A New Low October 9, 2009

I thought it was pretty low of the President’s critics to cheer Chicago’s loss of the Olympics—all as a means to relish Obama’s failure to sway the IOC. Nothing like rooting against the country.
Then came the surprise announcement that Obama had won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
The critics are beside themselves—calling the decision “cheap” and [...]

Return of the Censors? April 6, 2009

Leave it to a college sophomore to speak some sense about the debate over a porn film that’s suddenly become the most pressing issue in Annapolis.
On a talk show Monday morning, the UMBC student asked a basic question: was it really necessary for the State Senate to literally drop everything else to stick its nose [...]

Obama’s Campaign Now April 3, 2009

President Obama’s town hall meeting in Strasbourg was striking—first, because it was in France, not some arena in Iowa or Ohio. It certainly speaks to the world’s fascination with America’s new president that the French and Germans (Strasbourg sits on the border) would pack the hall to hear his speech, snap a photo, and scramble [...]

Stop Hiding March 9, 2009

With all the talk lately about transparency in government, it’s way past time that the United States Senate fix the problem of secrecy in U-S Senate campaigns.
Federal election law requires most candidates to file information about their campaign money electronically. That makes it easier for the public to see who gives a candidate money—and who [...]

Death of the Death Penalty? February 18, 2009

Governor O’Malley is renewing his effort this week to convince the legislature to repeal the state’s death penalty.
As a matter of practice, the death penalty’s already been put on the back burner in Maryland.
Currently, there are five people on death row in the state. None received his sentence in the past ten years.
The last death [...]

Bipartisanship Bust February 13, 2009

The revised economic stimulus plan passed the House of Representatives on Friday without one, single, solitary Republican vote. This is generating nearly as much debate as the plan itself—and for good reason. The question, of course, is whether bipartisanship is really possible. Given its failure in these circumstances—the worst economic crisis since the Great [...]

I Told You So? Not quite… February 5, 2009

I heard former Governor Bob Ehrlich this week publicly declare, “I told you so”, when asked about the current slots mess in Annapolis. He may have some ground to stand on. He was, after all, the champion of slots—trying, year after year when he was Governor, to get a bill passed. Mostly, he ran into [...]

Presidential Mea Culpa February 4, 2009

There’s really nothing terribly unusual about nominees for big cabinet posts getting caught in some embarassing misstep.
Go back any number of presidential administrations and you’ll find them. The latest, of course, is Tom Daschle–President’s Obama’s choice to lead Health and Human Services.
Daschle withdrew from nomination on Tuesday because of revelations over the last few days [...]

The New GOP Chairman January 30, 2009

Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor from Maryland, is now the new chair of the Republican Party. He beat out all the party insiders to become the first African American to hold the post. Now the real fun begins.
Even the most loyal Republicans acknowledge Steele’s got his work cut out for him.
The GOP took [...]

What Would a Tax Cut Mean? January 27, 2009

It’s certainly a clear sign of how our dire economic situation has changed our perspective.
Not so long ago, a trillion dollars seemed unimaginable. Now, anything under a trillion seems like chump change.
Some congressional leaders and economists are complaining that the $825 billion economic stimulus plan, proposed by the Obama administration, is simply too little to [...]