SEN-MD: Lt. Gov. Steele winning new voters
By Adam C2 Posted in 2006 — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Mr. Novak reports on the Steele campaign in Maryland:
Richmond Myrick, the principal of Largo High School, is a registered Democrat in overwhelmingly Democratic Prince George's County next to Washington, D.C. He has not been active politically and is not recorded as having made any contributions to candidates for federal office. Yet recently, he stood in the parking lot of Prince George's Community College adjoining his school to introduce Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, whom he has endorsed for the U.S. Senate.
Myrick is African American, as are most students at Largo High. So is Steele. If enough non-political blacks follow Myrick's course, Steele will become the first black Republican elected to the Senate in 32 years. That is the Democrats' worst nightmare.
Prince George County is the richest majority-minority county in the country and is a key battleground in Senate race. This anecdote signals that Lt. Gov. Steele is making significant outreach efforts to communities and people who are routinely ignored by both parties. From this armchair, that seems like the right strategy to win over enough voters to overcome Maryland's normal Democratic tilt. Hopefully we will hear more people express views like Mr. Myrick:
I asked Myrick why he had endorsed Steele. "He came to school not just for a brief visit, but spent the whole day," the principal told me. "He showed he cared about the students and teachers." What about Cardin? "He hasn't been here," said Myrick. When I asked if he even knew who the veteran congressman was, he said he did not.
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SEN-MD: Lt. Gov. Steele winning new voters 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I'd be happy to see a bit more optimism from Republicans, but there is good reason to be cautious. The past few election cycles have generally seen almost all close races go one way or the other. There are good reasons to presume all these races within 10 points might go D. But with 6 months to go, it isn't impossible that NJ, MN, MD, WA, OH, MT, MO, and TN could all go R. It is, however, a less than 50/50 chance.
we're just supposed to lose control of the House and the Senate so Dems can launch "reasonable but vigorous" hearings on the bushitlerhaliburtonenronabramhoff culture of corruption. Ideally they leave us with an "unexpected" upset so that angry white men with pitchforks and shotguns don't storm the capital. It also provides the opportunity to continue to stoke the fires of the Dem conscience so they will continue to sweep the uneducated bigots from office, establish a popular democracy in Iraq by withdrawing our troops by an explicit deadline, and save the earth from global warming.
Jeese! Don't you read the strategy memos? :)
On a more serious note, even with this good news, Steele will still have an uphill fight. There may be parts of Lousiana that have a more unbalanced political system than Maryland, but they are only small parts. The dustup with Sauerbray (sp?) a couple of elections back convinced me the judges here are as corrupt as the politicians for life in the state legislature-you know, the ones who holler and scream when the govenor proposes legalizing slots, but are all for it so long as the legislature is running them. And just about the only reason Ehrlich and Steele won the election was the Dems were so sure of their complete lock on the electoral vote they didn't realize running a Kennedy is only a sure bet in Massachusetts. After that you actually have to have a few positions and its best not to be implicated in unseemly money deals until AFTER the election is over.
Nice guy. Maby we need to start grooming him for a White House run?
Good call. Everyone forgets Edward Brooke, the first black senator AFTER Reconstruction; most young people think there haven't been any black Republicans since the 1870's.
Michael Steele is important for his values and his courage. But if he can get more publicity now, whether for trips like this or The Race Issue<sup>TM</sup>, he might as well take it. The guy people know wins.
only 1 black Democratic Senator, Carol Mosely-Braun (for all of those who think I forgot about Obama, his mother is white. Not debating his "blackness", just stating a fact).
For a party who count as their constituency approximatley 30% of all registered Dems, wouldn't you think they could do a LOT better than that? If figuring is correct, that would mean about 13 Democratic Senators of color.
Look at the most prominent black candidates running this year, what party they belong to. I keep saying the Republican Party is the Party of inclusion in this country.
"The past few election cycles have generally seen almost all close races go one way or the other."
Except for those danged dingleberry close races that just hang there forever.
of the GOP holding the House and Senate were fruitless? This must be BS, along with the stories I see about NJ, MN and WA being possible pickups, and MI not being a done deal. Don't you know we are just supposed to lose, Lose, LOSE?