Friday, July 20, 2012
This post updates an earlier article that showed the dramatic differences between what incumbents versus their challengers are able to raise to finance their respective campaigns. The previous article’s data were as of March 31, 2012. Reporting to the Federal Election Commission is quarterly. These data, in the table below, are as of June 30, 2012.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
It’s a reasonable question that deserves a serious answer. There are four reasons, any one of which is sufficient basis not to vote for him. Here they are.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Put another way, who exactly is Dutch Ruppersberger representing for the $174,000 per year, plus benefits, that we’re paying him? We know who he works for, who pays his salary, but who does he really represent?
Monday, July 9, 2012
Hi. In a New York Times article published on MSNBC.com on Saturday, the author, Robert Pear, talks about the “exchanges” mandated by the Affordable Care Act. According to the law, each state is to create an exchange, a marketplace where Americans who can’t afford to buy health insurance on their own can buy insurance with support from the federal government. If the state doesn’t do this, doesn’t set up this exchange as it appears some are reluctant to do, the federal government will do it for them.
Friday, July 6, 2012
In an article published earlier today, I showed that Maryland’s incumbent Senator, Democrat Ben Cardin, and incumbent Congressman from the Second District, Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger, have tended to vote 97%, 98% of the time with their party and with the President.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Compromise. Is there really any such thing? Seriously, is there? My wife wants to paint the room green. I want to paint it blue. Does compromise mean agreeing to paint it blue-green which neither of us likes? Or does it mean that one of us concedes to the other this time, in return for getting his or her way on some other matter of equal or less importance? This example is trivial but, in Washington, coming to a mutually acceptable agreement can be a messy and sometimes outright unpleasant, counter-productive process. Picking a color to paint a room is one thing. What happens when the issue is as important, complex and politically charged as health care legislation or what to do about the economy?
Friday, June 29, 2012
At the bottom of this piece, you can see the statement by incumbent Senator Ben Cardin in reaction to yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court. It’s on the Senator’s Senate website, www.Cardin.Senate.gov. It’s very neatly typed, and generally well-written. Personally, I’m not a big fan of third person statements that, I think, make the elected official sound aloof. Even though he staffed it out, the Senator should be talking directly to his constituents.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Hi. Next Contestant has been paying a lot of attention to two Congressional races in Maryland. One is for the U.S. Senate, between incumbent Democrat Ben Cardin and Republican challenger Dan Bongino. The other is for the House, between Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger, the incumbent Congressman from the Second Congressional District, and his Republican challenger State Senator Nancy Jacobs. Maryland is a state where registered Democrats outnumber their Republican counterparts 2:1, more than 2.6:1 in the Second Congressional District. It’s a state where the people tend to vote their party affiliation.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The other day, I challenged Marylanders, including, in particular, Maryland’s Second Congressional District, who are not in favor of re-electing Senator Ben Cardin and/or Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, to let me know why.* What’s wrong with these incumbents? Next Contestant has reasons they should be replaced, but what are yours?
Friday, June 22, 2012
Candidates love to show real people giving us reasons to vote for them. Dutch Ruppersberger, the incumbent Congressman from Maryland’s Second Congressional District, is no exception. (Go his campaign website, www.DutchForCongress.com, and see the video in the lower right corner of the home page.)