Candidates who Respect Voters and Candidates Who Don't

Each year the League of Women Voters and many other groups send questionnaires to all candidates from all parties asking for their positions on the issues, so the voters can vote intelligently.

However, if you look at the Voter's Guide published by the League of Women Voters, for example, you will find that some candidates simply refused to show respect to the voters. They didn't even respond to the request for their views on the issues.

For example, in my district the State Senator is Democrat Roger Manno. He gave detailed answers to all the League's questions and he has a website where he gives even more details about his positions on the issues. 

His Republican opponent is Felix Gonzales. He has not responded to the League's questions at all and he doesn't have a website or, as far as I can tell, any other place where he could tell the voters his views. 

Despite this, some people are saying voters should elect some Republicans for "balance." Why? Do the people who say this want voters to blindly vote for candidates who don't tell the voters anything about what they would do if elected? Isn't that the opposite of good government?

The 2014 Election has Begun

The 2014 General Election in Maryland has officially begun today with the start of Early Voting.

Voters in Montgomery County can vote in any of 9 locations regardless of what is your voting location on Election Day. Early Voting days are October 23 through and including October 30, from 10am to 8pm. Information about the Early Voting locations, including addresses and current wait times, can be found at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/elections/index2.html

Those who prefer to vote by mail (sometimes called absentee voting) can still do so. Information about voting by mail is at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Elections/Absentee/Questions.html

And of course you can vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, from 7am to 8pm, at your assigned polling place. You can check on that at https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/PollingPlaceSearch

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek -- Important Lessons

Today (October 19) is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek. Why is that important to us today? It's the story of how one person can totally change history.

By October 19, 1864, the main Union and Confederate armies in the east were in a stalemate in trenches around Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia. To relieve the pressure, Robert E. Lee had sent part of his army to threaten to capture Washington DC and they had come close to succeeding, but by now they were in the Shenandoah Valley on their way back to Lee.

The Confederates staged a surprise assault on the Union army around Cedar Creek in the Valley on this day, and they initially were completely successful. The Union soldiers were in full retreat and this could have had very important consequences for the future of the United States.

Then the commander of the Union Army in the Shenandoah Valley, Major General Philip Sheridan, 33 years old, arrived on the field and as described by everyone who was there he completely changed the situation. In minutes he had his routed soldiers inspired to turn around and fight, and by the end of the day it was a complete Union victory over the Confederates. For the rest of the Civil War the Confederate army would never be able to use the Shenandoah Valley.

The lesson for us now? That one person can truly change history. If Philip Sheridan had not been the person in charge of this Union army, or if he had been a less charismatic person, it is entirely possible that the Civil War might have ended in a different way, and thus the history of the United States would be entirely different.

Maryland Lt. Governor Discussion

Kojo Nnamdi invited the Democratic and Republican candidates for Lt. Governor of Maryland for a "discussion" (not a debate). It was a joy to watch and listen to, because it was mainly positive and civil and focused on real issues.

You can see and hear it at http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2014-10-16/maryland-lieutenant-gubernatorial-debate

"Elmer Gantry" at Signature Theatre

"I have principles. I just don't let them get in the way of what I want." That funny line describes Elmer Gantry, a charismatic figure who helps make Sister Sharon Falconer's revival meetings hugely successful. In the process he falls in love but in the end there is tragedy and redemption.

Burt Lancaster was mesmerizing as Elmer in the 1960 movie, and the show now playing at Signature Theatre adds great music and amazing singing by a terrific cast. If you're interested in the human spirit, the role of religion in our society, political corruption, and the indescribable beauty of love, you should see this show.

A more detailed review is at http://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2014/10/16/elmer-gantry-signature-theatre1/

A Very Good Day for Anthony Brown

Today started with Anthony Brown receiving the endorsement for Governor from the Washington Post, then the second debate between him and Republican Larry Hogan.

The Washington Post said, "Mr. Brown is the more knowledgeable man and the more nimble politician: he would make a better governor....Mr. Brown's breadth of experience, coupled with the lack of credibility at the heart of Mr. Hogan's program, inform our endorsement. So does Mr. Brown's more substantial record of achievement in public life....Mr. Brown is the more serious and substantial candidate. He has a better grasp of how to operate the levers of government and how to bolster Maryland's competitiveness while tending to their basic needs."

This was followed by another debate between Anthony Brown and Larry Hogan, dominated by negative attacks. However, once again Anthony Brown clearly had more facts at his command and his proposals made more sense than those of Larry Hogan, whose campaign seems to consist simply of cliches repeated over and over.

Nobel Prize Winning Economist Paul Krugman Evaluates President Obama - One of the most "successful presidents in American history"

An article that should be read by everyone is in Rolling Stone magazine and you can find it at http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/in-defense-of-obama-20141008

It's written by Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman. He deals with those who criticize President Obama from both the right and left, and then evaluates what the president has done in key areas. 

His conclusion is that Barack Obama is one of the most consequential and successful presidents because of what he did about health care, the economy, regulation of the financial market, care of the environment, and other issues.

This is an article that is important for everyone to read.

Brown - Hogan Debate

I'm trying to be as objective as possible about last night's debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates for Maryland Governor. (Full disclosure: I support Anthony Brown.)

Having said that, it seems to me that Anthony Brown did a much better job in the debate than Larry Hogan. Brown provided more facts while Hogan was more negative (although both were more negative than I would wish). Brown's opening and closing comments were much better than Hogan's.

Brown was animated and definitely seemed ready to be Governor while I didn't get the same feeling about Hogan.

We'll see how the other debates turn out.

District 19 Democratic Club

The District 19 Democratic Club held its Annual Meeting last night (Oct. 7) and it was a full house with lots of enthusiasm.

Congressman John Delaney spoke about current issues in Congress including his bills which are bipartisan and focus on improving our country's infrastructure to prepare us for the future.

New officers were elected: Charlotte Crutchfield as President, Paul Bardack as 1st VP, Maxine Banks as 2nd VP, and others.

The District 19 Democratic Club appears to be doing very well and has a bright future.

Some Statistics About Democratic Voter Turnout in the 2014 Primary Election in MoCo and LW

Some interesting statistics have become available about Democratic voter turnout in the June 2014 Primary Election in MoCo and in LW (Leisure World).

Counting those who voted early, absentee, provisional, and on election day, 26% of registered MoCo Democrats voted in the Primary, while 47% of registered LW Democratic voters voted in the Primary.

As might be expected more LW Dem voters voted absentee than in MoCo, 9% vs. 6%, and fewer LW Dems voted early than in MoCo, 14% to 18%.

41% of both LW and MoCo Dems who voted in total, voted on Election Day.

These figures come from the MoCo Board of Elections.

Turnout in Maryland Governor Elections

What will be the turnout in Maryland and MoCo in the coming election for Maryland Governor? Past history may be an indication.

Counting votes for the Democratic and Republican candidates for Governor, below are the changes and percent changes in total votes for Governor in MD and MoCo in the last 6 elections.

	Democratic	Republican	MD	%	MoCo	%
	Candidate	Candidate	Increase	Inc	Increase	Inc
1990	William	William	9,519	1%	9,561	5%
	Donald	Shepard
	Shaeffer
1994	Parris	Ellen	299,200	27%	48,611	24%
	Glendening	Sauerbrey
1998	Parris	Ellen	125,134	9%	21,792	9%
	Glendening	Sauerbrey
2002	Kathleen	Robert	157,685	10%	18,461	7%
	Kennedy	Ehrlich
	Townsend
2006	Martin	Robert	74,729	4%	8,688	3%
	O'Malley	Ehrlich
2010	Martin	Robert	53,537	3%	(14,886)	-5%
	O'Malley	Ehrlich

Georgia Ave & Randolph Rd Intersection

On September 30, 2014, SHA (Maryland's State Highway Administration) had an information session at Kennedy High School about progress on improving the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road.

Anyone who drives through that intersection is aware of how necessary it is to improve it. To do so, the ultimate plan is a tunnel for Randolph Road under Georgia Avenue and other improvements. And to accomplish that goal, SHA will move both Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road for about 3 years.

SHA said its plan is that starting in January 2015 Georgia Avenue will be moved to the east and Randolph Road will be moved to the south around this intersection, to allow them to build the Randolph Road tunnel. They plan to complete that and return the two roads to where they are now in 2017.