First off, you want to go here. Then we'll have something to talk about below.
This is going to be short and sweet, because the chart says it all.
Chunks of Maryland are in big trouble economically. Baltimore City is not much of a surprise to anyone, sadly. But some of the counties are in similar straits. Washington, Dorchester and Somerset need help. All of them are over 10% unemployment. Once the tourist season winds down, Worcester will also be in dire need. Ocean City alone could outstrip the others.
In addition, Wicomico, Caroline, Cecil, and Allegheny counties aren't looking too swift either. You'll note that these are all at the fringes of Maryland's economic heart, the DC-Baltimore corridor. For the Eastern Shore, once you get east and south of the Choptank River, you're in the land of the forgotten. At the other end of the state, once you're over South Mountain, you might have more glorious mountain scenery to take in, but the economy is skittering down the rock slide zone.
This ought to mean something in terms of electoral politics. Roscoe Barrett and Andy Harris should be in big, big trouble for 2012. All we need are people running who are interested in turning around the economies of these districts. For MD-01, I'm not sure Frank Kratovil would be as effective as is needed. I was here for his first term, and I didn't see much of anything changing for the better in my county. If anything, it got worse. I know Mr. Hoyer likes and supports him, but we just don't need a Blue Dog right now. I would much rather see someone leaning towards the Progressive Caucus run for MD-01, but I'll settle for someone who at least won't squawk about deficits and is willing to talk about job creation and putting a floor under home values.