Content by mattclimbs
Posted at 4:08pm on Feb. 1, 2007 Web Video--Unregulated Campaign Speech--Really!!
By mattclimbs
The explosion of web video as means announcing candidacies has the bonus of not having to respond to the pesky reporters hurling questions at you for which you have no answer. The liberal media is loving the fact that the Democrats in particular have embraced the technology at the same time being irritated at its inability to lob softball questions to the candidates.
But what if you have something you want to share and have vidoe to prove it. Anyone with a camera and a website or YouTube login can post a video. Even groups like 527's, RedState and others can do it and pay for the tiny amount of effort any way they choose, including using that so called soft money.
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Posted at 12:40pm on Nov. 8, 2006 Republican Dereliction of Duty
By mattclimbs
In terms of the electoral activity--absolutely nothing. I think the RNC, NRCC, NRSC and the candidates (with a few exceptions) did all they could and did it well. I think the turnout operation went as well as could be expected, and again, aside from a few glaring exceptions, I think the candidates did a pretty good job running their individual campaigns.
But as a number of people in this space have noted, now is a time for reflection, a time to learn our lessons and make sure we don't repeat them. So here are my lessons to learn.
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Posted at 10:28pm on Nov. 7, 2006 MD-SEN: What the Heck?
By mattclimbs
With less than 1% of the vote in, everyone seems to be calling the race for Cardin? Exit polling is not breaking for Steele, but it is not that bad.
Do we have another oops on our hands?
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Posted at 12:10pm on Nov. 7, 2006 MD-SEN: Proof that Dems in trouble
By mattclimbs
In the past three days, the following people have all come to Maryland to campaign for Ben Cardin, in territory that he should be comfortably ahead:
Bill Clinton
Barak Obama
Al Gore
Madeline Albright
If Cardin is supposed to win in a walk, why all the heavyweight Dem names? The DNC is running scared and it may be possible that Michael Steele saves the GOP majority in Maryland.
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Posted at 10:35am on Nov. 3, 2006 MD-SEN: Steele Getting More Endorsements
By mattclimbs
This time, the endorsements come from clergy members from both the Baltimore and Prince George's County area.
Didn't know about, you say. I am not surprised. The Baltimore Sun mentioned it, in a story about all the statewide candidates, and under a big picture of Ben Cardin and Michael J. Fox. The Washington Post carried nothing.
Posted in 2006 | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 5:33pm on Nov. 1, 2006 MD-SEN--A win for Steele--Probably
By mattclimbs
From the Diaries
Jay Bryant at Real Clear Politics says that the recent endorsement of GOP candidate Michael Steele by a group of African American Democrats "might be the most important political development in the country this week." According to
University of Maryland political scientist Ron Walters, yesterday's endorsements are "going to go through the black community like a rocket. It's going to be the talk of the county, the state, maybe even the nation."
The endorsements by all five of the black Democrats on the Prince George's County Council and former County Executive Wayne Curry come at a time when Steele needed the boost. However, Democratic candidate Ben Cardin (who is white) called it nothing more than an endorsement of Steele's race. Bryant notes that Steele is from Prince George's county, in fact prior to becoming Lt. Governor, Steele headed the county's Republican party and has spent much of his political career building in-roads for the GOP among the county's middle class and affluent black citizens.
Part of it is that Steele is a Prince Georgian. The county leaders know him, like him and respect him. But that alone wouldn't be nearly enough to cause them to break ranks with their party in a critical election.What it's really all about is that blacks in Maryland have begun to realize that they've been being snookered by the white-dominated Democratic Party all these years. As Riddick put it, "They've been showing us a pie, but we never get a slice."
Voting statistics aren't kept by race, of course; they call it a "secret ballot" after all. But if you work out the math, you can pretty easily demonstrate that something like half of all Maryland Democratic voters are black. Half!
What have Maryland blacks gotten for their loyalty to the party? Virtually nothing. Oh, sure, they get representatives to legislative offices in districts where they have the overwhelming majority. Occasionally they get to be Mayor of Baltimore - although the current mayor is white, and running for Governor, something no black mayor could even seriously consider.
Indeed, in the entire history of the state of Maryland, exactly one person of African-American heritage has been elected to any statewide office. His name is Michael Steele.
But there are, I believe three other motivations and none have to do with Steele's race.
Read on...
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Posted at 4:55pm on Sep. 22, 2006 WI Gov. Candidate Mark Green Under Attack by Election Board
By mattclimbs
flying largely unseen on the political radar dealing with bloggers gone bad, is a forceful attack on Mark Green in Wisconsin.
As a back grounder, Mark Green, a current Member of the House of Representatives, in 2005 transferred some $1.3 million from his House campaign fund to a campaign fund for a gubernatorial run. This occurred on Jan. 25, 2006. On Jan. 26, the Democratically controlled State Elections Board, issued an emergency rule that said such transfers were illegal and included any recent transfers. Green's was the only transfer in some time, despite the fact that three years earlier Democrat Tom Barrett had been permitted to do make a similar transfer under a nearly 30 year old precedent.