MD-House: Wade Kach Must Go

We have long argued that Republicans in Maryland cannot win by being Democrat-lite.  Aside for the fact that liberal Republicans fail to inspire a following and fail to galvanize voters to their cause, they are automatic losers.  Once we adopt the views of the opposition, we have lost, period.  As such, even if we somehow enjoy electoral success, it is irrelevant because, in essence, we are not winning anything.

Nevertheless, that is the type of party which state Delegate Wade Kach (RINO-Baltimore Co.) wants us to be.  He is advocating that we accept the most extreme positions of the Democrat Party, including the redefining of marriage to include...well, just about anything.

Earlier today, Kach announced that "as a proud member of the party of Lincoln, I believe that we as legislators should be more concerned with relieving the tax burden of families than telling them how to behave in their own homes."

Kach is using the typical illusory parlance that is associated with the pro-gay marriage forces.  He is falsely charging that opponents of gay marriage are telling people how to behave.  That is absolutely false.  The reality is that nobody is regulating the behavior of individuals, no matter how morally licentious it is.  We are merely upholding the basic definition of one of the most fundamental concepts since the dawn of times.

Again, for the millionth time, a homosexual relationship is not a marriage.  Kach and his ilk refuse to address the issue at hand.  Nobody is seeking to govern people's private behavior, although the nation was founded on bedrock values in which homosexuality stands as an anathema to our beliefs.  But let's forget about that for a moment.  This is not an issue of liberty.  It is a matter of honoring a sacrosanct relationship and legal definition that has been so basic to humankind since creation.  You could talk about liberty until you turn blue in the face, but it doesn't change the fact that unicorns don't fly, and a gay relationship is not a marriage.

All Americans, including gays, have the full liberty to get married; nobody is stopping them.  Additionally, nobody is preventing them from acting out their immoral impulses in private.  It is they who want society to change the basic definition of marriage - something that is totally intractable.

It is also preposterous and shameful to intimate that Lincoln would support something like gay marriage. It's very sad that we've descended to such moral decadency that we have Republicans who are advocating for such immorality - the degree to which has never been suggested until this generation.  While homosexuality has existed for a long time, nobody ever had the audacity to suggest that such a relationship constitutes a marriage.  One need not be overtly religious to appreciate that the basic legal definition of marriage is a special bond between one man and one woman.

If we are going to attenuate the meaning of marriage to the extent that it can include two men, why not change the other components of marriage, such as the number of parties involved?  Why not recognize polygamist marriages, or man-dog relationships?  I love my one-year-old son to death; can I marry him?  The concept of marriage is really not an enigma, except to those who are biased by their libertine beliefs.

Moreover, as we have seen all too often, there is no such thing as a social liberal who is a strong fiscal conservative.  If you follow the voting records of the 535 members of Congress, you will find that, with few exceptions, it is an extinct political breed.  When you have a small God, you have a big government; when you have a big God, you have small government.  The vacuum must be filled with something.  Consequently, secular humanists will fill that vacuum of religious values with the "religious values" of big government.

Accordingly, it is no surprise that Kach is a big government statist, along with being a social liberal.  Among many fiscally liberal votes that Kach has cast in the legislature, he voted for Maryland's cap and trade law in 2006.  What happened to intruding on people's personal lives, Mr. Kach?  Or, does your doctrine of freedom only cover a libertine world view -  and not a libertarian one? 

If Kach has such a desire to join those who seek our moral destruction, why not join the Democrat Party?  We already have one party that is engaged in an inexorable battle to reshape the character of this great nation.  We need a choice, not an echo.

Only 30% of the Maryland House is comprised of elected Republicans.  They have absolutely no power.  Is it too much to ask that they all share our core values and basic understanding of fundamental concepts?  There is plenty of room in the Democrat Party for those like Wade Kach.   

Maryland's Costly Green Tax Credits

We hear a lot of feigned outrage from the left concerning tax credits and deductions for upper-income earners.  Unfortunately, their antipathy for tax "loopholes" are nowhere to be seen when they are being disseminated to green special interests.

Last year, Maryland began awarding tax credits to purchasers of electric cars.  It turns out that the first few beneficiaries of the credit actually gain more in tax credits than they save in energy expenses.  Here is the report from the Washington Examiner: 

Maryland's tax incentives for electric vehicles cost the state almost twice as much as the cars saved in energy expenses last year, according to a report from the Maryland Energy Administration.
Sixty-four drivers who bought an electric vehicle in fiscal 2011 cashed in on the state's tax credit, which cost Maryland $126,387. Those drivers saved an estimated $71,300 total in petroleum costs, according to the energy agency.
The savings from the electric vehicles are ongoing, however, estimated to reduce gas purchases annually by more than $1,100 per car for at least eight years -- the expected life span of the car batteries. The tax credit, implemented on Oct. 1, 2010, provides $2,000 in savings from the state's excise tax for the purchase of a plug-in vehicle. 

And which county was the biggest beneficiary?  You guessed it; the people's republic of Montgomery County:

Of the 64 tax credits the state awarded in fiscal 2011, 39 credits worth $76,388 went to Montgomery County drivers, while the remaining 25 credits were divided among drivers in seven counties and Baltimore City.

Martin O'Malley's War on Maryland Taxpayers

Here is a succinct article from the Daily Caller that sums up the state of affairs in Maryland, as we face a torrent of tax hikes next year:

This past July, a 50 percent increase in the state’s sales tax on liquor went into effect. The measure was rammed through by Democrat legislators and signed by O’Malley, despite opposition from small business owners and taxpayers. In its first year, it will raise $88 million in revenue on the backs of low- and middle-income Marylanders.

Now, O’Malley is pushing for a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase. Lifestyle taxes, because they are generally not value-added — as is the case with the cigarette tax proposal — disproportionally affect the poor. O’Malley’s cigarette tax proposal would come on top of President Obama’s 61-cents-per-pack federal tobacco excise tax, which Obama signed into law in 2009.

In addition to increasing taxes on cigarettes, O’Malley wants to increase Maryland’s gas tax by 15 cents per gallon, which is expected to raise $491 million in its first year of implementation. An increase in the gas tax would disproportionately hit small business owners and working families who have to travel in order to find employment in Maryland’s weak economy.

You can read the entire article here.

Tax hikes and the impending redistricting plan will be our biggest battles during the coming months.

The Disgrace of MD Democrats' Gerrymandering

This week, the Maryland state legislature will meet in a special session to vote on the proposed changes to our congressional districts.  The map that the Democrats have proposed is arguably the most politically convoluted map in the country.  It disregards the demography and natural geographical boundaries of the entire central part of the state.  This will ultimately be decided in court.

Professor Todd Eberly at FreeState blogger has a great analysis of the proposed redistricting plan.  Here is his conclusion:

The House of Representatives was meant to be the most democratic of all federal institutions. It was meant to be the body where the diverse interests of the people mingled and produced compromise. It was to be the place where the baneful influence of factions would be countered and moderated. Gerrymandering subverts all of that and subjugates the interests of the people to the interests of political parties.

Perhaps it was  naive to have expected more from Governor O'Malley, but it certainly was not wrong to have expected better. I will confess to being a pretty liberal person (I know, a liberal college professor - shocking). I support a truly progressive tax code, I want the death penalty to end, I want single-payer national health insurance, I support marriage equality, and think we need comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship and in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants. I know that all of these things will only happen if Democrats are the folks making the laws. But process matters, the ends can never be used to justify the means, and democracy demands that the diverse interests and beliefs of the people be represented. It is better to lose a fair fight, than to win a rigged game.

The proposed maps for Maryland, as well as the GOP proposed maps in states like Texas, are supreme acts of political cowardice. If Democrats and Republicans truly believed that their ideas, their vision for America, were more powerful there would be no need rig the system like this. Maps such as these, represent a clear acknowledgement by the parties that they do not believe they can win a fair fight in the battlefield of ideas.

Maryland is Still Most Democrat State in the Nation

OK. The District of Columbia is more Democratic than Maryland, and Hawaii Democrats enjoy a slightly larger registration gap over Republican in their state.  But Maryland is still at the top of the list., according to Gallup.  Click on the chart to view the partisan breakdown of each state:

Party Loyalty Trumps Ideology for Cardin and Mikulski

While the debt ceiling deal contains very little in real spending cuts, for socialists like Maryland's two senators, the bill cuts too much.  As such, one would have expected them to join the likes of Bernie Sanders - and oppose the bill.  However, after vacillating back and forth Cardin decided that if his party leaders needed his vote, by George, they were getting his vote.  The Baltimore Sun has the report:

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin rarely embraces drama, but as the denouement of the debt ceiling debate played out Tuesday, the Maryland Democrat became something of a mystery — undecided up until the very last minute on how he would vote.[...]

Cardin said he supported the measure in part because it includes language that protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries from direct cuts.
He noted that the automatic cuts, if triggered by inaction, would also fall on defense spending, traditionally a priority for Republicans.

And that, Cardin said, would put Democrats and Republicans on more equal footing than they have been all year.
"I know the base is angry," Cardin said. "I've been through enough tough votes to know that a few weeks from now, a few months from now, maybe, it'll be a little bit different."

Then again, what can you expect from someone who sees no connection between the debt ceiling and spending?

Pat McDonough Should Run for House, Not Senate

In a move that has surprised many conservative Marylanders, talk radio show host and Delegate Pat McDonough announced that he is considering a run for Senate against Ben Cardin in 2012.  Over the past few months, he was seriously contemplating a challenge to Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, a more surmountable goal.  Pat McDonough should stick to his original plan to challenge Dutch, instead of mounting an untenable campaign to unseat Ben Cardin in a statewide race.

The sad reality is that we cannot win a Senate race in Maryland, even for an open seat.  Based upon the demographics in Maryland, Ben Cardin can be caught with a dead body in his trunk – and still win reelection.  To make matters worse, 2012 is a presidential election year, and although I believe Obama will lose nationwide, he will perform well in Maryland at the top of the ticket.  There is simply no way that anybody, even a spirited conservative like McDonough, has a chance of unseating Cardin.  As such, it would be unwise for McDonough to waste his potential on such an endeavor.

Delegate McDonough should stick with his original plan to challenge Congressman Ruppersberger in the 2nd district.  Although this gerrymandered Baltimore County/Baltimore City district is heavily Democrat, there is a sizable demographic of Reagan Democrats whom McDonough has represented in the legislature for many years.  It would be an uphill fight, but not a losing proposition.

Pat McDonough has definitely become too big a voice for conservatives to remain in the House of Delegates.  He needs to move on; however, he should not ruin his career pursing an incorrigible goal.  Run, Pat, run – against Dutch Ruppersberger.

The Residual Effects of MD Petition Drive

The unprecedented success of Maryland's petition drive against in-state tuition for illegals will reverberate far beyond the issue of immigration.  The successful execution of the petition drive, in conjunction with the innovative use of the internet, will serve to buttress Maryland conservatives in their inexorable battle against the one-party oligarchy.

Prior to the petition drive, there was simply no deterrent against the assault on our freedoms, values, and prosperity from Democrats in Annapolis.  They enjoy almost 3:1 majorities in both houses of the legislature and have an unbreakable grip over the courts.  Due to the way the districts are drawn in the state, Democrats never had to fear electoral reprisal or constituent backlash from their pernicious policies.  The petition has changed everything.

While we are not accorded the right to referendum for all budget related issues, thus precluding any usage of the petition against tax hikes, we can petition against any other law.  And the Democrats in Annapolis know this.

During the next (regular) legislative session, O'Malley plans to push for gay marriage.  However, we will no longer sit by and beg Baltimore City Democrats to oppose the bill.  We will now have an opportunity to place the marriage issue before the voters, once and for all.  If they were shocked by the auspicious results of the in-state tuition petition drive, Democrats will be stupefied by the success of a pro-marriage petition drive.  Conservative won't be the only ones to sign such a petition.  Many voters from the large black communities in Maryland will enthusiastically support the effort, in addition to the plethora of Catholic Democrats across the state.

Now that we have the power of the referendum petition behind us, Democrats will think twice before introducing unpopular legislation.  In Maryland, that is huge progress.

Maryland GOP Redistricting Map Receives More Attention

Last week, we highlighted the new redistricting map from the Maryland GOP.  While many in the media scoff at the notion that Republicans are relevant enough to get a seat at the table, especially when their proposal would net more Republican seats, they miss one major point.  The GOP map is the only one that respects the geographical boundaries of natural communities, counties, and demographic orientations.

Proposed 2012 map from GOP

Today, St. Mary's College political science professor Todd Eberly penned a great opinion piece in the Washington Post endorsing the Republican map.  He offers one of the most compelling arguments against the egregious gerrymandering of Maryland congressional districts at the hands of the state's Democrats.  He also provides a solid historical background of the congressional districts.

"It is important to consider how Maryland’s bizarre congressional districts came into existence. Before the 2001 redistricting, the state’s congressional delegation included four Democrats and four Republicans. That split was unacceptable to Glendening and state Democratic leaders, given their party’s sizable registration advantage, so they drew lines to dilute Republican counties and expand the reach of Democratic strongholds.
The goal was clear — elect more Democrats — and it was met. But there was a cost. Rather than respecting political diversity and natural community boundaries, districts were designed solely to maximize Democratic influence."[...]

"Meanwhile, state Republicans have proposed a map with compact districts that treat the borders of counties and communities with respect. Only Baltimore County would occupy more than two districts. A badly needed Baltimore City district (a new District 7) would be created by adding a sliver of Baltimore County’s population to the city’s 631,000 residents. Harford would occupy one district. Anne Arundel would be in two districts not four. Montgomery and Prince George’s would each be included in two districts — the minimum possible given their large populations."

Please read the full article here.

MD Petition: Over 100,000 Signatures and Counting

From the incipient stages of the petition drive, I always knew that we would surpass the requisite 55,000 signatures to win a ballot referendum against the Maryland Dream Act.  However, none of us ever dreamed that we would be so successful.  According to the latest figures released by the Maryland Board of Elections, 102,338 signatures have been validated.  Aside for the profound alacrity to sign the petition, these figures show how competently and efficiently MDPetitions carried out the process.  This has been the most successful public policy push by conservative in Maryland history!

Here is the breakdown of the figures by county:

COUNTY TOTAL_VALID_SIGNATURES TOTAL_INVALID_SIGNATURES

Allegany 994

Anne Arundel 13,045

Baltimore City 2,592

Baltimore County 24,257

Calvert 1,778

Caroline 1,130

Carroll 10,494

Cecil 2,503

Charles 770

Dorchester 922

Frederick 7,469

Garrett 289

Harford 12,431

Howard 5,070

Kent 608

Montgomery 4,969

Prince George's 2,338

Queen Anne's 1,250

Saint Mary's 718

Somerset 431

Talbot 1,379

Washington 5,478

Wicomico 879

Worcester 544

TOTAL 102,338 

Those astounding numbers from Baltimore County should serve as a lesson for Maryland Republicans.  There is a lot of potential to pick up elected offices in BC, if we would only try.

MD Legislature: Beware the Tax Binge in Special Session

In September, the state legislature will meet to consummate the new legislative and congressional maps for the next decade.  While the liberals in Annapolis will invariably be focused on gerrymandering the scant Republican districts in the state, they will also have another, more insidious, priority on the agenda; raising taxes.

The Washington Examiner reports that Democrats are already floating trial balloons about raising a variety of taxes.  They are once again reverting to the most regressive taxes, such as sales taxes on services and other vital items that are currently exempt, such as food and medicine.

Maryland lawmakers plan to weigh new taxes on snack foods, medicine and online sales, as well as an increase in the state's gasoline tax, as they prepare for a special General Assembly session in the face of a
$1.1 billion structural deficit.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee will consider various revenue-generating proposals at its next meeting later this month, committee members told The Washington Examiner.
In preparation for the meeting, the committee has asked the Department of Legislative Services to draft a list of items that are exempt from the state's sales tax. The main items on the list include consumer services, such as accounting and landscaping, and necessities -- such as food and medicine, including prescription and nonprescription -- said legislative services director Warren Deschenaux.

The good news is that Maryland Democrats will be more judicious in raising taxes, in light of the successful petition drive against in-state tuition for illegals.  Either way, we must prepare for battle because they will privately focus on one tax, while using the others as red herrings.  Our vigilance must be in full gear come September.

There is Only One Fair Redistricting Map in Maryland

It's that time of the decade again.  The Democrats plan to use their unchecked power to splice up the map and make the congressional districts even more favorable for them than before.  The MD GOP put out their own proposal that would preserve the geographical and demographic integrity of the districts.   Yes, it would benefit Republicans, but anyone who knows Maryland can appreciate that it is the only fair map.  The bottom line is that Baltimore City, with its declining population of 630,000, can easily fit into one congressional district.  There is no reason to divide it into four district to suit the Democrats' electoral dreams.  Here it is:

Ben Cardin's Radical Eco Agenda Strikes Again

Nothing exemplifies the out-of-touch supercilious demeanor of progressives more than their eco-fascist views.  Due to their radical environmental regulations, which are promulgated at whim, many Americans are forced to suffer from more serious environmental phenomenon.  The case in point?  Pesticides.  

For years, the EPA has hampered the efforts of farmers to deal with crop-killing bugs. They require all sorts of licenses and regulations in order to use basic pesticides that have been in use for many years. Anyone in Maryland can commiserate with the stink bug problem we suffer from, as a result of the bans on pesticides. One of the more onerous regulations promulgated by the EPA is a recent directive requiring all farmers to obtain a permit in addition to a license for the use of a pesticide.


In March, the House voted 292-130 to repeal the permit requirement, garnering overwhelming bi-partisan support. An identical bill was approved unanimously by voice vote in the Senate Agriculture Committee a few weeks ago. Now Ben Cardin plans to filibuster this bi-partisan bill under the false pretenses that the pesticides will….you guessed it, harm the Chesapeake Bay.

Here is the story from the Sun:

MD-Sen: Allan Kittleman Must Go

We have long argued that Republicans in Maryland cannot win by being Democrat-light.  Aside for the fact that Rinos don't inspire a following and fail to galvanize voters to their cause, they are automatic losers.  Once we adopt the views of the opposition, we have lost, period.  As such, even if we somehow enjoy electoral success, it is irrelevant because, in essence, we are not winning anything.

Nevertheless, that is the type of party which state Senator Allan Kittleman wants us to be.  He is advocating that we accept the most extreme positions of the Democrat Party, including the redefining of marriage to include...well, just about anything.  Kittleman is asserting that we must take cues from the Republican traitors in New York who voted for gay marriage.

It is very sad that we've descended to such moral decadency that we have Republicans who are advocating for such immorality - the degree to which has never been suggested until this generation.  While homosexuality has existed for a long time, nobody ever had the audacity to suggest that such a relationship constitutes a marriage.  One need not be overtly religious to appreciate that the basic legal definition of marriage is a special bond between one man and one woman.

If we are going to attenuate the meaning of marriage to the extent that it can include two men, why not change the other components of marriage, such as the number of parties involved?  Why not recognize polygamist marriages, or man-dog relationships?  I love my one-year-old son to death; can I marry him?  The concept of marriage is really not an enigma, except to those who are biased by their libertine beliefs.

A Day to be Proud in Maryland

It is not very often that conservative have reason to be exuberant in the state of Maryland, however, today is one of them.  Today, July 1, was the day that the law granting in-state tuition to illegals was set to take effect.  Instead, thanks to the selfless work of Delegate Neil Parrott and the army of volunteers, the law will be suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the 2012 ballot referendum.

The final numbers from the petition drive have yet to be certified, but based on the preliminary numbers; it appears that we will have well over the 55,000 required signatures, possibly over 100,000!  We were outgunned and outmanned by the left in the most Democrat state in the nation, yet we were able to collect 130,000 signatures.  This was accomplished with just $7,500, a fraction of what the opposition spent blocking the petition.  This has been the most successful petition drive in Maryland history.

The success of the petition could not come at a better time.  Unfortunately, today is the first day of the gratuitous 3% alcohol tax.  The petition drive gives us something to cheer; some light amidst the darkness of tyranny in Maryland.

Maryland Gov't Complicit in CASA's Illegal Intimidation Tactics

 Call the Maryland Board of Elections and tell them to stop collaborating with a criminal organization to intimidate those who are exercising their civic duties.  Politely request that they keep the petition records away from CASA de Maryland.

410-269-2840

There is something fundamentally wrong when an organization, whose sole purpose is to subvert the law, is granted resources by government to intimidate those who desire to restore the law.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what is occurring in Maryland, as the state Board of Elections is turning over the names of the petitioners to CASA de Maryland.  In a sane world, any organization that advocates for illegal aliens should be shut down.  In Maryland, CASA is funded with taxpayer dollars, and now they are being provided with the names of those who signed the petition against the Maryland Nightmare act.

Here is the latest from Deleage Mike Smigiel:

I just realized that there is no longer an issue of what CASA is going to do if they get the names and addresses of all those who signed petitions, CASA, who also received the disk, already has the information on all those who signed the petition.

I have heard from dozens of people this last weekend who had two concerns:

“Do I have to worry about someone calling to harass me about signing the petition?”  and
“How do I find out if my name is one of the more than 7,000 that was rejected and why it was rejected?”

It is my opinion that the actions of CASA to date would give petition signers legitimate reason to be concerned about what CASA may do with the lists of names.  We know that CASA has been posting phone numbers to call if you see people out exercising their Constitutional duties per Article 16 of the State Constitution, collection signatures. CASA would then send people out to the location to intimidate and harass people coming to sign as well as those collecting signatures.

It's Official: You Must be an Eco-Socialist to Graduate in Maryland

Getting control of school boards before they groom the next generation of Democrats and green parasites

It's not like Maryland Democrats haven't worked assiduously to earn the distinction of 'least free state in the country' for their beloved Free State.

Maryland high school students will now be required to pass green proficiency requirements in order to graduate.  The Maryland state board of education will  require public schools within the state to weave in eco-socialist propaganda to the general science curriculum.  Sadly, due to flaccid opposition and complacency on the part of all of us, public schools across the country have already been doing this for quite some time.  Maryland is merely the first state to consummate those requirements as part of the "official curriculum."  The Baltimore Sun reports:

State officials and environmental activists called the vote "historic" and said Maryland has become the first state in the nation to require environmental literacy to graduate from high school. Under the rule, public schools will be required to work lessons about conservation, smart growth and the health of our natural world into their core subjects like science and social studies.

The requirement applies to students entering high school this fall.  Local school systems will be able to shape those lessons to be relevant to their communities, but all will have to meet standards set by the state. School systems will have to report to the state every five years on what they're doing to meet the requirements. 

Somehow I don't think the 'environmental literacy' science courses will include the best hits from Climategate.  Will they present these impressionable minds with dissenting opinions within the meteorological field?  Does anyone think the social studies courses will teach them about the trail of green corporate cronyism between the government and the likes of Jeff Immelt or Al Gore?  Or, will they teach Al Gore's science of population control instead?

Daniel Bongino Makes his Debut as Senate Candidate

The Maryland Senate seat currently being warmed by Ben Cardin is up for election next November.  It was widely believed that Cardin would face token opposition and cruise to reelection, in the great tradition of virtually every socialist senator in Maryland.  Well, ever since former Secret Service agent Daniel Bongino announced his bid for Senate, there has been unexpected excitement surrounding the upcoming Senate race.

Let's be clear; most of us are still convinced that due to demographic realities in Maryland, Cardin will still win reelection.  However, it is heartwarming that a nuanced candidate, with a compelling life story, is planning to run a spirited, conservative-based campaign against avowed socialist, Ben Cardin.

Yesterday, Bongino penned an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun announcing his intention to challenge Cardin and the rationale behind his candidacy.  Although his campaign is still in the incipient stages, I like what I see.  Here are some highlights of his piece:

Maryland's Shameful Distinction of Unemployment

You would think the state with the most government workers would be able to pad its employment numbers forever.  Alas, we see that as soon as government growth slows down, job growth in Maryland becomes extinct.

According to a Labor Department report, which became public over the weekend, Maryland ranks dead last - #50- in job creation.  While 22 states added jobs last year, Maryland shed 20,000 jobs, almost 1% of its workforce.  The report reveals that the abeyance of Maryland's job growth began to precipitate in recent months, as government agencies have incurred historic cuts (thanks to the Republican-held House).  This is truly pathetic because it shows that Maryland is impotent in job creation without the federal government.

It is also telling that Maryland's job market is so dismal, despite the fact that the state received adisproportionate amount of stimulus funds.  Don't expect Senators Cardin and Mikulski to admit to this stunning failure of Keynesian economics.  In fact, has anyone heard a statement from Maryland's most prominent federal office holders on the latest job numbers?

Even Governor O'Malley was largely silent about the jobs report until he put out a meaningless statement admitting that “May was a tough month for job creation in Maryland.”  However, he continued with the following subterfuge: (H.T. Daily Record) 

“other trends suggest that we continue to move in the right direction. On the year, Maryland has achieved the largest reduction in unemployment in nearly three decades.”

Ben Cardin's Ethanol Treachery

The unique characteristic of Ben Cardin is not his pertinacious liberalism; it is his slavish devotion to Democrat leadership.  And yes, there is a distinction.

Although Cardin is one of the most liberal members of the Senate, he actually co-sponsored a good piece of legislation for the first time in his career.  Several months ago, Cardin co-sponsored Senator Coburn's bill (S. 520) to repeal the ethanol subsidies and tariffs.  After years of ethanol wreaking havoc on our economy and consumers, even Al Gore and Bill Clinton conceded that the ethanol revolution was a lousy idea.  Accordingly, although I was quite befuddled over Cardin's newfound appreciation for the free market, opposition to ethanol had become almost universal.

Well, on Tuesday, Cardin had an opportunity to vouch for his unaccountable behavior by voting for Senator Tom Coburn's amendment to repeal ethanol subsidies and tariffs.  Coburn's amendment (attached to a spending bill) was identical to the bill which Cardin co-sponsored last March.  Yet, he voted against it!

Why the change of heart?

In the Senate, any member can offer an amendment to all non-budgetary bills even if it is not germane to the underlying bill.  The catch is that if the Majority Leader doesn't agree to hold a vote, the member must call for a suspension vote, requiring 67 affirmative votes to pass the bill.  Coburn used the Cloture process to bring up the amendment instead of asking King Harry Reid permission to schedule a vote.  As such, he secured the requisite 16 signatures to petition a cloture vote; a procedure which requires only 60 votes to pass the bill.  Democrat leadership was livid that Coburn circumvented them because they wanted the higher threshold so they could defeat the bill.  Consequently, Ben Cardin voted down the amendment, even though he purported to support, and even co-sponsored, a similar bill.

Cardin put out the following statement after voting down the exact bill that he supported three months ago:

"We voted against the Coburn amendment today because of the manner this issue was brought to the Senate floor. We have been assured by the Democratic Leadership that the Senate will vote on this issue later this week, allowing us to consider and debate the substance of this important policy decision." (emphasis added)

This is yet another example that Cardin is an unprincipled shill for his party leadership.  He will genuflect before his masters, even if that means opposing something that he intuitively views as the right thing to do.