The forum was recorded in two parts, and the videos run just about two hours total. In order from left to right, the candidates are Bongino, Hoover, Vaughn, Broadus, Jones, and Douglas.

I’m going to allow you to make up your own mind on who won; some comported themselves well and made a solid presentation and others seemed a little ill at ease. At this time I like three candidates better than the others, but I would like to study a little bit more before I make a formal endorsement down the road.

Thanks to Jacklyn Gregory for putting the videos together and uploading them. The Cecil County Patriots and AFP Maryland have done a service to Republican voters. Just for fun I did a quick search for a similar event on the Democratic side, but it was no surprise I found nothing. It’s doubtful Ben Cardin would stoop so low as to honor his opponents with his consent to debate – a common trait I’ve found among incumbent Democrats.

Because this is a Presidential election year, Republicans and Democrats in most of Maryland will only have a few choices to make when primary voting arrives in late March. (Some will also have local races to consider.) In seven out of eight districts for both parties voters will have a choice for Congress, while all Maryland voters who participate in the primary will select their party’s standardbearer for the U.S. Senate seat. Only Republicans will have a choice for President as no one stepped forth to challenge Barack Obama on the primary ballot. There is also only one Republican running in the First Congressional District – incumbent Andy Harris – while Dutch Ruppersberger enjoys a similar free ride in his Second District Democratic primary. Convention delegates are also at stake for both parties in each Congressional district.

Now that the stage is set, it’s very likely that only two or three GOP presidential candidates will be left standing by the time the race reaches Maryland on April 3. The good news is that Maryland and the District of Columbia may be pretty much the only game in town that day. Wisconsin voters will be much more mindful of the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker and, depending on whether the Texas legislative districts go to court or not, their scheduled April 3 primary is likely to be pushed back.

But the Presidential sweepstakes will likely not be the most exciting race. Rather, the key races will be:

• The Second District Republican primary, where Delegate Rick Impallaria and State Senator Nancy Jacobs are leading the field of five contestants. Political newcomer Larry Smith is also running a spirited campaign.
• Both sides in the Sixth District. While Democratic State Senator Rob “Gas Tax” Garagiola had the district drawn to his advantage, challenger Milad Pooran has shown some fundraising prowess as well. Meanwhile, State Senator David Brinkley and Delegate Kathy Afzali are challenging incumbent Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, joining 2010 challenger Joseph Krysztoforski and four other GOP hopefuls in the Congressional side’s most crowded field.
• It looked like Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin would face the usual cadre of perennial candidates until State Senator C. Anthony Muse jumped into the race. While Cardin is expected to handle this challenge, it will show just how many Democrats – particularly the black population they depend so heavily on – are backing the incumbent. If Cardin doesn’t carry areas like Prince George’s County or Baltimore City Cardin will have some fence-mending to do over the summer months to shore up the base.
• Meanwhile, the Republicans have their usual crowded field of ten candidates, who I’ll discuss in the next few paragraphs.

If you break down that race you’ll find that, just like the Democrats, there are several who are seemingly on the ballot just to see their name there. John Kimble is on his ninth straight federal ballot dating back to 1996, Corrogan Vaughn is on his fourth try for statewide office, Robert Broadus and Rick Hoover are on their third electoral run, and Joseph Alexander was third in the 2010 Senate race. William Capps also ran for state office in 2010. That’s not to say they have no shot at winning, but generally there’s a reason for their lack of previous success. Of that group, Vaughn and Broadus have probably been the most active at getting around the state and promoting their campaigns.

But in terms of money and backing, the two frontrunners have to be pegged as Rich Douglas and Dan Bongino. Bongino has raised the most money, and both have received a series of dueling endorsements from state and federal officeholders and other well-known figures. Both Bongino and Douglas have spoken before small groups (of which I was a part) here in Wicomico County as well.

I’ve pointed out before that the pair have a somewhat different focus in their respective campaigns.

Douglas seems to be more of the “establishment” candidate whose specialty lies more in the aspect of foreign affairs. He also plays up his experience in the Senate as a staffer for Senator Jesse Helms and his military experience. Conversely, Bongino resides more on the side of addressing economic issues and the role of government and doesn’t seem to be averse to mixing it up with his Democratic opponent. He’s also been more successful at getting national interest in his campaign. To me, it doesn’t matter so much who wins the Republican side – I’m looking for the guy who will finally represent this state as it should be represented, not a career politician building up his pension via 46 years in public office. (Yes, Ben Cardin was first elected to public office in 1966 – winning a House of Delegates seat held previously by his uncle. He was first elected when I was 2 years old!)

Although there could be a primary upset, I’d prefer that the retirement party for Ben Cardin be held on November 6. While most of the ten on the GOP side would be an improvement (I have my doubts on a couple) I would suspect the best chance of attaining that goal would rest with Rich Douglas or Dan Bongino.

It didn’t take the House long to do its job, but the title of the “do-nothing” Congress belongs to the Senate. While gridlock can be a good thing in a lot of instances, not performing their Constitutional duty is inexcusable.

The House did their job, so tell the Senate to do theirs. We’re always being asked to compromise so now it’s their turn.

And if they don’t, perhaps it’s time to elect some new Senators who would work more closely with a Republican house. A few good candidates come to mind, none of them named Ben Cardin.

On Monday, Bongino struck first by calling the current electoral process “a nest of corruption.”

The current electoral process is a system designed to benefit the political insider interested in a tacit game of tit for tat, enabled by big government’s involvement in the private economy. The fundraising model, which is a necessity to run a modern campaign, is so corrupted by insider dealings that absent tremendous wealth, there are few ways to escape this nest of corruption.

In my 17 years in law enforcement, I have never run across a racket so ruthlessly protected by those in power. I have had numerous potential donors confide in me that they believe in our campaign, but cannot be revealed on public record because they have been targeted in the past by political machines.

Republicans in Maryland (and most other states, for that matter) should know going in that they will likely be financially outgunned by Democrats, and Ben Cardin was sitting on $2.3 million back in September. Fortunately for Republicans, Ben will have to spend some of that to get through his primary but will still have a significant advantage on Dan.

But I’m not going to take the second part of the statement at face value until someone decides to step forward and name some names. I’d actually be more worried about blowback if the gay marriage bill went to referendum based on what happened with donors who favored California’s Proposition 8 a few years ago.

The next day Douglas, who now sports the campaign tagline “New Blood,” hit the incumbent on the PIPA angle, calling Senator Cardin’s flip-flop from co-sponsor to opponent “double-talk…Marylanders have an absolute right to be concerned.”

Douglas continued:

Stopping internet piracy is crucial. But here is what’s really going on with PIPA. Mr. Cardin hastily signed up to co-sponsor a bill which provides sweetheart overseas process service rules for Hollywood, and increases legal burdens on American internet service providers. He was caught flat-footed by alert Maryland constituents. Now he is trying to backpedal.

In the Senate, co-sponsorship of a bill means you own it.  A Senator conscious of his duty would ask hard questions before putting his name on a bill which will force American businesses and citizens to step into the shoes of federal prosecutors to protect Hollywood.

If you read my post on PIPA (and the companion SOPA bill) you would agree that Douglas and the rest of us should be concerned that we haven’t heard the end of this. At several points we thought Obamacare was dead, too, particularly after Scott Brown was elected.

So far, so good. I prefer to see the contenders both piling on to the one who deserves it for poorly representing the people of Maryland.

But Bongino got the drop on the race by snagging two key endorsements; one of them was the candidate I supported in the Senate race two years ago:

Jim Rutledge, former U.S. Senate candidate, has officially endorsed Dan Bongino, candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland.

“Dan Bongino will bring to the U.S. Senate what has been seriously lacking for some time in Maryland; a person that can truly relate to and speak for the average Maryland family,” said Jim Rutledge.  “Dan has an impressive life story and an accomplished record on the front line of law enforcement rising from the ranks of the NYPD to the Secret Service.  Washington is awash with a culture of corruption.  Dan Bongino is a man of courage and integrity. Dan Bongino knows that jobs, opportunity, and prosperity can only thrive in a free-market economy.  We need a new beginning here in Maryland and that will start when we elect Dan Bongino.”

He also got the endorsement of the Red Maryland website, which favorably compared both Douglas and Bongino but gave the nod to Dan based on “the energy Bongino (has) on the stump.”

These endorsements aren’t completely surprising, though. Bongino has been cultivating the support of the TEA Party audience that Rutledge won over two years ago, and Red Maryland has somewhat of an anti-establishment viewpoint when it comes to Maryland GOP politics. Fairly or not, Rich Douglas is perceived as the choice of the GOP old guard.

And Rich countered with a notice which exhibited his strong points and interests. It wasn’t an endorsement, but it was an interesting story nonetheless.

Today Richard J. Douglas, candidate for the U.S. Senate (R-MD) called on Congress to add Cuba to the text of the Jackson-Vanik law passed in 1974 in response to the Soviet Union’s refusal to permit Jewish emigration.

“Just four hours from Miami, Fidel Castro continues to imprison a Jewish man from Maryland, Mr. Alan Gross, because of Mr. Gross’s faith,” said Douglas. “Ben Cardin, Maryland’s own U.S. Senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has done nothing about it.”

I have to say it’s a good human interest story, but there’s only a select audience familiar with the reasons for the amendment in the first place – honestly, I’d never heard of it. The law has made news in recent days, though, because President Obama is considering its repeal. Alan Gross is a USAID contractor who was accused of being an American spy.

And on and on it goes.

I will say, though, that it appears Dan Bongino has the inside track on the nomination at this stage of the game. Remember the poll I had up last week? I can pretty much guarantee you that what I ended up with won’t be reflective of the results, but there is a lesson to be learned. This is how it turned out:

• Dan Bongino, 255 votes (93.75%)
• Robert Broadus, 7 votes (2.57%)
• William Capps, 6 votes (2.21%)
• Rich Douglas, 4 votes (1.47%)
• Rest of field, no votes

Now there’s no way Dan gets over 90% of the real vote – not even Michael Steele, who was a prohibitive favorite in 2006 because he had both name recognition and the Maryland GOP’s fairly blatant backing, got 90 percent in the primary. Of course, there are a number of perennial candidates who always run but rarely do well (as examples, Corrogan Vaughn is in his fourth try for statewide office and John Kimble has run for either Congress or the Senate in 9 consecutive cycles dating back to 1996) so there are really only a few who have a shot. Of those in the race, Joseph Alexander has actually performed the best since he received 6% of the vote two years ago and finished third.

But this poll proves a point that Bongino’s backers have their ear to the ground (or at least read this website) and the support base to see this opportunity to make a little bit of news. This time I changed the rules so there couldn’t be endless repeat voting, so it was more work to rack up vote totals.

In many ways this race is like the 2010 nominating contest, with Bongino filling the role of Jim Rutledge (naturally, because he was endorsed by Jim) and Douglas showing some similarities to Eric Wargotz, who had more of the perception of being the “establishment” candidate. Whether there will be a seven-point split statewide remains to be seen, although if this scenario held true Bongino would waltz to victory on the Lower Shore (in 2010 Rutledge won the four-county area by 1300 votes, or by 9 percentage points.) In fact, this area is probably one of Dan’s strongholds.

But winning the Lower Shore is a tiny fraction of the statewide vote, and many factors will go into who wins the overall battle. I’m encouraged, though, that all the candidates seem to be hammering away at the incumbent rather than each other – too bad our Presidential hopefuls won’t do the same.

Reactions? Well, pretty much what I expected. Needless to say, Mark Green at Energy Tomorrow was critical of the decision, stating President Obama wasn’t after jobs but “settled on a different calculus – re-election politics.” The American Petroleum Institute writer also pointed out the Keystone project had been under review for three years, plenty of time to gauge environmental impact. This is particularly true when one considers the Keystone XL pipeline could have run close by the existing Keystone pipeline already in use.

Closer to home, it’s clear that Senator Ben Cardin is out of touch with Americans who would rather not see surging gas prices become a way of life. Instead, the state’s junior Senator said in a release that proponents were “putting expediency and corporate interests ahead of the many…concerns.” Again, Senator Cardin must have missed the point: the project was reviewed for three years. It may be worth reminding Big Labor about this statement from Cardin a few months from now.

On the other hand, one of his possible Republican opponents gets it right. Rich Douglas was appropriately outraged about Obama’s lack of foresight, saying he and his allies “knifed American workers in the back…the administration and (certain members of) Congress sent a message to American workers – drop dead.”

And I loved this passage regarding Cardin’s opposition:

Each election season, the U.S. Congress and Senate Majority – to which Mr. Ben Cardin belongs – protest their undying affection for American workers and their families. But when push came to shove on Keystone, when Mr. Cardin and other Senators could have hammered some sense into Foggy Bottom and the Oval Office, where were they? In the head.

Indeed, Douglas served as a Navy submarine machinist’s mate, so he’s qualified to make that blunt assessment.

Equally caustic was the response by local Congressman Andy Harris, a portion of which I’ll pass along:

“We can’t wait for the President because his inaction will hurt the American economy and consumers through higher energy costs. The time to act is now and that’s why I’ve cosponsored H.R. 3548 which takes the authority to approve the Keystone Pipeline out of his hands. This bill allows the project to move forward and encourages economic growth and job creation through the construction of the pipeline.”

Good for him; unfortunately the bill may be too little, too late.

There’s a hard reality at work here: the Alberta oil sands are already being exploited and a number of countries want the oil from them. It’s not a stretch to believe that a pipeline couldn’t instead be built westward toward the Pacific, and that China would be more than willing to make it happen. While President Obama’s actions and the unforeseen event of the Deepwater Horizon disaster have contributed to the rise in gasoline prices since Obama took office, we can’t overlook another key fact: we’re not the only developed nation thirsty for oil. Already a portion of what we refine here is shipped overseas, and the fact we haven’t built a new refinery in over three decades doesn’t help matters either.

(If Obama wanted to create shovel ready jobs, he could also dust off a proposal President Bush had several years back – he offered a plan to use closed military bases as sites for new refineries. More importantly, though, Bush wanted to streamline the permitting process for expanding capacity, whether at new or existing sites.)

In time, it is theoretically possible that Americans could get all of their oil from either one of three places: on American soil, in the waters off America’s shores, and the friendly neighbor of Canada, which is already our leading foreign supplier. Because of various factors, around 5 out of every 8 barrels of oil we use already comes from domestic supplies or Canada, and according to another EIA summary we peaked in foreign oil dependence back in 2005. Sadly, rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline may force us to reverse that downward trend and leave us vulnerable to the prospect of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz or tensions in other regions of the world.

But President Obama can burnish his reputation among those who believe the alternative energy fairy will come down and make our cars run on magic pixie dust. At least they may as well believe this since it’s about as logical as using food for fuel or subsidizing hybrid cars to the tune of $250,000 apiece. (Oh wait, we already do those things. But I still think the pixie dust is far-fetched.)

It looks like America’s loss may be China’s gain, while Canada stands to benefit regardless.

But there’s something he alluded to in his statement that I haven’t received official word on. Capps notes that Pat McDonough has already entered the Senate race, but as for now he’s still on the fence between running for the U.S. Senate and running for Congress. Earlier this summer he had announced he was considering a Senate run based on how redistricting went, but nothing is official yet. If I were a betting man, though, I think Capps is correct and McDonough will take his statewide shot.

Another name candidate who hadn’t finalized his plans is Eric Wargotz, the 2010 GOP nominee. Back in September he put out a fundraising appeal which was to help him make a decision, and I had it on pretty good authority that choice would be made around the first of November.

Well, consider Eric a couple days late but this literally just came as I was writing the post:

As many of you know, our team has been carefully considering a run for US Senate in 2012. After extensive research, I was humbled to learn that I remain popular among Republican primary voters and remain well positioned to win the Republican nomination for US Senate in Maryland once again.

Unfortunately, support for the incumbent Senator (and the President) remains strong in Maryland, despite the national political environment. In this political reality, we find ourselves in the position of being able to win the Republican nomination but falling short in the general election.

Therefore, regrettably, I have decided to forgo entering the 2012 US Senate race.

My family and I are grateful for your continued support and well-wishes over the past several years in this endeavor. I was honored to serve as your 2010 Republican U.S. Senate nominee and I will continue to work diligently to bring Maryland closer to a true, two-party state.

May God Bless you, the State of Maryland and our great Country.

So that’s the news, hot off the press. We’ll see now what move McDonough makes.

Walsh likes the Marylander’s thoughts on spending and the role of government:

“Career politicians and Washington insiders have spent away a generation of American prosperity and failed to lead,” said Congressman Joe Walsh. “Dan’s personal integrity and bold leadership from the Secret Service is desperately needed within the U.S. Senate.”

“Our nation is approaching a fiscal precipice; we simply cannot sustain our financial future unless we have proven leaders like Dan to fight for the interests of hard-working Americans who have been shut out of the political process. The raw passion Dan has for his family and country is refreshing. I am proud to stand by his side in his bid to replace the failed status quo.”

But the question becomes one of how important such an endorsement is in the grand scheme of things. Aside from being the namesake of a popular classic rocker and a media darling on the conservative talk shows, how much will this influence the decision of an average Maryland Republican? Not many but political junkies have heard of Utah Senator Mike Lee, who also endorsed Dan a couple weeks ago.

Still, the endorsement allows Dan to stay in the news cycle for free, which is important at this stage. It also makes his resume a little bit better for voters to consider.

As I said in June when I did the last Senate one, I obviously know the polls are manipulated. But in making the assumption that those who would manipulate a poll exist in the same general proportion as supporters in the population at large, I can at least gather a trend. At least in this sort of instance it’s doubtful anyone would lie to a pollster.

These results, though, show a trend which may only be occurring within Republican circles until we know for sure if other key contenders are getting into the party. Here’s how the poll went:

1. Daniel Bongino – 3,425 votes (75.66%)
2. Eric Wargotz – 1,068 votes (23.59%)
3. Robert Broadus – 23 votes (0.51%)
4. William Capps – 5 votes (0.11%)
5. Rich Douglas – 2 votes (0.04%)
6. Rick Hoover – 2 votes (0.04%)
7. Pat McDonough – 1 vote (0.02%)
8. Corrogan Vaughn – 1 vote (0.02%)

Having said that a trend may exist, I need to caution those reading into the results that there’s little chance Dan Bongino will get 76% of the vote – I don’t care if the Constitutional Conservatives Fund of Senator Mike Lee has endorsed Dan or not, he’s not getting 75 percent of the GOP vote. In 2006 Michael Steele didn’t even get 90 percent and he was the sitting lieutenant governor, had plenty of name recognition, and basically controlled the whole Maryland GOP apparatus. I can see something in the 40′s for Bongino if all goes right but a lot depends on who else gets into the race and we won’t have a couple possible entrants with statewide name recognition make a formal announcement on their status until later this month.

But I have to admire how Dan is laying the groundwork for his campaign, including people passionate enough to drive internet poll numbers over 75 percent.

Let’s compare this to June numbers, for example. The number of votes cast was nearly the same (4,716 in June vs. 4,527 now) but the results were somewhat different:

1. Eric Wargotz – 44.87%
2. Daniel Bongino – 36.28%
3. William Capps – 17.62%
4. Corrogan Vaughn – 0.81%
5. Robert Broadus – 0.23%
6. Rick Hoover – 0.19%

Since I didn’t figure Capps ever really had 18 percent, the idea of a two-man race at the time had merit. But if Eric decides not to run – and remember, he had not made a final decision as of a couple weeks ago – that only leaves Pat McDonough as a possible major opponent. (I wouldn’t completely discount Rich Douglas either, given his background.)

This election is a little bit different than the last cycle, where the primary was late – so late, in fact, that federal law precludes us from having a September primary again. (Too bad, because I liked that compressed season.) Now there’s less than six months remaining until election day and truly we won’t be really paying attention until after the holidays anyway. It’s possible we could have a post-holiday bid, sort of like Bob Ehrlich’s coyness about his 2010 try for governor, but like Ehrlich it would have to be someone with some name recognition already because the filing deadline is January 11.

In any case it won’t be as easy as voting in a monoblogue poll.

My usual custom is to discuss the Wicomico County Republican Club meetings but not Central Committee meetings, mainly because we talk shop there and I like to keep the opposition guessing. Judging by recent election results around these parts, that strategy works pretty well.

But we had a special guest tonight as newly committed U.S. Senate candidate Rich Douglas came a-callin’. So I’ll discuss a little bit about what he said.

Rich introduced himself by telling us it was a “privilege” to see us and that running for Senate “is no sacrifice at all.” He also opined that the “Senate is on the wrong track,” and he spoke like a man who has experience with that body because he does, having spent three years working for former Senator Jesse Helms. There he learned that “principle…is a rare commodity.”

The Navy veteran talked about four things which needed to be brought to the table: duty, purpose, leadership, and vision. On leadership particularly, he chided the current Senate for forming a committee to deal with the debt ceiling – then going on vacation. For this and other reasons, Rich told us “we need to change the cast.”

He also said that Ben Cardin was “vulnerable.” But that wasn’t his words; this was the assessment of political strategist Dick Morris, who called Maryland one of five Democratic states in play. Douglas even mentioned the possibility of a strong primary challenge to Ben Cardin from the left.

But Rich’s larger strength (by far) lay in foreign affairs. Having spent time professionally in several of the world’s hotspots like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Columbia tracking the drug trade, Douglas knew what he was talking about. Rich believed that much more could be learned about foreign affairs from a member of the Maryland National Guard who’s been deployed in places like Iraq or Afghanistan than any graduate of a foreign affairs program in any prestigious school.

To show his foreign affairs chops, Douglas spent quite a bit of time talking about the Law of the Sea Treaty, which he was quite familiar with thanks to his role in Senator Helms’ office as a Chief Counsel.

We asked him a number of questions. Regarding the financing of his campaign, he knew Ben Cardin was sitting on $2 million; his “job is to make (Cardin) spend every penny.”

But he showed an unconventional streak as well. We shouldn’t blame China for our economic woes, Rich said, for “hammering China has provided an excuse (for us not to improve our competitive position)…that’s a copout.” Free trade is good for the country, he added, if agreements aren’t “suicide pacts.”

Another area where he ran afoul of orthodoxy was his opposition to a balanced budget amendment. But Rich explained that he didn’t want a court setting the budget, since that’s most likely the result of a BBA.

Similarly, he didn’t completely dismiss the idea of maintaining the EPA, Department of Education, and so forth if they were populated with better people. He was also open to defunding them, though. And energy conservation items which “made sense” were similarly okay with him.

Perhaps you may think Rich is not a TEA Party supporter. But he asserted that he had been reaching out to the TEA Party and said he’d been in a precursor organization to them, called Jesse Helms’s Senate staff.

Yet it seems like Rich understands the role of the Senate, in which part is dealing with the House and the executive branch. He saw the presidency envisioned by the Founding Fathers as having a “lesser role” than Congress, although the opposite is more true today.

Senators today, Douglas said, seem to spend more time rationalizing and justifying their votes after the fact than thinking about them beforehand. “They hate to vote,” said Rich repeatedly, pointing out the frequent use of unanimous consent.

“I can get things done, starting with the first day,” concluded Rich.

In all, we spent a little under an hour speaking with him. While he’s a little late to the party in terms of getting into the race (since a number of hopefuls are already in), the race really doesn’t have a clear favorite because 2010 nominee Eric Wargotz is also considering his options and Delegate Pat McDonough, who arguably has the lead in name recognition among GOP activists, is still up in the air regarding whether he’ll run for the U.S. House or Senate because he hasn’t seen how the districts are drawn. (More on that tomorrow.) Daniel Bongino has likely attracted the most notice thus far, though.

And at a time when the political outsider is in vogue, Douglas is sort of a contrarian in that respect – even though he’s never held elective office – because he’s worked for a long time in Washington. There’s also the idea that foreign affairs may be his strong suit in an election where domestic issues likely take precedence.

Obviously I can sit here all night and work out reasons he can’t win, but there’s no real reason he can’t overcome the odds. We just have to look at the rubber-stamp record of the incumbent, who couldn’t be bothered for leadership as the nation faced issues both domestically and abroad, to see what poor representation looks like.

It’s time for a change in Maryland, and perhaps Rich Douglas is the guy to get it done.

Since I’ve had the opportunity to speak with him in person, I would suggest that those of you who are political activists consider attending David Craig’s campaign school. It will make a stop here on the Lower Eastern Shore at the Comfort Inn in Cambridge this Saturday (October 1st) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s absolutely free and includes lunch too. You can sign up for the event here.

You know, I’d be curious to know if any liberals show up because it’s a freebie. But if it’s conducted like the “Bloggers and Burgers” confab you should leave the Craig campaign school neither hungry nor uninformed.

Speaking of liberals and freebies, there’s 116 people in Salisbury who really must suffer from terminal ignorance. I got this in my e-mail the other day, simply because September 30 is coming:

Here’s something you don’t have in common with 116 other supporters of this movement who tell us they live in Salisbury, MD.

That many of your neighbors have decided to own a piece of this campaign by making a donation of whatever they could afford. For some, that meant just $5. For others, it meant $100 or more. But each had their own personal reason for giving.

Our records show that you aren’t one of the 116 people where you’re from who have stepped up for 2012. Now’s your chance to change that.

Since the e-mail came from Jim Messina of the Obama 2012 campaign, don’t hold your breath waiting for my gift. I might give a little to Herman Cain, though.

It makes me curious, though – how many of my readers have donated to a Presidential campaign? I haven’t done so yet this cycle, but I did donate to Rep. Duncan Hunter’s ill-fated bid last time. He was my first.

Still, Obama may need the money since he’s losing one of his core constituencies. Matt Brooks of the Republican Jewish Coalition alerted me to this poll and let me know that, well, Obama’s numbers among that group are dropping like a stone. Over the last year, the President has lost 6 points in his overall approval rating among Jewish voters, while his marks on the handling of Israel dropped from an already-tepid 49% approval to just 40 percent.

Now I’ll grant that Jewish voters make up a small fraction of the overall electorate but they are concentrated mainly in states Obama won last time around so the loss is magnified. Added Brooks, ”These numbers show why Democrats are scrambling to shore up their support in the Jewish community,” and it’s particularly true after the NY-9 loss.

Another curious case is that of Eric Wargotz. I had just naturally assumed since his website was updated to reflect the 2012 election that he would jump into the U.S. Senate race again as the odds-on favorite for the nomination. But maybe there’s second thoughts?

I believe we can build on the momentum you helped me gain in 2010, and give Senator Cardin his pink slip. There is no question that Senator Cardin is more vulnerable than Senator Mikulski. Still, the question only you can help me answer “Is Senator Cardin vulnerable enough for Dr. Eric Wargotz to beat him?”

My core campaign team and I have been carefully evaluating whether to formally enter the 2012 election cycle. As I continue to travel around the great State of Maryland and to reach out across this great Nation trying to gauge potential support for another run, I am encouraged! We are not there yet.

There’s no doubt he would need money, since as it turns out the bulk of his campaign last time was self-funded and he still owes himself over $600,000. But there’s a question hanging over his head regarding that loan, and I think that will weigh very heavily on his decision – I know I wouldn’t want a $400,000 bath again.

If nothing else, though, we certainly can’t accuse Eric Wargotz from profiting personally as an elected official. And I’ll bet Ben Cardin isn’t loaning himself anything to run for re-election.

But it also shows that there’s more than just a sacrifice in family and personal time in running for office. Like him or not, you have to admire Eric for putting his money where his mouth is. More importantly, though, you have to wonder how many candidates are willing to go deeply into debt in this state to go against the machine. (E.J. Pipkin still owes himself $481,000 from his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign.)

Meanwhile, on a national level Michele Bachmann’s campaign said, in essence, it’s win in Iowa or go home.

No doubt that’s a stunning admission from a Presidential campaign, which tends to guard their strategy like a state secret.

But since she won the Iowa Straw Poll back in August, Michele Bachmann’s campaign has gone into free fall. (And having 0nly 300 views suggests this video isn’t drawing a lot of scrutiny either.) It looks like she’d going to limp into the Iowa caucuses come January and go all-in – anything less than perhaps second place and she’s toast.

Let me swerve back to local politics for a moment, and congratulate a couple people I know for advancing in the Delmar primary election. It was good to see that seven people ran for two seats on the town Commission and three entered the ring for Mayor – many small communities end up having to appoint someone to these posts because no one stands for election.

But current Commission member Carl Anderton received over 50% of the vote in winning the mayoral primary, besting second-place finisher (and Deputy Mayor) C. Luther Hitchens by over 20 points. Nicole McGuire came in third.

“Bunky” Luffman was a fourth-place finisher in the Commission contest, but finished just 12 votes behind Michael Gibb and curremt Commission member James Henderson, who tied for first. Mary Stephanie Ring finished third and made the final cut as well, while Pamela Schell, Cory Shaffer, and Thomas McGuire (mayoral hopeful Nicole’s husband) rounded out the results.

And finally, something that’s not necessarily political but could be life-threatening. While I don’t have a severe case, I am an asthmatic so once in awhile I do need an inhaler. This from Americans for Limited Government:

This is a telling decision by the FDA to ban the use of (epinephrine) asthma inhalers, as it places a higher priority on spurious and questionable effects on the atmosphere than on protecting human life itself.  Why is the Food and Drug Administration concerned with promoting the radical environmentalist agenda?

Now 25 million asthma sufferers in the U.S. will have to pay more for non-epinephrine inhalers, all to supposedly save the atmosphere.  That is because the alternative inhalers are only available via prescription.  So, in addition to paying more for the inhaler, the cost of the doctor’s visit and insurance costs must also be taken into account.

Once government agencies begin placing higher primacy on the near-religious ‘green agenda’ than on saving lives, it ceases all its legitimate functions.

One report stated the price would more than double, which will necessarily drive up health care costs. Is this because epinephrine presents a health risk?

Nope. It’s because these inhalers violate the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, says the FDA.

So for the dubious benefits of supposedly maintaining the ozone layer – like ten million inhalers are really going to make a difference compared to a couple thousand Chinese coal-fired power plants – asthma sufferers will need to get a prescription to continue their treatment program.

Shouldn’t we rethink this United Nations thing?

The reason I say this omission was intentional is that the TEA Party wasn’t exactly welcomed at the last event, nor is this meeting on Ben’s public schedule insofar as I can tell. But in order to get a full hearing and not just something from a relatively pre-selected crowd, it might be a good idea for the younger generation to attend as well – after all, we’re paying for seniors’ health care and Social Security.

While the protest outside may or may not occur, getting the right people inside may open a few eyes.

As you may know, I have been testing the waters for a possible campaign against Dutch Ruppersberger for a seat in the 2nd Congressional District.  The Second District is a difficult challenge and an uphill fight for a Republican.  However, polling results and reaction from the voters during the last 6 months, including a powerful show of support in the annual popular July 4th Dundalk parade indicate my chances are good.  Radio and television exposure over many years and support for issues such as opposition to illegal immigration have provided me with high name recognition and voter approval.

Despite these advantages, that district still remains a challenge.  Of course, the re-districting and the new district will not be revealed until October.  At that time, if the 2nd Congressional District transforms from ‘uphill to impossible,’ my personal decision will become clear.  It will not make any sense to ask family, friends, and supporters to engage in a campaign that cannot be won.  That will be a choice forced upon me by political powers over which I have no influence or control.

My decision to consider a run for Congress is based on two simple conclusions:  1) Washington is a mess.   2) I believe I can help make a difference.  My top priority is to serve in Washington as a representative of the people.  After much thought and consultations with others, I have decided that if the 2nd Congressional District is gerrymandered rendering it impossible to win, I will take a serious look at seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Maryland.

There is very little difference between Dutch Ruppersberger and Ben Cardin.  They are liberal political twins and Obama clones.  My vision for America is completely different than their tax and spend big government agenda.

I recognize that my critics will falsely charge that this plan may be indecisive.  But, as I clearly stated before, my desire is to serve the people in Washington to help clean up the mess and make a difference.  It does not matter whether that service is in the Senate or the House of Representatives.  These are unsettling times where the pathway is not always clear.  Unfortunately, the decisions that we make are overly controlled by outside forces.  During the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to conduct my vigorous exploratory campaign.  It is my desire to inform my supporters and colleagues about what may occur in the future.  It is still early in the campaign season and I would ask everyone to be patient and wait until it is clear regarding everyone’s intentions.  Thank you for your consideration and understanding.

Fortunately for Pat, he can also maintain his radio show as long as he’s not a declared candidate, and that message resonates well beyond the confines of the Second Congressional District. It means he can wage at least a somewhat effective statewide campaign while the redistricting process is at work. (Not to mention he’s running ‘from cover’ in either case since he wouldn’t have to stand for election in his Delegate seat until 2014.)

Perhaps the better question, though, is why not make a decision now? Waiting on the results of redistricting does convey that indecisiveness Pat’s critics will feast on. But we can deduce from the message that Pat is running for some federal office. We also know he has a name recognition advantage over most other members of the House of Delegates thanks to both his radio show and work on certain key issues, and can indeed believe that there may be radical changes in the makeup of every one of Maryland’s Congressional districts because the Democrats are running the show and don’t really care about anything but maintaining political power.

So in reading this missive it appears McDonough’s preference would be to run for the Second District seat and he’s using a Senate bid as a fallback option. That may indeed be the case, but, since I like to think an election or two ahead, there’s a scenario which argues instead that he’s going statewide.

Obviously if Pat runs for and wins a U.S. Senate seat, he’s in a good position for the next six years and the country would gain a conservative voice from one of the most unlikely places. But if he takes the shot for Cardin’s Senate seat and loses, well, we all lose. But McDonough still would have built a statewide campaign organization and it could prove useful in 2014 since that election presents the opportunity of an open Governor’s seat. Remember, Pat flirted with the idea in 2010 but chose not to challenge Bob Ehrlich.

(Of course, winning the Governor’s seat after serving in Congress from the Second District worked for Bob, but that was nearly a decade ago – way past a political lifetime in this day and age.)

So McDonough remains a ‘theoretical’ candidate for the U.S. Senate; in reality just three GOP candidates have filed with the FEC (Daniel Bongino, William Capps, and Corrogan Vaughn) while Capps and Rick Hoover are on the ballot at this early stage. It is presumed from other sources that Robert Broadus and Eric Wargotz are in the race as well, although we await a formal announcement from 2010 GOP nominee Wargotz.

In the end we should have between 7 and 10 enter the U.S. Senate race on the Republican side, if past history is a guide. If McDonough does decide to jump in this fall then we’ve reached the lucky seven mark with just a few weeks to go before the filing deadline. Everyone has until January 11 to make up their minds.