The only way he can win is by being something he clearly isn’t.
One young African-American woman greeted Steele effusively and introduced him to her husband. The woman, who asked that her name not be used, said she knows Steele from community events in Prince George’s County. The woman said she hadn’t yet made up her mind whether she’d vote for Steele.
But Yvonne Hinkson, a Justice Department attorney who lives in Silver Spring and was buying a coffee at the Starbucks as Steele left the store, is one African-American voter who disdains him. She dismissed his TV ad in which he appears with a puppy.
“I don’t care about puppies; I care about issues. Don’t insult the voters’ intelligence,” she said heatedly.
“His ads obscure the fact that he’s a Republican,” Hinkson said.
Steele’s campaign is passing out bumper stickers with “Steele” printed in capital letters on the top line and “Democrat” underneath it.
Steele also tries to run away from his anti-choice position, a highly unpopular stance here in Maryland.
Asked whether he thought the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalizing
abortion nationwide was wrongly decided, Steele said, “What has that
got to do with anything? I’m a Senate candidate. My opinion on that is
moot.”
Yeah, because no abortion legislation ever comes up in the Senate.
You know, funny thing, Tom Delay actually managed to be both Anti-Choice and Pro-Abortion at the same time when he was supporting the system of forced abortions in Saipan’s garment industry, the same system that kept employees in virtual slavery for their entire lives. So just to clarify Ian, its not that I disagree with the central thesis of your thorough argument, which seems to be that advocating a womans right to choose is identical to joyously celebrating the death of all children, but just so you know, “Anti-Choice” and “Pro-Abortion” are not actually mutually exclusive. I mean to suggest otherwise is to suggest that Tom Delay was wrong about something.
On an entirely different tack, Oliver, did you see this article and think the exact same thing I did?
(I suppose it’s not completely unrelated to bring up the Man of Steel in a post about Michael Steele.)
BD: YES! I’m like “meteorite” in Kansas – a likely cover story.
Still hyping that 7 point lead in a state that’s 2-1 Democrat, Oliver?
Wasn’t it double digits not that long ago?
I hope the African Americans in Maryland, who I agree should be better represented at the higher levels of government, would vote wisely when electing this representative. A vote for Steele is just a big ole’ rubber stamp for Bush, which is bad news for any race.
Hey Marty — Hatch, Klobuchar, Ellison and Wetterling are up, and we’re about 50/50 D/R nowadays. Maybe you should worry about how you’re getting your butt kicked instead of how the guy doing the kicking isn’t beating some imaginary spread.
Seriously, Ben Cardin doesn’t need to “cover”. He’s just gotta get more votes. How about those states and districts where Bush won in the double digits but Dems are winning.
Still hyping that 7 point lead in a state that’s 2-1 Democrat, Oliver?
Hey, if you people can keep boasting about a half-million vote defeat as a “mandate,” a 7 percent margin looks pretty good by comparison.
By that measure, Quaker, seven points is a historical landslide (the “mandate”, by comparison, was all of 2.4%). And I think it’ll be more than 7.
Sorry folks- that was more to Oliver’s crowing about the 7 point lead Cardin had a few days ago. So Cardin wins- not exactly a huge win for the Democrats in a already Democrat seat in 2-1 Democrat state. But crow away, Oliver. Crow away. (And how did that lead come down to single digits?)
And Ellison and Wetterling?
Ellison winning in Martin Sabo’s Fifth District isn’t exactly rocket science (Democrat since 1963). And no change of seat. (As if that seat would ever go to a Republican-The only Fine signs I’ve seen driving through there have been in St. Louis Park .)
As for Wetterling? What current poll are you looking at? 46-43-7 are the most recent numbers with Bachman in the lead. And that came only after he “controversial” (otherwise know as the false, hyped) Foley ads by Wetterling raised her numbers with women, and the misleading at best ad about the national sales tax raised her numbers with people with incomes under $40,000.
Sorry folks, but that seat ain’t changing hands in THAT district (the 6th.)
Klobuchar? No pick up there (replacing Dayton.) That’s IF she wins. Polls in Minnesota are notoriously Democrat heavy and wrong. (Especially Strib Polls.)
The only one you’ve got here is Hatch. Of course Pawlenty was supposedly way behind the last time he ran, but he still won. But I’m not so concerned about Hatch. If he wins, he’ll find a way to immediately raise taxes across the board and slow the economy here which has been pretty dang good.
Then we’ll get another (R) the next round.