Friday, October 17, 2014
Maryland and National Election Issues
Thursday, October 23, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
We will continue our election discussion with a shift to state and national issues. Sherman will be leading the discussion. If you have an issue you would like to discuss please let us know by adding a comment to this blog post. Our conversation goes much better when we have a chance to do a little research.
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Here is an NPR clip about how Ebola has become politicized.
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DeleteThanks, reading . . . . .
DeleteNate Silver's blog makes it look bad for Democratic prospects of maintaining their Senate majority in the coming election.
ReplyDeleteSee http;//fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/senate-forecast/
North Carolina is looking scarier, but I've been making contributions to Kay Hagan and fingers crossed. Ditto for Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire and Mark Udall in Colorado. In what Silver has as the closest Senate race, I've been contributing to the independent in Kansas (Orman). Fortunately, it looks like Franken in Minnesota and Merkley in Oregon will manage to win more easily.
For anyone interested in House races around the country, I'd recommend Sabato's Crystal Ball. See http://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2014-house/
As of today, Nate Silver gives the Republicans a 65% chance of winning the Senate. The HuffPost and NYTimes say 66%, so there seems to be agreement. I think the real question is if it;s going to be over on November 4 or will we have to wait for the runoff elections in Louisiana and Georgia,
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DeleteFrom Sherman:
ReplyDelete1) Early Voting is a big thing in HC and Md., which will be one of the issues I will present this Thursday. . . . .So the Group could begin acquainting themselves (more) with “Early Voting using this article . . . . .Thanks :
“Both parties poured big money into early voting. Who’s got the edge?”
2) Here’s something else I ran across . . . . That is, interesting assessment of the last debate . . . . .
Both parties poured big money into early voting. Who’s got the edge?
3) See immediately below, Education, Economy & Environment are issues that I will present Thursday . . . .
Hogan, Brown clash on education, economy, environment
Early voting may be the Democrats salvation since any increase in voting tends to favor Democrats. I thought it was interesting that some states were conducting the election completely by mail. Can anyone think of a reason why this is a bad idea?
DeleteI expect the negative side of voting by mail is the increased possibility of fraud. But there are ways that elections boards conduct absentee voting without fraud entering into it.
DeleteIf most people voted by mail, it would eliminate the long lines in poor neighborhoods. The tactic of using poll watcher to slow down the voting would be eliminated.
DeleteHowever, it would also make voting less special. Voting in person is a community act which people take pride in doing.
With regard to who's got the edge in early voting, I don't know and we will see. What I did notice was that most of the anonymous people commenting on this Post article were hateful Republicans who either expressed contempt for the early voting process or glee at what they regarded as the progress they'd be making this year at the expense of Democrats. Some of these people would rather have as many restrictions as possible on voting by low-income people who might have to work on election day. Democracy means nothing to them. It just gets in the way of their success.
DeleteOn the views expressed by Brown and Hogan in this debate, I think their differences can be more clearly identified by their answers to the Sun's questionnaire. See www.elections.baltimoresun.com/candidates/
ReplyDeleteWith Brown saying YES and Hogan NO, they differed on bills increasing the tax on alcohol in 2011, increasing the tax on high earners and tobacco in 2012, abolishing the death penalty in 2013, creating an offshore wind project in 2013, providing gun control in 2013, increasing the gas tax for transportation funding purposes in 2013, increasing the state's minimum wage in 2014, decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in 2014, banning transgender discrimination in 2014, and providing for public campaign funding in 2014. On a couple of bills that went to referendum, the Dream Act in 2011 and marriage equality in 2012, Brown said YES and Hogan was recorded as providing no response.
I consider Brown weak on aid to non-public schools. He told MSEA in response to their pre-primary questionnaire that he would continue O'Malley's policy of putting money in the budget for such schools. I can't remember if Hogan even responded to their questionnaire, but I don't exactly think of him as a friend of public schools.
My favored candidate (Heather Mizeur) lost in the Democratic primary.
More from Sherman:
ReplyDelete1) “Voter turnout for the Maryland gubernatorial primary: About 22 percent”
2) “Kittleman for county executive”
The turnout in Maryland in the last offyear election (2010) was about 60%. Detailed info on this is on the state Board of Elections website. I can copy the URL, but don't know how to paste it here.
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