JuiceBlender: Luedtke Attacked, Westboro Baptist in Maryland, Brochin Kills Non-Discrimination Bill, Leggett's Harlem Shake

UPDATE: At the request of the Suitland High School principal, the Prince George's Young Democrats are cancelling their counter-protest of the Westboro Baptist actions.

Below Maryland Juice highlights several items that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: DEL. ERIC LUEDTKE ATTACKED BY DIRECT MAIL - Several Maryland Juice readers have received direct mail attacking Democratic Del. Eric Luedtke of Montgomery County. The mailer appears to take issue with the fact that Luedtke is sponsoring legislation to make it more difficult to petition bills to referendum (a legislative response to the prospect of referenda battles emerging in every election cycle) . See snapshots of the mailer below:

TREASURER FOR ANTI-LUEDTKE PIECE IS A LEADER IN NATIONAL LIBERTARIAN PARTY - Notably, the authority line for the mailer states it is from: "Citizens in Charge, William Redpath, Treasurer." The website for Citizens in Charge states its mission as follows (excerpt below):

Citizens in Charge is a 501 (c) (4) citizen-powered advocacy organization that serves as a partner to Citizens in Charge Foundation in protecting and expanding the initiative and referendum process.

The organization works with activists, legislators, media, opinion leaders and voters to protect the initiative and referendum process where it exists in 26 states and to expand the process to the 26 states where voters currently lack that right.

There never has been a more important time to defend the initiative process. Voters increasingly turn to initiatives to make needed reforms, while legislators increasingly seek to impose limitations on this process.

File this under the "small world," category, but Maryland Juice actually knows William Redpath personally, and is aware that he is one of the leaders of the national Liberatarian Party. Interesting!


JUICE #2: ANTI-GAY WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH PROTESTS IN PRINCE GEORGE'S - Remember that church whose members like to protest about gay rights at the funerals of dead soldiers? Well they are now coming to Suitland High School in Prince George's County. The principal of Suitland High sent a notice to parents last week (excerpt below):

SUITLAND HIGH SCHOOL: Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas have informed both the School District and the Prince George’s Police Department of their plans to send ten (10) of their members to protest at Suitland High School on Tuesday, March 26 from 3:00-3:30 p.m.

The members of the Westboro Baptist Church are an anti-gay group that regularly stage protests around the country. Many of you have probably seen the memorandum that they have been distributing. It is a standard memorandum that they use when protesting at schools.

A Twitter user elaborated on Westboro Baptists venomous statements:

The Prince George's County Young Democrats were helping to organize a counter-protest to the Westboro shenanigans. See their announcement below, but note the event has now been cancelled at the request of the Suitland High School principal:

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS - Westboro Baptist Church has chosen their next target.  Usually we are insulated from the hatred by distance or a television screen.  But not this time.  This time, Westboro Baptist Church descends upon an institution in our own backyards, in our own community, Suitland High School.  A school that produces great leaders and creative minds who go on to achieve and inspire others to do the same.  On Tuesday, March 26th at 3pm, the Westboro picket signs will go up and they will spew their hate speech at our children, our neighbors, and our family members.  In the wake of the violence that has recently plagued this area, let's show Westboro Baptist Church that they have come to the wrong place and such hatred will not be tolerated here in Prince George's County.

Click here give a donation to support the families of the fallen victims.

As we attempt to calm the waves of violence, let's meet them with a force of peace.  We must demonstrate to not only support and anchor our children, but to infuse our communities with the love needed to continue the healing and promote unity.  As they stand at the pulpit of ignorance, let us gather as one congregation and remind ourselves, and the country, that Prince George's County is a place of not just tolerance, but acceptance.  We embrace the color, creed, religion, orientation and ethnicity of all. 

Click here to let us know you'll be there.

This is not only a call to action, but a challenge for you to act.  We must counter this descent of hatred by Westboro Baptist Church.  Let this adversity bind us even tighter as a community and let's show them they came to the wrong county.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
    -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

See you in Suitland,

Maurielle
http://www.pgcyd.com/

JUICE #3: STATE SENATORS BROCHIN, MUSE & STONE KILL NON-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION - Yesterday, members of the Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee surprised observers by killing a transgender non-discrimination legislation in a 5-6 vote. Democratic Senators Jim Brochin, Anthony Muse and Norm Stone joined with the Republicans to kill this common-sense protection for our fellow Maryland residents. Equality Maryland published the committee roll call, along with some commentary on the issue (excerpt below):

EQUALITY MARYLAND: In a 5-6 vote this afternoon, the Senate Judicial Proceeding Committee failed to pass SB 449,The Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2013. Voting infavor of the bill were, Senators Raskin, Forehand, Frosh, Gladden and Zirkin. Voting against the bill were Senators Stone, Muse, Jacobs, Brochin, Shank and Getty.

Equality Maryland’s Executive Director commented on this vote, “It is terribly disappointing the committee failed to stand up for fairness and protect transgender Marylanders.We are particularly incensed with Senator Jim Brochin’s vote. He had at least 1,000 constituents contact him asking him to support this bill. Despite this, he turned his back on these voters. It ironic that transgender people in his own district [Baltimore County] have protections yet he wouldn’t cast a vote to extend these protections to transgender individuals in the 20 counties that aren’t  so fortunate.”

Several Maryland Juice readers are pointing the finger for the loss at State Senator Jim Brochin, who they say backstabbed supporters of the non-discrimination bill. But Brochin was joined by Democratic Senators Anthony Muse and Norm Stone in fighting the Fairness for All Marylanders Act. Notably, Stone also voted against interracial marriage when he first arrived in Annapolis. It appears that he hasn't changed much since then. Check out the following report from The Washington Blade (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON BLADE: A Maryland state Senate committee on Thursday struck down a bill that would have banned anti-transgender discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation....

“Despite months of hard work by our broad coalition of supporters, key committee members were unwilling to advance the promise of equality under the law to the transgender community,” Madaleno said in an e-mail he sent to his constituents after the vote. “A majority of committee members were unwilling to pass a bill that prohibited discrimination by restaurants, theaters, hotels, shopping centers and other places of public accommodations. Their lack of understanding and empathy for their fellow Marylanders is appalling.”

Baltimore County, of which Brochin represents portions in Annapolis, along with Montgomery and Howard Counties and Baltimore City have already adopted trans-inclusive non-discrimination laws....

Sixteen states and D.C. currently ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

JUICE #4: IKE LEGGETT DOES HARLEM SHAKE // SIGN OF RE-ELECTION ACTIVITY?  - For those of you that follow online viral sensations, you may have seen videos of the "Harlem Shake." Wikipedia describes the meme as follows:

WIKIPEDIA: The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme in the form of a video in which a group of people performs a comedy sketch accompanied by a short excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake". As a meme, the video was replicated by many people, using the same concept, and this rapidly led to it becoming viral in early February 2013, with thousands of "Harlem Shake" videos being made and uploaded to YouTube every day at the height of its popularity.

The form of the meme was established in a video uploaded on February 2 by five teenagers from Queensland, Australia known on YouTube as The Sunny Coast Skate. The video started a viral trend of people uploading their own "Harlem Shake" videos to YouTube. The teenagers' video was, in its turn, a follow-up to a video by a YouTube comedy vlogger named Filthy Frank which featured a section where several costumed people danced to the song "Harlem Shake" by Baauer.

Now Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has produced his own "Harlem Shake" video, and it is a hoot. Could the video below be the clearest sign that Leggett might be trying to run for re-election?

GUEST POST: Del. Eric Luedtke Dissects Montgomery County's Marriage Equality, Dream Act & Gambling Results // SEE MAPS

PLUS: MARYLAND JUICE HIGHLIGHTS QUICK NOTES ABOUT DAMASCUS AND GOP VOTERS WHO SUPPORTED MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Below Maryland Juice is pleased to publish an interesting analysis of key ballot question results in Montgomery County. Our guest pundit, Delegate Eric Luedtke (D14 Democrat), looked at the precinct-level returns for marriage equality (Question 6), the Dream Act (question 4) and gambling expansion (Question 7). He also created some insightful maps showing how MoCo's neighborhoods voted on the various measures.

ERIC LUEDTKE: Below, I've attached precinct maps showing how Montgomery County voted on questions 4, 6, and 7. First, I should note that these maps only display the election day precinct level vote, and do not include early voting totals.

The Montgomery County Board of Elections data counts the early vote as a separate canvass, like they do with absentee votes. During early voting, MoCo supported marriage equality nearly six points more than the statewide overall vote for Question 6. On the Dream Act, Montgomery County voters supported the measures by four points more than the statewide vote. Lastly, on gambling expansion, Montgomery County supported Question 7 by four tenths of a point less than the statewide average.

Note that there were some geographical variations in the early vote due to the locations of the early vote centers. For example, the early vote probably included significantly more voters from Silver Spring precincts (folks who likely voted at the Silver Spring Civic Center) than voters from the Bethesda area, where there is no early voting center. But nonetheless, the maps below give a glimpse into the geographic and demographic patterns of the vote on the various questions.

NOTE: On all of the maps below, the bluest areas show precincts that "voted for" the ballot question in large numbers. The purple areas show precincts where fewer than 50% of voters supported a "vote for" the ballot question. See the explanation of the color-coding using the key to the right.

QUESTION 4 - DREAM ACT RESULTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

ERIC LUEDTKE: The question 4 map is probably the most clear. Only six far upcounty precincts voted against it, including much of Damascus (except the central precinct which is entirely suburban rather than a rural-suburban mix like the rest of Damascus), parts of Laytonsville, and northern Gaithersburg outside the city limits. The heaviest vote in favor is concentrated downcounty, particularly in Bethesda and Silver Spring, and also has concentrations in parts of the county further north that have heavier immigrants populations. This includes most of the 29 corridor, which has significant populations of Latinos and continental African immigrants, the Wheaton area and its heavy Latino population, and precincts around Gaithersburg and Rockville with large Latino and Asian-American populations. It’s interesting to note the stretch of precincts voting strongly in favor up the 270 corridor all the way to the Frederick County line, likely due to a continued expansion of more urban and suburban areas in Germantown and Clarksburg. It’s also significant that nearly all of District 15 voted in favor, including the heavily rural precincts around Poolesville and Barnesville. District 15, you may remember, was the last MoCo district to elect a Republican, but its shift towards the Democratic column seems to be continuing.

QUESTION 6 - MARRIAGE EQUALITY RESULTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

ERIC LUEDTKE: The question 6 map is similar to the question 4 map. Support is concentrated in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, lower Silver Spring, and Rockville, with concentrations of lesser support in Olney, Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Potomac. Many of the majority-minority portions of the county voted in favor, including the upper 29 corridor and Wheaton/Aspen Hill, although by a significantly smaller margin than they supported question 4. I think this reflects the fact that marriage equality supporters were successful in reaching out to many minority voters, but obviously still have work to do. Four of the ten precincts that opposed are in District 14, which had the lowest vote by district in the county, but still the vote was in favor in all eight legislative districts. 

QUESTION 7 - GAMBLING EXPANSION RESULTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

ERIC LUEDTKE: The question 7 map is a bit of a cipher, in that for virtually every identifiable pattern there is an exception. Significant pockets of opposition cluster along the DC line in areas from Bethesda and Chevy Chase south and in Takoma Park and east Silver Spring, but a big chunk of the western side of Silver Spring voted in favor by a wide margin. More conservative upcounty precincts in Brookeville, Laytonsville, and Barnesville voted against, while most of Damascus voted in favor. Seniors at Asbury and Riderwood voted heavily against it, while seniors in Leisure World voted in favor. The vast majority of the county voted in favor of it by relatively slim margins, and we don’t see many geographic concentrations of support like we did on the other maps, although there is a significant concentration of support in Gaithersburg and Germantown, one in the Aspen Hill area, and a smaller one in Fairland and Briggs-Chaney.

DAMASCUS VOTERS: AGAINST MARRIAGE EQUALITY & DREAM ACT, FOR BOOZE AND GAMBLING - Maryland Juice has one interesting takeaway from Luedtke's analysis. It appears that Damascus voters may be the black sheep of Montgomery County. Notably, Damascus voters appear to have unusual moral priorities as demonstrated by their voting behavior. On November 6, Damascus overwhelmingly voted to begin allowing alcohol sales in their town (Note: it is currently a "dry" town). But while many Damascus voters also voted against marriage equality and the Dream Act, they also approved gambling expansion. Bottom line: Damascus rejected civil rights and college opportunity, but embraced booze and gambling. I'm no puritan about booze and gambling, but what kind of a message does this send? Oy vey!

SIDENOTE: SOME REPUBLICANS BUCKED PARTY TO SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY - Maryland Juice has one final note for this analysis of the ballot question results. Walter Olson of the CATO Institute today published an interesting op-ed in The Huffington Post noting that in some Republican-dominated parts of Maryland, the "vote for" marriage equality was higher than Obama's vote total in the same places. He surmises that this means Republican defections on marriage equality helped Question 6 pass in Maryland (excerpt below):

WALTER OLSON: In fact county-level results reveal that across wide swaths of Republican territory in Maryland, same-sex marriage actually ran well ahead of Barack Obama and the Democratic ticket. That means there were many, many Romney voters who voted for the same-sex marriage law -- enough, in fact, that without them the measure would almost certainly have lost by a mile....

Two major bulwarks of Republican strength in Maryland, Anne Arundel and Frederick Counties, went both for Romney and for same-sex marriage. The two counties have been home to some of the state's best- known anti-gay politicians, such as Del. Don Dwyer of Anne Arundel and former Sen. Alex Mooney of Frederick. Frederick County especially, where I live, is famed as a right-wing stronghold.... Romney carried Anne Arundel by a point.

In Carroll, Question 6 ran a remarkable 11 points ahead of the president, in Queen Anne's 10 points ahead, in Harford and Cecil 5 points, and in Frederick and Anne Arundel 3 to 4 points. Collectively these counties contributed tens of thousands more votes for Question 6 than if gay marriage had been, as you might put it, only as popular as the chief executive of the United States.....

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!

NEWS CHANNEL 8: Maryland Juice & Sen. David Harrington Dissect the Ballot Question Results on TV // WATCH ONLINE

Today Maryland Juice was a guest on News Channel 8's "News Talk" show. Host Bruce DePuyt invited me on to dissect Maryland's ballot questions, along with former State Senator David Harrington. You can hear our thoughts on gambling, marriage equality, and the Dream Act below (two videos):

AFTERMATH // Analysis of Maryland Election Results: MD GOP Lives in a Bubble & Montgomery Co. Is Now MD's San Francisco

Below Maryland Juice discusses various aspects of the statewide ballot question results, along with the outcomes of our Congressional races.  After we run through the numbers, we put the broad results into context. See below:

BIG VICTORY FOR DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN MD // ALL STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS PASS: The passage of all of the statewide ballot measures (which wasn't a sure bet at all) should be seen as a huge victory for Maryland's Democratic leaders. They muscled together coalitions for a number of controversial measures, and they emerged on election night with a perfect score. Even though I don't agree with some of the referenda that passed, I have to admit that this was an impressive feat. Below you can see some summary figures on the referenda, along with some of my notes:

• Question 1 - Qualifications for Prince George's Orphans' Court Judges: 87.7% for vs. 12.3% against

• Question 2 - Qualifications for Baltimore County Orphans' Court Judges: 87.9% for vs. 12.1% against

• Question 3 - Suspension of Elected Officials Upon Conviction: 88.0% for vs. 12.0% against
   
• Question 4 - Dream Act: 58.3% for vs. 41.7% against
  • Note: A majority of voters in the following counties voted "for" the Dream Act - Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Somerset, Wicomico.
   
  
• Question 5 - Congressional Districts: 63.5% for vs. 36.5% against
  • Note: The Congressional District plan won large majorities in the Democratic strongholds of Montgomery, Prince George's and the Baltimore region.

• Question 6 - Marriage Equality: 51.9% for vs. 48.1% against (93,849 Vote Margin out of 2.4 million)
  • Note: A majority of voters in the following counties voted "for" marriage equality - Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery. The measure failed in Prince George's County by only 4,000 votes, making the issue a virtual 50/50 split among voters there.
   
  
• Question 7 - Gambling Expansion: 52% for vs. 48% against
  • Counties for Gambling Expansion: Baltimore City, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George's, St Marys, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico & Worcester
  • Counties against Gambling Expansion:Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot  

One interesting factoid to note is that Frederick and Anne Arundel Counties voted "for" marriage equality, but "against" the Dream Act.

MOCO HELPS DRIVE PROGRESSIVE SURGE // IS MONTGOMERY COUNTY MARYLAND'S POLITICAL "SAN FRANCISCO"? - Indeed, I have often been accused (by Democrats and Republicans alike) of living in a liberal bubble. But it now seems that it is the conservatives and their allied Democratic naysayers who are increasingly the ones out-of-touch with the mainstream of Maryland politics. Times are clearly changing, and old school attitudes that may have once been the norm are now giving way to the forces of rapid diversification of Maryland's population. At the driver's seat of this change is the growing cadre of diverse, liberal-minded Democratic voters in Montgomery County. 

Two Montgomery County lawmakers pointed out the growing importance of MoCo for pushing progressive politics in Maryland. Delegate Anne Kaiser sent her MoCo delegation colleagues a congratulatory email about marriage equality, and her message noted that Montgomery County's motherlode of liberal votes was instrumental to the passage of Question 6 (see below):

ANNE KAISER: Dear colleagues - Today, I'm reminded that not only did 31 of 32 Montgomery County legislators vote for marriage equality this past year, but each of us also cosponsored the legislation.  And beyond that, I sensed that we all also shared a deep conviction about the issue and a strong personal desire for the ballot measure to pass last night.

In case you hadn't seen the county by county results, Montgomery County voters supported the measure 65-35%.  But more importantly, without our county's 120,000 vote margin, the vote would have failed in Maryland.  I imagine you all join me in being proud of the role our county played in making Maryland the first state in the nation to win marriage equality in a referendum. 

Thanks for your friendship and support.

State Senator Jamie Raskin echoed similar sentiments in a victory email blast today (excerpt below):

JAMIE RASKIN: In Maryland, we made history, becoming the first state in the Union to uphold marriage equality, by a healthy margin of 52%, at the polls.  (In Montgomery County ... we won a massive 65% of the vote.) We were quickly followed last night by Maine, Minnesota and Washington state, where voters again stood up for equal rights for all and the right of all people to love and have the legal recognition  of their marriages, families and children.  The tide of history has turned.

We made history again by passing the Dream Act--by a resounding 58% margin and a stunning 72% in Montgomery County, which has proven to be the progressive powerhouse in the state. 

LEISURE WORLD SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY: Lastly, to prove how thoroughly liberal in nature Montgomery County has become, Paul Bessel sent us a quick note about the results from the precincts in Leisure World -- a large community of seniors at some of the largest Democratic precincts in the state:

PAUL BESSEL: It may be of interest to you and your blog readers that voters in Leisure World may have surprised some people. It was reported in the press that "older voters" were less enthusiastic about marriage equality than others. Leisure World has proven that is not true.

The Maryland Board of Elections is currently reporting that the state totals are about 51% to 49% in favor of Question 6. The votes cast in Leisure World on November 6 --- this doesn't include early voting, where Leisure World voters voted early in higher proportion than others --- were 56% to 44% in favor of marriage equality (1,783 to 1,417).

So, the "older voters" of Leisure World supported Question 6 in higher proportions than the overall vote in Maryland.

In general, Leisure World voters, as expected, supported President Obama by a huge proportion, as well as Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Van Hollen. For MoCo Board of Education, Leisure World supported incumbents Phil Kauffman and Chris Barclay, and challenger Rebecca Smondrowski.

DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS WIN LANDSLIDE ELECTIONS: Democratic House incumbents thoroughly trounced their Republican opponents -- even when campaigning in vastly new districts. Meanwhile, Ben Cardin won a majority of voter support for his re-election, while his nearest challenger trailed by double-digits. Indeed, each of Maryland's incumbent Democrats won their election battles handily and should now feel they have a mandate from their constituents to push for a progressive agenda when they return to Congress. No excuses next session!

In the newly drawn 6th Congressional District battle, Democrat John Delaney crushed GOP Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. We could all feel the slow and painful implosion of the Bartlett campaign over the course of the last few weeks, so this result is a little bit anti-climactic. It now remains to be seen what kind of Congressman Mr. Delaney turns out to be and what his issue priorities will be.

Lastly, Tea Partier Andy Harris easily won-re-election against Democrat Wendy Rosen (who dropped out of the race a few weeks ago) and write-in candidate John LaFerla. Unfortunately, shoring up Rep. Harris' district was one of the consequences of trying to take down Roscoe Bartlett. Check out the summary results below (winners in bold):

• SENATE: Ben Cardin (D) 55.2% vs. Dan Bongino (R) 26.6% vs. Rob Sobhani (U) 16.9% 
• CD1: Andy Harris (R) 63.9% vs. Wendy Rosen (D) 27.0% vs. Write-In 5.3% vs. Muir Wayne Boda (L) 3.8%
• CD2: Dutch Ruppersberger (D) 65.4% vs. Nancy Jacobs (R) 31.3% vs. Leo Wymowski (L) 3.2%
• CD3: John Sarbanes (D) 66.5% vs. Eric Knowles (R) 29.8% vs. Paul Drgos (L) 3.5%
• CD4: Donna Edwards (D) 76.8% vs. Faith Loudon 21.1% vs. Scott Soffen (L) 2.0%
• CD5: Steny Hoyer (D) 69.2% vs. Tony O'Donnell (R) 27.9% vs. Bob Auerbach (G) 1.4% vs. Arvin Vohra (L) 1.3%
• CD6: John Delaney (D) 58.6% vs. Roscoe Bartlett (R) 38.1% vs. Nickolaus Mueller (L) 3.2%
• CD7: Elijah Cummings (D) 76.2% vs. Frank Mirabile (R) 21.1% vs. Ronald Owens-Bey (L) 2.6%
• CD8: Chris Van Hollen (D) 62.5% vs. Ken Timmerman (R) 33.8% vs. Mark Grannis (L) 2.1% vs. George Gluck (G) 1.5%

CONTEXT // MARYLAND CONSERVATIVES LIVE IN A BUBBLE - Maryland Juice has for a long time believed that conservative activists and lawmakers have been turning the Maryland Republican Party into a regional party, unable to win statewide races. The election returns last night provided further support for this theory. Numerous GOP lawmakers in recent years have been deploying in Maryland, the most inflammatory and divisive tactics from the rightwing toolbox of campaign tricks (ie: campaigns driven by immigrant scapegoating, race-baiting, and homophobia). But while those deplorable tactics might work in other more homogeneous states, I never believed they made sense in a state with a densely Democratic and diverse electorate - like we have in Maryland.

Granted, Maryland Democrats redrew the Congressional Districts in their favor, but the truth is that the Republican challengers facing Democratic incumbents never had a path to victory. None of them campaigned on the issues in a viable way in their majority-Democratic districts, and instead each of them tried to act as if they could rile up the small GOP base enough to overcome the rest of the electorate. Some of them still seemed surprised that independents and Democrats were not attracted to their message.

Is the GOP stuck? It is perhaps possible that the Republican primary electorate is too conservative for the party's nominees to win general elections. If that is so, then Maryland Republicans might want to consider opening their primaries. Otherwise, they should be prepared to face a long electoral dryspell or endless battles between factions.  

Either way, what happens next ought to be fun to watch....

EARLY VOTE TOTALS (For vs. Against): Marriage Equality 54% vs. 46%, Dream Act 65% vs. 35% , Gambling 49% vs. 51%

10:20 PM UPDATE: Follow the results at the Board of Elections site:

• Q4: 58.5% "for" vs. 41.5% "against" - Dream Act
• Q5: 64.4% "for"  vs. 35.6% "against" - Redistricting
• Q6: 50.6% "for" vs. 49.4% "against" - Marriage Equality
• Q7: 51.3% "for" vs. 48.7% "against" - Gambling Expansion

The Maryland Board of Elections has just released the early vote totals (along with a handful of election day precinct results), and here's the current status of the major ballot questions (leaders highlighted in red):

• Question 4: Dream Act - 65.28% "for"  vs. 34.72% "against"
• Question 5: Redistricting - 66.98% "for" vs. 33.02% "against"
• Question 6: Marriage Equality - 53.5% "for" vs. 46.5% "against"
• Question 7: Gambling Expansion -  49.12% "for" vs. 50.88% "against"

• MoCo Question A: Disability Hiring - 82.05% "for" vs. 17.95% "against"
• Moco Question B: Police Effects Bargaining Repeal - 53.99% "for" vs. 46.01% "against"

• MoCo School Board At-Large: Phil Kauffman 78.32% vs. Morris Panner 21.27%
• MoCo School Board District 2: Rebecca Smondrowski 53.64% vs. Fred Evans 46.1%
 

Follow the returns online at the MD Board of Elections

We'll update this post later in the evening!

Maryland Juice Explains the Controversial November Ballot Questions: I Voted "For" Questions 4 & 6 and "Against" 5 & 7

PLUS: A Comment on MoCo Questions A & B

After writing about Maryland's numerous ballot question battles for several months, last Friday night I finally got in line to vote early at Montgomery County's Silver Spring polling location. Below I explain how I voted on a few of the most controversial ballot questions. But before we begin, I sorted the ballot questions into those that are my personal top priorities, and those that are of secondary interest.

CONTEXT FOR HOW I VOTED: Many voters seem to be deciding on the ballot questions based strictly on the direct policy questions laid out before them (eg: for or against more casinos in Maryland). But for me, I looked at the ballot questions with an eye toward the future of progressive politics in Maryland and how the state Democrats should choose to define themselves against the opposition. My explanations below are rooted in the belief that political institutions and parties should be constantly evolving creatures, and that right now the demography and rules of the game are changing in favor of Maryland's progressive grassroots.

But too many Democratic politicians are still voluntarily taking the safe and cynical path forward, rather than harnessing new opportunities to advance social justice and good evidence-driven policymaking. This should be no surprise in a state where the same Democratic legislative leaders have ruled in perpetuity for the last three decades. Occasionally they throw us a progressive bone, as many have been quick to point out that Senate President Mike Miller "allowed" marriage equality to pass. Apparently the Democratic base is supposed to set low expectations for what policies should be adopted in Maryland. But hardly any incumbent Democrats in Maryland are vulnerable against  Republicans, which means these low expectations and their resulting "compromises" are purely voluntary and self-defeating.

Case in point -- when the President can endorse marriage equality without any notable impact on his swing-state chances, it means times have changed and a large chunk of Maryland Democrats are too stuck in "conventional wisdom" to see the new realities of public opinion in America. When Democrats in a liberal one-party state like Maryland sit on the sidelines (or oppose social justice) during the raging battle for Maryland's soul, it is time for a disruption. Unfortunately, that disruption is clearly not going to come from within the party. That's why it's up to us to force the Democrats to evolve -- not just on issues, but also about how they do business. In many ways, I see this as a generational battle. That's why I voted as follows:


MARYLAND JUICE'S TOP PRIORITIES: For Maryland Juice, Questions 4 and 6 boil down to whether Maryland politics will respect the personal dignity of others. You need not look further than what those opposing marriage equality and the Dream Act are saying about gay and lesbian families & immigrants to understand that you should not be siding with these folks. Just yesterday, a Frederick pastor blamed Hurricane Sandy on NYC Mayor Bloomberg's donation to Maryland's marriage equality campaign. Days before that, a Randallstown pastor stated that gay individuals and marriage equality backers were worthy of death. Meanwhile, a core of extremists organizing against the Dream Act see the battle in Maryland as their stand against the invasion of America. Enough said? If not, here's a little more explanation on each question:

• VOTE FOR QUESTION 6: Marriage Equality - For me this is primarily a battle for civil liberties and individual rights. If you believe, as I do, that people not harming others should be let alone, then you should consider voting for Question 6. And if you believe in separation of church & state, as I do, then you'll also just dismiss offhand any religious objection about marriage equality in Maryland. But if you also believe that we are currently in the midst of discrimination against LGBT families without a legitimate, articulable policy purpose, then you should definitely vote for Question 6. Because those circumstances -- which do exist in Maryland -- would make this a civil rights issue. Otherwise, we would be saying that the term "civil rights" applied only to things that happened during the 60's.  Instead, I think the civil rights movement is alive and well, and it stands for a principle -- not just one group of people. Dr. King obviously saw civil rights as a multi-issue struggle against war, poverty, and racial discrimination -- not just as the struggles of his own people. We dishonor that powerful message by allowing the intense multi-year struggle for legal recognition by LGBT families to be withheld the designation of a "civil rights" issue. And what the battle for these words and labels is really about at their core, is a normative struggle in the public cosnciousness. Indeed, those stuck in the past seek to control even the use of words (like "marriage" and "civil rights") to prevent them from lending legal definition and legitimacy to a group they don't like. A message from my generation: Get over it. Vote for Question 6.  

• VOTE FOR QUESTION 4: Dream Act - I am in principle against standing in the way of anyone who wants to go to school and obtain a higher education. I can think of no net positive benefit for Maryland by putting out of reach an affordable college education for someone that is already living here and paying taxes. Do you really need to hear more than that? Vote for Question 4.

TIER TWO PRIORITIES:

• VOTE AGAINST QUESTION 7: Gambling Expansion -As mentioned in my notes about marriage equality above, I believe that individuals not harming others should be let alone. Indeed, Maryland Juice likes a good game of hold 'em poker and the occasional trip to Atlantic City with old friends from high school. But I still think Marylanders should not support the further creep of the gambling industry into our state. First, let's just be honest here. The Democratic Party around the nation is now a wholly corporate party. Like many other issues, liberals have thrown in the towel concerning special interest influence on our party. We accept that our side has to raise money to combat the other side. We look the other way when our side approves clear special interest legislation, and we do it because they do other good things that the Republicans oppose. But this situation is not ideal, and it is beginning to give me a stomach-ache. If the older generation was willing to tolerate and facilitate the corporate takeover of both major political parties, I hope my generation will spend every day fighting to burn down the House of Cash that the oldsters have built. Let's start by voting against Question 7. I know I am not the only Maryland Democrat to cringe in embarrassment when our Democratic leaders brought the legislature back for a special session, the sole purpose of which was to allow MGM to built a casino at National Harbor. We're all watching the barrage of ads about this issue, and we know they were not free. One can only conclude that Maryland residents were not subjected to this horrifying political freak-show without the aiding and abetting of numerous Democratic leaders. Not cool.  Even more, we as voters should not reward the casino industry for treating us like we're stupid. Do you remember their last few rounds of lies? First, we needed slots to save the Preakness; then we needed more slots for tots & schools stadiums; and now we need more slots and table games because of scary West Virginia. Blah, blah blah..... We get it, you want more Marylanders to spend money gambling, and you'll say whatever argument-du-jour fits your goals. But here's the reality: almost half of all casino revenues will come from repeat-Maryland customers who live within a 45 short drive of a casino. So we would be pulling money out of Maryland consumers' pockets to shore up the state budget, just because a small percentage of our dollars are going to West Virginia. Forget it: West Virginia can have our gambling money, because while they're protecting their slot barns, Maryland jobs are luring their young residents to move here!

• VOTE AGAINST QUESTION 5: Congressional Districts - Voting against Question 5 is completely a realpolitik analysis for me. If you vote against Question 5, then Maryland's Congressional Districts will have to be re-drawn -- by Democrats. This seems like a freebie, even though I've heard concern that "anything could happen" if the lines are redrawn. Anything can't happen -- the Democratic party leaders of Maryland have already demonstrated their ability to strong-arm a map through the process. And in reality, I don't like this map very much. Not because it wasn't drawn "independently" (whatever that means) -- but because I think Democrats could've achieved their goals while taking into account a few other considerations. For example, the map didn't do anything to increase chances of diversifying Maryland's Congressional delegation, and it artificially narrowed the potential candidate field in the 6th Congressional District. Moreover, the map was drawn to suit the wishes of politicians who advance neither the progressive agenda, nor the Montgomery County agenda (eg: Rep's Steny Hoyer & Dutch Ruppersberger). The map also destabilized the bases of MoCo favorites Chris Van Hollen & Donna Edwards. For all of those reasons, I voted against Question 5. But let me be very clear, that I am opposed to Maryland adopting independent redistricting for Congressional districts. I am in favor of fair outcomes, not a process which is on its surface fair but leads to bad outcomes. Please study the issue, because independent redistricting will lead to both a de-facto Republican gerrymander and could potentially harm racial representation. Maryland's residential segregation patterns will not easily lend themselves to drawing more "square" or blind districts. Not to mention, readers should keep in mind that independent line drawing for 8 out of 435 Congressional Districts is folly. It has got to be all or nothing. Believe me that many of those complaining about "gerrymandering" are shedding crocodile tears and have said nothing about the ridiculous GOP gerrymanders that have been sweeping through the South and eliminating Democratic seats in state after state. So Maryland Juice voted against Question 5 and wants to see a map re-drawn that factors in the interests of the party base. Moreover, a new map should not disadvantage Montgomery Democrats, and at a minimum would allow the party to stick John Delaney's house into CD6.

If you live in Montgomery County:

• VOTE FOR QUESTION A - Disability Hiring - Question A is common sense, as it would expand hiring opportunities for disabled individuals.

• VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE ON QUESTION B - Montgomery County Police Union Effects Bargaining Repeal - I'm not sure it makes sense for me to explain how I voted on this measure, as the matter seems to be confounding many people. The only thing I will say is this: I don't like the idea that my tax dollars can go to referenda lobbying. How much should the County be allowed to spend on this? Who decides? Do we get a say? Why stop at Question B, why not spend on the other issues? Would we be cool with Blaine Young spending money against the Dream Act in Frederick? Should the state legislature then spend money defending the laws it passed? I think County Executive Ike Leggett is setting a terrible precedent in Montgomery County by spending so many staff and monetary resources on referendum advocacy. Meanwhile, his personal campaign account was flush with funds at last check. Why didn't he just pay for this with his campaign account? I think Montgomery County residents should be very concerned about the fact that the government has been spending money on referenda advertising this cycle.

Thanks for reading!
 - Juice