Monday, January 11 - What a first-year law student knows

My first day in Annapolis began with the gotcha quote of the day.

Senator Harry Reid's remark about then Senator Barack Obamna's skin color and dialect - or lack thereof, prompted an endless and mindless discussion on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.

Of course, there was the canard that the liberal press had a double standard: "When Trent Lott said the country would have been better off had Strom Thurmond been elected President, the mainstream media called for his head."

A first-year law student knows how to point out the critical differences between one set of facts and another. Acknowledging voters' prejudices is far different than regretting that a segregationist was not elected President.

My day ended with a sober discussion of the fiscal problems faced by the state and Baltimore City.

In Annapolis, we're not distracted by sideshows. We address the tough issues, balance the budget, and preserve the state's AAA bond rating.

All during the next 90 days.

Lowballing and Simply untrue

“Is $350 million in federal stimulus dollars a lowball estimate?”

My question dealt with the amount Governor O’Malley had included in his budget. I posed it a meeting yesterday afternoon.

Based on what I knew about President Obama’s proposal, I expected the answer to be yes.

Indeed it is.

“O’Malley postpones plans as $3.5 billion expected for Md. during next two years,” read the headline in today’s Baltimore Sun.

It’s prudent budgeting to err on the conservative side when estimating the amount of money Maryland will receive. But now the stimulus cards are on the table.

Legislators and interest groups will now urge the Governor to use this additional money for the programs nearest and dearest to their hearts.

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“Morning Joe” on MSNBC this morning and a friend’s email about the effect of Obama’s election on our political dialogue prompted me to respond:

“The buffoons on the right will be reduced to saying nasty things and called to task for it to a degree that they were not when the right wing was in the ascendancy. eg, Rush Limbaugh saying he hopes Obama fails.

“The more sophisticated on the right will say things that sound plausible but are simply untrue. Tucker Carlson on MSNBC this a.m.: New Deal didn't work, can you name a successful government job training program or government decision about what industry should be favored?

“Obama's policies and rhetoric and the public's desire for him to succeed will outweigh the false claims of the right.

“And demographics are not on the side of the right. Even young evangelicals are significantly more open minded on social issues than their elders.”