Honestly, the production could have been better and I haven’t actually seen the ad run because I don’t watch much local TV except for MASN and that network doesn’t put many political ads on during the summer a year and a half out from the general election. Nonetheless, this ad is quite funny in a “sad, but true” way:
I don’t doubt that Frank Kratovil is “just following orders” because he’s a freshman legislator from a vulnerable district and his first priority is getting himself re-elected. Otherwise, it may be tough for him to continue living in the shadow of the Bay Bridge so he can claim to hold those “Eastern Shore values”.
There is an element of disingenuousness, though, about the NRCC’s claim of Kratovil “voting with Nancy Pelosi 89% of the time.” Aside from the really conservative folks who simply skip votes renaming a post office or honoring some sports team for winning a championship, most Congressmen do vote with Nancy Pelosi a staggering percentage of the time, and Frank has occasionally gone off the liberal reservation to vote properly on issues – although far less often than a real conservative in the Andy Harris mold would have done. Nor should it be said that Kratovil doesn’t attempt to play on that liberal staple, class envy.
Even on a bill Frank introduced which would help out small business there is a hesitation of sorts, as in this example. Why stop the break in 2011? Is there some magic formula that says we’re only allowed to keep our deduction through 2011 before it hurts the government? In a way that practice reminds me of the grants that help out cities on a temporary basis until they have to come up with the money themselves after the grant runs its course – usually resulting in either layoffs or increased taxes.
In any event, enjoy this initial salvo of Campaign 2010 and gird your loins from occasional shots across the bow for the next 10 months or so. It’ll start getting really nasty about this time next year.
If you guys run Andy Harris against Kratovil in the 2010 general, you will lose. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio is your best bet if you want to be competitive . . .
Just my objective two cents . . .
Peace . . .
We’ll run whoever we elect in the primary, but you really need to ask yourself if Kratovil’s voting record as a body of work really reflects “Eastern Shore values.”
As for Jeannie Haddaway, she would be an excellent candidate but it’s more likely she would consider a run in 2012 if she wanted a Congressional seat because she wouldn’t have to give up her House of Delegates seat to do so. By running this time, Andy Harris has effectively term-limited himself to 12 years in the Maryland Senate – seems like an example a lot of others should follow.
Shaman,
Have you familiarized with the vote count of the last Harris race?
The vote count from the last race is the best Harris will ever do against Kratovil, as Kratovil’s incumbency and experience will help him come 2010, while Harris’s staunch ideological conservatism, particularly on the social side, will hinder him even more than it did in 2008 . . .
Look, I am a Democrat . . . there is nothing I would like more than to see the Republicans select Harris as their nominee in the primary . . . it assures that District 1 will remain in Democratic hands . . .
Like I said, just my two cents . . . perhaps I’m dead wrong . . . time will tell . . .
Its pretty simple, the tax break for start-ups runs out in 2011 so people use it NOW, not 5 or 10 years down the road.
To me it seems that it would be difficult to plan for the future of one’s business if guessing what tax policy would be is akin to nailing Jello to a wall. I suppose it’s a political calculation because in a year or two Congress can extend the break and Kratovil can take “credit” for extending it.
Why not instead just lower the federal business tax rates and allow states to determine what incentives they wish to use?