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CNN Gives Michael Steele His Wannabe Wish

Published November 2, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Conservatives, Maryland, Michael Steele and Republicans. 19 Comments

I can’t completely blame the techs at CNN for their gaffe. Michael Steele has signs up declaring him to be a Democrat, tries to pretend he’s never been a Bush supporter, while wearing a jumpsuit that apparently had him from head to toe in Democratic blue.

Of course they’re going to think he’s a Democrat.

Steeled

But like the Spice Girls sang, Michael Steele is a “wannabe”. He’s a right-wing Republican, who is against stem cell research, against a woman’s right to choose, against affirmative action, and for the Iraq war. That he supports a party that works night and day against blacks and other minorities also shows that he’s a failure as a black man, but he’s too ashamed to fly under their banner no matter what the mindless sheep who pimp his candidacy say (and of course CNN was too chicken to call him on it). You get the feeling Michael Steele would say anything to get elected.

That’s because he would.

OW In The Media

Published November 1, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland, Media, Michael Steele and Oliver's World. 5 Comments

My comments on the Steele race and Wayne Curry’s endorsement of him made the DC Express newspaper this morning:

(via)

Rubes, Redux

Published October 31, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Black Conservatives, Maryland and Michael Steele. 1 Comment

Con bloggers crack me up some times. Today, many of them are heralding the story that Wayne K. Curry endorsed Steele as some sort of repudiation of the Democratic party in Maryland. According to these folks who don’t have a clue about anything here, this is the nail in the coffin, the killing blow, because - once again - black voters are too dumb to make up their own minds.

Here are the facts, Curry was a frontrunner to be Bob Ehrlich’s running mate. Yes, Republican governor Michael Steele. Does that strike anyone as a salient point? This supposedly Democratic county executive was inches away from being part of the Republican ticket (and it’s no surprise he was being heralded by the DLC).

Then there’s also the question of how effective Curry’s endorsement is. In the Democratic primary, Curry endorsed Rushern Baker for Prince George’s County Executive. Yet, his opponent Jack Johnson won by 6%. So, a Wayne Curry endorsement didn’t move the needle in Prince George’s county, but it’s supposed to move the black vote to Michael Steele across the entire state?

I’m sorry, but while I know the stereotype that people believe - especially conservatives - black voters are not the dummies you think they are. They see deeper than skin color and they actually have been listening to Michael Steele and who he hangs out with.

Mongomery County: Ground Zero For The Maryland Uprising

Published October 30, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Bob Ehrlich, Martin O'Malley, Maryland and Michael Steele. 1 Comment

Montgomery County, Maryland, where I was born and where I currently live is integral to Democratic success in Maryland for the upcoming election. Martin O’Malley and the rest of the Maryland Dems were out in force Sunday to make that happen.

Yesterday’s rally — held before several hundred cheering and sign-waving supporters — was part of an effort to mobilize the Democratic base and to reach out to Democratic voters who do not normally vote in non-presidential election years. O’Malley was joined by all of the statewide candidates, including Cardin, as well as a large roster of county Democrats.

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, appearing with O’Malley for the first time since he dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor in June citing depression, was given a rousing welcome. In his remarks, Duncan criticized a new television ad for Ehrlich that includes disparaging remarks the county executive made about O’Malley before dropping out of the race.

Duncan called the ad an attempt to “mislead the public” into believing he supported Ehrlich. “If they got quotes from me about Ehrlich, you couldn’t print them,” Duncan added.

And this statement from O’Malley sort of says it all:

O’Malley portrayed the governor yesterday as out of touch with the Montgomery electorate, hammering Ehrlich for saying two years ago that multiculturalism is “bunk.”

“Anybody who doesn’t think multiculturalism is good for America, come to Montgomery County,” O’Malley said.

And this bit is just hilarious:

His comments came at an event where O’Malley won the endorsements of two former leaders of Democrats for Ehrlich, a group formed in 2002 to support the then-congressman.

“I am ashamed, embarrassed and feel very foolish for what I did,” said Wayne Frazier, the group’s former chairman.

Okay, fine. Just don’t do it again.

Ben Cardin Beats Michael Steele In Meet The Press Debate

Published October 29, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland, Michael Steele and Republicans. 4 Comments

The choice could not be clearer. My fellow Marylanders, if you want an empty suit politician who will tell you, Eddie Haskell style, what a great dress you’re wearing but never giving a straight answer to any question - then vote for Michael Steele. If you think governing with a progressive no-nonsense approach to the issues is what is demanded of our government in these trying times - you should proudly vote for Ben Cardin as I will.

Steele is as slippery as an eel, trying to cover up his lack of a position on the major issues with bland platitudes that might sell in other states but not here in Maryland where we have a tradition of voting for the politicians with substance and not who can put on the best dog-and-pony show. Look at our two current senators - Sarbanes and Mikulski. Neither one is a dapper don like Steele, but both strongly represent Maryland in the Senate with a strong and steady approach - and Ben Cardin will continue this legacy.

Tim Russert confronts Michael Steele with his flip-flopping positions on Iraq, and at the end of it all Steele says that the Iraq War is worth the ongoing death of American troops even with no WMD found and Iraq now in a civil war.

Ben Cardin expresses his strong position against the war since the start, and is amazed that Steele would still be a supporter

Ben Cardin makes the case for traditional congressional oversight of the executive branch, something this congress has been negligent on and a policy that would continue with another rubber-stamp Republican like Steele

Michael Steele whiffs on Roe vs. Wade, while Cardin shows that Steele just can’t be trusted to represent Maryland’s majority pro-choice position.

Michael Steele thinks a question on the Supreme Court is a “gotcha” even though the Senate is integral to the selection of Supreme Court justices! Then he gets confronted with his own words, again, on affirmative action - he’s in favor of it, no he isn’t. He can’t decide.

UPDATE: Maybe the markets saw that Steele lost this debate. His contract on Tradesports lost value during the debate, with it now showing him dropping from 28% likelihood to win down to 24%.

GOP Facing Armageddon In Maryland

Published October 29, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Bob Ehrlich, Martin O'Malley, Maryland and Michael Steele. 1 Comment

Ben Cardin, Martin O'Malley

I’m as nervous as they come about the national results of the upcoming election, but I have frankly found the prognostications about Maryland’s gubernatorial and senatorial elections to be just this side of laughable when they err in favor of the Republican ticket. It’s cancer to be a Republican in America right now, much less in a deep-sea blue state like Maryland.

Just last night I took a cab in Silver Spring. The cab driver struck up a conversation with me about the election, he was a recent immigrant from Africa and precisely the kind of guy that is supposed to be enthralled by Michael Steele and his ilk. And yet, this working class guy is telling me that he’s working towards his citizenship and he wants me to vote for Ben Cardin and Martin O’Malley.

The Washington Post has polled Maryland, and the outlook looks like hell for the GOP in The Free State.

A strong Democratic tide in Maryland threatens to swamp Republican
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s reelection bid and bolsters the party’s
efforts to retain control of an important U.S. Senate seat, according
to a new Washington Post poll.

Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley
(D) held a 10 percentage point lead over Ehrlich, and Democratic Senate
nominee Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin had a similar advantage over Republican
Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele among likely voters in the Post poll, which
was conducted last Sunday through Thursday. The leads were well beyond
the survey’s three percentage point margin of error.

The poll of 1,000 voters showed that the state’s overwhelmingly
Democratic electorate is highly disturbed about national issues –
extremely critical of President Bush, more upset about the war in Iraq
than voters in the rest of the country and eager to shift power in
Washington from the Republican Party.

This is the kind of voter that gives the Steele campaign heartburn:

But Kenneth Kirby, 52, a former airline worker from Annapolis who is black, said he supports Cardin because he’s a loyal Democrat. He said he stopped considering Steele “after I learned he was, essentially, a Bush appointee.”

And the Bush connection doesn’t help Ehrlich either:

Henry Evans, 60, a postal carrier from Prince George’s County, said he has no problem with the way Ehrlich has done his job but is backing O’Malley. “My reason is that Governor Ehrlich has supported the president and what’s going on in Iraq,” Evans said. “I’m against that.”

We saw this in the primaries, where the Democratic base in Maryland was clearly energized and in a voting mood - even old line Democrats got thrown out in the primaries. The story has clearly unnerved Hugh Hewitt, the GOP’s top blogosphere cheerleader (Hewitt and the right once again take the approach that when the media reports facts that unfavorably reflect on Republicans, the Republicans aren’t the problem - the facts are. The facts have a liberal bias.), but I belive it represents the "ground truth" here in Maryland of Democrats on a roll. Witness Bob Ehrlich’s numbers. He doesn’t have very high negatives, but regardless has not led in a single poll since January. Even after the Republican Governor’s Association came in here and trashed Baltimore (I find it quite distasteful that our sitting governor sees nothing wrong with himself and outside groups coming in and trashing the city in our state with the highest population) and Mr. O’Malley’s improvements there - it hasn’t put a dent in the numbers. Why?

Maryland is tired of Republicans, and come election day we’re going to kick them out of the governorship and put Ben Cardin in the U.S. Senate.

Straight Ticket, Maryland!

Ben Cardin for Senate.
Martin O’Malley for Governor.
Peter Franchot for Comptroller.
Doug Gansler for Attorney General.

House
District 1: Jim Corwin
District 2: Dutch Ruppersberger
District 3: John Sarbanes
District 4: Al Wynn
District 5: Steny Hoyer
District 6: Andrew Duck
District 7: Elijah Cummings
District 8: Chris Van Hollen

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Tradesports currently shows a Cardin win at 78% likelihood and an 85% chance of O’Malley winning. (and as I’ve been following, the likelihood of the GOP retaining House control is at 34%)

One Question

Published October 27, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 15 Comments

Michael Steele has a new ad trying to rebut the Cardin ad about how Steele is against stem cell research. The spokesperson in Steele’s ad is his sister, Monica Turner.

The question: how much do you trust the judgement of a woman who married convicted rapist Mike Tyson?

That is all.

Steele Campaign In Trouble

Published October 25, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland, Michael Steele and Republicans. 3 Comments

The Michael Steele campaign just sent out an email promoting a new ad Steele is running - with his mom. What’s intriguing about the email is that in order to make it seem as if his campaign is on a run, Steele touts the results of a new poll.

The problem is:

1. It is a Republican poll
2. It has a margin of error of 3.9%
3. It still shows Steele losing to Ben Cardin (41% to 39%)

When you’re own internal Republican poll still shows you losing and that’s the best bit of opinion data you’ve got to offer in a state where you are outnumbered in party identification by 2 to 1, it is time to stick the fork in.

Even funnier, in a debate today Steele admitted that he would have voted for the Iraq War (Ben Cardin voted against it), and he tried to pull a “gotcha” on Cardin by asking him about the Metro subway system.

What in the name of Jesus has the Metro got to do with running for the United States senate?

Michael Steele & Sean Hannity

Published October 24, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland and Michael Steele. 8 Comments

Maryland Democratic party chair Terry Lierman on Michael Steele campaigning with Sean Hannity:

Steele couldn’t have found anyone better than Sean Hannity to capture the spirit of his campaign: a Bush Administration shill who will say anything to get more Republicans elected. Hannity is practically Secretary of Misinformation for the Bush White House. The only thing Steele and Hannity want to change in Washington is the size of the Republican majority. Sean Hannity and Michael Steele are from the Bush wing of the Bush party and to say otherwise just highlights Michael Steele’s campaign of deception.

Amen.

Michael J. Fox For Ben Cardin

Published October 24, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland, Michael Steele, Republicans, Science and Stem Cell Research. 48 Comments

Michael J. Fox, Ben Cardin and the Democratic party support potentially life-saving stem cell research.
Michael Steele, George W. Bush and the Republican party do not.
These are the stakes.

But hey, Michael Steele likes puppies.

UPDATE: Wow, the Steele campaign must really want to lose.

Steele campaign spokesman Doug Heye agreed, saying he considered the ad “in extremely poor taste.”

Yes, idiot Doug Heye (who was a skybox guest of criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff by the way), thinks that Mr. Fox is in “extremely poor taste” to support one politician who would support science that could help people with a disease like his versus one who compares it to -I’m not making this up - Nazism. How soon before Steele joins his fellow Republicans to say Mr. Fox is faking it?

What Michael Steele Supports

Published October 22, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland, Media and Michael Steele. 11 Comments

Michael Steele is having a swanky $1,000 a plate fundraiser with Fox News pundit and Republican automaton Sean Hannity. How this fits in with Steele claiming he plans to bring a fresh pile of ideas to Washington by supporting the same old tired failed Republican policies Sean Hannity supports remains to be seen.

Steelehannity

These are the kinds of things Michael Steele supports. Wonder if his rapist supporter, Mike Tyson, will put in an appearance?

Steele Supporter & Rapist In Sham Boxing Match

Published October 21, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 1 Comment

I’m just so happy that Mike Tyson keeps wearing this shirt.

The former heavyweight champion and one-time baddest man alive opened his “World Tour” on Friday night with a ho-hum performance in a four-round exhibition against Corey “T-Rex” Sanders, a former sparring partner who outweighed Tyson by 50 pounds.

Tyson, gasping for air during each of the 2½-minute rounds, floored Sanders early in the first round and then had to hold up his opponent moments later after staggering him with a flurry of punches.

There’s some kind of metaphor in there about the Steele campaign, but I’m not sure what it is.

Benjamin L. Cardin for Senate

Published October 20, 2006 in Ben Cardin. 4 Comments

The Washington Post endorses the serious candidate in Maryland’s election.

ONE CANDIDATE in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin , would be a natural leader in the Senate by dint of his command of issues, proven integrity, formidable intellect and unstinting work ethic. The other candidate, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, deploys platitudes and gauzy rhetoric to disguise a tissue-thin grasp of policy. Mr. Cardin would give Maryland legislative clout from Day One; in Annapolis and on Capitol Hill, he has been an effective, knowledgeable, serious lawmaker. Mr. Steele is hard-pressed to claim a significant achievement in public service.

Ben Cardin : Steele/Bush Grateful for Each Other

Published October 19, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 5 Comments

Again, the Cardin campaign simply has to let the words of Bush and Steele do their own damage.

Ben Cardin Doesn’t Cut And Run From The Democratic Party

Published October 19, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 1 Comment

Unlike Michael Steele, who wouldn’t get within ten miles of George Bush this close to an election, Ben Cardin is proud to campaign with Democratic president Bill Clinton.

Michael Steele Spits In The Face Of Black America

Published October 18, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 11 Comments

Wow. Michael Steele thinks that a rapist would make a good companion on the campaign trail with him.

"Mike Tyson is the father of Michael Steele’s niece and nephew and therefore a member of his family," Steele’s spokesman, Doug Heye, said in an e-mail. "He is not connected to the campaign."

Steele’s sister, Monica Turner, was married to Tyson for five years. They divorced in 2003.

Steele struck a warmer tone earlier this year when asked about his former brother-in-law in an interview with The New York Times Magazine published in March.

"Let me tell you about Mike Tyson," Steele said. "He is one of the most engaging and smartest guys I have ever had a chance to go toe to toe with in a debate."

When Tyson asked Steele if he could campaign for him, Steele responded that he would "welcome in a heartbeat" the help.

This isn’t hyperbole, Mike Tyson (here’s his 2004 mugshot from a misdemeanor arrest) was convicted of rape and served three years of a six year sentence.

You might think, well that’s all. But, NO.

On Tuesday Michael Steele went on the campaign trail with an actual for-real double murderer. Don King:

In 1954 he killed a man who tried to rob one of his gambling houses.
The shooting was ruled a justifiable homicide, sparing King a prison
sentence. He wasn’t so fortunate 13 years later, when he was found
guilty of second-degree murder for killing a gambling associate who
owed him $600. The charge was later reduced to manslaughter and King
served 3 years and 11 months in Marion Correctional Institution in
Ohio. He was released in September 1971.

So you have to wonder - why is Steele doing this? He thinks the black voters in Maryland are stupid. The Bush/Cheney campaign enlisted the help of King in 2004 in some sort of perverted outreach to black voters, and while the electoral results made clear that the strategy just didn’t work, the Steele campaign - and its boss, Michael Steele, don’t know any better. They think the way to appeal to black Americans is to just grab a famous black face - any famous black face, no matter if its a convicted murderer or a rapist. Proving once again that black conservatives are way out of touch with the black mainstream, Steele and his merry band have put on what amounts to a sad show - parading out black people they feel are "known" and will motivate "them" to come out and vote for "one of us".

They should be ashamed, but they aren’t. They actually think this is the way to woo black voters to their side. They figure if they talk down to us and distract us with the shiny people, we’re so dumb we’ll just have to go vote for them.

How pathetic.

P.S.: I wonder - was OJ busy? He’s black. He’s famous. He’s a murderer. He’s an abusive husband. He fits all the Steele campaign requirements for a celebrity endorsement.

>> Why do Republicans Think Don King’s Endorsement Matters to African Americans?
>> Michael Steele’s endorsements: a killer and a thug

Michael Steele’s Budget Magic

Published October 13, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 6 Comments

This is pretty funny stuff, if the guy wasn’t running for a Senate seat:

When Asked By WBAL How He Would Balance The Budget Steele Said, “I Don’t Know.” On October 12, Baltimore’s WBAL TV did a story on both candidates’ economic platform. Steele said the government had to stop spending, but when asked what he would cut he said: “I don’t know. I’m not doing the budget. Do you know how big the nation’s budget is?” [WBAL, 10/12/06]

Steele Believes In “Budget Magic.” In 2002, Steele said the administration would use “budget magic” to finance upgrades to Maryland’s juvenile justice and mental health system and pay for the state’s education initiative—all without raising sales or income taxes. [Washington Post, 12/5/02]

And he’s been whining

“I’m tired of this. I’ve got to justify everything the president does,” he said. “I’m not going to be the whipping boy for and against the president.”

Too bad, Mikey, you are. Deal with it.

Michael Steele: Coward

Published October 13, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Black Conservatives, Maryland and Michael Steele. 8 Comments

Two years ago, Michael Steele voiced a full-throated endorsement for the re-election of George W. Bush, in fact he was a featured speaker at the 2004 Republican Convention. Now, his latest ad tries to make it seem as if he isn’t even a Republican. That is the very definition of cowardice, where you won’t even identify with your party when you were a featured speaker just two years ago.

>> Michael Steele Keeps Hiding the Scarlet Letter
>> Michael Steele’s Race Against… The GOP?
>> Steele Fighting

Michael Steele Tells Us About Michael Steele

Published October 12, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland, Michael Steele and Republicans. 1 Comment

Hey, let the guy tell us whose side he stands on. (And for those of you unaware, Maryland is a 2-1 Democratic state where Bush has consistently had some of his lowest approval numbers. So of course I’d love for Steele to invite the President to come out here and campaign with him, side-by-side.)

Civil rights pioneer and congressman John Lewis has also cut a radio ad for Rep. Cardin.

Cardin Opening Up Can O…

Published October 6, 2006 in Ben Cardin. 1 Comment

Whoopass? Looks so - USA Today/Gallup has Cardin up 54-39 over Steele. Steele’s biggest hump? 41% of Cardin’s voters are voting along party lines, which is bad news for a Republican in a state with 2-1 Democratic registration.

Ben Cardin: I Will

Published October 3, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Democrats, Maryland, Michael Steele and Republicans. 10 Comments

Rep. Cardin highlights the difference between himself and Republican Michael Steele who is a Bush lackey.

Rep. Cardin has also called for Hastert and the GOP leadership to step down if they knew about Mark Foley’s perverted e-mails. No mention of the incident can be found on Michael Steele’s site (along with his missing position on Iraq).

Staying Solid

Published September 20, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Bob Ehrlich, Martin O'Malley, Maryland and Michael Steele. 4 Comments

Cardin vs. Steele

Having emerged successfully from the September 12 Democratic primary, Ben Cardin now leads Lt. Gov. Michael Steele 50% to 43% in the race for Maryland’s Senate seat. Cardin was ahead 47% to 42% over Steele in the last poll leading up to the primary.

O’Malley vs. Ehrlich

Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley maintains his seven-point advantage over Gov. Bob Ehrlich, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports election survey. O’Malley is leading incumbent Ehrlich 49% to 42% Both candidates dropped a point since August’s survey, but the gap remains unchanged.

Black Officials Somehow Not Mesmerized By Michael Steele’s Skin Color, Endorse Cardin

Published September 20, 2006 in 2006 Election, Ben Cardin, Maryland and Michael Steele. 4 Comments

The continuing (and insulting) story is that somehow blacks just robotically vote based on someone’s skin color, that unlike any other racial group we just can’t control ourselves. According to these theories, there’s no way black pols could endorse Ben Cardin for Senate after he beat Kwesei Mfume in the Democratic primary. But… no.

In front of Baltimore City Hall, a succession of black elected officials pledged their support for the veteran lawmaker, who is white, in his campaign against Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, the first African American to win a statewide office in Maryland.

"It’s time for all Democrats to come home," said state Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden (D-Baltimore). "We are family!" he boomed. " We are family !"