DISTRICT 15 UPDATE: Del. Brian Feldman & Councilmember Craig Rice Letters to MCDCC // PLUS: GOP Lit & More on Race

Happy Independence Day!  But as you watch fireworks and parades & nosh on BBQ today, don't forget the revolutionary spirit that birthed our nation.  Indeed, in today's political culture, we could use far more independence to achieve social and economic justice. With that being said, we hope you enjoy our post below on this holiday!

Below Maryland Juice provides a few recent exhibits regarding the District 15 State Senate seat being vacated by Rob Garagiola. Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) members will select a replacement for Garagiola, and it appears they are receiving numerous communications from politicos in the area.

Below we print a letter from Delegate Brian Feldman, who is seeking the Senate appointment, along with a letter from MoCo Councilmember Craig Rice endorsing Feldman for the seat. We also include additional dialogue from some District 15 Democrats complaining about one of the endorsements that has been issued. Lastly, at the bottom of this post, you can see a Montgomery County Republican Party lit piece that is being dropped around District 15 neighborhoods, attacking the three incumbent D15 Delegates: Brian Feldman, Kathleen Dumais, and Aruna Miller.

JUICE #1: DEL. BRIAN FELDMAN'S APPEAL TO THE MCDCC FOR THE D15 SENATE SEAT - In the letter below, Delegate Feldman makes his case to MCDCC members for an appointment to the Maryland State Senate. He highlights a range of endorsements from high profile MoCo Democrats, including statewide officeholders and members of Congress. Feldman also notes that he might be the only candidate in the race that has faced the D15 voters before. Check out his full comments below:

Del. Brian Feldman's Letter to MCDCC

JUICE #2: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER CRAIG RICE'S LETTER TO THE MCDCC ENDORSING DEL. BRIAN FELDMAN - In the letter below, Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice endorses Delegate Brian Feldman for the District 15 Senate vacancy. Rice previously served with Feldman as a Delegate in District 15. Check out his comments below:

Craig Rice Letter to MCDCC

JUICE #3: MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DISTRICT 15 CAUCUS ENDORSEMENT OF BRIAN FELDMAN - The District 15 vacancy has generated interest from numerous MoCo insiders and triggered a dialogue within the party about the role of diversity in vacancy appointments. But one endorsement in particular seems to be drawing the ire of party activists. The District 15 Democratic Caucus, a group that functions independently of the MCDCC, recently proclaimed a unanimous endorsement of Feldman for the D15 Senate seat. But since then a few D15 residents have complained that they were not given an opportunity to weigh in on the D15 Caucus endorsement. Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck dug into the controversy with a series of interviews in an article today (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE: [A] letter from leaders of the District 15 Democratic Caucus, declaring their “unanimous support” for Feldman, was met with protests from some party activists in the district, who complained that minorities were excluded from the process. “Until I received an email about it, I was not aware the [caucus’] letter had gone out,” said Vernon Ricks, a Potomac resident who is a board member of the county’s NAACP chapter....

Daphne Bloomberg, immediate past chair of the District 15 Democratic Caucus, said the decision to endorse Feldman had been made unanimously by all eight board members, not just the four on the caucus’ executive board. She added that two District 15 members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee—including Sharon Bland, who is African-American—had been consulted and assented in the move. Bloomberg characterized the controversy as a “non-issue”....

Nevertheless, yet another resident has weighed in on the D15 Caucus endorsement, as Maryland Juice recently received a draft of an incendiary letter that to the editor that was submitted to The Gazette from D15 resident Jason Tsai (excerpt below):

JASON TSAI: As a registered Democrat in District 15, I am surprised to learn that the District 15 Democratic Caucus has already thrown their support behind a replacement in a process that is more similar to Chicago in the 1960s than Montgomery County in the 2010s.... it was disappointing to learn that the District 15 Democratic Caucus bosses apparently already have — as they say in Chicago — their “guy.”

Yikes!

JUICE #4: MOCO REPUBLICAN LIT PIECE ATTACKS DISTRICT 15 DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES - To round out this update, an anonymous source provided Maryland Juice with the following literature that Montgomery County Republicans are distributing in District 15 neighborhoods. The GOP piece below attacks the incumbent Democratic Delegates Brian Feldman, Kathleen Dumais and Aruna Miller. The party seems to think it can still play in District 15:

Montgomery County GOP District 15 Lit Piece

JuiceBlender: Minorities Organize for Garagiola Vacancy, 5 HoCo Delegate Vacancies, Jon Cardin Slams Lawless Sheriffs

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few items of interest to politicos around the state, starting with more organizing around pending legislative vacancies:

JUICE #1: MOCO PEOPLE OF COLOR ORGANIZING AROUND SELECTION OF SEN. ROB GARAGIOLA'S REPLACEMENT - Maryland Juice previously noted that Del. Brian Feldman was seeking the District 15 State Senate vacancy caused by the surprise resignation of Sen. Rob Garagiola. Feldman has received early support for a promotion from some of his elected colleagues and a District 15 Democratic political club, but already some Democratic Party members are agitating for a different direction.

PEOPLE OF COLOR ORGANIZING IN DISTRICT 15: Several Maryland Juice sources indicate that this past weekend, a group of Democratic activists met in Potomac to try and organize a push to ask the MCDCC to take diversity seriously in selecting a replacement for State Senator Rob Garagiola. I received the following statement and photo from a coalition of leaders representing communities of color following a meeting in Potomac:

A group of leaders representing the African American, Asian, Muslim, and Latino communities met today to challenge the efforts of elected officials and democratic party activists to shut-out qualified members of ethnic groups, People of Color, Young Democrats and others from the opportunity to fill the State Senate seat that will be vacated by State Senator Rob Garagiola from District 15. 

The group also maintains that although Montgomery County is a majority people of color County, the County has never elected a Person of Color to the Maryland State Senate.  Based on recent demographic data, we maintain that the Montgomery County Senate Delegation is not representative of the residents of the County.  The retirement of Senator Garagiola is an opportunity for the voters and leaders of Montgomery County to remedy this inequity. 

The people of color leadership group called for an open and transparent process over the next three months and were critical of efforts to anoint a successor by elected officials, party activists and others.  They also cautioned that efforts to intimidate central committee members, elected officials, and potential candidates will not be tolerated.  We believe that qualified candidates who live in District 15 should have a fair chance of interviewing for the vacancy.

Redistricting has had a significant impact on people of color in District 15 and in other communities in Montgomery County.  Many qualified candidates of color were redistricted out of their districts by design.  Communities with growing numbers of ethnic democratic voters as well as voters of color had their voting power diluted,  and the results of those decisions have been the disenfranchisement of voters of color. These and other issues were discussed today and we believe that we have no other alternative but to begin the process of interviewing candidates that we will forward to the Central Committee to be vetted for the District 15 Senate vacancy.  We will also to reach out to young voters, labor unions and other grassroots activists throughout Montgomery County.

DEMOGRAPHIC & ELECTORAL BACKSTORY: Montgomery County is now a majority-minority jurisdiction and barring a national shift in politics, District 15 is highly unlikely to be won by a Republican in the near future. That means that (within reason) almost any Democrat with the juice to win the 2014 primary for this seat ought to be able to easily defend the office in a General Election. But the D15 State Senate vacancy will be filled by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, and the MCDCC has a less than encouraging record at filling vacant seats with women and people of color.

Maryland Juice does not think the reasons for this usually have to do with race or gender per se; rather the MCDCC (like many Party entities) favors political insiders and connected individuals, by virtue of existing social networks. Thus, yielding to the inertia of "who you already know" replicates the national glass ceiling effect in MoCo politics. The argument from folks opposed to looking at a range of candidates for the D15 seat is that in order to defeat Robin Ficker (or someone else) in 2014, we will need to anoint a strong insider to keep the D15 Senate seat blue. Hmm. But no matter your view on Del. Feldman or whether the MCDCC should diversify the Senate delegation, that is clearly a spurious argument. You would really have to believe that there are no qualified women or people of color in highly educated MoCo who could win a State Senate seat in a jurisdiction that Barack Obama carried easily in two consecutive elections!

In any case, this is a very interesting development in District 15. I guess we will soon know whether the rebel forces will be heard. Notably, Maryland Juice is hearing about similar dynamics brewing among Democrats in Howard County. More soon!


JUICE #2: DEL. GUZZONE TO RUN FOR SEN. ROBEY'S SEAT & DEL. BATES TO RUN FOR SEN. KITTLEMAN'S SEAT  // 5 OPEN HOCO DELEGATE SEATS! - The Baltimore Sun reported that Delegate Guz Guzzone would be seeking retiring State Senator Jim Robey's seat in 2014 (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Guy Guzzone, a Columbia Democrat, announced Thursday evening that he would run for State Sen. Jim Robey's seat in 2014. County Executive Ken Ulman and Councilmember Mary Kay Sigaty were among his supporters.

Amazingly, Howard County voters will be electing five new Delegates in 2014, as Del Guy Guzzone is just the latest in a string of Maryand House members vacating their seats next year. Several of Guzzone's Democratic HoCo colleagues previously announced retirement from the House, including Democratic Delegates Liz Bobo, Steve DeBoy and Jim Malone.

Meanwhile, in District 9A Republican Delegate Gail Bates is vacating the House to seek the State Senate vacancy caused by D9 Sen. Allan Kittleman's run for Howard County Executive. Bates told The Baltimore Sun she'd be announcing her campaign for State Senate after July 4th (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Del. Gail Bates, a West Friendship Republican, said Kittleman is the right choice for Howard County because of his experience on the council and in the Senate. "He sees both sides, and I think he can be very effective as county executive," she said. Bates said she will announce her candidacy for Kittleman's former Senate seat after July 4....

JUICE #3: DEL. JON CARDIN SLAMS MARYLAND SHERIFFS WHO REFUSE TO ENFORCE THE STATE'S NEW GUN CONTROL LAWS - Maryland Juice just caught an interesting op. ed. from Del. Jon Cardin in today's Baltimore Sun. Notably, Cardin is running for Attorney General in 2014, and his commentary below suggests that gun control will have strong support among voters in the upcoming Democratic Primary. In the column below, Cardin condemns Garrett County Sheriff Robert Corley for proclaiming he would not enforce Maryland's newly passed gun regulations (excerpt below):

JON CARDIN (VIA BALTIMORE SUN): While the vast majority of sheriffs nationwide serve honorably, enforcing the laws and putting their lives on the line for our safety, a small number of sheriffs have begun to claim that, in their opinion, validly enacted state and federal laws are unconstitutional. These sheriffs have ordered their subordinate law enforcement officers to ignore the law of the land and enforce only the provisions the sheriff personally feels are constitutional. By stating he will selectively enforce the Maryland Firearms Safety Act of 2013, [Garrett County Sheriff Robert] Corley ignores the oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution, the Maryland Constitution and the laws of the state of Maryland — while putting us all in danger of proliferation of violent crime....

MORE ON THE 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL'S RACE SOON!

GUEST POST: Gallaudet Was Justified in Suspending "Diversity & Inclusion" Provost for Signing Anti-Marriage Equality Petition

Today Maryland Juice has a guest post from a reader about the recent controversy surrounding Angela McCaskill, a "provost for diversity and inclusion" at Gallaudet University. The anonymous commentary is published below, but it is preceded by my own thoughts on the situation. WJLA had the following report about the controversy (excerpt below):

WJLA: Gallaudet University's associate provost for diversity and inclusion, Angela McCaskill -- a 23 year employee, and the first deaf, black woman to earn a doctorate at the school -- has been on paid, administrative leave since Wednesday for allegedly signing a petition to put a same sex marriage referendum on Maryland's ballot November.

Some gay marriage advocates, like Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, are calling for McCaskill to be reinstated. "Everyone has a right to their opinion, and everyone has a right to participate in the political process,” he says....  But D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray calls the university's action an "internal matter." “I think it's an issue that's internal to GU and they should decide what is best there,” he says.

THE FREE SPEECH ARGUMENT IS NOT SO CLEAR: McCaskill is now suing Gallaudet and hiding behind free speech principles, while some of the politicians and groups pushing for Maryland marriage equality (aka a "Vote for" Question 6) have been quick to condemn the University's actions. I completely understand the strategy behind why pro-civil rights forces are trying to be "politically correct" about this matter. But since I first heard about this story, I've been very skeptical about the claims that free speech rights are at stake or that they are even at the center of this controversy. To be very clear, I am a huge civil libertarian, but I must point out that McCaskill was not a line-cook at Gallaudet. Her job was to promote a climate of "diversity and inclusion" for young minds, and so it seems to me that there is a strong argument that she voluntarily undermined her ability to carry out her specific job duties.  And the truth is, whether or not McCaskill has indeed crippled her ability to do her job is a matter best decided by the Gallaudet community.

GALLAUDET'S VALUES REVEALED: Likewise, if an anti-abortion organization found out its political director signed a pro-choice petition, I think they too would be justified in reconsidering that employee's future with the organization. But let's take a quick look at Gallaudet anyway. 95% or more of the school's population is comprised of deaf and hard of hearing students. The school's mission statement (approved by their Board of Trustees in 2007) states that Gallaudet "is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education...." But most telling, is that Galludet University also established a "credo" that you should read for insight into the current controversy (excerpt below):

GALLAUDET CREDO: Gallaudet's Vision Statement expresses what the University aspires to become and achieve as the world's premier academic institution for deaf and hard of hearing people. Implicit in our vision are core values that serve as guiding principles for the way members of the campus community teach, study, work and live. The Gallaudet Credo identifies and realizes those core values....

We believe that every person should be treated with civility and that our community is strengthened by the broad diversity of its members. Therefore, we will promote and applaud behaviors that support the dignity of individuals and groups and are respectful of others' opinions. We will especially discourage behaviors and attitudes that disrespect the diversity of individuals and groups for any reason including religion, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, hearing status, or language and communication preference.

GUEST POST: IS AGREEING WITH ANGELA MCCASKILL'S SUSPENSION "OFF MESSAGE?" - In this instance, one could argue that the Gallaudet community's free association and speech rights are being trampled by people seeking to use this controversy to make political statements. After all, it seems clear that the University has pledged to include LGBT students as welcomed members of their community, and they have even stated so in their core documents. But now, Gallaudet's autonomy as a private employer is being challenged. I can tell you this -- if I were a student at Gallaudet right now, I suspect I would be organizing against Angela McCaskill. Apparently so would some of our readers. Below read another Marylander's take on the Gallaudet controversy that provides a different opinion on the debate:

ANONYMOUS GUEST POST: All the pontificating and handwringing about Gallaudet University's suspension of Dr. Angela McCaskill fails to address the elephant in the room that just doesn't comport with staying on message during a political campaign.

Dr. McCaskill isn't just a garden variety employee making widgets. She is an adult with professional responsibility to advocate and protect students who feel harmed or who have been harmed because of their difference. This isn't really an issue of free speech as is so carelessly asserted. Her signature on the referendum petition affirms her intention to take away legal rights from certain people. The same certain people she is supposed to protect and advocate for on the job.

The problem here is that public sensibility is not yet willing to curtail adults’ "deeply held beliefs" in the interest of protecting children. This is a recurring problem.  Recall that not so long ago conventional wisdom eschewed judgment of parents who smoke in their cars with babies present, or spank their children as a means of discipline, or perform "female circumcision" (mutilation) as a cultural norm. Of course conventional wisdom was wrong in each of those cases -- largely because those in a position to judge are also in a position to perpetrate.

Gallaudet is absolutely correct to consider whether McCaskill's private behavior compromises her ability to do her job. Since she must not only be an advocate & protector, she must be credible as an advocate and protector.

The irony here is that the Catholic Church is yelling from the rooftops that their right to discriminate will be infringed if gays can get married.  Isn't that what Senator Nancy Jacobs was worried about during the hearings in the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee -- that bakers with “deeply held beliefs” won't be able to refuse to sell cupcakes to gay couples celebrating a wedding, or anniversary or their children’s birthday ?

We know for certain that the Archdiocese of Baltimore was well within their legal rights as a private employer when they terminated April Flores, a 25-year veteran teacher at Sacred Heart of Mary School, when they discovered that she married her female partner in Washington DC in 2009. This private conduct was perceived to be incompatible with the Catholic school mission statement – and so she was fired.

None of the advocates for the marriage equality campaign can say this publicly because the goal of the campaign is to win. Telling this truth is not palatable to public sensibilities, and it is off message. Those who would boil the Gallaudet situation down to political correctness gone awry are at best misguided, at worst they are abandoning the children they purport to want to protect by passing a marriage equality law. The bigger issue here is the respect for and care of children.  In fact -- it should be the only issue.

What do you think?

Montgomery County Minorities Begin 2014 Political Organizing // Photos & Quotes: Numerous Elected Officials Seek Change

Karen Britto on Democratic candidate recruitment in 2014 and beyond: "We are stamping out the succession line."

BACKGROUND: Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a "People of Color" summit organized by former Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee Chair Karen Britto. This was the second such event Britto organized in recent months, and the gathering drew participation from a large chunk of MoCo's minority elected officials and political activists. As Britto stated in front of the audience of over one-hundred activists and officials, a broad outreach effort is needed for Montgomery County's minority communities. She noted that many are unaware that "the Democratic primary is the only game in Montgomery County. That is practically the whole election." Last March, we printed a press release describing the broad goals of the new electoral coalition (excerpt below):

WOW: Anne Arundel Councilmember Dick Ladd Talks About "Gooks" While Trying to Create 100% White Male Government

[ WATCH WJZ TV COVERAGE ]

While Maryland was making history with marriage equality last week, Anne Arundel County was shaming itself with ridiculous racial shenanigans. The Baltimore Sun has a recap of the latest evidence of a disconnect in The Free State:

The council met Thursday night to fill the position vacated by former Councilman Daryl D. Jones, who began serving a five-month federal prison term last month. The 4 1/2-hour meeting was marked by shouting, a racial slur, accusations of bullying and a 3-3 deadlocked vote over two candidates.

Former state Sen. Michael J. Wagner of Ferndale and Marine reservist Peter I. Smith of Severn were selected as finalists among 10 Democratic applicants in a process that included 101 rounds of voting. The council ultimately voted to resume the process next week....

On Thursday, the fireworks started within the first 10 minutes of the meeting in downtown Annapolis.

Lewis A. Bracy, a retired federal worker who was one of 10 applicants for the seat, said he thought he should get the appointment, in part because "people in the county need to see a diverse person on the podium...."

Fink, who presides over the all-male and all-white body, was incredulous. "I can't believe that today I'm being asked to vote for someone … solely on diversity. It just blows my mind...."

While questioning a candidate with a military background, Councilman Richard B. "Dick" Ladd, a Broadneck Republican, used an ethnic slur to describe his service during the Vietnam War, saying, "I was there chasing down the gooks."

The comment elicited gasps from the audience assembled to watch the process play out.....

Why the Maryland Republican Party is Dying a Quick Death .... and they don't seem to get it ....

Look at the most recent crop of Democrats who won their first full terms to public office in Montgomery County. The photo collage below shows the most recent State legislative and County Council victors from Montgomery County -- the growth engine for Maryland's economy and the recent Democratic surges of late. Something looks different about these politicians than the ones we're used to. What is it?

Did you catch the Washington Post article from this weekend headlined Census: The new U.S. neighborhood defined by diversity as all-white enclaves vanish? In Montgomery County, I would posit that the change is not just racial; it is also generational. And this generational transfer of political power (which is happening quicker than you think -- just look at the photo above) is coming with rapid changes in people's views of the world. We are remaking suburbia, and it is not a Beaver Cleaver white picket fence agenda (sorry, Ike). Here's an excerpt from the Washington Post:

...[the] Silver Spring community of Hillandale is home to people of every race and ethnicity — the epitome of what one sociologist calls “global neighborhoods” that are upending long-standing patterns of residential segregation. 

Around the region and across the country, the archetypal all-white neighborhood is vanishing with remarkable speed. In many places, the phenomenon is not being driven by African Americans moving to the suburbs. Instead, it is primarily the result of the nation’s soaring number of Hispanics and Asians, many of whom are immigrants....

In the Maryland suburbs, one in five neighborhoods is dominated by one race or ethnicity, down from almost a third in 2000. 

There are more minorities than whites in Montgomery and Prince William counties, and minorities are on track to surpass whites by the next census in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

And so once again, how is the GOP supposed to survive with this attitude?

Demography is destiny in politics. Sorry, Pat.