Call for Maryland’s First Black Governor
By Doni Glover, Publisher
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(BALTIMORE – July 5, 2022) – Well, Marylanders – as the fireworks subside, those followers of politics know that we’re in the final stretch of the Primary. Early Voting starts Thursday. And coming around the bend in what looks like a three-horse race for the next Governor of Maryland on the Democratic side is Comptroller Peter Franchot, former US Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, and Rhodes Scholar/Veteran/former Robin Hood CEO Wes Moore.
To say the least, political campaigning in the fray of a pandemic is no easy feat, especially for those running for statewide offices. It takes collaboration, teamwork, leadership, and ingenuity. More importantly, it takes know-how.
Take, for instance, the creation of a campaign sign. I have seen all kinds. Some candidates have no clue about how a sign is constructed. I’ll tell you this much, if it doesn’t convey the person’s last name from across the street, it isn’t effective. Also, only a headshot is necessary, and don’t forget to include the position for which one is vying. All that other stuff is meaningless and a complete waste of space.
I’ll tell you something else about campaign signs.
While Baltimore County’s Pat McDonough was recently charged with theft of an opponent’s campaign sign, he says he was actually trying to report the theft of his own sign. This, my friends, is par for the course. Signs are part of a much larger equation. Put differently, any campaign can run into an over-zealous competitor who will steal a sign faster than a Baltimore red light camera. A candidate has to have a plan for dealing with this in the most intelligent way possible.
A candidate has to be prepared for such tactics. Smear campaigns are a given, as well. This right here is the exact time when folks drop nasty mailers or commercials to slam their opponent, giving very little time for a response.
Such methods are as old as the dinosaurs. Again, it’s par for the course.
Money? Yeah, money is important – but only if you know what to do with it. I have seen a rookie spend a lot of money on frivolous activities when a pro can get the job done for a third of the money. This is where having the right personnel around a candidate ultimately separates the boys from the men, the girls from the women.
And so, who will win the Democratic nomination? That’s one question. The other is, can Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz put Dan Cox away and secure the Republican nomination for Governor? While Schulz has the backing of Gov. Larry Hogan, Cox has the support of the most disgraceful politician in American history, Donald John Trump. (Boooooooooo!)
In any event, stay tuned this week as BmoreNews.com continues to bring you coverage on the 2022 election season. For this is the week where we will see who has the goods. We’ve heard the speeches, seen the commercials, witnessed candidates hugging the babies, and we’ve read the endorsements. On Thursday, we will get to see how the people have received and translated all of this rhetoric. Now, it’s about counting the votes.
To say the least, as a political junkie – I am elated to see who rises to the top on both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle. And while the Republican race is much easier to choose the better candidate, the Democratic gubernatorial race isn’t so easy to gauge.
Initially, Peter Franchot was given the win. What critics did not consider is his untested chin. Since the early days of this campaign season, Perez’s support from unions has propelled his campaign into striking position. I have gotta say, I have not seen Perez in Baltimore at all. And personally, the unions have supported some sucky candidates in Baltimore historically. I get it, the unions are important for the unions’ sake. But what about the rest of us who are not in a union? Do the unions help take care of my community?
By the way, I Iive in Sandtown. Have the unions helped my neighborhood in any capacity since I moved here in the 90s?
No!
So for me, it’s really an easy choice on the Democratic side. I hear a lot of older Blacks tout Franchot as if they really know him. But do they really know him? I recall when he was a Delegate representing Montgomery County. I was a Social Services Commissioner for the City of Baltimore at the time and then-Delegate Franchot had zero compassion for the needs of the poor in Baltimore City. Today, he acts like he’s our best friend. I just can’t trust that, nor those carrying his water to the Black community.
As for Franchot’s Black Agenda, Joe Gaskins of Prince George’s County stated that he wrote it and has since put his full political support behind Wes Moore.
Like Attorney Billy Murphy stated on my show recently, Wes Moore doesn’t need to be taught Black issues. He’s been a Black man in America his entire life. His experiences are absolutely different from Perez’s and Franchot’s. Besides, why wouldn’t I support this highly-qualified candidate? Hell, he’s already made history by raising more money than any other candidate in the race. I don’t know about you, but I find that alone to be phenomenal. At every turn, Moore has answered the call and outshined the competition by doing what critics said couldn’t be done. Frankly, ain’t no way I am not supporting this man. Further, I’ve seen him significantly more times – even in a pandemic – than I’ve seen Perez, whom I personally haven’t seen in Baltimore since he ran for Attorney General back in 2006. After that, he went to the White House and has been ghost!
I don’t know whom you’re voting for, but for me, common sense tells me to go with Moore. Black people have been waiting forever to see the Great State of Maryland live up to its creed. My people are consistently pushed to vote Democrat. One year, that’s exactly what signs up Liberty Heights read: “Vote for the Democrats”. Huh? When will we get around to a Black US Senator from Maryland? Kweisi Mfume got out there and got major pushback. Despite all that Mfume had done to serve the people of Maryland, Martin O’Malley and Mike Miller dismissed our great gladiator for justice with impunity. I will never forget the disrespect they showed Mr. Mfume.
In modern times, there has never been a Black Governor nor a Black US Senator. Why? Blacks carry any and every election in Maryland. When will the state show us the same love and respect in return? What’s the holdup?
I, for one, am not into uneven relationships. Meet me with the same energy I meet you with; if not, keep it moving! The Maryland Democratic Party treats Black people like a side chick, an after-thought, a groupie. I say, keep it. We’re better off without the chicanery.
And while the Democrats have dragged their feet empowering Black statewide candidates, the Republicans haven’t. Michael Steele and Boyd Rutherford are both standup men who did what they said they were going to do and unapologetically so. Go figure!
We are tired of waiting.
The Maryland Democratic Party has repeatedly failed Black people. We are sick of it. We’re also sick of the coddling of attitudes of people like Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti who referred to Prince George’s County as the “nigger district” in the 21st century. Overt or covert, racism is still holding this state back from reaching its full potential. Black people are good enough for the vote but not good enough to be elected by that same vote? Really? Kick rocks, I’m going with Wes Moore. If not now, then when?