The Leftward Drift of the MD Senate, If that's Even Possible

The Maryland Gazette has an interesting write-up on the leftward drift of the Maryland Senate.  It speaks volumes that such a shift is seismic enough to be palpable to media outlets even in Maryland:

The Maryland Senate, the chamber traditionally known as the measured, more conservative body in the General Assembly, is taking a sharp turn to the left, some observers say.

The shift, illustrated by the passage of a bill to legalize gay marriage last month and a definitive yea vote earlier this week to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities, is directly linked to a change in membership following the November election.

 I guess "measured" and "more conservative" represent the extreme of the theory of relativity.  The Gazzete article doesn't even begin to mention the litany of tax increases that have passed or are being debated in Senate committees.  The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is to the left of Lenin.  Their latest gift to Maryland was their vote to support legalized marijuana in Maryland yesterday.