JuiceBlender: Post-Election Analyses of Maryland Results // PUNDIT CONSENSUS: Maryland Republican Party Out of Touch

UPDATE: Maryland Juice just caught some interesting post-election musings from Joe Steffen (aka "the Prince of Darkness"). Steffen was a former operative for GOP Governor Bob Ehrlich. Like rightwing Gazette columnist Blair Lee, the Prince of Darkness compares the current state of Maryland Republicans to the now extinct Whig Party. Check out Steffen's thoughts below, and note that Maryland Juice agrees that a new focus on libertarian-minded views might present the GOP their only way to navigate social issues in Maryland (and perhaps nationally):

PRINCE OF DARKNESS: It’s very simple. The GOP must – MUST – Libertarianize itself as concerns the social issues. It must find a way to wean itself from the social conservative issues as many of the current stances taken by the Party are killing the Party with their demands for absolute purity....

Among a number of other issues the GOP simply MUST deal with is the Hispanic population.... And by “deal with,” I mean in ways other than sending Sheriff Billy Bob McDoughnut after them to check out their papers. The Latinos are here. They are not going anywhere. And they are growing – and voting Democratic in huge numbers. Deal with them, Republicans – or there’s another issue sending you the way of the Whigs.

Below Maryland Juice compiles a number of interesting analyses of the Free State's 2012 election results. The day after the election, we declared that the results showed Maryland Republicans are out-of-touch and have been living in a bubble, and it appears that most politicos agree. See a few comments about the Maryland election results below:

JUICE #1: BALTIMORE SUN CALLS RESULTS A "REALITY CHECK" FOR MD GOP - Yesterday, The Baltimore Sun published an editorial pointing out the numerous delusions that Maryland Republicans adopted as reality while they campaigned against the Dream Act and marriage equality. Their opinion piece blared that the "referendum mania in 2012 showed there is no silent conservative majority" (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: When Maryland Republicans, led by freshman Del. Neil Parrott of Washington County, succeeded in putting the Dream Act on the ballot, state GOP Chairman Alex Mooney called it a "game changer" and a counterweight to Democrats who "think that they can do what they want." When Republicans got the congressional maps on the ballot, Del. Steve Schuh, an Anne Arundel County Republican, called it a "major change to our democracy in Maryland," adding, "we have an arrogant majority...."

But as it turns out, the Democratic majority in Annapolis was pretty well in tune with the voters when it came to in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, same-sex marriage and the redrawing of the state's congressional districts.... The lesson here for the GOP is that Maryland is not a conservative state, and there is not a silent majority that disapproves of things like the Dream Act....

JUICE #2: PUNDITS SAY RESULTS SHOW MARYLAND'S PROGRESSIVE STREAK & DEMOCRATIC DOMINANCE - Capital News Service had an interesting round-up of post-election comments from various politicos. Their piece highlighted contrasting views on whether Maryland's election results were a function of a progressive streak in voters or simply Democratic dominance (excerpt below):

CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE: “(Gov. Martin) O’Malley and the Democrats have complete control,” said Blair Lee, political columnist at The Gazette newspapers.... “Republicans are almost now gone the way of the Whig Party in terms of influence and presence....”

Christopher Summers, president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute, a Rockville-based think tank, agreed that Tuesday night’s results emphasized one-party dominance in the state. “In terms of Republicans and messaging, they need to have a very serious meeting and realize their messaging is not working, their leadership is not working,” he said....

“Maryland is a more progressive state than any other,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland....

JUICE #3: MARYLAND RESULTS DEBUNK MYTH OF BLACK VOTER OPPOSITION TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY - The Gazette yesterday published a piece noting that African American voters in Maryland were instrumental to the marriage equality victory. Contrary to popular belief, jurisdictions with dense black voter populations did not vote against Question 6 in the numbers opponents predicted. In Baltimore, voters appear to be more closely aligned with Maryland's progressive voter base (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: In Maryland, the measure, known as Question 6, received 57 percent support in Baltimore but just 49 percent support in Prince George’s County.... More than 60 percent of the population in each area is African-American, a group widely assumed to oppose same-sex marriage, observers say. Tuesday’s returns, including a stronger-than-expected-showing in Prince George’s, debunked that notion, said Del. Mary L. Washington (D-Dist. 43) of Baltimore....

The Baltimore win was particularly significant since many black church leaders from the city had spoken against the measure, said Donald Norris, chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.... Overall the passage of Question 6 reaffirmed the image of Maryland as a deep-blue state, Norris said. “On social issues, the state is trend much more liberal than many others,” he said....

The measure’s victory in Frederick County also took some by surprise. “I am very surprised that in Frederick County people voted for it in the majority,” said Steve Gottlieb, chairman of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee....

JUICE #4: MARYLAND GOP CHAIR ALEX MOONEY TRIES TO CLAIM VICTORY AFTER PROGRESSIVE ELECTION RESULTS - Politicos are scoffing at a post-election message that Maryland GOP Chair Alex Mooney sent out declaring victory for Free State Republicans. Mooney pointed to Cecil County GOP victories as proof. Check out some of his delusions below (excerpt below):

ALEX MOONEY: Fellow Republicans, I would like to first thank you for all of your hard work during this election season. While November 6th didn't bring all of the results we sought, Maryland Republicans continued to succeed--notably in Cecil County where I am pleased to inform you that Tari Moore, a Republican, won the newly created County Executive position. Republicans Robert Hodge and Alan McCarthy also won both County Council seats in Cecil County which were up for election on Tuesday.

We now have over 1 million registered Republicans in Maryland--and that number is growing.... What's more, we were able to petition three of Martin O'Malley's signature pieces of legislation to referendum.... All of this success is a direct result of your efforts...

We had a great crop of candidates in this cycle ... their candidacies laid the groundwork for the 2014 elections and changing the conversation in Maryland, which has been one-sided for far too long....

The Maryland GOP's Executive Director also attempted to spin the results as a success for his party. Check out the remarks in The Capital Gazette:

CAPITAL GAZETTE: Despite going 0-for-3 in the Maryland GOP’s Tuesday referendum rollout, Republican Party officials say putting the Dream Act, same-sex marriage and congressional redistricting up for statewide votes was a successful strategy....

“When people say Tuesday’s election was a loss for the GOP, it absolutely was not. I didn’t expect the headline in the Annapolis Capital (Wednesday) to be ‘Maryland Republicans have overwhelming success,’ but it ought to be....”

“I don’t know how you could look through that narrow of a lens and think it was a good thing for the Republican Party,” said House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis....

Some Republican activists in Maryland are incredulous about the claims of victory from the state party and are placing the blame at the feet of Alex Mooney. See a couple of Tweets below:

More analysis of Maryland election results soon!

MARRIAGE EQUALITY: New "Vote For 6" Radio Ad with Obama // PLUS: Rockville Councilmember Attacked for Lawnsigns

JUICE #1: NEW RADIO AD FEATURES OBAMA: Today Marylanders for Marriage Equality has released a new radio ad featuring President Barack Obama's endorsement of marriage equality earlier this year. Listen to the new spot below:



JUICE #2: CRAZY ANTI-MARIAGE TRUCK AD: A Maryland Juice reader forwarded us the image below of a crazy anti-marriage equality truck ad. See the image below and accompanying explanation:

READER: Saw this on I-270 this morning. The side said "Shame on America."

JUICE #3: LIMITED SUPPLY OF FREE "VOTE FOR 6" LAWNSIGNS: Thanks to a generous donor, Marylanders for Marriage Equality is now offering free "Vote for Question 6" lawnsigns to the first 1,000 people who request them. You can pick up signs from Marylanders for Marriage Equality offices in Silver Spring, Baltimore, Cumberland and Frederick.

[ CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A LAWNSIGN ]

JUICE #4: ROCKVILLE COUNCILMEMBER TOM MOORE UNDER SEIGE FOR PRO-MARRIAGE EQUALITY LAWNSIGNS: Last week, Maryland Juice reported that Rockville City Councilmember Tom Moore decided to print city-specific lawnsigns urging a "vote for" Question 6. Note: You can pick-up signs at his house 11 Forest Ave in Rockville starting next Monday, October 29. In any case, Moore's effort is now under attack from the opponents. See the update below:

TOM MOORE: This is not particularly a news item, but I thought you might enjoy it.   I'm not concerned that it will amount to anything, but man -- no good deed goes unpunished. Debra Daniel, for your reference, is Rockville's City Attorney.

On Oct 24, 2012, at 11:07 AM, xxxxx <xxxx@verizon.net> wrote:

Dear Ms. Daniel,

Once again, I find it necessary to question the recent  action of Councilmember Tom Moore. During Monday’s Council meeting, Mr. Moore displayed the image shown below. He announced that yard signs are available, and can be picked up at his house. It is my opinion he conflated the Council’s position on Question 5 with his personal position on Question 6.

The sign Mr. Moore displayed, and will distribute, gives the impression that the City, through the Mayor and Council, has taken a position on this issue. Who does Mr. Moore think he is, that he can speak for all of Rockville? Mr. Moore doesn’t seem to understand that as an elected official, when he uses such language as “Rockville Votes For”, he is representing our City, and goes far beyond expressing his personal views.

I am hereby requesting that Mr. Moore be told he cannot distribute or display the sign. The City did not approve this, does not take a position on the issue and Mr. Moore is not entitled to speak for all of Rockville.

I would like a timely response to my request, and what action, will be taken. If you feel that, as the City Attorney, you cannot respond directly to me, then I ask you direct your answer through the City Manager or the Mayor. If it is the decision of the City Attorney, City Manager or City Council that there is nothing wrong with Mr. Moore’s language, I would like an explanation as to why.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX

http://r4em.moores.org/

DEBATE TONIGHT: John Delaney vs Roscoe Bartlett at Rockville Synagogue // PLUS: Jews for Justice Advance Questions 4 & 6

UPDATE: Today, Capital News Service has coverage of the latest Bartlett-Delaney debate. See a brief excerpt below:

CNS: Bartlett stood by the more than 30 votes he cast to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, but acknowledged that Republicans “do not have a well-developed alternative.” He defended his membership in the House Tea Party Caucus as “supporting a dialogue on the importance of the Constitution,” but added that he reaches across the aisle “more than probably any other Republican....”

CD6 CANDIDATES DEBATE: Throughout Maryland, much attention has been paid to what conservative and evangelical branches of Christianity have been doing with respect to Maryland politics. But today, we have two tidbits from the Jewish community in Montgomery County. The Jewish Community Relations Council invited Democrat John Delaney and GOP Rep. Roscoe Bartlett to a candidates debate tonight. The event begins at 6:30 pm tonight in Rockville, MD:

Temple Beth Ami
14330 Travilah Road
Rockville, MD 20850

This could be one of the more interesting debates in the 6th Congressional District race. First, Bartlett will have to face Delaney among a crowd of Montgomery County voters. But more importantly, it seems hard to imagine that Bartlett's recent Holocaust gaffes won't be discussed. You may recall that Bartlett recently compared federal student loans to the Holocaust.


JEWS FOR JUSTICE GEAR UP TO SUPPORT QUESTIONS 4 & 6: Meanwhile, elsewhere in Montgomery County, Jews for Justice is gearing up to help defend the Dream Act and marriage equality. See the press statement below:

PRESS RELEASE

Jewish Community in Montgomery County Mobilizes to 
Support Civil Marriage Equality and DREAM Act in Maryland

Jews United for Justice Organizes Montgomery County Jews in Support of Two Vital Maryland Ballot Issues; Momentum Builds as Area Congregations Plan Events to Educate Voters

Several area rabbis spoke to their congregations from the pulpit during the Jewish high holidays to remind congregants that Judaism requires equality under civil law for all people. Over 20 area Jewish congregations and youth and college groups are holding educational events, house meetings, canvasses, and phone banks to educate members and get out the vote in November. Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) is organizing synagogues and Jewish communities across Montgomery County to educate and mobilize voters on two critical social justice issues which will be put to a statewide vote in November: the Maryland DREAM Act and the Civil Marriage Protection Act.

Rabbi Michael Feshbach of Temple Shalom delivered the following message to his congregation in his Kol Nidre speech on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year:

“This fall we face two opportunities to step up, and stand out, to pray with our hands… to act, and by so doing, to make this world more whole.  The initiatives I refer to will appear as Questions Four and Six on the Maryland ballot.  They are the Maryland version of the Dream Act, and the issue of Marriage Equality for Same-Sex couples.  In my view, and, indeed, in the view of our Reform movement, these are measures which call for our involvement, and support….We can… remember that the work we do to better the world is something we do… as Jews, as a congregation, as a Jewish community, as an expression of our Jewish values… as well as flowing from our sense of general human decency.  We can step forward, with head and heart and hand… With education, passion, and advocacy.”

Maryland citizens will be able to vote on November 6th in support of these civil rights issues listed as Questions 4 and 6 on the ballot.  The Jewish community in Montgomery County is organizing and educating potential voters to vote based on the shared Jewish values of social justice and equality, themes common to both of these important issues.

Jewish Americans overwhelming support both issues. Chosen for What? Jewish Values in 2012, a new study completed by the Public Religion Research Institute, finds that 70% of American Jews support the federal DREAM Act.  And more than 8-in-10 (81%) American Jews support allowing same-sex couples to marry legally.

JUFJ is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead Washington-area Jews to act on our shared Jewish values by pursuing justice and equality in our local community.  We fervently support these two important measures and know that an overwhelming majority of area Jews do so as well.

###

GAME ON: Marriage Equality Opponents Announce $2 Million Pledge to Block Civil Rights // TV Ad War Begins Monday

This morning Maryland Juice received an email blast from Marylanders for Marriage Equality announcing that a donor has pledged $2 million to the anti-civil rights opponents at the National Organization for Marriage (see below). Meanwhile, The Baltimore Sun's Annie Linskey reports that the television ad war over marriage equality (Question 6) is about to begin (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Opponents of same-sex marriage will start their television ad campaign Monday morning, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission. Two days later, the supporters will go up on television, papers show....

It's a safe bet that the Maryland Marriage Alliance, which opposes same-sex marriage, will put up an ad similar in tone to one that is now airing in Minnesota, another state with marriage on the ballot. The spot features a number of good looking and happy heterosexual couples while an female narrator notes the significance of marriage - particularly in child rearing.

Juice -

Here it comes. The National Organization for Marriage - which has provided most of our opponents' reported resources so far - announced they have a donor ready to give $2,000,000 to stop marriage equality.

If you think this money wont be directly used here in Maryland to "drive a wedge between blacks and gays" as their strategy document so infamously outlined, you're wrong.

It's a harsh reality, but we have Marylanders on our side.  People just like you, who care about fairness and equality in the Free State.  Will you donate $25, $100 or more today to ensure that when The National Organization for Marriage swoops in last minute, we have the funds to go head to head with them?

They said:

"A gracious pro-marriage supporter has just created an extremely generous matching grant fund to help the National Organization for Marriage demonstrate your commitment to marriage as the unique union of one man and one woman. This new $2 million matching grant challenge will help us compete even more effectively with Obama's billionaire gay marriage activists and wealthy Hollywood celebrities who are determined to impose homosexual marriage as the law of the land."

MORE ON THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY BATTLE SOON!

CD6: Nuns to Protest at Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's Office // National Pundit Calls Sen. Rob Garagiola "The Most Arrogant" Candidate

UPDATE: A number of readers in the comments below, either defend Senator Garagiola or criticize John Delaney. Additionally, a few anonymous readers were baffled by Stu Rothenberg's comments. We print a few select responses below:

READER #1: That Rothenberg piece struck me as an amazing piece of Washington-elite disconnectedness.

OBAMACARE WORKS: New Health Care Options for Uninsured Marylanders // PLUS: Gov. O'Malley on Health Care Reform

QUESTION: ARE YOU OR A LOVED ONE UNINSURED DUE TO A PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITION? SEE A NEW COVERAGE OPTION BELOW.  

Help Marylanders get the healthcare they deserve. If you or a friend is uninsured, see if you qualify: www.getmdhealthcare.com/eligibility-requirements.

REMEMBER: ObamaCare was never sold as a deficit-reduction measure. It is about saving lives and reducing pain.

GOV. O'MALLEY DEFENDS OBAMACARE: Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday had an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun defending President Barack Obama's universal health care plan (aka Obamacare). With the Supreme Court taking up legal challenges to the new law, Gov. O'Malley hopes to highlight benefits of Obamacare in Maryland (see excerpt below):

MARTIN O'MALLEY: With the Supreme Court reviewing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is no shortage of legal analysis to handicap the decision. But unfortunately, not enough attention has been paid to the real value this law provides to millions of American families and businesses.

As governor, I have heard from families unable to purchase coverage at any price because of pre-existing illness, from seniors forced to choose between medications and energy bills and from businesses required to drop employee coverage to stay afloat. These stories represent failures that reach far beyond the individual people harmed. They put us all at risk, for a health care system that supports a healthy workforce at reasonable cost is essential for job growth and our success in the global economy....

Thus, the ACA provides states with a vital toolbox made effective by the support and resources of the federal government.

At the top of the toolbox: key insurance protections. Chronically ill children can no longer be denied coverage in the private market because of pre-existing conditions. More than 50,000 young Maryland adults have joined 2.5 million across the country to benefit from the new provision permitting them to stay on their parents' coverage until age 26. The law's ban on insurance companies' practice of imposing arbitrary limits on coverage has already given this real protection to more than 2 million Americans.

Recently, Maryland's bipartisan health reform council heard from a young woman with a rare kidney disease who lost her job and insurance in the economic downturn. No carrier in the private insurance market would offer her coverage. She found insurance through a high-risk pool authorized and funded by the ACA — a program that now supports more than 50,000 Americans.

WE LOVE OBAMACARE // NEW COVERAGE OPTION FOR UNINSURED MARYLANDERS: Maryland Juice finds it amusing that Republicans have taken to using Obamacare as a pejorative term. I think we should just co-opt the term and take full credit for expanding health coverage in the United States. See below for an example of one clear result of Obamacare in Maryland. We received an email from the Maryland Health Insurance Plan (MHIP) about a new option for uninsured Marylanders. Maryland Juice took the opportunity to ask a few questions about the plan, and we received useful responses, which we provide below. If you or someone you know lacks health coverage due to a pre-existing condition, please read the information below:

MARYLAND HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN: In Maryland, 720,000 people are uninsured. That's nearly 1 in 10 people who might not have access to the medical care they need or deserve, and many of these are simply because they had a condition that major medical insurance companies won't cover. I am writing on behalf of the Maryland Health Insurance Plan (MHIP Federal) in hopes that you will join forces with us to get the word out about our program. Thanks to legislation recently passed, MHIP Federal provides quality health insurance and restores quality of life to Marylanders who have been uninsured because of a pre-existing condition.

MHIP Federal did emerge from Obama's health care reform package. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established a federal high risk pool for US citizens and lawful Maryland residents who have pre-existing medical conditions and have been without health insurance coverage for at least six months. MHIP is contracted with the US department of Health and Human Services to operate the federal high risk pool for Maryland (MHIP Federal).

MHIP Federal and MHIP Standard (the Maryland-specific program) are the only insurance programs in the state specifically for those who are uninsured due to a pre-existing condition. MHIP Federal is indeed often a "last resort" for members who, due to a pre-existing condition, were denied by other medical insurance companies, or were only offered coverage at an astronomical cost because of their condition. However, any Maryland resident who has a qualifying medical condition and has been uninsured for at least six months can get coverage with MHIP Federal - they do not have to have been denied. In terms of coverage, MHIP Federal has partnered with CareFirst to provide insurance that is comparable in both coverage and cost to the insurance available on the market.

This year, our team is increasing our efforts more than ever to make sure that everyone knows about this option for affordable, comprehensive medical coverage in Maryland. That's why we just launched a brand new website, www.getmdhealthcare.com, which I hope you'll check out. We were also particularly excited to be featured in The Baltimore Sun recently: www.bsun.md/MHIPFederal. We would be very grateful for your partnership in spreading the word any way that you can!

MHIP Federal/@MHIP_Federal helps Marylanders get the healthcare they deserve. If you or a friend is uninsured, see if you qualify: www.getmdhealthcare.com/eligibility-requirements.

• MHIP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MHIPFederal
• MHIP on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MHIP_Federal

A NEW SILENT MAJORITY? - Maryland Juice has always wondered whether Americans really think health care is a privilege and not a right. The media coverage of rightwing activists ranting about universal health care and death panels has always seemed unrepresentative to me. But, in truth, I've been waiting for the rest of America (ie: not Tea Party) to wake up and start countering the madness. Now that the GOP Presidential candidates have spent months advertising their Party's insanity to the world, I think it is about time for Democrats and ordinary Americans to fight back.

In the late 1960's, Republican President Richard Nixon spoke with disdain about Americans who protested against the Vietnam War at the time. He called those who did not participate in the counterculture of the time "the silent majority." The term has since become quite popular in our national political culture. Wikipedia notes:

WIKIPEDIA: The silent majority is an unspecified large majority of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. The term was popularized (though not first used) by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a November 3, 1969, speech in which he said, "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support." In this usage it referred to those Americans who did not join in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time, who did not join in the counterculture, and who did not participate in public discourse. Nixon along with many others saw this group of Middle Americans as being overshadowed in the media by the more vocal minority.

THE REPUBLICANS ARE THE PROBLEM: The current political counterculture right now is not on the left. Most of the high-profile activity we are seeing is on the right (ie: from Ron Paul to Sarah Palin to Rick Santorum). Maryland Juice believes that with the collapse of the modern Republican Party, we are witnessing the formation of a new silent majority -- and it consists of people who think the GOP has gone insane. The ranting from the Tea Party against ObamaCare should've been their first warning. But now even conservative scholars are blaming the Republicans for the drift. The bi-partisan think tank duo of Norm Ornstein (AEI) and Thomas Mann (Brookings) recently penned an op-ed in The Washington Post that has been widely circulated among politicos. It is a worthwhile read (excerpt below):

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem

By Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein

Rep. Allen West, a Florida Republican, was recently captured on video asserting that there are “78 to 81” Democrats in Congress who are members of the Communist Party. Of course, it’s not unusual for some renegade lawmaker from either side of the aisle to say something outrageous. What made West’s comment — right out of the McCarthyite playbook of the 1950s — so striking was the almost complete lack of condemnation from Republican congressional leaders or other major party figures, including the remaining presidential candidates.

It’s not that the GOP leadership agrees with West; it is that such extreme remarks and views are now taken for granted.

We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.

When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal constructively with the country’s challenges.

“Both sides do it” or “There is plenty of blame to go around” are the traditional refuges for an American news media intent on proving its lack of bias, while political scientists prefer generality and neutrality when discussing partisan polarization. Many self-styled bipartisan groups, in their search for common ground, propose solutions that move both sides to the center, a strategy that is simply untenable when one side is so far out of reach.

It is clear that the center of gravity in the Republican Party has shifted sharply to the right. Its once-legendary moderate and center-right legislators in the House and the Senate — think Bob Michel, Mickey Edwards, John Danforth, Chuck Hagel — are virtually extinct.

The post-McGovern Democratic Party, by contrast, while losing the bulk of its conservative Dixiecrat contingent in the decades after the civil rights revolution, has retained a more diverse base. Since the Clinton presidency, it has hewed to the center-left on issues from welfare reform to fiscal policy. While the Democrats may have moved from their 40-yard line to their 25, the Republicans have gone from their 40 to somewhere behind their goal post....

The GOP’s evolution has become too much for some longtime Republicans. Former senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska called his party “irresponsible” in an interview with the Financial Times in August, at the height of the debt-ceiling battle. “I think the Republican Party is captive to political movements that are very ideological, that are very narrow,” he said. “I’ve never seen so much intolerance as I see today in American politics.”

And Mike Lofgren, a veteran Republican congressional staffer, wrote an anguished diatribe last year about why he was ending his career on the Hill after nearly three decades. “The Republican Party is becoming less and less like a traditional political party in a representative democracy and becoming more like an apocalyptic cult, or one of the intensely ideological authoritarian parties of 20th century Europe,” he wrote on the Truthout Web site....

We understand the values of mainstream journalists, including the effort to report both sides of a story. But a balanced treatment of an unbalanced phenomenon distorts reality....

ARE YOU PART OF THE NEW SILENT MAJORITY? 
IT IS TIME TO FIGHT BACK!

Anti-Gay Group "NOM" Spent $10K on Anthony Muse's Senate Race, Pledges $1 Million to MD GOP Marriage Repeal Efforts

NOM DROPS $10,000 FOR ANTHONY MUSE: On Monday, Maryland Juice readers reported that the anti-gay extremist group NOM ("National Organization for Marriage") was robo-polling voters trying to turn out marriage equality opponents for State Senator Anthony Muse's failed U.S. Senate campaign. Yesterday the nonprofit Human Rights Campaign reported that NOM reported spending $10,000 on the effort:

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: Just filed FEC reports show that NOM spent $10,000 in last night's Maryland state primary hoping to push anti-equality Democrat C. Anthony Muse, a current state senator who voted against the marriage bill, above incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin:

MD GOP CHAIR ALEX MOONEY ACCEPTS $1 MILLION FROM NOM: Notably, recent media reports indicate that the Maryland GOP is also planning on accepting this tainted money. Last Friday, The Gazette reported that MD GOP Chair Alex Mooney had admitted NOM pledged $1,000,000 to help the Republicans overturn marriage equality:

GAZETTE: Mooney expressed concern about the sustainability of petition efforts. The party got a $1 million commitment from the National Organization for Marriage and money from several other groups for the effort to overturn same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, advocates around the nation see signs that NOM is becoming a political liability. The Chicago GoPride blog noted:

Anti-Gay Group "NOM" is Robo-Polling Voters on Behalf of State Senator Anthony Muse // MD NAACP Leader Condemns NOM

WILL MUSE CONDEMN THE HATER-ADE? - Maryland Juice readers are reporting that the anti-gay "National Organization for Marriage" (aka NOM) is robo-polling voters on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Anthony Muse. They are calling Free State voters in an attempt to identify marriage equality opponents who they can push to support Mr. Muse in the Democratic Primary. A reader alerts us to the news:

NOM is doing robocalling for Muse today.  They ask you two questions after announcing the call is from NOM: (1) are you a registered voter in MD, (2) do you believe marriage should be believe a man and a woman.  If you answer yes to both, you get anti-marriage equality appeal to vote for Muse.

Owners of WBFF Fox 45 Force Rightwing Activism on Station // Plus, Their Non-Discrimination Policy Excludes LGBT Language

UPDATE: A Facebook user has provided Maryland Juice with a link to a petition that they have started to oppose WBFF's commingling of news and anti-LGBT activism.  
 
Last Friday, Maryland Juice highlighted how WBFF Fox 45 (Baltimore's local Fox affiliate) had turned from journalism to activism by advocating for rightwing policies on their website. Their site banner currently provides direct links to anti-gas tax propaganda and an anti-marriage equality petition. All signs are pointing to these decisions being foisted on the news producers by their corporate masters at Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG). SBG became famous in 2004 during the Bush-Kerry battle. A wiki entry on SBG notes:

For example, in April 2004, the company refused to broadcast a special "Nightline" broadcast, produced by the ABC television network, that was devoted to reading the names of soldiers who had died in Operation Iraqi Freedom....

Sinclair gained further notoriety by ordering its 62 local stations to preempt prime time programming to broadcast an anti-Kerry film just before the November 2, 2004 general election.

The Washington Blade also recently reported on who was responsible for the anti-marriage equality link:

Maryland’s marriage equality law hasn’t even been signed yet, but Baltimore Fox News affiliate WBFF-45 has endorsed a referendum effort to repeal the measure.

Anne Arundel GOP Pols Reveal More Stupidity In Effort To Keep All-White Council // Glen Burnie a "Ghetto" & "Gook" Not a Slur?

Last week, Maryland Juice highlighted the deplorable actions of three Republican Anne Arundel Councilmembers who are dead-set on maintaining a 100% white, male government. The three stooges forced over 100 rounds of balloting and resorted to racial slurs like calling Asians "gooks" in their shameful public meeting to fill a vacancy for the county's District 1 council seat. The council failed to come to a resolution on the matter and postponed further action until March.

Today, Maryland Reporter flagged follow-up coverage of this controversy, and it appears that the defiant GOP Councilmembers are just as tone-deaf and nasty as we had originally imagined. The Baltimore Sun reports that Councilmember Dick Ladd recently attended a community forum, where he was asked to explain his comments. His explanation was an utter failure -- since he said he doesn't find the word "gook" to be a slur -- and he ended up storming out of the meeting:

An Anne Arundel county councilman was peppered with questions Saturday about diversity on the all-white, all-male council — and criticized for his public use of a racial slur — before storming out of a community forum in Odenton...

Ladd was also asked to explain his use at a recent council meeting of a derogatory term for people of Asian descent....

Councilman John J. Grasso, a Glen Burnie Republican whose recent comments referring to Glen Burnie as "ghetto" were also questioned at the meeting, was invited to the forum but did not attend.

Fox News Baltimore Promotes Anti-Marriage Equality Petition, Washington Times Promotes Anti-Immigrant Cause

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

More Marriage Equality Reactions: Perez Hilton Calls O'Malley "Wonderful Man" // GOP Sees Opportunity to Capitalize on Hate

UPDATE: Delegate Anne Kaiser Tweets that Governor Martin O'Malley will sign the marriage equality bill into law on Thursday, March 1st at 5:00 pm.

Maryland Juice highlights more interesting reactions to the Free State's movement toward marriage equality. First, celebrity-hounding blogger Perez Hilton gushes about Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and encourages tourists to visit our state. I should start an LGBT-friendly wedding company, STAT! See an excerpt from Perez Hilton's comments below:

PEREZ HILTON: Way to go, "MARRY-LAND!!"

The beautiful state just passed their marriage equality bill...

Gov. Martin O’Malley has already said he plans on giving it his signature next week!! WooHoo!!

The wonderful man says:

Maryland will now be able to protect individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom equally. The common thread running through our efforts together in Maryland is the thread of human dignity; the dignity of work, the dignity of faith, the dignity of family, the dignity of every individual.

Welp!! We're definitely adding MD to the list of places to visit, LOL!!

Their tourism site has us super innerested in sailing on the Chesapeake Bay!!

Meanwhile, the crass Republicans' only response is to see an opportunity to jack up their base and try and drive up the hater-vote in November. The Gazette reports on the shameful GOP commentary:

“We believe that not only will this drive Republican turnout..." said John Porter, communications director for the Maryland Republican Party.

WOW: Frederick County Makes English Official Language // Montgomery & Baltimore Join Federal Deportation Program

WTOP is reporting that last night, Frederick County voted to make English their official language:

Frederick County has become the first in Maryland to make English the official language of the government.

The vote was 4-1 on Tuesday, with the lone dissent coming from Commissioner David Gray....

A public hearing regarding the issue took nearly three hours, during which most of the 19 people who spoke were against the measure.

Among those speaking against the ordinance was Meredith Kelly, who says the first settlers of Frederick County were German.

"By various reports, English was not the area language until the Irish immigrants came in in the late 1840s. The original newspapers were published in both German and English. So, I have to look at the history of the county and wonder, what the hell is the point of this legislation? What does it benefit, because it looks like pure anti-immigrant posturing," Kelly says.

Meanwhile, CASA de Maryland reports that today is doomsday for many Latino families in Maryland. Montgomery County and Baltimore City are set to implement the so-called "Secure Communities" program that was rejected by Democratic Governors in New York, Massachusetts and Illinois. The federal program demands that local governments check and transfer information about the citizenship status of residents, even if they are not convicted of a crime. The District of Columbia also rejected the program on the day that researchers released disturbing findings about the program. A number of actual U.S. citizens were arrested under Secure Communities (oops!), and the program disproportionately targets Latinos, sometimes breaking up families over trivial issues:

The study is the first to analyze government data on the program. Among its findings:

• 1.6 percent of those arrested were actually U.S. citizens
• 39 percent of people arrested through Secure Communities have at least one child or spouse who is a U.S. citizen
• 93 percent of those arrested are Latinos, even though they account for 77 percent of the entire undocumented population

See the press release from CASA below:

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

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

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

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

Process of Elimination // Maryland Governor 2014 = Not Peter Franchot

#NotPeterFranchot

Maryland Juice thinks he has heard enough about the field of potential 2014 gubernatorial candidates to begin making some conclusions. We don't know yet who to support, but we know who not to support: #NotPeterFranchot.

Three-Count Indictment // Grand Jury of Democratic Primary Voters Convenes June 2014:

• CHARGE 1: Peter Franchot thinks progressive taxation is extreme & his colleagues are misinformed
• CHARGE 2: Peter Franchot wants to start a "mushy centrist" caucus to fight the extremists in his Party (Who are they? Name them.)
• CHARGE 3: Peter Franchot wants to trigger a debt-ceiling debate in Maryland like the one the Tea Party started in Congress last year

Maryland Juice is not the only one that has been wondering if Peter Franchot left the Democratic Party. In December of 2011, The Baltimore Sun published an editorial headlined: "Peter Franchot channels the tea party." See an excerpt from their piece below:

BALTIMORE SUN: Peter Franchot Channels the Tea Party

December 26, 2011

Did we miss the press release announcing that Peter Franchot had joined the tea party? The comptroller certainly sounded like he'd gone over to the side of anti-government activism Monday when he cast the lone vote against a proposal at the Maryland Capital Debt Affordability Committee to accelerate some of the state's planned borrowing in hopes of spurring the economy through infrastructure spending. The Montgomery County Democrat opined that attempting to create jobs through such public works was "failed policy," adding, "Let the private sector create jobs."

For starters, the private sector in Maryland has been creating jobs, albeit at a frustratingly slow pace....

Looks like we need a change in the Comptroller's Office in 2014, whether or not Franchot decides to vacate. Perhaps he has nowhere else to go in the Democratic Primary, or perhaps he is truly a conservative, but lately I'm wondering which Party's Kool-Aid the State's Comptroller has been drinking. Today, The Star Democrat also reports that Mr. Franchot is trying to undermine the campaign to bring greater justice and transparency to Annapolis by trying to tilt policy outcomes to the right:

Franchot calls for 'common sense caucus'

The need for a business-friendly, fiscally-responsible state government was stressed by Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, speaking Wednesday evening at the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce's 66th annual Membership Dinner.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot spoke about the "odd environment" in Annapolis Thursday evening during the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce's 66th annual Membership Dinner here in Governors Hall at Sailwinds Park....

This Is Why We Must Keep Fighting

Politicians, your words have real-world consequences. Below, see two reasons why we must keep fighting. How many reasons do you need? No more waiting for Superman. He's not coming. It is up to us.


Reason #1:




Reason #2 

Source: Rolling Stone, Feb. 2012

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE: Every morning, Brittany Geldert stepped off the bus and bolted through the double doors of Fred Moore Middle School, her nerves already on high alert, bracing for the inevitable.

"Dyke."

Pretending not to hear, Brittany would walk briskly to her locker, past the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who loitered in menacing packs.

"Whore."

Like many 13-year-olds, Brittany knew seventh grade was a living hell. But what she didn't know was that she was caught in the crossfire of a culture war being waged by local evangelicals inspired by their high-profile congressional representative Michele Bachmann, who graduated from Anoka High School and, until recently, was a member of one of the most conservative churches in the area. When Christian activists who considered gays an abomination forced a measure through the school board forbidding the discussion of homosexuality in the district's public schools, kids like Brittany were unknowingly thrust into the heart of a clash that was about to become intertwined with tragedy.

Michele Bachmann's Holy War

Brittany didn't look like most girls in blue-collar Anoka, Minnesota, a former logging town on the Rum River, a conventional place that takes pride in its annual Halloween parade – it bills itself the "Halloween Capital of the World." Brittany was a low-voiced, stocky girl who dressed in baggy jeans and her dad's Marine Corps sweatshirts. By age 13, she'd been taunted as a "cunt" and "cock muncher" long before such words had made much sense. When she told administrators about the abuse, they were strangely unresponsive, even though bullying was a subject often discussed in school-board meetings....

So maybe she was a fat dyke, Brittany thought morosely; maybe she deserved the teasing....

Like Brittany, eighth-grader Samantha Johnson was a husky tomboy too, outgoing with a big smile and a silly streak to match Brittany's own. Sam was also bullied for her look – short hair, dark clothing, lack of girly affect – but she merrily shrugged off the abuse....

Brittany admired Sam's courage, and tried to mimic her insouciance and stoicism. So Brittany was bewildered when one day in November 2009, on the school bus home, a sixth-grade boy slid in next to her and asked quaveringly, "Did you hear Sam said she's going to kill herself?"

Brittany considered the question. No way. How many times had she seen Sam roll her eyes and announce, "Ugh, I'm gonna kill myself" over some insignificant thing? "Don't worry, you'll see Sam tomorrow," Brittany reassured her friend as they got off the bus. But as she trudged toward her house, she couldn't stop turning it over in her mind. A boy in the district had already committed suicide just days into the school year – TJ Hayes, a 16-year-old at Blaine High School – so she knew such things were possible. But Sam Johnson? Brittany tried to keep the thought at bay. Finally, she confided in her mother.

"This isn't something you kid about, Brittany," her mom scolded, snatching the kitchen cordless and taking it down the hall to call the Johnsons. A minute later she returned, her face a mask of shock and terror. "Honey, I'm so sorry. We're too late," she said tonelessly as Brittany's knees buckled; 13-year-old Sam had climbed into the bathtub after school and shot herself in the mouth with her own hunting rifle. No one at school had seen her suicide coming.

No one saw the rest of them coming, either.

I can see it coming. End it now.

Read the full article at: Rolling Stone

PHOTO: Do the Right Thing // Someone Always Does. Will You?

Click on Image to Zoom

Source: Facebook.

Rep. Andy Harris' Law Blocks Funds for a Harriett Tubman Park in Eastern Shore // Would Be Only Park In USA With Such a Ban

Several weeks ago, a Maryland Juice reader reported on exciting news that a bill by Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski would push forward a new National Park on the Eastern Shore to honor Harriett Tubman -- Maryland's most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad. Leave it to the Republicans to politicize slavery. DelmarvaNOW.com today reports that Tea Party Rep. Andy Harris  (surprise, surprise) is undermining the project with interesting restrictions that no other National Park in the U.S.A. would have. Our original article on the project noted the following report from a reader:

Apolitical Juice #1: Did you hear about congressional committee approval this week for Harriet Tubman National Park?  Very cool. This was years in the making. The Maryland Park will be on the Eastern Shore, essentially in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge -- which is beyond stunning, in case you haven't been there.  This is a good thing given the following: Maryland's slave legacy, our past need for the National Guard to come in and suppress the white mob lynchings of blacks, the race riots when the Eastern Shore rejected integration, and the fact that we feel a statue Chief Justice Roger Taney (of Dred Scott v. Sandford fame) in front of the State House is okay because it's "balanced" with Thurgood Marshall in Lawyer's Mall.

Notably, Maryland Juice filed this story under "Apolitical Juice." Unfortunately for Maryland residents and Eastern Shore tourism, Rep. Andy Harris just couldn't help himself and so he made Harriett Tubman political (and is trying to talk out of both sides of his mouth):

Rep. Andy Harris introduced legislation Thursday to create a national park honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman, but he's not proposing to give the project any federal money....

Either Senator Norm Stone Thinks His Constituents Have Too Much Sex With Animals Or He's a Jerk // #PRIMARYHISASS

 ACT NOW: www.CleanSlateCoalition.com

This week, Maryland Juice reported on the shocking discovery that Democratic State Senator Norm Stone voted to BAN interracial marriage in 1967. It turns out that he's still as much of a jerk as he was back then. First, he's opposing marriage equality this year, but that's not all. His response to Governor Martin O'Malley's push for social justice this year was to introduce a bestiality bill!

Today, Mr. Stone apparently realized that his bill was juvenile and asshole-ish so he quietly dropped it. I call too little too late on him - 45 years too late. The Dundalk Patch reported on the news:

An anti-bestiality bill sponsored by Sen. Norman Stone has been withdrawn nearly a week after it was first introduced.

Stone, the longest currently serving state senator, said Thursday that he is withdrawing the bill, in part, "because of graphic language" in the bill....

Some of Stone's colleagues teased him with a threat to make him stand up and explain the bill if it came to a vote of the full Senate.

Maryland Juice is glad Mr. Stone's colleagues think this is a laughing matter, because I consider him a disgrace to the Democratic Party and the institution of the State Senate. He is a relic from a hateful part of America's past, and somehow the leadership of this State decided to keep him around -- AND give him committee chairmanships.

Democrats, it is time to take matters into our own hands. No more waiting for Superman. Will somebody #PRIMARYHISASS? I am collecting pledges of $1 from potential donors.

See the text of Mr. Stone's "legislation" below -- and believe me, this isn't the last you've heard from Maryland Juice about Norm Stone. I will begin an online experiment to see what a two-year digital filibuster looks like:

2010 PLAYBOOK: New York Activists Launched Campaign to DEFEAT Anti-Marriage Pols // Is It Time to Clean House in MD?

Two years ago, Maryland Juice flagged an interesting article in Campaign & Elections Magazine. The fascinating piece was a case study of direct mail and campaign tactics from the "Fight Back New York PAC" -- an effort to take down unhelpful legislators during campaign season:

It is time to dust off this case study and send it into the Free State consciousness. Are Maryland activists just as cowardly timid as Maryland's politicians? Hopefully, not anymore....

NY 2010 Campaign

Gays and Lesbians Fight Back - and Win

Since the 1950s, legislative strategists for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights have tried to squeeze their message into an “accomodationist” framework, suiting up in ties and pearls to tell the public, “We’re not scary or threatening. We’re just like you. So could you please give us our equal rights?” Over and over, this polite approach has failed to win us full equality under the law.

A group of gay and lesbian leaders in New York State realized that they had reached a strategic turning point after they suffered a shocking loss on a statewide marriage equality bill. Passing the bill was a leading LGBT legislative objective in New York, and activists had spent years building political relationships and poured millions of dollars into advocacy and lobbying. They were infuriated this past December when the state Senate voted the bill down, 38 to 24.

By early 2010, many donors and activists who had worked for the marriage equality bill decided to stop asking politely for equal treatment under the law. Emboldened both by their anger over the Senate vote and by new evidence that New Yorkers overwhelmingly supported full and equal rights for everyone, they drew support from Tim Gill of the national gay rights powerhouse Gill Action Fund and allies to pursue a more aggressive strategy. The result: Fight Back New York PAC was established to undertake an innovative—albeit risky and not so polite—new mission: reshape the state’s marriage equality battle by defeating Senators on Election Day who voted against the 2009 marriage bill.