BALTIMORE SUN: We join Mr. Dwyer's colleagues from both sides of the General Assembly aisle in asking that he seek help in some appropriate residential treatment program. He should also resign from office. It's clear enough that the burden of public life is too much of a distraction for the delegate and may well be what's preventing him from fully appreciating his grave circumstances.
We take no joy in this development. The path to sobriety is seldom an easy one or without setbacks. Nor do we necessarily fully understand the personal demons and difficulties that may have contributed to his circumstances.Now today’s article in The Sun, entitled “Law likely won't force Dwyer from office,” has more to say on the matter (excerpt below):
But we do know this: Such behavior is unbecoming a state legislator. Current state law, which does not give the state legislature authority to remove Mr. Dwyer from office nor for his District 31 constituents to seek his recall, is once again proving itself inadequate in the matter of a law-breaking elected official in this state. It is up to the delegate to do the right thing....
BALTIMORE SUN: Fellow lawmakers have called on Del. Don Dwyer Jr. to resign after his drunken-driving arrest Tuesday, but there is little in Maryland law to force that outcome, a review of the state’s statutes on removal from office shows....
State voters approved a constitutional amendment last year to automatically suspend elected officials from office once they are found guilty of a felony or certain misdemeanors related to their official duties. If they remain guilty after exhausting the appeals process, they are permanently removed.
Tiffany Alston, a former Democratic delegate from Prince George’s County, was removed from office last fall after she was convicted of misconduct in office — a crime that officials determined related directly to her official duties.
But DUI, like boating while drunk, is a misdemeanor that would not be construed as having to do with service in office, according to the state attorney general’s office. The General Assembly has broad discretion to discipline its members but can expel only with a two-thirds vote of the full membership of the chamber in question....
Furthermore, it’s not clear that there is any political appetite to begin that process in Dwyer’s case. House Speaker Michael E. Busch, an Annapolis Democrat, criticized Dwyer’s conduct as “unbecoming of a legislator” but said his future in the legislature “will be decided by his own conscience … or, ultimately, by the voters.”
CBS NEWS: “The officer was immediately concerned for the safety of everyone on the road,” said Justin Mulcahy, Anne Arundel County Police spokesman. “It was driving erratically to say the least. It crossed over several lanes of traffic multiple times, onto the shoulder several times as well, even getting in front of vehicles.”
According to the official police report, during the traffic stop, the officers could smell a strong odor of alcohol, Dwyer’s speech was slow and slurred, and his eyes were glassy and red.
Police say Dwyer was traveling 70 mph in a 55 mph zone Tuesday morning. His car registration was expired and suspended for emissions, according to the police report.
Police say he failed three field sobriety tests and refused a breath test.
EYE ON ANNAPOLIS: Early this morning Anne Arundel County police pulled over a vehicle for suspected driving while intoxicated....
The driver of the vehicle was Anne Arundel County delegate Don Dwyer. Dwyer identified himself as a member of the House of delegates and failed several field sobriety tests....
Dwyer was arrested and brought back to the Eastern District for processing. The delegate refused to submit to a breath test.
WASHINGTON POST: In a renewed bid to avoid jail time, Maryland Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to a drunken boating charge stemming from a collision last year that injured seven people.
It will be up to a visiting judge, however, to decide in October whether to accept the plea deal that Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel) reached with prosecutors, which calls for no additional incarceration....
Because all of the charges filed against Dwyer were misdemeanors and none were directly related to his job as a state legislator, he has not been under threat of automatic expulsion from the General Assembly.
But House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) has said that he expects that a legislative ethics committee will examine the episode. That panel could recommend disciplinary actions ranging up to expulsion to the full House of Delegates.
Full Story: Washington Post: Mizeur calls for state action after death of Frederick County man with Down syndrome
Full Story: Washington Post: Gansler proposes steps to ease transitions for former prisoners
Full Story: Gazette: Most of new $1B transportation package for Montgomery is for Purple Line
WASHINGTON POST: Because all of the charges filed against Dwyer were misdemeanors and none were directly related to his job as a state legislator, he has not been under threat of automatic expulsion from the General Assembly.
But House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) has said that he expects that a legislative ethics committee will examine the episode. That panel could recommend disciplinary actions ranging up to expulsion to the full House of Delegates.
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| Tea Party Sheriff Chuck Jenkins at "Take Back America" Rally |
SPOKESMAN FOR JOHN DELANEY: Saw your post. I would disagree with your characterization that Congressman Delaney is “reversing a campaign promise.” From the very beginning he’s been a strong supporter of Simpson-Bowles, which includes entitlement reforms and cost of living adjustments. This was literally in the very first stories about John as an official candidate (see John Fritze’s story in the Baltimore Sun, 1/4/12) and was discussed frequently during the primary and the general election. John’s specific support for entitlement reform, was covered in the Washington Post’s (3/10/12) primary endorsement as well, which was something we distributed widely during the campaign.
Congressman Delaney does not want to cut Social Security. Like President Obama and Leader Pelosi have also stated, as part of a grand bargain he does believe changing the cost of living adjustment should be on the table and the fact is changing the cost of living adjustment isn’t a cut, it remains a net increase. We’re in an environment with folks who want to privatize, voucherize, and truly cut our safety net. John is against this and he wants to make sure these programs can be sustained and that we can continue to make other needed investments in education, infrastructure, etc.
EYE ON ANNAPOLIS: Conservative Republican Don Dwyer is considering switching parties in a move he has dubbed “Operation DINO–Democrats In Name Only. Citing frustrations, Dwyer asked his Facebook audience if they would still support him and his conservative values if he switched parties. The thought process was to upset the status-quo in the primary elections which tend to determine the make up of the General Assembly for Democrats....Here is a screencap from Del. Don Dwyer's Facebook page confirming the news:
RED MARYLAND: Sources in West Virginia have confirmed to me that Alex Mooney, who until February 21st was the Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, has moved to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
He intends to run for Congress there in the 2nd district seat being vacated by Representative Shelley Moore Capito, who is running for the U.S. Senate...
POTOMAC TEA PARTY REPORT: It’s time for a new political party, let’s try it in Maryland. Come on! What have we got to lose in this state! I can just hear the wailing and the gnashing of teeth out there from all of you who find the concept anathema. But, our situation is dire, perhaps as dire as when the founders signed the Declaration of Independence....
...there is no hope for our situation short of a new political party that welcomes all those who no longer feel represented, who feel that the special interests joined with the political class in Washington and in state capitals (Annapolis!) do not have the best interests at heart of the country class person who is completely disrespected by most of our representatives in government.... Democrat and Republican leaders are too busy wheeling and dealing in their crony capitalism cabal to care about us.
Frankly, I’ve listened for the last four years about how the country class needs to take over the Republican Party from within and I don’t see it happening (admittedly I have no stomach for it myself!). It’s time to try something else. And, I don’t mind being the whipping boy for suggesting it because I have nothing to personally gain or lose by doing so. I don’t need to be popular. Scream and shout! Hate me all you want—it’s time to give the Republican Party some “brutal image”—a revolution! .... Now! Who would like to step up and lead us?
DOUG GANSLER (VIA WALL STREET JOURNAL): Despite partisan divides, Americans consistently unite to defend against threats to national security. Chief among those threats is Iran, which has ignored repeated international calls for peace and instead pursued its nuclear-weapons capability and sponsored terrorist plots against the United States and its allies.
At the federal level, the threat of a nuclear-armed state sponsor of terror has brought nearly every member of Congress together to take action. In 2010, by a vote of 408-8 in the House and 99-0 in the Senate, Congress passed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act, which allows the U.S. to apply greater economic pressure on the Iranian regime. Cisada, as it is called, has been a powerful federal tool, but still more must be done....
As the lawyers for state pension funds and the defenders of state consumer pocketbooks, states' attorneys general should be doing all we can to protect state citizens from unnecessary financial risk. As the states' chief law-enforcement officers, we should be fighting lawlessness whenever it ensnares our states.
Coordinated state-level sanctions against Iran will disentangle state economies from Iran's harmful regime and increase pressure on companies to stop operating in Iran until its government changes its ways....
JON CARDIN JOB POSTING: Maryland State Delegate Jon Cardin Hiring Full-Time Campaign / Finance Staff Persons For 2014 Campaign For Attorney General of Maryland - Maryland and Washington DC
Responsibilities include:
- Traveling and working directly with the Candidate
- Organizing and coordinating events
- Compiling and analyzing data, research
- Developing and implementing strategic plans
Applicants for this position must:
- Have excellent communication skills
- Be able to write clearly and concisely
- Be able to balance and prioritize multiple projects
- Have proven organizational skills
- Be personable and enjoy working with others
- Be comfortable communicating on the telephone
- Ideally, have database experience
JOHN DELANEY 2012 - Social Security is a promise, and as your Congressman it’s one I intend to keep. For more than 75 years, Social Security has remained one of our most important and successful government programs. Today this program keeps more than 13 million Americans out of poverty. For countless more it makes a middle class retirement possible. The last thing we need to do is cut a program that has been so successful.
We must preserve this crucial program for future generations without cutting benefits or making radical and irresponsible changes. In Congress, I will defend Social Security and fight any attempts to privatize it.
JOHN DELANEY 2013 - In 2010, 13 percent of the population was over 65. By 2030, it will reach nearly 20 percent. This singular fact puts enormous pressure on the federal budget. Left alone, this trend will cause entitlement spending to consume 70 percent of our budget by 2024 and crowd out all of our other priorities. While we debate our fiscal trajectory for the next ten years, we should remember that years 11-20 are even more concerning; this problem gets materially worse after ten years, when entitlement costs increase dramatically....
As Democrats we need to step forward and lead on comprehensive reform of entitlement programs to make them sustainable and affordable across the long term and allow us to invest in our future.... The Simpson Bowles commission proposed specifics -- including raising the cap on taxable income for Social Security, adjustments to retirement age, additional revenue, and a revised cost of living adjustment methodology -- to accomplish this goal....
CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY: Though wrapped in a “farmer-friendly” package, this corporate welfare earmark is simply a biotech industry ploy to continue to plant [genetically engineered] crops even when a court of law has found they were approved illegally....
This would negate any meaningful judicial review of USDA’s decisions to allow commercialization of [genetically engineered] crops.... Call Senator Mikulski and demand that she pull this dangerous and unconstitutional rider! Call her office at (202) 224-4654 today!
BALTIMORE SUN: Proponents of repeal of the death penalty have picked up a potentially pivotal vote in the Senate with the decision of Sen. Ronald N. Young of Frederick County to support an end to executions in Maryland....
Young narrowly won election in 2010 in a district that previously sent a conservative Republican to the Senate. But he said he wasn't concerned about political fallous from his vote.
"My district's not as conservative as some people think it is," he said. "If it's a moral issue. I vote the way I think is right...."
WASHINGTON POST: Two more Maryland senators have said they will support a bill to abolish capital punishment, giving the measure backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) more than enough expected votes to clear the chamber.
Sen. John C. Astle (D-Anne Arundel) said in an interview with The Post on Monday that he plans to vote in favor of repealing Maryland’s death penalty. And Sen. Ronald N. Young (D-Frederick) also plans to vote for repeal, The Baltimore Sun reported Monday....
Astle, who is planning to run for re-election next year, said he wasn’t sure how his stance on capital punishment would affect his prospects.
"I’m going to be 70 years old in two months," he said. "If I can’t say what I believe and vote the way I believe, then what good am I?"
MD CASE: On February 14 two important hearings will happen on the bill to abolish Maryland's death penalty. We need to fill both rooms (simultaneously) to show the legislators how important it is that death penalty repeal happen THIS YEAR!
Governor Martin O'Malley is expected to lead off the testimony in both houses, so there will be lots of press, and lots of energy and excitement.
We hope you can be there to witness history in the making!
When: 1PM, Thursday Feb. 14 (arrive by 12:30 to get through security)
Where: Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing room
2 East Miller Senate Building, 11 Bladen Street,
Annapolis, MD 21401-1991
or
House Judiciary Committee hearing room
Room 100, House Office Building, 6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD 21401-1991
Parking: Parking is hard to come by in Annapolis; we advise using Gott's Court Parking Garage, 25 Calvert St., Annapolis, MD 21401. Cost will be around $11.00.
Have questions? Contact our office at 301-779-5230 or email us at info@mdcase.org.
WASHINGTON POST: A proposal by the Prince George’s County Board of Education to copyright work created by staff and students for school could mean that a picture drawn by a first-grader, a lesson plan developed by a teacher or an app created by a teen would belong to the school system, not the individual.
The measure has some worried that by the system claiming ownership to the work of others, creativity could be stifled and there would be little incentive to come up with innovative ways to educate students. Some have questioned the legality of the proposal as it relates to students.
"There is something inherently wrong with that," David Cahn, an education activist who regularly attends county school board meetings, said before the board’s vote to consider the policy....
ACLU: In December 2011, President Obama signed the 2012 NDAA, codifying indefinite military detention without charge or trial into law for the first time in American history. The NDAA's dangerous detention provisions would authorize the president - and all future presidents - to order the military to pick up and indefinitely imprison people captured anywhere in the world, far from any battlefield. The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress, or internationally.
Under the Bush administration, similar claims of worldwide detention authority were used to hold even a U.S. citizen detained on U.S. soil in military custody, and many in Congress now assert that the NDAA should be used in the same way again. The ACLU believes that any military detention of American citizens or others within the United States is unconstitutional and illegal, including under the NDAA. In addition, the breadth of the NDAA’s detention authority violates international law because it is not limited to people captured in the context of an actual armed conflict as required by the laws of war....
HUFFINGTON POST: Congress stripped a provision Tuesday from a defense bill that aimed to shield Americans from the possibility of being imprisoned indefinitely without trial by the military. The provision was replaced with a passage that appears to give citizens little protection from indefinite detention.
The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 was added by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), but there was no similar language in the version of the bill that passed the House, and it was dumped from the final bill released Tuesday after a conference committee from both chambers worked out a unified measure.
It declared that "An authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority shall not authorize the detention without charge or trial of a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States apprehended in the United States, unless an Act of Congress expressly authorizes such detention...."
The new provision appears to do little, because the Supreme Court has already declared that the writ of habeas corpus -- requiring that someone be presented to a judge -- applies to all people. The more difficult part of whether people deserve a trial remains unsettled, and the new provision does not appear to resolve it....
DANA MILBANK (VIA WASHINGTON POST): Brennan is the architect of the drone warfare program, an extraordinary assertion of the executive’s powers. In this new, hidden warfare, unelected officials, without the blessing of a court, or anything else, order killings of suspected terrorists - even American citizens, perhaps on U.S. soil.
It’s an expansion of presidential authority crying out for congressional oversight, and this week was the Senate’s big chance to explore in public the policy of targeted killing using unmanned aircraft. But the only drones in evidence Thursday afternoon at Brennan’s confirmation hearing were the lawmakers on the dais.
PATCH: It's not a statue in front of the office building that bares his name but Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller did receive a bust of himself this week courtesy of the Regional Manufacturing Institute....
The technology is similar to what was used in a scene of Jurassic Park 3 where a copy of a velociraptor's larynx was recreated. The institute offered legislators in Annapolis the opportunity to have themselves scanned into a computer and get busts of themselves....
David Moon at Maryland Juice issued a $30 reward for anyone who could procure him a bust of the Senate president. No word on if he's landed one.....
BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL: Raise Maryland, a group supporting an increase in Maryland’s minimum wage, wants Kathleen Snyder, CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, to spend a day living as a minimum-wage worker.
The Chamber opposes the concept of raising the hourly minimum wage in Maryland from the current $7.25 an hour, said Mathew Palmer, a lobbyist for the Chamber....
Raise Maryland said Snyder should spend a day riding public transportation to work, bringing her lunch to work and buying clothes and other necessities on layaway, as minimum-wage workers do, according to a statement from the organization....
Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., have higher minimum wages than Maryland, said Matthew Hanson, campaign coordinator for Raise Maryland.
Lt. Governor Brown to host public safety town halls around the state
In the coming weeks, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will be hosting a series of town halls around the state to connect with community members about the O'Malley-Brown Administration's proposed public safety legislation, answer questions and hear ideas for continuing to build a safer Maryland together. At each town hall, the Lt. Governor will be joined by a panel made up of local elected officials, representatives from the Department of Education, Maryland State Police, Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
January 31, 2013 - Baltimore City Town Hall with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
7:30pm - 9:00pm
University of Baltimore School of Law, Venable Baetjer Howard Moot Court Room
1415 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland
RSVP for Baltimore City Town HallFebruary 5, 2013 - Prince George's County Town Hall
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Prince George's Community College, Marlboro Hall
301 Largo Road, Largo, Maryland
RSVP for Prince George's County Town HallFebruary 6, 2013 - Montgomery County Town Hall with County Executive Ike Leggett & Council President Nancy Navarro
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Montgomery County Council Hearing Room, Council Office Building
100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland
RSVP for Montgomery County Town Hall
PRESS RELEASE Attorney General Doug Gansler Convenes Forum on Gun Violence
Local challenges, Maryland solutions to be the focus
Baltimore, MD ( Jan. 17, 2013) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that he will host a forum on gun violence in Maryland on Monday, February 4 at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. A prosecutor at the federal, state and local levels for over two decades, Attorney General Gansler is convening state and local community leaders, law enforcement, prosecutors, legal scholars and experts for the event entitled, The Attorney General's Forum on Gun Violence - A Conversation Among Law Enforcement and Community Leaders to Consider Practical Solutions.
"This is the right time to consider pragmatic, common-sense action to reduce gun violence and protect the safety of all Marylanders," said Attorney General Gansler. "We will explore solutions to effectively keep illegal guns off the street and stop guns from getting into the hands of those who seek to kill or harm others."
This week, Attorney General Gansler, currently serving as President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), was joined by other attorneys general from across the nation in a discussion of gun violence with the Office of Vice President Joe Biden and White House officials. The forum on February 4 will be an extension of that conversation, seeking to identify and define the many legal, law enforcement and systematic changes that will save lives and prevent injury to Marylanders.
"There are important and welcome developments on gun violence already underway in Annapolis and Washington," Attorney General Gansler added. "This event is intended to further that conversation as we continue to work with Governor O'Malley, members of the General Assembly, my colleagues in law enforcement, community leaders, and the people of Maryland to ensure that in 2013 our state makes progress on gun violence."
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POTOMAC TEA PARTY REPORT: Details will follow, but Hagerstown Tea Party board member Lynda Evans is taking the lead in organizing an event called The Western Maryland Day of Resistance for the National Day of Resistance on February 23rd!
EVENT INFO: On January 16, 2013, President Barack Obama issued 23 executive actions against your 2nd amendment Constitutional right to bear arms. He did this without the consent of Congress which in itself, violates the foundation of the Constitution and the co-equal branches of government.
In response to these unconstitutional actions by the President, on .223, February 23, 2013 the American people will stand together in defiance to protect the right that protects ALL of our rights, the 2nd Amendment! They will organize locally so that they may band together neighbor to neighbor and reassert their community's right to determine their own destiny!
WASHINGTON BLADE: A Maryland lawmaker told a local newspaper last week that legislators who voted for the state’s same-sex marriage bill contributed to his alcohol abuse. Delegate Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel County) told the Maryland Gazette in an interview the newspaper posted to its website on Saturday that he felt “betrayed” when Dels. Wade Koch (R-Baltimore County) and Robert Costa (R-Anne Arundel County) and then-Del. Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George’s County) in Feb. 2012 backed for the measure that Gov. Martin O’Malley eventually signed into law....Dwyer's attempt to blame his drunk boating accident on marriage equality was met with derision on the Internet, as best represented by the following headline on the Wonkette blog: Drunky Maryland Pol: Gay Marriage Crashed That Boat, Injured That 5-Year-Old Girl (excerpt below):
WONKETTE: It is not funny that Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer drunkenly crashed his boat last year, fracturing the skull of a five-year-old girl. But it is funny that he is blaming gay marriage for the alcoholism that made him drunkenly crash his boat last year, fracturing the skull of a five-year-old girl! Oh, did we say “funny”?...
DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER: On January 15 at a press conference with leaders of the NAACP, Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley announced he will be making the repeal of capital punishment a priority in the upcoming legislative session and will submit a repeal bill to the legislature later this week. Among the concerns about the death penalty expressed by the governor were its high costs and the lack of any benefit to society: "Is it worth wasting taxpayer dollars on a policy that does not work?" Senate President Mike Miller, who supports the death penalty, said the bill will be given a vote in the full Senate and will likely pass this year. Maryland has not had an execution or death sentence since 2005, and the state's lethal injection procedures have not been approved by the courts.The Washington Post highlighted the potential impact of O'Malley's leadership on the issue (excerpt below):
WASHINGTON POST: Though the governor’s decision does not guarantee passage, “it makes a huge difference,” said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery), chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, where repeal bills have stalled in past years....
A repeal “can’t get done without the governor, and having his active engagement will be vital,” said Frosh, who favors the abolishment of capital punishment.
With O’Malley’s name on the bill, it is certain to get heightened media attention, as well as the focus of a team of lobbyists employed by the governor’s office and personal attention from O’Malley himself....
GAZETTE: The Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee revoked its nominee to fill a vacant delegate seat Tuesday night, leaving the task of filling the seat firmly in the hands of the governor.
In a contentious meeting that saw Greg Hall, the committee's original choice, trading barbs with committee Chair Terry Speigner, the committee put forward three non-binding recommendations that Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is free to disregard if he chooses....
"At the end of the day, the governor gets what he wants, and Prince George's County once again gets screwed," Hall said....
WASHINGTON POST: O'Malley's spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said the governor "will take into consideration" the panel's recommendations. They are: Vicky L. Orem, an orphans' court judge; Clayton Aarons, an attorney; and Phillip Raines, a defense contractor.
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| Photo Sources: Gazette, Twitter |
WASHINGTON POST: She was convicted in June of stealing $800 from the Maryland General Assembly to pay an employee of her private law firm. But on Tuesday, attorneys for former delegate Tiffany T. Alston suggested that she was the one who had been robbed — of her seat.The Post's most recent coverage noted that Alston was at last check choosing "diplomacy over litigation," but we'll have to keep an eye on this story!
After a court hearing, Alston’s attorneys said that the Prince George’s County Democrat is prepared to sue, if necessary, to continue serving in the House of Delegates. And even though she no longer has the keys to her old office in Annapolis, they said she may try to occupy it anyway—a move that could set up an awkward, if not tense, standoff in the halls of the State House.....
WASHINGTON BLADE: Heather Mizeur, a lesbian member of the Maryland House of Delegates, said she’s seriously considering a run for governor in an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade this week.
“I’m taking a very serious look at it,” Mizeur said. “I can’t say for sure what 2014 is going to bring but … I know that I would make a good chief executive. I have good ideas for keeping Maryland moving forward....”
“Right now we’re taking stock of what happened in the last election,” she said. “It was incredible to see a big win with Tammy Baldwin being elected the first openly gay senator and Kyrsten Sinema making history in Congress. It really has inspired us to keep pushing forward. So, yes, I’m seriously considering running for governor because we need more diverse voices at that level of government....”
She added that she won’t get in the race unless she can be competitive financially.... When asked whether he had any thoughts about Mizeur’s potential gubernatorial campaign, O’Malley told the Blade on Tuesday, “Not really, I’m supporting Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown wholeheartedly for governor of Maryland....”
WBFF: Maryland is now one of the 49 states that have started online petitions to secede from the United States in response to the re-election of President Barack Obama.... If the petitions reach 25,000 signatures, they get an official response from the White House. Maryland has only around 1,700 signatures calling for secession, but the number is quickly growing.You can check out the Maryland secession petition at the White House's online petition site (Hat tip: Maryland Reporter). Maryland Juice first found out about the secession effort after receiving a national Tea Party email blast highlighting a Louisiana secession petition. Since then, rightwing activists are launching petitions in every state. Check out an excerpt from the original Tea Party message below:
TEA PARTY: On Nov. 6, Americans voted to return Barack Obama to the White House; then on Nov. 7, some folks in Louisiana petitioned the White House to peaceably withdraw their state from the Union.... Join the Tea Party REVOLUTION! It’s time to double-down and fight harder! The petition reads....
“…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…”
WASHINGTON BLADE: ...One of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s staffers wrote on a napkin during lunch on Election Day that the referendum would pass with 53 percent support....
Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, was backstage with the governor, Rawlings-Blake and several other elected officials watching the results come in.... Levin and others remained hesitant to declare victory because Montgomery County had yet to report election results. (Question 6 passed in the county by a 65-35 percent margin.)
“Once we figured that out then I started breathing a little more deeply,” O’Malley says. “Then when the Montgomery County numbers came in and we were up to 51 [percent,] the night seemed to be coming into perspective....”
Election Day capped off a long and often tumultuous effort for Maryland’s same-sex marriage advocates that began in 1997 when three state lawmakers introduced the first bill that would have allowed nuptials for gays and lesbians.....
[Sen. Rich] Madaleno, who once again proposed to his husband Mark on stage at the Baltimore Soundstage after Question 6 passed, plans to have what he describes as their “renewal of vows” once they and their two children return from a family vacation at Walt Disney World in Florida in January....
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.
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....
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....
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....
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....
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....
