I still believe that we should not have religion be involved in marriage, period.

DAN FURMANSKY: We don’t really. All we do is allow for clergy to sign to marriage licenses and act as agents of the state in this regard. We certainly should allow anyone to sign a marriage license and act as an agent of the state.

JON CARDIN: Okay, fine. Let anybody, or let only agents of the state do it that are really agents of the state—judges, clerks of the court, captains of ships, whatever it is. That’s my own personal belief and look, if I’m going to tell you, that’s the way I think it ought to be. I think that solves everybody’s problems and it upsets all groups basically…it upsets all groups equally. That’s my own…

DAN FURMANSKY: …I don’t agree…if we didn’t have a system whereby civil marriage is the terminology in the case law, in how family courts dealt with it…

JON CARDIN: The year before, when I was on the Marc Steiner show, before he left WYPR, along with the two, the couple, the female couple…

DAN FURMANSKY: …Lisa Polyak and Gita Deane…

JON CARDIN: Yes. I was on there with them and they pushed me on this. I made it clear that…was my philosophy. It wasn’t that I was saying we should just have a civil unions bill. Of course, I would have supported whatever wound up coming out. It wasn’t in my committee so I didn’t have a chance to necessarily be an author and doing amendments. It wasn’t an area in which I had enough street credit to be able go out and start amending the bill. Now, the year it didn’t pass, the year when Jill Carter walked out on it, you hopefully would recall that I stood on the floor, after I talked to my constituents, my very emotional constituents, who demonized me, by the way, demonized me for not being a cosponsor, told me that they would do everything they could in their efforts to make sure that I would not get re-elected simply because I didn’t cosponsor it. I found that to be so incredibly insulting as someone who made it clear that I was a supporter of the legislation, just because I didn’t cosponsor it.

When I say co-sponsorship is meaningless, it is really meaningless in the broader scheme of legislation. There are bills that have one sponsor and they get passed. And then there are bills that get 85 sponsors and they don’t even see the light of day in committee.

DAN FURMANSKY: Sure. But co-sponsorships can be a barometer for the general public about how much support there is behind a piece of legislation.

JON CARDIN: I’m not disagreeing with you that there is an opportunity there but the fact is that as an organization of advocates, there needs to be more sophistication because you don’t want to alienate your proponents, your supporters. I made it clear that I was going to be a supporter, even if I didn’t agree with 100% of it. This happens not just with this bill but with any bill, it happens within the environmental community. There’s lots of bills where I get upset because I want to know the specific details, the specifics, and there are lots of bills that I don’t agree with but I want to support the concept and I’m going to sometimes have to close my nose or close my eyes and just vote…but I came out and I publicly supported the bill on the floor, not knowing that they didn’t have the votes. I didn’t realize at that moment when I got up there and I supported it that they didn’t have the votes. And they didn’t. And I was floored when it was withdrawn.

DAN FURMANSKY: You mean that we didn’t have the votes?

JON CARDIN: Yeah, we, they being the Whip and the Speaker. When I say “they,” I mean the Whip and the Speaker. So I was floored when that happened. I was amazed that I was still being demonized. But I supported it. And then the next year, the law, you being the advocates who came around, lost a dozen cosponsors, but you got two: me and the Speaker. And it passed that year, with a loss of a dozen cosponsors. Now, I think that’s a very telling story. And have always been, I mean, look at my voting record. You can call me out on the DREAM Act if you want to, that’s fine. But in terms of equal protection of the LGBTQ community, I would say I am as…

DAN FURMANSKY: Your record is solid, no doubt about that. I was just calling out your characterization of being a strong and early supporter.

JON CARDIN: Hmm, I mean…I could go into my own, constituency, where they come from and all of that. The fact is, that’s what I believe and I’m happy to stick by my record.

SECTION 2: JON CARDIN ON CORPORATE TAX CUTS & THE MINIMUM WAGE

DAN FURMANSKY: Many forces in the General Assembly support tying the lowering of the corporate tax rate to a raise in the minimum wage, despite the fact that an overwhelming number of Marylanders already support the long-overdue minimum wage increase. And I guess according to Gonzales polling I saw this morning, an overwhelming number of Democratic Party voters are opposed to the lowering of the corporate tax rate as well. What’s your take on this?

JON CARDIN: I think that this is probably one of the more contentious issues that’s going to be, if there’s any, this year, an election year, this is one of them. We all want to see people be able to afford to live in our communities working…on…low wages. And so we want to make sure that’s available. We also want to make sure that companies can survive so that we have an employment base here in the state, so you know, it’s going to be a good solid debate and I’m looking forward to figuring out how we can bring those two together.

DAN FURMANSKY: So, are you inclined to support the lowering the corporate tax rate?

JON CARDIN: I’m inclined to…see movement. Whether it be on one or the other, and if it means bringing them together...philosophically I don’t have a problem with that.

DAN FURMANSKY: I had a conversation with your colleague, Delegate Ariana Kelly, who has been a big proponent of paid parental leave, which every other country in the world has. I don’t even know if we have one state that has mandated this. And I said to her: don’t you wish we were tying a lowering of the corporate tax rate to something truly controversial that needs movement such as paid parental leave, as opposed to the minimum wage increase?

JON CARDIN: Uh, I could see that. I mean, I’m not sure how much traction a paid parental leave bill is going to have, but…

DAN FURMANSKY: Fair enough. It just seems like the minimum wage increase should be a foregone conclusion and shouldn’t be the stepsister or stepbrother of the corporate tax rate.

JON CARDIN: Yeah. Well look, the other thing, I know that progressives think that we all, we, and me, as a progressive, we know we’re right. But we also have to get things done. And how do you do that? We live in a democracy. In a democracy we have to get…seventy-one votes in order to pass a bill. How do we make sure that happens? So…you don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

SECTION 3: JON CARDIN ON CORPORATE WELFARE FOR LOCKHEED MARTIN

DAN FURMANSKY: You were the only candidate for Attorney General who supported a bill this year that provided tax break for Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s most profitable companies. In a year when we saw the gas tax raised on Marylanders, how do you justify giving away Montgomery County tax dollars against the wishes of the Montgomery County Council?

JON CARDIN: In my opinion, that is an issue of fairness. And if we’re interested in taxing Lockheed Martin, which provides over a $100 million to the state of Maryland in fees and taxes, then let’s tax them. But don’t use a law that…a policy that has been created that is not appropriate to that particular company. That’s my… there needs to be transparency on that. Let’s be perfectly honest. They are taxing them as a hotel, and the facility that is being taxed as a hotel isn’t a hotel. And that to me is disingenuous. And, there needs to be, just…look, if they need the half million dollars they are getting from them, then tax them. Put it in a bill that taxes them. But don’t try and suggest that it is something that it is not because you can’t get that bill passed.

DAN FURMANSKY: Lockheed Martin was aware of the tax when they built the facility and from what I understand they have housed people beyond just Lockheed employees. They house contractors there, vendors there, other people they welcome. And there have been occasions where they have required individuals to stay at that facility and not allowed them to stay at other hotels in Montgomery County, which of course all have to apply the lodging tax.

JON CARDIN: I have no comment on that because I have not heard any of that.

SECTION 4: JON CARDIN ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM & REDISTRICTING

DAN FURMANSKY: Ok…let’s move on and talk about good government bills. Good stuff, right? So we had a big year for campaign finance reform in Maryland and you’ve been a strong proponent of this for several years, including for public financing of legislative races. Thumbs up! What do you believe are the next steps for expanding transparency – particularly by special interests such as corporations and independent expenditures?

JON CARDIN: Well, let’s pass the public funding bill. That’s a great way to do it. We’ve just passed some amazing piece of legislation out of the campaign finance commission, to increase transparency on independent expenditures, as well as on special interest contributions, requiring addition reporting dates, and lowering the threshold of the reporting in terms of the amounts of money. I think those are really good changes and I would like to continue to see that. Everybody has… the First Amendment right to make contributions, but it’s just that we also have a right to have complete and total transparency. And that’s where I think we ought to go. And I think that once we have a public funding system that is functioning and working, you’re going to see people having to really justify why they’re using significant dollars from very small numbers of special interests.

DAN FURMANSKY: You voted to support the congressional redistricting map that some say was an exercise in political gerrymandering that spliced and diced communities and diluted minority neighborhoods. The map was upheld as constitutional by the federal courts and upheld by a majority of voters, some who cast their ballots as a badge of allegiance to the Democratic Party. All of that aside, do you believe we need a new process for redistricting in Maryland and, if so, what would that look like and how would we get there?

JON CARDIN: As chairman of the Election Law Committee, I am very open to looking at new ways of doing redistricting. There [are] obviously other practices out there across the country. As an unapologetic Democrat, I will say that I use caution when I think about these things because Maryland is one of two states where…there is a partisan nature to it and it is owned by the Democrats, which have the majority. And the other…15 states that do this are all Republican and then the rest of them are nonpartisan. So there are nonpartisan ways of doing it, there is setting up commissions that makes the recommendations…and I’m totally up for doing that.

The question is… gerrymandering is…has its good aspects and its bad aspects. But the fact is while we want to make things simpler and more representative, we also want to make sure that minorities are adequately represented, that communities are not somehow disenfranchised by being cut through…an artificial boundary that is done for political purposes. And so…I think there has got to be a balance that is struck.

SECTION 5: JON CARDIN ON 2014 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

DAN FURMANSKY: Any particular legislation that you are working on for in 2014 that you’re excited about and you think it has a chance of passing?

JON CARDIN: We have our, um, revenge porn legislation. We call it cyber sexual assault but you and the rest of the press will call it revenge porn.

DAN FURMANSKY: I didn’t….

JON CARDIN: Again, maybe not you but the rest…

DAN FURMANSKY: I will call it what you call it.

JON CARDIN: Cyber sexual assault, which would criminalize putting up pornographic images of another person without their consent. Simply put, it is…it is criminal to jeopardize somebody’s reputation, their job prospects, their family relationships and their psychological and emotional stability, simply because you click the mouse and put their picture up on a public website.

Number two: trying to…a bill that is geared towards reducing sexual assault on college campuses.

Campaign finance reform, obviously, with public funding of campaigns.

There is a gaping loophole in the gun legislation, which, as you know, there is a seven-day waiting period, and if you don’t have…if the background check is not done within seven days, a seller is allowed to give a purchaser the gun without having the background check completed, which I cannot believe, fathom, that that loophole is in there, but it’s permitting these guns to be put out. I think there has been examples of more than thirty individuals who have gotten guns that have been prohibited because of a background check reveal that they were not eligible for a certain reason having to do with their criminal records. And we’re going try to close that loophole.

The last thing is, I want to dedicate, I did put it in last year and I’ll put it in again. I want to dedicate 100% of the revenue of ammunition and firearms sales to screenings for the disabled and for the mentally impaired.

[Andy Carton, Cardin’s campaign manager: Sexual orientation conversion therapy].

JON CARDIN: Oh yeah, another one that we drafted, I don’t know if we pre-filed it, but I think we’re going to pre-file it, is to criminalize the use of sexual orientation diversion programs…otherwise known as...

…What do they call it? [asking Andy Carton]

[Carton: Gay therapy…]

Gay therapy…anti-gay therapy.

DAN FURMANSKY: Otherwise known as reparative therapy.

JON CARDIN: Reparative therapy…which I wanted to put in last year and I spoke to the Equality Maryland leadership and they did not want us…they did not want to focus on that issue last year.

DAN FURMANSKY: Are they now more enthusiastic about its prospects and putting support behind it?

JON CARDIN: They are much more enthusiastic.

DAN FURMANSKY: Is this your dream job—Attorney General of Maryland?

JON CARDIN: Yeah. I think that given my background, my legal background and legislative accomplishments, this is exactly where I can realize my potential. And I think that Marylanders want somebody who is both progressive and pragmatic, so I’d love to be that guy.

DAN FURMANSKY: Anything else you want to say to Maryland Juice readers?

JON CARDIN: My daughter is nearly two… Have you heard me tell this…?

DAN FURMANSKY: I have not.

JON CARDIN: My daughter is nearly two and…before she learned how to walk, she was already playing music on my wife’s iPhone and has maintained a complete relationship with her grandparents over Skype. So this is a new world that…our kids are wired to and they are wired to it, and growing up in it. And whether its cyber bullying, cyber security, online privacy, uh, environmental protection, getting trash out of the Bay: this is the next frontier that we’re going to have to contend with. As Attorney General, I think I can deal with the next generation issues, and focus on the old, persistent problems that you brought up…the agricultural certainty and point source and non point source pollution.

DAN FURMANSKY: Great. Thank you, thank you for the time!

JUICE: Gansler & Brown Spar Over Vets, O'Malley in NH, No Corporate Tax Cut Support, Mizeur LG Video, D16 Senate, More

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few items that may be of interest to Free State politicos:

JUICE #1: RSVP FOR MARYLAND JUICE'S "1 MILLION VIEWS" PARTY // REP. JOHN DELANEY, FORMER MOCO EXEC DOUG DUNCAN & OTHERS WILL TAKE Q&A FROM READERS ON MONDAY - Don't forget to RSVP for Maryland Juice's "1 Million Views" party. The event is taking place this Monday 11/18 from 6-8 pm at the Paladar Latin Kitchen in Rockville (White Flint Metro Station). Congressman John Delaney, MoCo Exec candidate Doug Duncan and other elected officials will be on hand to take live Q&A from Maryland Juice readers, and we'll be announcing other surprise participants soon! Food at the event is being sponsored by Progressive Maryland and Congressman John Delaney (cash bar):

Maryland Juice Unplugged : One Million Views Party

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH - 6 TO 8 pm

Paladar Latin Kitchen

11333 Woodglen Drive

North Bethesda, MD

[ RSVP ON FACEBOOK ] 

JUICE #2: NEW POLL SHOWS MARYLANDERS NOT INTERESTED IN CUTTING CORPORATE TAXES & EVERYONE SUPPORTS MINIMUM WAGE HIKE  - This week Maryland Reporter highlighted a new poll by the Maryland-based survey firm Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies on behalf of Progressive Maryland (excerpt below):

MARYLAND REPORTER: The survey ... found overwhelming support for increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, with more than 82% favoring the move. Support was strong from all groups — Democrats, Independents and even Republicans, as well as whites, blacks, men and women.... The poll also found 56% opposed reducing the corporate income tax rate....

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few of the party crosstabs from the poll indicating how Democratic and Republican voters feel about the minimum wage and corporate tax cut proposals that may be considered in Annapolis next year. Notably, a super-majority of Democrats oppose a corporate tax cut, and even Republicans are more likely to oppose than support cutting corporate taxes. Meanwhile, Democrats, Republicans and Independents are united in supporting a minimum wage increase and "combined reporting" to close tax loopholes for corporations. Is this another example of voters being ahead of politicians on obvious policy matters?

Minimum Wage Increase

• Democrats: 92% Support, 8% Oppose
• Republicans: 64% Support, 34% Oppose
• Independents: 88% Support, 11% Oppose

Corporate Tax Cuts

• Democrats: 33% Support, 62% Oppose
• Republicans: 48% Support, 49% Oppose
• Independents: 38% Support, 55% Oppose

"Combined Reporting" to Close Corporate Tax Loophole

• Democrats: 75% Support, 17% Oppose
• Republicans: 60% Support, 28% Oppose
• Independents: 66% Support, 26% Oppose

You can read the full polling memos [HERE].


JUICE #3: UPDATE ON POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR BRIAN FROSH'S DISTRICT 16 SENATE SEAT - Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck recently provided an updated on potential candidates for Maryland's District 16 Senate race. Delegate Susan Lee is running for the State Senate seat being vacated by Brian Frosh, but a couple others may enter the race (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE: Reggie Oldak, a familiar figure in District 16 Democratic politics... said Tuesday she had decided against running – leaving Delegate Susan Lee as the only announced candidate for the Senate nomination in next June’s Democratic primary....

“I’m still evaluating a few different races, and that is, of course, one of them,” former County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg.... And sources said that Kyle Lierman, who came close to winning a nomination for delegate in District 16 in 2010, is continuing to strongly consider the Senate contest....

JUICE #4: GOVERNOR O'MALLEY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE TOMORROW NIGHT // 2016 WHITE HOUSE SETUP? - Today Maryland Juice received the following email blast from Governor Martin O'Malley indicating he'll be speaking in New Hampshire tomorrow night at the Democrats' annual Jefferson Jackson dinner. The event (which you can watch online tomorrow) is often a preview stage for candidates weighing presidential runs:

Juice -

Tomorrow night, I'll help New Hampshire Democrats kick-off the 2014 campaign season at their annual Jefferson Jackson dinner.

The event is an opportunity to gather with like-minded Democrats and build the Party, but it's also a chance to talk about the better choices we've made in Maryland to educate, innovate, and rebuild a strong and growing middle class.

The program will be broadcast on CSPAN and streamed live on the internet, and I'd love for you to watch it. If you'd like me to send you an email or text message alert shortly before it begins, just let me know here:

http://action.martinomalley.com/watch-live

We have a lot to be proud of in Maryland, and I appreciate the opportunity to share our story while working to re-elect New Hampshire's Governor Maggie Hassan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Democrats up-and-down the ticket.

I hope you'll consider tuning in tomorrow night.

All the best,

Martin O'Malley

JUICE #5:  WATCH VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM HEATHER MIZEUR'S EVENT ANNOUNCING PASTOR DELMAN COATES AS HER RUNNING MATE - Montgomery County Media posted video footage from Delegate Heather Mizeur's event this week announcing the selection of Pastor Delman Coates as her running mate. You can watch the video below:



JUICE #6: JANUARY 2014 GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE // WATCH ANTHONY BROWN, DOUG GANSLER & HEATHER MIZEUR LIVE - Save the date! Maryland Juice received the following announcement of a gubernatorial debate between the three Democratic candidates for Governor. Details from the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee below:

MCDCC: The Democratic Club of Leisure World and the District 19 Democratic Club have arranged to co-sponsor a candidates forum for the three major Democratic candidates for Governor of Maryland in the 2014 primary election. All the candidates have confirmed that they will participate.

The date is Thursday, January 30, 2014. The time is 7pm. The place is Leisure World, probably in the Ballroom in Clubhouse 1 (possibly in the Auditorium in Clubhouse 2).

JUICE #7: DOUG GANSLER AND ANTHONY BROWN SPAR ON VETERANS' ISSUES // VOTE VETS PAC WEIGHS IN - Below Maryland Juice highlights a tit-for-tat between the Brown and Gansler campaigns that emerged as both campaigns celebrated Veterans Day this week. There are three pieces to this story below:

First, Anthony Brown's campaign released the following announcement of a compact with veterans (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Anthony Brown and Ken Ulman Release Compact with Maryland Veterans

Five-Point Plan will Build on Existing Progress and make Maryland a Better Place for all Veterans

Baltimore, MD - Today on Veterans Day, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman released their Compact with Maryland Veterans, a five-point plan to make Maryland better for all of our Veterans.

“Our Veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our freedom and we owe them our gratitude,” said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. “We’ve made a lot of progress to support Veterans in Maryland, but we can do more. That’s why I’m announcing my plan to build a better Maryland for all of our Veterans.”

The Brown-Ulman Compact with Maryland Veterans will:

Exempt Military Retirement Income from Taxation for the Majority of Veterans
Establish a VetConnect Hiring Challenge Program
Extend Bridge Loans for Disability Claims
Create a Maryland Veterans Treatment Court
Expand Rental Housing Works for Our Veterans

You can read the details of the five point Compact with Maryland Veterans by clicking here.

In comments that appeared in The Baltimore Sun, Doug Gansler's campaign then argued that the Attorney General could aid veterans better than Anthony Brown (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: A Maryland state senator who heads the General Assembly's veteran's caucus rebuked Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler Tuesday night over the Democratic gubernatorial candidate's claim he could fix problems with federal processing of veterans' claims better than his campaign rival.

Sen. Douglas J. J. Peters of Prince George's County criticized Gansler for claiming he would reduce the delays in processing by the Veterans Administration where Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, his rival for the Democratic nomination, has not.

The Baltimore office of the VA has some of the worst claims-processing times in the nation, and Gansler blamed Brown for that Monday after the lieutenant governor released a five-point plan for veterans.

Peters said that as a veteran and a state senator he felt compelled to respond.

"The Federal government is, of course, solely responsible for processing Veteran's Administration claim. The delay is a federal problem, and, therefore, requires a federal solution," Peters said....

The testy exchange pulled the Vote Vets PAC into the fray with the following press release. Note that the PAC endorsed Anthony Brown earlier this year:

PRESS RELEASE

After Gansler Campaign Implies that the Governor Controls the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Group Questions Gansler's Ability to Lead Maryland

Baltimore, MD – The largest progressive group of veterans, VoteVets.org, with over 360,000 supporters, is questioning Attorney General Doug Gansler’s ability to lead the state, after his spokesperson claimed that the Lt. Governor has the ability to control the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

On Monday, Veterans Day, Gansler spokesperson Bob Wheelock launched an attack on Lt. Gov Anthony Brown, an Iraq War Veteran, saying of the backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs, “The Lt. Governor has not fixed that problem.”

Responding to Wheelock, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org Jon Soltz said, “It’s somewhat disturbing that someone running to be the Governor of the state seems to have no idea what a Governor actually does.  While the backlog of claims at the VA is a huge problem, to claim that the Lt. Governor of Maryland has the ability to make changes to a Federal department shows a severe lack of understanding of how Government actually works.”

“Anthony Brown, having served in war, deeply understands what our veterans are going through, and has dedicated his life to help them, and all Marylanders.  To claim otherwise is a real cheap shot, and a terribly ignorant cheap shot, at that,” Soltz added.

Founded in 2006, the mission of VoteVets.org Political Action Committee is to elect Veterans to public office, with a focus on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and hold public officials accountable for their words and actions that impact America's 21st century troops and veterans. Though VoteVets.org PAC is non-partisan, candidates it backs must support VoteVets.org's core mission and beliefs.  The group has endorsed Anthony Brown’s campaign for Governor.

###

JUICE #8: ANTHONY BROWN HIRES FORMER GOP CAMPAIGN AIDE? - Maryland Juice previously reported on news that Doug Gansler may have hired a GOP campaign aide for his gubernatorial campaign. The Gansler campaign said that the news report that first mentioned this hire was flawed, but now The Quinton Report (a GOP blog) is accusing Anthony Brown of the same (excerpt below):

QUINTON REPORT: I’ve confirmed an initial tip that William Pierce, who is working for the campaign of Anthony Brown and Ken Ulman, previously worked for the 2012 GOP presidential campaign of Buddy Roemer....

JUICE #9: NEW WEBSITE ACCUSES MARYLAND THINK TANKS OF TIES TO RIGHT WING FUNDERS  - A Maryland Juice reader forwarded us a link to a new website drawing attention to ties between right wing funders and Maryland think tanks. The site called StinkTanks.org notes the following (excerpt below):

STINK TANKS: Maryland is home to two State Policy Network (SPN) “think tanks”: the
Calvert Institute for Policy Research and the Maryland Public Policy Institute (MPPI). SPN is an umbrella group of right-wing think tanks across the country. While the two think tanks claim to be focused on issues important to the people of Maryland, they actually push an agenda dictated by their national right-wing funders and partners.

JUICE: Dutch to Decide on Governor by FEB, Heather Mizeur's LG Pick & Progressive Endorsement, 2014 Issues & GOP Odds

Below Maryland Juice provides a brief roundup of news bits that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER CLARIFIES THOUGHTS ON CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR // DECISION BY FEBRUARY - Yesterday Maryland Juice discussed a recent interview with Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger that appeared in The Capitol Gazette. In expansive remarks about state and national politics, Ruppersberger revealed that he was leaning against running in the June 2014 Democratic Primary for Governor. But a follow-up article by The Daily Record's Bryan Sears contains additional thoughts and a new timeline from Congressman Ruppersberger (excerpt below):

DAILY RECORD: Dutch Ruppersberger says he would shake up the Democratic primary if he entered the race for Maryland governor.... Ruppersberger has been considering the race for governor off and on for more than a year but he said his interest waned as he traveled Syria and Iraq in January as part of his official congressional duties....

Ruppersberger said he's spending time with supporters studying state issues and putting together a plan to raise money should he decide to get in. "If I get in I plan to run to win," Ruppersberger said. "I don't think I'll need as much money as some others. Polls show I'm really well known and popular in the Baltimore area.... My only timeline is the filing deadline," he said. Ruppersberger has until 9 p.m. Feb. 25 to decide.

Notably, Rep. Ruppersberger previously stated he would make a decision on a gubernatorial run by Thanksgiving, and he has now pushed that timetable out to the February 2014 filing deadline.


JUICE #2: HEATHER MIZEUR TO ANNOUNCE RUNNNING-MATE THIS WEDNESDAY? - Maryland Juice just received an email blast from Heather Mizeur's campaign seeking phonebanking volunteers to help promote an event this Wednesday, where it appears she'll be announcing her pick for Lieutenant Governor:

Juice,

Heather's excited about her upcoming announcement on Wednesday, November 13th. We need your help to spread the word.

On Monday and Tuesday, we will be hosting a phone bank at our office. Join us as well tell our supporters all about their first chance to see Heather alongside her pick for Lieutenant Governor.

Location – Mizeur HQ, 1430 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring
Monday 11/11 – 2:00-5:00pm and  5:00-8:00pm
Tuesday 11/12 – 5:00-8:00pm

When can you come in for a shift? Click here to sign up. Please bring your cell phone.

We're looking forward to having a good crowd at the event. Your calls will make it happen.

Best,
Andrew Katz
Field Director
Friends of Heather Mizeur

Mizeur's campaign followed up on this volunteer solicitation with the following event announcement:

Juice,

Our campaign made big news recently. I announced my 10 point plan to make sure Maryland families have an economy that works for us. My plan will strengthen the middle class, make sure our economy is built to grow throughout the 21st century, and provide the jobs Marylanders need.

I am keeping the momentum moving forward this week. On Wednesday, November 13th, I will be in Silver Spring for a special announcement. You will not want to miss this event. Join me on Wednesday and be the first to hear the news.

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, November 13th
Time: 5:30pm

Location:
American Legion Post 41,
905 Sligo Ave, Silver Spring, MD

Click here to RSVP

I look forward to having you seeing you at the announcement. It will be a great event.

Best,

Heather

JUICE #3: HEATHER MIZEUR NETS PROGRESSIVE ENDORSEMENT FOR GOVERNOR - Maryland Juice received the press release below from the Montgomery County-based advocacy group Progressive Neighbors announcing an endorsement of Delegate Heather Mizeur in the race for Governor.  Maryland Juice previously flagged some differences between Gansler and Mizeur's responses to Progressive Neighbors on hot-button issues ranging from marijuana decriminalization and public financing of campaigns, to fracking and the minimum wage. In their endorsement statement, the group noted that one of the factors in their process was evaluating issue surveys from the candidates, but only Doug Gansler and Heather Mizeur provided responses (excerpt below):

Press Release

Announcement of Endorsement of Heather Mizeur for Governor

Progressive Neighbors is proud to endorse Delegate Heather Mizeur in her campaign to become the next Governor of Maryland because she is the most progressive candidate in the race. An accomplished legislator, able to reach across the aisle and bring ideological opponents together in pursuit of common interests, Delegate Mizeur will also be Maryland's first female governor as well as possibly becoming America's first openly gay governor.

Our endorsement process was intensive, including a questionnaire dealing with a range of issues, from economic to social – the candidates' responses are posted on our website, www.progressiveneighborsmd.org. Both Delegate Mizeur and Attorney General Doug Gansler provided extensive, thoughtful responses to the questions generated by the Progressive Neighbors endorsement subcommittee. Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown was repeatedly invited to submit his responses, but chose not to do so. We considered the candidates’ responses in our deliberations, as well as their records....

JUICE #4: GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES COME OUT ON THE ISSUES // READ MY SUMMARY OF BROWN, GANSLER AND MIZEUR'S PLATFORMS THUS FAR - Speaking of issues, this week Heather Mizeur released a slew of proposals on issues related to jobs, taxes and the economy. As a result, Maryland Juice thought this might be a good time to highlight the various platform items the gubernatorial candidates have released thus far. We previously compared survey responses between Gansler and Mizeur on progressive issues including fracking and marijuana reform, as well as responses by Brown, Gansler and Mizeur on schools issues. But below you can see our summary and round-up of the official campaign platform positions from Anthony Brown, Doug Gansler and Heather Mizeur thus far. We also provide some brief commentary on the gubernatorial candidates' issue papers below:

ANTHONY BROWN

• Ending Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault - Includes items to: 1) establish domestic violence screening, referral and assistance at all Maryland community hospitals; 2) require cell phone carriers to allow domestic violence victims to pull out of their partners' cell phone contracts without penalty; 3) provide a $5 million domestic violence innovation fund for local programs; and 4) establish a statewide domestic violence stats program to promote cross-agency collaboration.
• Competitive Business Climate - Includes items to: 1) Reform our tax code to generate job investments; streamline regulatory & licensing requirements to reduce business costs; 2) promote cost-effective energy generation and improve delivery of energy delivery through the grid; 3) expand affordable housing, health care and transportation; 4) provide a court system that allows individuals to get justice but keep awards fair; 5) facilitate small and medium size businesses access to capital by working with banks; 6) invest in high school and college job skills training; 7) make fiscally responsible improvements in funding for transit, education, public safety, health care, parks and the arts; and 8) and maintain & redevelop infrastructure through creative and conventional financing.
• Universal Pre-K - Includes items to expand to universal all-day Pre-K by the year 2022.

DOUG GANSLER

• Renewable Energy Proposals to Fight Bay Pollution - Includes items to: 1) Create innovation grants for companies to who can turn animal waste and other contributors to Bay pollution into energy generators; 2) spur investment in renewable energy by providing credit multipliers for certain energy sources; 3) encourage energy production from chicken litter through "aggregate net metering" policies; 4) provide state support for chicken litter energy projects; 5) incentivize utilities to generate power from farm waste; 6) encourage green energy through a voluntary surcharge to be distributed to local farmers; and 7) green energy marketing for renewable "Farm Power."
• "Build it in Maryland" Job Creation Plan - Includes items to: 1) Give preference to Maryland businesses when competing for state contracts and procurement; 2) Subsidize workforce training and provide manufacturing tax credits and grants for "Industrial Business Zones," 3) Extend tax credits to Maryland businesses receiving R&D grants to actually manufacture their products in Maryland; 4) Provide tax abatement for businesses renovating vacant buildings using renewable energy systems; 5) Create a grant program to help 12 small and medium sized businesses to manufacture and export Maryland-made goods within 12 months, 6) Develop a summer workshop for high school and college students geared toward the high-tech manufacturing industry; and 7) Launch an online marketing campaign to support "Made in Maryland" products
• Responsible Re-entry Reforms - Includes items to: 1) Establish a cabinet official to focus on re-entry of ex-offenders into society; 2) Create re-entry centers within prisons; 3) Establish re-entry courts to reduce recidivism; 4) Conduct an annual cost-benefit analysis of imprisonment, recidivism, and crime rates; 5) Restrict access to criminal records for those with demonstrated clean records; 6) Create challenge grants to incentivize recruitment of social workers for high-stress environments; 7) Provide transitional housing for ex-offenders; 8) Sponsor constructive family engagement opportunities for children of offenders; 9) Use technology (eg: tablets) to build individualized educational programs for offenders; and 10) Convene summits of nonprofits to coordinate statewide support networks.
• Educational Initiatives Targeting Achievement Gap - Includes items to: 1) Expand access to all-day pre-K to more low-income households; 2) Promote parental engagement in limited-English households through grants to incentivize schools to develop outreach and training programs; 3) Create an open data portal on school system information to facilitate accountability and planning; 4) Build a "Governor's Teacher Corps" to provide mentorship and professional development support to new teachers; 5) Form partnerships with nonprofits and philanthropists to provide after-school, summer and Saturday school programs; and 6) Create a volunteer coprs to assist at-risk children.
• Good Government Overhaul Proposals - Includes items to: 1) Create a Public Information Inspector General to collect public information across agencies and conduct performance audits; 2) Consolidate existing databases into a user-friendly portal; 3) Adopt an Open Meeting Records Rule to archive meetings with outside parties regarding state regulatory changes; 4) Create a database of state contracts and campaign contributions made by the winning corporations, officers and employees; 5) Host open source innovation labs to develop transparency tech tools; and 6) Provide "sunshine" grants to local governments to replicate the state data portals.

HEATHER MIZEUR

• Give Marylanders Much Needed Tax Relief - Includes items to lower taxes for 90% of Marylanders by reinstating a millionaire's tax.
• Institute a Living Wage - Includes items to phase in a living wage to $10.10/hour by 2016, up to $16.70 by 2020.
• Strengthen Job Training - Includes items to: 1) Increase funding for the Maryland EARN program, which brings together employers, government agencies and educational institutions to train workers; 2) require that grant partners in the EARN program include certain numbers of low-income participants, and 3) eliminate waiting lists for residents seeking GED assistance through increased funding.
• Provide Tax Relief to Small Businesses - Includes items to: 1) Institute "combined reporting" to prevent big corporations from dodging tax payments in Maryland, and 2) Use "combined reporting" revenues for assistance to small businesses in the form of local property tax subsidies.
• Make Earned Sick Leave Available to All Maryland Workers - Includes items to require Maryland employers to provide 30 minutes of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (for both part-time and full-time employees), up to 7 days per year.
• Rebuild Our Schools - Includes items to: 1) Create "school opportunity bonds" (aka 63-20 bonds) through public-private partnerships to reduce loan costs and induce companies to provide capital for school infrastructure; and 2) Allow local governments to add a penny to their sales tax to finance school construction.
• Grow Maryland's Innovation Economy - Includes items to: 1) Find ways of commercializing academic research in Maryland; 2) Invest in ways to make Maryland a leader in nanotechnology development; and 3) Make cybersecurity a core part of Maryland's economy by building workforce skills and marketing Maryland as a leader in the industry.
• Invest in Maryland's Public Infrastructure - Includes items to: 1) Invest in public transportation, starting with the Purple Line and Red Line, and also including bike and pedestrian access, the CCT, bus rapid transit, and potentially a high-speed rail system from Washington and Baltimore to New York; 2) Rebuild roads and bridges, specifically in the I-270 corridor, the Harry Nice and Thomas Johnson Bridges, and around BRAC facilities; and 3) Expand the Port of Baltimore.
• Streamline Our Regulatory System - Includes items to: 1) Streamline or scrap business regulations that serve no public good; 2) Create a "Business Advocate" cabinet post to hear and investigate complaints from the public and business community; 3) Develop a single statewide set of procurement procedures, instead of delegating the job to various agencies; and 4) Reduce turnaround time on responses to bids by one-third.
• Expand Sustainable Clean Energy Jobs - Includes items to: 1) Make Maryland a manufacturing hub for wind farms; 2) Removing regulatory barriers to clean energy production; 3) Doubling the share of renewable energy sources that Maryland electricity suppliers are required to use to 40% by 2030; 4) Encourage more clean biomass energy production for commercial and residential buildings; 5) Provide low-interest loans to builders constructing low-energy homes; and 6) Help counties promote ecotourism.
• Make Pre-K Available to Every Child in Maryland - Includes items to phase in universal access to pre-K, starting with all 4-year olds, and then expanding to 3-year-olds.
• Improve Access to Child Care for Maryland Families - Includes items to: 1) Expand access to and increase the benefits of Maryland's Child Care Subsidy program; and 2) Expand number of child care providers covered by state voucher program.
• Expand Maryland After School and Summer Programs - Includes items to expand access to after school and summer programs for K-8 children through a phased increase in funding.
• Renew Our Commitment to Public Education Funding - Includes items to convene a "Thornton 2.0" to modify school funding to consider teacher pay and pensions, inflation, class size, teacher recruitment and retention, educational support services, infrastructure, and technological improvements.
• Free Our Educators from Teaching to the Test - Includes items to: 1) Delay use of newly implemented "PARCC" academic achievement tests for teacher and principal evaluations for four years; 2) Study alternatives to PARCC that consider problem solving, creativity and innovation; and 3) Give counties more flexibility in teacher evaluations.

Maryland Juice Analysis of Gubernatorial Campaign Platforms: Most Maryland political pundits believe that the 2014 gubernatorial contest will be effectively decided in the June Democratic Primary, and recent election results demonstrate a sizeable number of progressive voters in the Free State. But perhaps predictably, the major platform items from the two candidates leading the money race thus far (Brown & Gansler) are fairly cautious in their approach and so far lack "red meat" for the party base. Brown has proactively released items on education, domestic violence, sexual assault, and improving the state's business climate. Meanwhile, Gansler has proactively discussed transparency reforms, environmental protections, issues relating to ex-offenders re-entering society, jobs and education. Most of the aforementioned issues will not prove to be terribly controversial among Democratic Primary voters. On the other hand, Mizeur has proactively released a series of proposals relating to jobs, economic justice, and numerous education issues -- but the specifics in a number of her proposals have a decidedly progressive bent.

All three candidates are promoting expansion of universal pre-K in Maryland, and all are planning to push jobs and economic development initiatives. But the devil is obviously in the details, and already there are some interesting differences between the candidates. Gansler talks about the environment, for example, but his platform does not address the issue of fracking -- which may be the most heated environmental issue in Maryland right now. At the same time, Mizeur has come out strongly against fracking, and the issue has not been discussed in Brown's platform yet. Similarly, Gansler raises issues within our criminal justice system, but so far only Mizeur has stepped out front in calling for marijuana decriminalization. Gansler and Brown have not yet weighed in on the increasingly high-profile issue.

Economic issues may be where we see the largest differences between the candidates. Though all three candidates support increasing the minimum wage to about $10/hour, Mizeur is calling for an ongoing, phased-in increase until we reach a living wage. Notably, Gansler called for a corporate tax cut immediately before endorsing a minimum wage increase. Lastly, in Mizeur's latest round of proposals, she is calling for a restoration of the state's millionaire's tax, which lawmakers allowed to expire recently. Mizeur's plan is to increase taxes on those making $500,000 and above, and to lower taxes for most other taxpayers. Notably, newly elected New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is theoretically an emerging harbinger of progressive political issues (eg: War on Drugs, smart growth, and progressive taxation) just announced a similar plan to increase taxes on those making over half-a-million. So on the issues right now, I would say the advantage goes to Mizeur. This should not be a surprise though, as success for her campaign is contingent upon exciting the party base, while Brown is likely trying to play it safe in the front-runner seat. Will Brown and Gansler try and compete for the hearts and minds of primary voters? For the health of the party activists, I sure hope so.

One last flag I'll raise here, is that Brown has a quiet but potentially curious item in his platform on creating a "competitive business climate" in Maryland. He states a goal to "Provide a civil justice system that allows deserving individuals to get justice and hold wrongdoers accountable while ensuring that awards are fair and equitable" (Item #5 in this document). My fear here is that "when ensuring awards are fair," Brown is talking in code about so-called "tort reform," which has been the business community's advocacy effort to reduce the ability of consumers to get justice when dealing with corporations making dangerous products or services. During the George W. Bush era, progressives had to deal with ridiculous hysteria maligning consumer protection attorneys, claiming that they were driving up the costs of health care and other goods and services through frivolous litigation. But the stronger reason for insurance premium increases at the time, was that companies had gambled customers' insurance premiums on risky investments and needed to invent a bogeyman for their desired policy changes. Hopefully Brown is not embarking on a campaign to implement so-called "tort reform" in Maryland.


JUICE #5: REPUBLICAN PUNDITS WEIGH ODDS OF WINNING STATEWIDE IN 2014 // PROGNOSIS = BLEAK - Maryland Juice caught an interesting segment on WYPR interviewing GOP pundit and consultant Richard Cross on the Maryland Republicans' chances for statewide office in 2014. Cross suggests that the situation is bleak and that the state party should focus on local races in 2014 (transcript excerpt below):

RICHARD CROSS (VIA WYPR): I don't think this is a situation in Maryland where any Republican can win statewide, and I would point to kind of two pieces of evidence. First of all, the results with the ballot initiatives in Maryland last time around. They were put forth by the Republican Party, they were advocated by the Republican Party, and they all went down hard. Secondly, the most interesting stat I've seen in the cycle is Governor O'Malley's approval rating, which according to Gonzalez and the most recent poll is 48% approve and 40% disapprove. Given some of the controversial measures that went through the legislature earlier this year, I don't see the kind of second term drag on Governor O'Malley that Governor Schaeffer experienced or Governor Glendening experienced. In order for someone like Mr. Craig to have a chance, Governor O'Malley would have to have a meltdown that brought his numbers into the high 30's or mid-30's.

MORE ON MARYLAND'S RACE FOR GOVERNOR SOON!