The Lower Shore's local news website, Delmarvanow.com, has this story up today. Andy Harris, a Republican senator in the Maryland legislature who is running for Frank Kratovil's House seat, addressed the Maryland Young Republicans Leadership meeting this weekend in Salisbury.
Harris wasn't the only speaker, and he's not the only Republican challenging Democratic incumbents in Maryland.
Let's get one thing straight before I get further into this: I am not uncritical of the Administration and the Congress. But I give ample credit to them for trying to fix the messes they've prioritized, even when I decry the glacial pace of change. And I am no fan of Blue Dogs, my own Congressman, Frank Kratovil, included -- although he's done good work vis-a-vis the Chesapeake Bay's health. But there's a line I'm not going to cross, and that is sitting back and letting deceptive remarks like this pass unchallenged.
"The American dream, in the past 18 months, has been dismantled by the president and Congress systematically and intentionally," Harris said in opening remarks to an audience at the Maryland Young Republicans Leadership Conference at Salisbury University. "There are so many huge issues." (emphasis added)
Ahem. It's not Obama, Pelosi and Reid et al who wrecked the US economy, who gutted regulatory agencies, and who got us into to two seemingly unendable wars. They aren't the ones who held secret meetings with the very industry that has wreaked epic destruction in the Gulf of Mexico. That would be Bush, Cheney, Issa, McConnell & Co. Their corporate-friendly, extreme laissez-faire governance is fully responsible for the Great Recession. Harris is spewing bullpuckey and needs it slung back into his face. I'm happy to call it as I see it.
The theme that the federal government is in need of shrinking (!!!), so dear to the likes of Rand Paul and Sharron Angle, apparently was a major topic of discussion. It wasn't just the politicians who said such things, attendees were also quick to echo this notion:
"Government taxes are too high, regulations are too costly and the government needs to get out of the way and let us start employing people again," said Fahey, a member of the Young Republicans' Eastern Shore chapter. "I oppose the health care reform bill as it is; I would prefer it be in the hands of private companies and let individuals choose (doctors) they want."
I guess Fahey didn't read this NY Times magazine article this weekend. We're not well-served by our fee-for-service system, as this story highlights. But then, he'd probably start screaming about death panels. He also seems to have forgotten that it was the very lack of regulatory oversight that allowed BP to drill without proper planning for all contingencies. He also hasn't checked out the reality of taxation -- that it's the middle class bearing the brunt, with the top earners paying far less than their fair share, and corporations fleeing for non-taxing jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands.
By the way, Kratovil's seat is not the only one being challenged:
The conference also welcomed Republican candidates Mike Philips, who is seeking an 8th District congressional seat; Jim Rutledge of Carroll County, who is seeking Barbara Mikulski's U.S. Senate seat; and William Campbell, who is running for state comptroller.
But if we're lucky, all of them, and more, will fail spectacularly. We really, really want to keep Sen. Mikulski, people. God help this state if O'Malley and Franchot lose their re-election campaigns (for governor and comptroller respectively). Gov. O'Malley was absolutely right about offshore drilling, and he, like Obama, inherited a godawful mess. I don't want Ehrlich anywhere near that job again. I'm not a huge fan of Comptroller Franchot, but he's done a good job trying to modernize the state revenue administration service, a task long-deferred and badly needed. All their work will have been in vain if their challengers win this fall.
These ideas are being touted in Maryland, people -- supposedly blue-blue Maryland. The truth is, it's just like the rest of the country. Big urban areas tend to trend Democratic, liberal, progressive. Small towns and rural areas tend to trend Republican, conservative. We're no exception -- the Eastern Shore is pretty rural. Low-info voters are everywhere out here.
Look, it's bad enough that we have Tea Party craziness in the political discourse. But if it really is allowed to inform actual policymaking, we are well and truly screwed. We'll never have the kind of rebuilding this country desperately needs. Now, my personal political convictions tend to run pretty solidly left. It is rare that I get to vote my conscience, let alone find someone I can stomach enough to volunteer in their campaign. But if, like me, you have less-than-inspiring choices on the national level, find someone in your state or locality to support, because it's not just the Congress these guys have their sights set upon, it's your statehouse, governor's office, and other crucial state offices. Right now, the state level is where the impact of political philosophy is felt relatively quickly. Me? I'm going to go have a chat with Mikulski's and O'Malley's respective campaigns out here.
Go get busy.