Go to www.harfordrepublican.com

The new site is www.harfordrepublican.com.  You will need to go to that URL to see any updated postings.  Comments will only be posted at that site.

One More Change

The blog is being officially hosted.  I am in the process of switching over as we speak.  The URL will still be www.harfordrepublican.com.  I wanted flexibility that the free blog did not offer.  Bare with me and it will be up and running in no time.

Breaking News (Sort of): Jesse Bane (D) Enters Sheriff’s Race

 

This is no big surprise if you have been paying attention.  It has not been in the news yet but I am sure it will be soon.  Jesse Bane, a democrat from Fallston, has entered the sheriff’s race.  I know many people who are concerned about this because he is well liked by many people on both sides of the aisle.  He is a long time veteran of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and was very involved in previous democratic administrations.  He is also very involved in the Fallston community and will be difficult to beat.  Let’s say Golding wins the primary and goes up against Bane.  Is Golding going to still play the experience card?  He can’t.  Bane has been an officer longer than Golding.  What then is Golding going to use?  This could get ugly.  We have two policemen who have seen it all from the creation of the union to the Meadows scandal.  They both probably have a lot of dirt on each other as well.  Bane will be able to successfully link Golding to Meadows and can also say that the Republicans have been screwing around (literally) for too long.  We need to prepare ourselves for this seat going democrat.  I for one am not excited about Golding and have trouble seeing people rallying behind him.  He does have one advantage, the R next to his name.  Ehrlich and Steele will be on the ballots which will hopefully bring a higher than average number of R’s to the polls.  Ehrlich got 63,553 votes in Harford County last election.  KKT only received 21,246.  Democrats have a huge uphill battle when it comes to elections in HC.  However, if Bane can successfully peel off enough Republicans on the fence about the recent problems in the Sheriff’s office, he just may pull it off. 

When you sit back and think about it you have to ask, how different will a democratic sheriff really be.  A democrat will still submit a budget, catch criminals, and keep up the courts and the jail.  I think this race will become more and more about issues and who can run the most effective campaign.  Bane has probably sat back and watched the same things that I have seen and been commenting on and has decided that enough is enough.  If Bane were a Republican he would be the next sheriff.  Overcoming those Ehrlich numbers may be too much for any democrat running for a county-wide seat.  I am assuming that money will not be an issue for Bane.  I will be watching this race very closely.  We now have potentially 3 Republicans and 2 democrats in the race.  Anyone else want to run?

MD GOP Top 10 Silliest Bills

I know I am a bit late on this one but check it out it you have not seen it yet.  Click this link.  I am in the process of writing a Harford County "Biggest Loser" list for the 2006 General Assembly Session.  If you have any suggestions send a comment.

Could GOP Failure in Congress impact HC GOP?

Let’s leave Harford County for a bit and look at the National stage. I am a devout Wall Street Journal reader. Get an online subscription. It is well worth the money. In yesterday’s opinion page there was an article about the failure of the GOP to control spending and how it is very likely that the dems will take control of the House. I am disillusioned by our Congressional leadership. The question is, am I alone? Now I am not crazy or disillusioned enough to vote for a democrat. Republicans usually don’t do that. Democrats can vote for Republicans but not the other way around. Republicans react by staying home. This could impact local elections. There are people who are not informed enough who will go to the polls and vote straight democrat because they are frustrated. Read the opinion article and help me answer the question, “Could GOP failure in Congress impact Harford County’s Republican candidates?” Part of me says no way because there is little direct connection between Congress and local government. The other part of me says yes because the one big connection is the word “Republican” that will follow each of the names on the ballot.

Boutin Lesson

I do not want this article to be about what a horrible person Chuck Boutin is because I do not believe that to be the case. He made a serious moral mistake and is paying for it in front of us all. I want this article to be more about how conservatives should conduct their public and private affairs.

I strongly believe that conservative Republicans are and need to be the moral compass for this nation. I am so grieved when a fellow conservative falls prey to immorality and in doing so casts a shadow on the party. There is a lesson to be learned by this. No Ms. Parrott, the lesson is not to throw your own under the bus as quickly as possible. The lesson is: be above reproach in all that you do.

In the 21st century there is little that shocks us anymore. Our congressmen are bought and paid for, they are afraid to enforce the law because their party will lose the Hispanic vote, we are fighting a war in Iraq for God knows what reason, and it takes Oprah to start a discussion about the damage we are doing by not fixing our schools. I’m not shocked by any of that. I’m not even shocked that a conservative Republican had communication and possible contact with a prostitute. What is wrong with this picture?

We need to uphold the highest standard for our politicians. I think it was Nancy Jacobs who coined the slogan, “Because Character Counts.” How true is that? We seem to forget that character is probably the most important thing for any candidate. We all ask, “What are his/her issues?” or “What has he/she done over the last year?” I think the real questions we should ask are, “Do they have character?” and “Do they have strong morals?” and “Are they respectful and respected to and by their colleagues.” If they answer is no to either of those questions then I cannot in good conscience vote for you.

Issues like this bring out character flaws in others as well. Joanne Parrott once again failed to take the higher road. When asked about Boutin she unleashed her venomous tongue. She immediately brought up a previous issue with pornography and capped it off by saying, “I feel sorry for his wife.” What a sad lady she is. Her character is so lacking that she could not see how her quotes would be used to further injure her former colleague (if she did see how then shame on her). We need to use Chuck Boutin’s misfortune and mistake to learn a lesson. What is it that really matters in the people we elect? I has to be character.

District B Article in The Examiner

The Examiner ran an article on the District B race. I don't know about you but I am liking the daily coverage on Harford County. I could do without the ads but it gives us an option. Check the article out here.

Updated Preliminary “A” List: Part II

 

#6 Dave Tritt: The last time I put Tritt on my list I upset someone high up in the Sheriff’s Office. Why? Because I am challenging the thinking of the GOBN. I'm sure I will hear from them again. Golding is a certified, card carrying member of the GOBN. He has the golf pictures on his website to prove it. He benefited from his connections and we have been reaping the “benefits” ever since. We have an inadequate Southern Precinct in the worst crime area of the county. That does not show the gangs that we are serious about their elimination. Just last week at the Harford Republican Club meeting Golding said, “Gangs have a right to exist.” Not in my county. He then said that democrats consider us (Republicans) a gang. I don't think he gets it. You can legalese your way around confronting the issue all you want but violent gangs do not have the right to exist. I have written about the southern end of the county before and I believe that Golding too has Dontcareitis. As long as Rt. 40 problems stay Rt. 40 problems we are all safe. If Paula Mullis's goal of fixing up Edgewood is to be realized I think we will need change in the Sheriff's Office.

Golding will play the experience card because it is the only card he has. He cannot run on his actions during the last 3 years. This is where his supporters list the 3 stock things he has done. Did he get a Southern Precinct? Did he increase recruiting numbers? Did he prevent gangs from establishing? I am sorry but I am just unimpressed with this man. He stumbled into a political office and he is still stumbling.

#7 34A Team: We have a rare opportunity to get rid of James. We all need to support Pate and Kohl as much as possible. I am starting to think that Jacobs will not have a real challenger. Someone may throw their hat in the ring but it will be token opposition. There are no real heavy hitters in the district other than James. I feel that James is just waiting for Nancy to retire and I do not see that happening any time soon. This District is as diverse as any in the state (unconstitutional as well). I think the only District as crazy as District 34 is District 7, both right here in good old Harford County (hmm, I wonder who they tried to screw in redistricting).

James is a liberal and I just don’t like liberals. It would be an amazing thing to have an entirely Republican delegation in both the Senate and the House. We need to begin to change this state one seat at a time. A few other counties will hopefully take care of their dems this year and we need to take care of ours. The problem with James is that she blends in. She blends in with the conservatives when Busch lets her and stands with the dems when he can’t let her vote go. I find it quite unnerving that one of our elected representatives is controlled by Michael Busch. We should control our representatives. This is how the conversation goes:

James: Mr. Busch, can I vote with you guys today?

Busch: No, Mary. We can’t lose your seat up there in Hickville.

James: Ok, Mr. Busch. Maybe tomorrow?

Busch: Don’t think so. We have enough votes to override Satan’s veto. Keep acting like a conservative for now.

Let’s get someone in Annapolis who can stand up for what they believe in and not what they are told to believe in.

 

 

#8 District 7 House of Delegates Candidate from Harford County: With approximately 25% of the voters in District 7 living in Harford County, I think it is important that someone represent District 7 in Annapolis who is from Harford County. The state and county numbers for this district are very different. The 2002 State statistics show 27,292 Harford Countians living in District 7. However, the 2006 Harford County statistics show only 19,246. Why the disparity? I have no idea. I seriously doubt 8,000 people from District 7 have left Harford County in the last 4 years. Whatever the number is I feel that 25% justifies having one Delegate from Harford County. I think J.B. Jennings has an office in Joppatowne but I may be wrong. The funny thing about this one is that I do not feel poorly served by McDonough, Impallaria, or Jennings. I honestly do not know much about them and do not see them around here a whole lot. They were kind of thrust upon us and we are still adjusting to the fact that we have three districts representing us. I do not have any one person in mind who needs to be replaced. I have heard some rumblings about Impallaria being the weakest link. Whether that is true I will leave up to you all. I feel the numbers show that we should have one of the three seats.

 

#9 Harford Senators: If it is not broken, don’t fix it. When Senator Hooper hangs up his political boots he will be near impossible to replace. Glassman is showing that he is not a suitable replacement. I just pray that he stays healthy. I could see Bob Cassilly replacing Senator Hooper one day. I do not know what kind of relationship those two have if any. I think they are both honorable men and seem to not be afraid to speak their minds. I do not agree with Cassilly some of the time but I do respect him.

Senator Jacobs will be around for quite some time. She is unopposed at the moment and will be helping Pate and Kohl out. I have not heard one rumor about a challenger but my connections stop at the Susquehanna River. Cecil County could one day put forth a challenge to Jacobs but that will not come for at least another 4-8 years.

Senator Harris will one day run for House of Representatives. The rumors have this happening in two years. He has a ridiculous amount of money in his war chest and will be able to put on a good show against Gilchrest. I would be proud to have Andy Harris represent me in Congress. He is not a Harford Countian but he will do.

#10 Bill Christoforo: Bill is probably a member of the GOBN. He is very well connected. He will win not because of his connections but because his opponent, Harry Hopkins, is a party switcher and he actually has some good ideas. His campaign material says that he will work to repeal the Maryland inheritance tax, modernize the office, outreach to seniors making sure their estate documents are in order, and assist the needy with lawyers. Sounds good to me. You win.

Bill has been a decent leader of the party. I think we need to modernize the party and that has not happened. I would volunteer but I have more fun doing this. I do not see this race getting dirty or even that heated. We will see. When people run for these offices I always ask why. I question why offices like this are even elected positions. They are nothing more than popularity contests. It does not really even matter if they are a democrat or Republican. Bill wants a nice cushy job and he will get it

Shame On You Glassman!

Glassman better realize that he made a mistake by talking about his fellow colleague like that. If he doesn’t I am going to start rallying the troops. We cannot tolerate this kind of pompous activity from our legislators. So what, she didn’t follow the proper procedure and get it approved by Glassman. She saw a problem and stood up on the floor and let it be known. Glassman in his cowardice then asked the Delegates to vote against the amendment. In other words, Barry asked the House of Delegates to not give us any more money. She may not reflect the “sentiment of my delegation” but she reflects the sentiment of the thousands of us back home that you are supposed to represent. You failed Barry! $11 million is peanuts compared to other counties. Are you really that weak? Do we need to look to someone else for leadership? Maybe so if this is the best you can give us.

Parrott, Parrott, Parrott. You obviously have not maneuvered much off your backside in the last year. What the heck is going on down there? $91 million dollars up for grabs and we get nothing. We send you down there to work for us not against us. We have some real personalities down there. Some that won’t work at all, and others that work against us. To be honest Glassman was flying under my radar until this fiasco. Susan McComas is a good lady and it appears that she is the only one doing her job. Sheryl Davis- Kohl’s name was absent from the article. It is the schools in her district that have some of the greatest needs. If I were Sheryl I would come down on the side of Susan. Could Susan have gone about this differently? Maybe, but at least she made a stand.

Glassman should lose his leadership position in the delegation over this. He is obviously unable to effectively persuade others to help Harford County out. When others in his delegation make a stand for the County he actually encourages others to vote against us. You have a lot of explaining to do Barry. And do not even give us the line, “You need to understand how things work down here; you need to play the game.” You need to wake up and support people in your delegation who are willing to make a stand. If you can’t do that then we will not stand for you in September.

The Two Republican Parties

I am attempting to put into words the theory that there are two Republican Parties in Harford County; the old and the new. The “Old” Republicans have certain characteristics and the “New” Republicans have certain other characteristics. “Old” does not necessarily mean age, sometime it does. I have said this several times before but Harford County is run by a “Good Old Boy” network (GOBN) and if you are not in, you are not in. I know people use that phrase a lot but what exactly does it mean? When I think of a GOBN I think of a small group of people who have a very high opinion of themselves and through their connections (not their ideas) have emerged in leadership positions. Harford County is run by such a network. There are people in leadership who owe their current positions to other people and are therefore beholden to them creating an interconnected, confusing web of relationships.

The old Republicans are usually offended when people challenge them. They view the challenge as an affront to their network and they take it personally and they should. Anyone who says “Politics isn’t personal,” is not in politics. When a challenger confronts them they usually say things like, “I have not seen her talking to anyone important.” This can be interpreted, “I have not seen her talking to anyone in the GOBN.” They also say things like, “They are not qualified,” meaning they are not drinking buddies with people in the GOBN. After a challenger announces, they run to their network and start rallying the troops for the assault. I have a few ideas about who the network leader is but I will let you speculate.

I strongly believe that we need to encourage people to challenge the network. If you have been in office more than two terms you should expect to be challenged. Primaries are a refining process. You heat the candidate up and burn away the impurities. Sometimes the impurities become too much a part of the candidate and they are burnt away in the fire of the primary. But look at what we have on the other side. No matter who survives, we have a candidate who went through the fire and is now “pure.”

If an incumbent is afraid of a challenger, you should sit back and ask yourself why. Are they afraid of the embarrassment of losing? Are they afraid of the “power” they will lose? For all elected officials the answer will probably be the same. “I feel that I have done a good job and deserve to go unchallenged.” They feel this way because their network only tells them positive things and they treat challengers as inconveniences to be endured every four years. If this mentality continues to exist in Harford County more and more people will disengage from the process. I honestly feel that some incumbents would welcome that. The more people that disengage, the less chance they have at losing their position. The more people that pay attention (and create blogs) the brighter the spotlight will be on incumbents.

Do some deserve to go unchallenged in the primary? No. No one deserves anything in a democracy. The people will decide what an incumbent deserves. There is this undercurrent in politics that the primary process only reveals the party candidate’s weaknesses. I say bring it on. If you have weaknesses I want them revealed. I want to burn them out of you and that means that you may get burnt in the process. If someone has a better idea than you have been able to come up with I want to hear it. Incumbents are threatened by people that think this way because people like this are not afraid to challenge them.

Of all the places in Maryland where we should see hotly contested Republican primaries it should definitely be Harford County. No democrat is going to win here unless I am completely underestimating the anti-Republican sentiment at the national level. The “New” Republicans are beginning to rise up because they feel they have better ideas and can do a better job. I welcome them to the stage and will be watching very closely as the GOBN attempts to chew them up and spit them out.

COMING SOON: Glassman, Glassman, Glassman, No, No, No