MD U.S. House Members Respond to Survey on Deportations // Only 1 Congressman Speaking Out To End It Now - Guess Who!

Below Maryland Juice writer Dan Furmansky presents the results of a fascinating poll he conducted of our state's Democratic members of the U.S. House: Elijah Cummings, John Delaney, Donna Edwards, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Chris Van Hollen. Furmansky previously called on Maryland's U.S. House Democrats to help end the Obama administration's record-setting number of immigrant deportations. Today, he presents a follow-up article with commentary from a range of Maryland's Democratic Congressman, but only one agreed to sign a letter to President Obama calling for a suspension of further deportations of those who would be eligible for deferred action under proposed immigration reform legislation. Guess who the one Maryland Democrat is to speak out clearly on this issue? The answer is within Dan Furmansky's article below. In the meantime, I'll remind you of some of the key facts Furmansky raised in his previous article on mass deportations:

• The United States is now deporting people at a faster rate than at any time in our modern history — an estimated 1,100 people per day. 

• According to data obtained by the news website Colorlines, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deported nearly 205,000 parents of U.S. citizen children from July 1, 2010 to Sept. 31, 2012.

• A report from the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute released earlier this year found that the United States spent more money on immigration enforcement — nearly $18 billion in the 2012 fiscal year — than on all of its other law enforcement agencies combined.  

• More than 410,000 undocumented workers were deported last year, an all-time high.

• The government spends about 15 times more on immigration enforcement than it did in the mid-1980s, adjusted for inflation, the report found. 

DAN FURMANSKY: A few weeks ago, I urged Maryland’s congressional delegation to call for a change in the terms of the immigration reform debate by asking the President — also known as the “Deporter in Chief” in some circles — to use his power to halt all deportations. There are a host of reasons why this is a good idea, and this is the right time to put such an idea into action. In case you missed it, here is more of the logic and background on the President’s zeal for deportations:

BACKGROUND: Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva and Rep. Yvette Clarke are circulating to their Congressional colleagues a sign-on letter to President Obama, urging him to suspend any further deportations and expand the successful deferred action program to all those who would be potential citizens under immigration reform.

I reached out to our state’s congressional offices about the letter and heard back from most of them. Unfortunately, despite repeated outreach, there was radio silence from Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, aka the man who still can’t decide if he is running for Governor, and a couple others. Also, I confess I got a little lazy and didn’t bother to reach out to Rep. Andy Harris’ office but — really — can you blame me?

Only one member of our Congressional delegation stated that at this point they would sign the letter to President Obama and urge a halt to all deportations now. And who, you ask, possesses the most willingness to publicly stand up against the repressive policies that are tearing apart immigrant families? Congressman John Delaney.

My fellow Juicer, aka Mr. Maryland Juice himself, was recently critical of Rep. Delaney for taking a right turn on some issues. So it’s particularly refreshing to see that Rep. Delaney is willing to step out on this important issue. Congressmen Delaney: Thank You.  Here’s the statement the Congressman’s office released when they notified us of intent to sign the letter calling for a halt to President Obama's mass deportation practices:

JOHN DELANEY: Last year, deportations of undocumented workers reached an all-time high.  I’m proud to join my colleagues in writing President Obama encouraging him to support common-sense use of selective enforcement of deportation to prioritize those who commit crimes and pose a public safety risk.  At the same time, I encourage the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and come together in a bipartisan manner to implement comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented workers.

Unfortunately, for the time being, at least, our other Democratic members of Congress from Maryland are banking on movement from Republican House leadership, which I fear may be like Waiting for Godot.  Here are some statements from other Maryland Democrats (Note: We did not receive official statements from Rep. Elijah Cummings and Donna Edwards by press time):

Office of Congressman Hoyer: Mr. Hoyer strongly supports President Obama's decision to defer deportation action against DREAMers and remains hopeful that Congress will address our broken immigration system by taking a comprehensive approach that will secure our borders while establishing a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers, their families, and all law-abiding, undocumented individuals. He believes the House should take up comprehensive legislation, such as the bipartisan Senate bill, as soon as possible and is confident the Obama administration will fairly enforce existing law until Congress takes comprehensive action to fix our broken system.

Office of Congressman Sarbanes: Congressman Sarbanes looks forward to connecting with his colleagues on efforts to ensure that the United States implements a rational and humane deportation policy, particularly as we anticipate passage of comprehensive immigration reform. Congressman Sarbanes believes such reform must include a pathway to citizenship that keeps families together and in other key respects is fair and respectful of our nation's values and traditions.

Office of Congressman Van Hollen: The President’s deferred action for DREAMers has been a resounding success and Congressman Van Hollen remains committed to passing immigration reform to provide a pathway to citizenship for those DREAMers, their families, and other undocumented individuals.  His focus is on convincing House Republicans to stop obstructing the will of the people and permanently fix our broken immigration system. The Congressman is confident the Obama Administration will enforce the existing law in a fair and appropriate way.”

Unfortunately, the President is not enforcing existing law in a fair and appropriate way. Every day, families are being ripped apart. Children are being kept from their parents who are kept in detention, sometimes to the benefit of the private prison industry. And there are estimates that 30,000 people were deported in August alone. Here is just one example of a case that highlights the injustice:

MARYLAND CASE STUDY // A FATHER FACING DEPORTATION FOR A YOUTHFUL PRANK MANY YEARS AGO? - A Maryland of father of two — Manny Shoemaker — is being kept from his wife and two children (who are U.S. citizens) in a Worcester County Detention Center. Manny is the primary breadwinner for the family and covers them on his health insurance. This man has been in this country since he was 4-years-old, and has been a legal permanent resident since then. But Manny apparently committed a “crime of moral turpitude” as a youngster. He tried to steal a golf cart from a local golf course with a group of friends. His U.S. citizen friends got off with probation, while he served 6 months in jail. Now, years and years later, he is languishing in detention, which makes zero sense. You can learn more about Manny Shoemaker's case and join me in signing a petition on his behalf here.

Signing these petitions, incidentally, is crucially important when it comes to immigration cases like this. In fact, in many cases, community attention is the only thing that successfully defers deportation in these situations and keeps a parent with his or her children. Sadly, this case is hardly unique. It’s but one, sad example among millions.

In addition to the glaringly cruel deportation policy that taints this country every day — a policy that the President has the power to change — it is entirely unclear that movement is possible in the House on the bill passed by the Senate. According to the AP, voices opposed to immigration have been muted during this August recess, with some Republican Party activists claiming the focal point of energies have been trained on opposing the Affordable Care Act, not immigration reform. Pro-reform advocates claim they have turned some Republican members during this congressional recess. According to the AP, whether this adds up to the House taking up the Senate-passed bill is iffy at best (excerpt below):

ASSOCIATED PRESS: GOP House leaders have rejected that approach, vowing instead to proceed with bills addressing individual immigration issues, beginning with border security. And although by advocates' count more than 20 House Republicans have now declared their support for some kind of citizenship path, the majority of House Republicans remain opposed, creating a potentially unbridgeable divide between the House and the Senate. Congress also faces looming deadlines on the debt ceiling and spending bills to keep the government running. It all adds up to a tough environment for getting an immigration bill to Obama's desk. 

Nonetheless, pro-immigrant advocates are claiming success in their August recess efforts to pressure House Republicans to act on immigration in the fall. An unusual and deep-pocketed alliance of Catholics and evangelicals, labor unions, business groups and others have been targeting dozens of GOP members viewed as open to hearing them out, and say they'll have momentum on their side when Congress reconvenes. 

"The big story I think of the August recess is that we haven't seen what some had predicted, this major anti-immigrant movement where members of Congress would be heckled into inaction," Galen Carey, vice president of government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals, said on a media call this week to announce a $400,000, 14-state radio ad campaign in support of immigration reform. "We've seen very much that that has been a muted voice, but actually the pro-immigrant voice has been rather prominent at many of the town halls that we have observed."

Unfortunately, other signs aren’t sign promising. House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) told a radio host that he opposes a path to citizenship even for young documented people brought to the United States as children. And The Hill reports that even Rep. Luis Guitierrez is feeling despondent (excerpt below):

THE HILL: The veteran Democrat is known as one of the Capitol’s eternal optimists, but as he chats with reporters before a rally in a Republican district, he is struggling to chart a path to final passage for comprehensive immigration reform, the issue he has championed for two decades in the House. “I was hopeful we would be in a better place today,” [Rep. Luis] Gutierrez (D-Ill.) conceded.

I’m not saying we should give up on passing comprehensive immigration reform. Hardly. I am saying that while the Senate bill languishes (a Senate bill that already possesses laboriously long waiting periods for immigrants to obtain citizenship) and the Republicans continue to drag their feet on crafting their own likely-Draconian proposal, the President can take the same bold action he took one year ago via executive order and at the same time dramatically propel the conversation forward....

Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, often says it best:

PABLO ALVARADO: Anyone who thinks the President should suspend deportations as a "Plan B" is missing the point.  The President should make a suspension of deportations and an expansion of deferred action part of a "Plan A" precisely to help move a bill forward in Congress.  His decision to grant deferred action to childhood arrivals (DACA) showed that we can make incremental progress and galvanize momentum for an omnibus bill at the same time.  But it also begged the question:  Why isn't the President doing more?

In a quote being spread widely, GOP Senator Marco Rubio said that Obama could issue “an executive order as he did for the DREAM Act kids a year ago, where he basically legalizes 11 million people by the sign of a pen,” and doing so doesn’t require the intolerable compromises we’ve seen in Congress.  Rubio goes on to say, “We won’t get any E-Verify. We won’t get any border security. But he’ll legalize them.”

The precise action being discussed here makes Republicans very nervous. Let’s use that, shall we? And at the same time, we can put into practice the compassion we tout as Democrats committed to making life better for all families.

- Dan  Furmansky

P.S. You can read the full letter from Representatives Grijalva and Clarke to President Obama below:

Letter to Obama from Rep's Raul Grijalva & Yvette Clarke Calling for End to Mass Deportation

ROLL CALL: See How MD House Members Voted on NSA Mass Surveillance // HINT: Vote Edwards or Sarbanes for US Senate?

BACKGROUND: Yesterday Maryland Juice reported that in response to revelations that our government was engaging in constitutionally questionable mass surveillance of Americans, the U.S. House of Representatives would be voting on a proposal to end funding for the NSA's warehousing of your communications. For years Democrats berated President George W. Bush and his minions (Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft) over their post-9/11 war on civil liberties and the Constitution. But for years now, we've watched as the Democrats took power and used their status to continue and expand Bush's assault on our privacy and liberty.

Yesterday the nation got a chance to see who among the hundreds of members of the U.S. House would actually be willing to take a vote to restore due process. Unfortunately, the effort to protect civil liberties came breathtakingly close but fell short by a handful of votes in a 205 to 217 vote.

Maryland's eight U.S. House members split 50/50 on protecting due process and your privacy, and a switch of only seven votes would've changed the outcome in favor of the people. Below we highlight how the Free State's Congressional delegation voted on the effort to end the NSA's mass surveillance program, and we provide some political context for the pathetic anti-civil liberties votes from four of our U.S. House members. But first, The New York Times reported on the broad context of the anti-surveillance effort (excerpt below):

NEW YORK TIMES: A deeply divided House defeated legislation Wednesday that would have blocked the National Security Agency from collecting vast amounts of phone records, handing the Obama administration a hard-fought victory in the first Congressional showdown over the N.S.A.’s surveillance activities since Edward J. Snowden’s security breaches last month.

The 205-to-217 vote was far closer than expected and came after a brief but impassioned debate over citizens’ right to privacy and the steps the government must take to protect national security. It was a rare instance in which a classified intelligence program was openly discussed on the House floor, and disagreements over the  program led to some unusual coalitions....

The amendment to the annual Defense Department spending bill, written by Representatives Justin Amash, a libertarian Republican from Western Michigan, and John Conyers Jr., a veteran liberal Democrat from Detroit, turned Democrat against Democrat and Republican against Republican. It would have limited N.S.A. phone surveillance to specific targets of law enforcement investigations, not broad dragnets....

Mr. Amash framed his push as a defense of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure, and he found a surprising ally, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Republican of Wisconsin and one of the principal authors of the Patriot Act. Mr. Sensenbrenner said his handiwork was never meant to create a program that allows the government to demand the phone records of every American. “The time has come to stop it,” Mr. Sensenbrenner said....

Ultimately, 94 House Republicans defied their leadership; 111 Democrats — a majority of the Democratic caucus — defied their president....

HOW DID MARYLAND'S U.S. HOUSE MEMBERS VOTE?- Though a majority of U.S. House Democrats voted to curb the NSA's sketchy mass surveillance program, a majority of Maryland's U.S. House Democrats voted to continue the erosion of their constituents' privacy rights and civil liberties. See the Maryland roll call below:

VOTED TO END SURVEILLANCE OF MARYLANDERS (GOOD VOTE)

• Rep. Elijah Cummings - CD7 Democrat
• Rep. Donna Edwards - CD4 Democrat
• Rep. Andy Harris - CD1 Republican
• Rep. John Sarbanes - CD3 Democrat

VOTED TO CONTINUE SURVEILLANCE OF MARYLANDERS (EVIL VOTE)

• Rep. John Delaney - CD6 Democrat
• Rep. Steny Hoyer - CD5 Democrat
• Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger - CD2 Democrat
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen - CD8 Democrat

SHADINESS FROM MARYLAND'S HOUSE DEMOCRATS WHO SUPPORT NSA SPYING - Four Maryland Democratic House members voted to continue funding the NSA's mass surveillance program, joining a majority of Republicans, including policymakers like Michele Bachmann, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor. Let's explore the anti-civil liberties votes (and some hypocrisy) from a few of Maryland's Democrats below:

#1 - REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER: Ruppersberger's vote to continue funding the NSA's mass surveillance program should not come as a surprise to anybody. The NSA, after all, is headquartered in his district, and Dutch co-authored the controversial CISPA cybersnooping proposal which failed earlier this year (ironically with the backdrop of a White House veto threat that cited the privacy rights of individuals). But it is worth noting the numerous reports that Rep. Ruppersberger is one of the top recipients of contributions from the same Pentagon contractors who are doing much of the spying. The Washington Times reiterated this point last month (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON TIMES: Six of the largest government contractors doing “Top Secret” work for the National Security Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies have given more than $16 million to lawmakers since 2007, according to Maplight, a firm that tracks political donations.   

The biggest donors were Lockheed Martin, whose employees gave over $5 million; Boeing, Inc. whose workers chipped in more than $4.5 million; and Northrop Grumman, $3.3 million....

Democratic Rep. C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, whose Maryland district includes the Fort Meade headquarters of the NSA, and who is the ranking member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, received the second most in contributions, with just over $225,000....

#2 - REP. STENY HOYER: Steny Hoyer's vote to continue the mass surveillance of Americans is also not a shocker. Hoyer previously voted for the Patriot Act twice. Moreover, in past months, Hoyer was running around the country endorsing centrist/conservative Democrats in contested Democratic Primaries, presumably in the hope of finding allies in his quest to succeed Nancy Pelosi. But even more disturbing than Hoyer's positioning against progressives is his seeming use of the Patriot Act and government surveillance as political tools. For example, Maryland Juice located a 2005 press release from Mr. Hoyer where he hypocritically chastised Republicans over their use of the Patriot Act, before voting for it multiple times. Interestingly, the press release appears to have been removed from Hoyer's website, though I was able to track down a backed up copy (excerpt below):

STENY HOYER (CIRCA 2005):  House Republicans Abdicate Oversight on Patriot Act

Today, on this House floor, the American people will see no division in our willingness to do what is necessary to fight terrorism. What they will see today, however, is an absolute abuse of power by this Republican Majority – which has deliberately and purposely chosen to stifle a full debate on this important legislation, the Patriot Act.

This Republican rule is nothing less than a craven failure of our Congressional oversight responsibility on legislation that involves the government’s power to intrude on American lives. Every single year, Mr. Speaker, this Congress reauthorizes Department of Defense programs.  This reauthorization process allows us to assess, to re-examine and to re-calibrate our defense policies to the changing circumstances.

Today, however, we are being forced by this Republican Majority to permanently authorize 14 of 16 provisions of the Patriot Act.  And, we are being forced to extend the remaining two provisions – one that involves “roving” wiretaps; the other dealing with the FBI’s power to demand business records – for 10 years.

Democrats fought to sunset these provisions.  Why?  Because when it comes to the government’s power to intrude on the private lives of American citizens, the United States Congress should not be a participant in giving the government unchecked power to do so.  But our Republican friends seem to be afraid of a free, full debate on this issue.  Why are they so afraid of our democratic process?....

This Republican rule is an affront not only to Democrats – but to the American people and to our constitutional principles. And, history will record it as such.  Vote no on this rule.

#3 - REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Van Hollen is actually my own representative in Congress, so his vote to continue supporting the mass surveillance of Americans (including me) is very, very disappointing. Many of us expect a solid progressive voting record from Rep. Van Hollen, especially considering that his district is anchored in liberal Montgomery County. But the vote to continue eroding civil liberties and due process for Van Hollen's constituents appears to be the latest in a small string of support for the military industrial complex from someone who is often seen as Montgomery County's "golden boy."

In March of 2011, Van Hollen voted against winding down the war in Afghanistan (note that Rep. Donna Edwards was the only House member from Maryland to vote to end the war). Then in October of 2011, the Montgomery County Council introduced a completely symbolic resolution asking Congress to spend more money on social programs instead of war. The resolution had enough sponsors to pass, but strangely The Washington Post reported that it was withdrawn after lobbying by Lockheed Martin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: A Montgomery County Council resolution asking Congress to spend less on wars and redirect the funds to social programs has drawn the scrutiny of one of the county’s largest employers and other lawmakers.... The nonbinding resolution, introduced by County Council President Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring), had gained a 5 to 4 majority on the council and was scheduled for a vote Tuesday.

But late last week, lawmakers and Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin, a defense contracting giant that employs more than 5,000 workers in Montgomery, urged county officials against the resolution. Ervin has withdrawn the measure, citing lack of support.

Council members and county officials were called by one of Lockheed Martin’s top lobbyists, a state delegate, and the offices of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D)....

Going back to the topic of the Patriot Act, it should be highlighted that like Steny Hoyer, Van Hollen sang a different tune in 2005. Check out his hilariously contradictory past statements about the Patriot Act (excerpt below):

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (CIRCA 2005): Mr. Chairman, I rise to explain my decision to vote against the Conference Report on the Patriot Act.... It is very important that, in our effort to defend the liberties that Americans cherish, we not enact measures that erode the very freedoms we seek to protect. We can ensure that the government has the necessary surveillance powers without sacrificing the privacy rights of Americans....

Unlike the Senate bill, the Conference Report allows the government to obtain personal information on a mere showing of “relevance,” thereby striking the safeguard contained in the Senate passed bill that required a three-part test.  This allows the government to obtain this information without demonstrating that the information that they are seeking has some connection to a terrorist or a spy....

It is important that any policy that is advanced to enhance our nation’s security always maintains appropriate “sunshine” and checks and balances on those law enforcement and intelligence agencies that are empowered to promote national security.  History reminds us that these law enforcement tools can be overzealously used and may also be directed at innocent parties....

#4 - REP. JOHN DELANEY: There's not much to say about John Delaney's vote to support the mass surveillance of his constituents. As a freshman lawmaker with no legislative record, politicos had little information available to try and predict how Delaney might vote in Congress. But I guess we're beginning to get a sense of him, and if this vote is any indication, it does not appear that Delaney prioritizes civil liberties or due process. This morning, however, I did receive the following press statement from Delaney's office "explaining" his vote:

JOHN DELANEY: In considering the Amash amendment, I do not believe that it represents the best approach to this critical national security topic. Oversight and smart reform deserve full deliberation and consideration. Unfortunately, this was a hurried debate on truly sweeping changes, via an amendment to the defense appropriations bill. Such an approach does not do justice to the seriousness of the issue, for either side.

The surveillance programs administered by the NSA and other agencies raise serious and troubling constitutional questions that need to be resolved. With new technologies emerging each day, we need to continually revisit our government practices. Our system of government has checks in place and Congress has an important oversight role. We should continue to be vigilant, ensuring that our constitutional rights are protected and I hope we have a serious debate about the future of this program. 

Basically it sounds like Delaney did not have enough time to think about whether the gutting of the 4th amendment and mass surveillance of his constituents was kosher. Um, okay. It was also reported this week that he stands to earn $69 million from the sale of his company, so maybe he's banking on being able to vote however he wants.


A HYPOTHETICAL OPEN SEAT PRIMARY FOR U.S. SENATE? -  So there you have it folks -- only four of Maryland's eight U.S. House members voted to curb the mass surveillance of their constituents, and one of the four "good" votes even came from Tea Party Rep. Andy Harris. Where does that leave progressives in the event that a U.S. Senate seat opens up down the road? At this point in time it seems like most of Maryland's congressional delegation would be interested in a promotion to the U.S. Senate, but there seem to be dwindling choices for those of us who are tired of the "inside" game when it comes to issues of justice and liberty. If the election were held today, based on the trajectory of these voting records, Maryland Juice would be forced to take a close look at Rep. Donna Edwards and Rep. John Sarbanes. I hate to say it, but a lot of other folks in our delegation are looking kind of suspect right now.... You can attribute this partly to their ambition, partly to their unwillingness to buck leadership, and partly to their feelings of invincibility in their current positions (*eye roll*).  But as one of my friends used to enjoy stating, "nobody's irreplaceable." And you can bet that if a U.S. Senate seat eventually emerges, Maryland's progressive primary electorate will be able to quickly rule out some of the potential options. But there's still time for these wayward lawmakers to make it right!


ANGRY TWEETS AGAINST THE FOUR MARYLAND DEMOCRATS WHO SUPPORTED MASS SURVEILLANCE - Maryland Juice is not the only one who is extremely irate about the assault on civil liberties from Congress. After the NSA vote, we saw a number of angry Tweets being directed at Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. John Delaney and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (samples below):

BACK TO SCHOOL FOR A CIVICS LESSON? - Amazingly, a wide range of telephone and Internet companies decided to give the NSA access to your user data (eg: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Skype, YouTube, etc). That is a situation that will need to be addressed by consumers very soon. But even more disturbing than the corporate misbehavior is that a large chunk of Congress (aka our representatives) apparently need a civics refresher course. After all, Maryland Juice would argue that this NSA surveillance vote was no ordinary vote. Whether the U.S. government can snoop without justification on the communications of millions of innocent Americans raises fundamental questions about due process, civil liberties, and abuse of power -- and more importantly, the issue begs the question of where these lawmakers draw the line when acting in the name of our safety. The slippery slope we all feared when Bush implemented the Patriot Act has become all too real, and Congress continues to let it happen. Enough already!

League of Conservation Voters Rates Maryland U.S. House Members // Rep. Sarbanes & Edwards #1 for Environment

The environmental advocates at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) have released their annual scorecard for members of Congress on the environment. Below we show how Maryland's U.S. House delegation stacks up, including information on what bills led to their ratings. We didn't bother to write about Senators Ben Cardin & Barbara Mikulski, given that both had a 100% LCV rating in 2012. Here's a quick snapshot of Maryland's U.S. House members:

2012 LCV Rankings

1. Rep. Donna Edwards & Rep. John Sarbanes - 97%
2. Rep. Steny Hoyer & Chris Van Hollen - 91%
3. Rep. Elijah Cummings - 89% 
4. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger - 71% 
5. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett - 26%
6. Rep. Andy Harris - 16%   

Lifetime LCV Rankings 

1. Rep. Chris Van Hollen - 98%
2. Rep. Donna Edwards - 97%
3. Rep. John Sarbanes - 96%
4. Rep. Elijah Cummings - 94%
5. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger - 83%
6. Rep. Steny Hoyer - 80% 
7. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett - 20%
8. Rep. Andy Harris - 7% 

To come up with these ratings, LCV monitored votes on a range of issues. You can read the full LCV issue summaries below. But first, Maryland Juice highlights the environmental bills that our Congressional Democrats did not support. The numbers next to each issue correspond to the explanations in LCV document below.

Democratic Votes Against LCV Environmental Position:

Rep. Elijah Cummings (Good on 31/35 Issues):

• Bad Votes: (5) Freeway in St. Croix, (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare 
  
• Absent: (15) Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline, (21) Broad Assault on Federal Land & Wildlife

Rep. Donna Edwards (Good on 34/35 Issues):  

• Bad Votes: (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare

Rep. Steny Hoyer (Good on 32/35 Issues):

• Bad Votes: (5) Freeway in St. Croix, (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare, (19) Nuclear Energy Corporate Welfare

 
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (Good on 25/35 Issues):

• Bad Votes: (1) Oil Shale Exploration on Public Land, (5) Freeway in St. Croix, (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare, (19) Nuclear Energy Corporate Welfare
• Absent: (32) Climate Science Denial, (33) Clean Water Safeguards, (34) Smog & Air Pollution, (35) Broad Environmental Assault

Rep. John Sarbanes (Good on 34/35 Issues):  

• Bad Votes: (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare 

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Good on 32/35 Issues):  

• Bad Votes: (5) Freeway in St. Croix, (18) Fossil Fuel Corporate Welfare, (19) Nuclear Energy Corporate Welfare

Last year, Maryland's two Republican Congressmen (Roscoe Bartlett & Andy Harris) voted against most of the environmental protection bills in Congress. As a result, rather than highlight their bad votes, below we flag the good votes that the two GOP officials made. Again, the numbers next to each issue correspond to the explanations in LCV document below.
 

Republican Votes FOR LCV Environmental Position:

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (Good on 9/35 Issues):  

• Good Votes: (2) Offshore Drilling Corporate Welfare, (13) Climate Change Education, (14) Flood Insurance Reform, (17) Renewable Energy Funding, (21) Broad Assault on Federal Land & Wildlife, (23) Clean Air Standards, (25) Migratory Bird Protections, (30) Land Conservation Funding, (31) Minnesota Land Swap

Rep. Andy Harris (Good on 2/35 Issues):  

• Good Votes: (14) Flood Insurance Reform, (30) Land Conservation Funding

LCV House Ratings - Issue Summaries 2012

JuiceBlender: Candidates Line Up for MoCo Exec, Pelosi Stays, GOP Debates Fate of Mooney, GOP Libertarians Seek Influence

Below Maryland Juice provides a quick follow-up to several recent stories we've been following:

JUICE #1: NANCY PELOSI NOT LEAVING LEADERSHIP SPOT // NO SOUP FOR HOYER - Maryland Juice has been following the possibility of a leadership change for the U.S. House Democratic caucus. Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Chris Van Hollen had both been named as possible successors, but today Pelosi put a halt to the speculation and announced she was staying on. See an excerpt from The Washington Post report below:

WASHINGTON POST: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) announcement Wednesday that she will stay in her job means two Maryland Democrats — Reps. Steny Hoyer and Chris Van Hollen — will be stuck in place for at least two more years.... Now Hoyer will stay on as whip.... The lack of movement means there is nowhere for Van Hollen to go.... Van Hollen is 53 while Pelosi is 72 and Hoyer is 73.

Notably, The Huffington Post reported that progressive groups were making a last-minute plea to Pelosi not to retire.

JUICE #2: CANDIDATES LINE UP FOR 2014 MOCO EXECUTIVE'S RACE - Yesterday Maryland Juice flagged an article in the Examiner discussing MoCo Councilmember George Leventhal's fundraising activities for a 2014 Executive run. We named a few other candidates who have are rumored to be weighing the County Exec race. But today, The Gazette's Kate Alexander has a worthwhile story that provides a more grounded round-up of the current candidate field. She was able to get comments on the record from several candidates, and now we can see what folks are up to. First, Councilmember Phil Andrews appears to be definitely in the race for 2014 Executive, and sources who have spoken to Andrews confirm he's in it to win it. As previously noted, Leventhal is obviously also plotting a run and fundraising. But The Gazette also has current Executive Ike Leggett on-the-record sticking to his previous declaration that he would not seek re-election. Moreover, based on the interviews, it also appears as though more Councilmembers are eyeing the race than we previously noted. Check out an excerpt from The Gazette's coverage below:

GAZETTE: Councilmen Philip M. Andrews and George L. Leventhal have confirmed they are pursuing campaigns for executive....

State Del. Benjamin Kramer (D-Dist. 19) of Derwood said he is considering a bid, but will wait to see what Leggett does. Councilman Marc B. Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park said he too is waiting to see what Leggett does before he decides his plan for 2014.... 

Steve Silverman ... would not say if he was or was not planning to run for the position again.... Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said she is still exploring her options.... Nancy Floreen would also not disclose any plans, nor would former Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg. Said Floreen: “I’m running for something.” 

“All options are on the table right now,” Trachtenberg said in an email....

 We took The Gazette's comments and tried to use them to sort the candidates into categories below:

• Planning an Executive Run: Councilmembers Phil Andrews & George Leventhal
• Won't Say Either Way/Keeping Options Open:  Councilmembers Valerie Ervin & Nancy Floreen, former Councilmember Steve Silverman & Duchy Trachtenberg
• Depends on Ike Leggett: Councilmember Marc Elrich, Delegate Ben Kramer
• AWOL: former Executive Doug Duncan

Notably, The Gazette article also stated that the following candidates have stated they are simply running for re-election to the County Council:

• Running for Re-Election to Council: Roger Berliner, Nancy Navarro, Craig Rice & Hans Riemer.

JUICE #3: MARYLAND GOP IMAGINES A FUTURE WITHOUT CHAIRMAN ALEX MOONEY - Maryland Juice has been writing about recent anger toward GOP Chairman Alex Mooney. Many within the Maryland GOP want him to resign, but the whole affair is triggering a very public debate about his record. Yesterday, former Ehrlich operative Richard Cross weighed in with his own questions (excerpt below):

RICHARD CROSS (VIA CROSS PURPOSES): Now, in light of the MDGOP’s disastrous election returns, the hanging party has ridden into town in search of Mooney.... As I ponder Mooney’s fate, I find myself asking two questions. First, if the party dumps Mooney, who will the next chairman be?....

Such pondering lead me to the second question: If Mooney goes, who would actually want the job, given the recent history of infighting and rebellion and the party’s seemingly grim future prospects?....

The case against Mooney has several different elements, but it is clear that the failure of the ballot initiatives is the tipping point in terms of people demanding his ouster.

When I talked to Chairman Mooney at the party’s spring convention he said to me, “I’m not perfect, but at least I’m trying to do the right thing.” I believe that. Now, it is up to him to convince partisans that he’s the right person to lead the party out of its present moment of darkness.

JUICE #4: GOP LIBERTARIANS SEEK ROLE IN RESHAPING PARTY - Maryland Juice has noticed that libertarian-minded Republicans seem to be asserting themselves more loudly these days. They believe that after the smack-down their party faced this month, their socially-liberal views may provide the GOP an opportunity to reach the voters they have been losing lately. See two examples below, one national and one from Maryland. First, U.S. Senator Rand Paul wants to inject libertarian social issues into the forefront of the GOP. Check out the quick excerpt from the long Politico article below:

POLITICO: He’ll push to loosen marijuana penalties, legalize undocumented immigrants and pursue a less aggressive American foreign policy. Call it the Rand Paul Evolution.

In the wake of Barack Obama’s reelection win and ahead of a possible 2016 White House bid of his own, the Kentucky Republican plans to mix his hard-line tea party conservatism with more moderate policies that could woo younger voters and minorities largely absent from the GOP coalition. It’s the latest tactic of the freshman senator to inject the Libertarian-minded views shared by his retiring father into mainstream Republican thinking as the party grapples with its future.

In an interview with POLITICO, Paul said he’ll return to Congress this week pushing measures long avoided by his party. He wants to work with liberal Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and Republicans to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for pot possession. He wants to carve a compromise immigration plan with an “eventual path” to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a proposal he believes could be palatable to conservatives. And he believes his ideas — along with pushing for less U.S. military intervention in conflicts overseas — could help the GOP broaden its tent and appeal to crucial voting blocs that handed Democrats big wins....

MARYLAND LIBERTY CAUCUS WANTS TO ROCK MD GOP AT THEIR CONVENTION: Meanwhile, back in Maryland a group called the "Maryland Liberty Caucus" wants to "defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, and free markets, by means of political activity." Led by Aberdeen Republican Patrick McGrady, they are joining with other groups on a project to rock "the MDGOP Back to Its Roots." Their announcement for the project has some criticisms about the way the Maryland GOP has been run. They plan on airing their complaints at the state party's convention at the end of the month (excerpt below):

MARYLAND LIBERTY CAUCUS: We have an exciting new project to tell you about– and we need your help.  It’s time to re-make the Maryland Republican Party from the grassroots up!

Our Liberty-minded elected officials, Party leaders, and Central Committee members are joining forces to launch the Maryland Liberty Caucus!

We all watched as the election results came in last Tuesday. We weren’t surprised.

You and I both know that the Maryland Republican Party is run from the top-down. The Republican Establishment doesn’t stand for conservative principles. They don’t appreciate the diverse, energetic, and conservative arm of the Party....

Here in Maryland, the Maryland Liberty Movement will re-brand the Republican Party from the bottom up. We are going to go full-tilt into the Maryland Republican Party Convention on November 30-December 1, 2012 in Howard County....

More on the re-building of the Maryland GOP soon!

JuiceBlender: Chris Van Hollen vs. Steny Hoyer for U.S. House Leadership, Voter Confrontation with Sam Arora & More!

Now that the Presidential election has ended, politicos are moving on with their other agenda items. Indeed, many efforts have been on hold until after the election was over. It has only been days, but already folks are now talking about the 2016 White House race, and 2014 gubernatorial candidates are getting busy. Below Maryland Juice discusses a few upcoming political showdowns, starting with pundit speculation about who might take Nancy Pelosi's place as the Democratic leader of the U.S. House:

JUICE #1: REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN VS. REP. STENY HOYER FOR U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER - Maryland Juice has been following the evolving story about U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's potential retirement. Indeed, Congressional Democrats are gearing up for a leadership shuffle and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer has been propping up centrist candidates and incumbents around the nation to try and take Nancy Pelosi's place. But pundits are beginning to discuss the possibility that the younger, more progressive Congressman Chris Van Hollen might be poised to challenge Hoyer for the top U.S. House spot. Indeed, Maryland Juice thinks he would better reflect the current trajectory of the Democratic Party nationally than Hoyer. Check out excerpts from the pair of articles below from Roll Call and Capital News Service (via Patch.com):

ROLL CALL: As speculation continues about the House Democratic leadership structure in the next Congress,  Rep. Chris Van Hollen  has been particularly busy....  He chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for two cycles and served as assistant to then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who named him to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction in 2011....

The scenario that some Democrats envision is that Van Hollen would be the beneficiary of a Pelosi-backed challenge to Hoyer for the Minority Leader’s job, should she step down after the elections. That could be the final chapter in the long and storied Pelosi-Hoyer rivalry. But the hurdles would be significant. Hoyer appears to maintain strong support in the Caucus and he’s served loyally for years under Pelosi, giving him a strong argument that it would be  his turn to lead....

But others keeping an eye on leadership intrigue note that leadership positions do not open up often, and that those in the party’s top echelon are very ambitious..... A Democratic strategist said the timing  “provides an opening to a challenger for one of the top leadership positions, but not much. If there’s anyone looking to run such a challenge, they’ll need to get their ducks in a row pretty quickly.”

Capital News Service updated the coverage on the story with this report (excerpt below):

CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE: If [Nancy Pelosi] were to resign, the most likely replacements would be Hoyer, Van Hollen or Clyburn, according [to University of Wisconsin professor David] Canon. Hoyer would be the next in the chain of succession as Democratic whip. "There is a tendency to just go up the leadership ladder and (Hoyer) is next in line. On the other hand, he is 73 years old," said Canon....

Van Hollen is younger, 53, and has built a high profile as a ranking member of the Budget Committee. He also played a key role as a past Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, which makes him popular with other members. "They're the ones in charge of handing out the money," said Canon adding, "He's someone who creates a lot of goodwill."

JUICE #2: BACK TO DEFEATING DELEGATE SAM ARORA IN 2014 - Now that the marriage equality battle in Maryland has ended, some are beginning to return their sights to Montgomery County's anti-civil rights backstabber, Delegate Sam Arora. Indeed, MoCo voters approved marriage equality with a whopping 65% support from all voters, but that means that within the Democratic Primary voting population the margin will be much higher. Even in the senior citizen precincts in Leisure World (which are in Sam Arora's District 19), a clear majority of voters approved marriage equality. Moreover, voters have apparently not forgotten about Sam Arora's betrayal. Check out the following amusing Sam Arora sighting from AmericaBlog:

AMERICABLOG: You might remember Sam Arora. Liberal Netroots youngster who worked for Hillary and got himself elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, with the help of all of his Democratic friends. Then turned around and stabbed them all in the back....

So we don’t like Sam Arora much. And a group of our friends are going to make it their personal mission to make sure that pint-sized bigot Sam Arora never works in Democratic politics again...

Anyway, one of our readers, Sue Cohen, was early voting in Maryland today (marriage equality is on the ballot). And who should she run into but Sam Arora... Here is Sue’s story.

Subject: My confrontation with Sam Arora (hint: it did not end well for him)

On line for early voting at the Bauer Rec Center in Rockville, who comes strolling down the line to offer info on… well who cares? I He spoke to me and I yelled at him: “Just STOP!” I put my hand up and said: “Oh no Sam. You pussed out on marriage equality — you can never say anything to me again!”

He started to back away and I finished with: “You are a one term delegate — go now!”

My daughter who was with me started laughing, as did the two men we were chatting with.  Sam quickly moved away and I loudly said: “What a coward that guy is — He takes money from the Marriage Equality people, pledges to vote for it then turns his back and votes “no” — Do not trust him!”

So not only did I vote a straight Democratic ticket, voted YES on Questions 4 & 6 , but called that bastard to account. A very good day.

Thanks,
Sue Cohen
Rockville MD

Even those who just moved into his District are aware of Sam Arora's betrayal. Check out the amusing posts I caught on Twitter recently:

EARLY WARNING: Those Democrats who choose to stand by Sam Arora in 2014 should be judged harshly for doing so. STAND WITH THE PARTY BASE & LET HIM SINK.


JUICE #3: 2016 WHITE HOUSE SPECULATION BEGINS ANEW - The national pundits are already back to rating the 2016 White House race. The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza pulled together a list of possible GOP and Democratic candidates, and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is (of course) on the list. Interestingly, in a race without Hillary Clinton, Cillizza thinks that Cuomo is the front-runner. He also speculates that Maryland might be the most liberal state in the nation (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: "Handicapping the 2016 presidential field"

Andrew Cuomo: If Clinton and Biden stay out, the governor of New York starts the 2016 race as the frontrunner. (Yes, those are big “if’s” but we are talking about a race that’s four years away!) Cuomo has a lot going for him as a national candidate: 1) he’s from a big and very Democratic state 2) He has already demonstrated an ability to raise lots and lots of money 3) He has a golden last name in American politics 4) He shepherded the New York same-sex marriage bill to passage in the state legislature, making him a hero to the gay community nationally 5) He is a political operative at heart, having played a lead strategy role in his father’s various political machinations.

Martin O’Malley: The governor of Maryland is, from all indications, the most “in” of any of the people on this list when it comes to 2016. O’Malley used his perch as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association this cycle to boost his profile among reporters, donors and activists. (O’Malley was a near-constant on the Sunday show chat circuit.) Working for O’Malley is his record governing perhaps the most liberal state in the country, a top-tier (and experienced) consulting team and his own native political acumen (O’Malley was mobbed up in the Gary Hart presidential bids of the 1980s.) Working against O’Malley is the sense that he may be a poor man’s Cuomo and that he isn’t a proven commodity on the big national stage. 

JUICE #4: MARYLAND GOP INSULTS PUNDITS WHILE SPINNING THEIR EPIC FAIL - Maryland Juice just caught another amusing article where state Republican officials were trying to claim victory after their slaughter at the ballot box. Check out the ridiculous comments from the Maryland GOP in The Gazette. The Republican spokesperson quoted below even insults the political science professors who are calling the GOP out-of-touch with Maryland (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: ...the Maryland Republican Party did not have a bad night from Tuesday’s election results, the party’s spokesman said. “I actually think the opposite,” Maryland Republican Party spokesman David Ferguson said Wednesday. “We had a great day....” “If they say this is a Republican failure, that’s absolutely false,” Ferguson said. “If there’s any perception [Tuesday] was a bad day, it’s backwards....”

“It’s clear the Republican Party led by the Tea Party is out of sync with voters in Maryland,” said Tim Magrath, executive director of the J. Glenn Beall Jr. Institute for Public Affairs at Frostburg State University. “The times that Republicans have done well in Maryland is when they are moderate....”

The Maryland Republican Party’s opposition to the state Dream Act as it was approved in Maryland “flew in the face of what Latinos were looking for” and showed they were out of step with most Marylanders, said Stella M. Rouse, assistant professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park....

“These are political science professors who sit in offices and have never run campaigns,” Ferguson said....

More on the post-election strategery soon!