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By Doni Glover, Publisher
(BALTIMORE – October 12, 2022) – Now, before I give you my political analysis of the only televised debate between Maryland’s major party candidates, let me just say up front that Dan Cox, the unfortunate Republican nominee, has a better chance of being abducted by renegade aliens than he does getting my vote.
Day and night: That was the difference between the two candidates vying to be the next Governor of Maryland.
Watching the Dan Cox vs. Wes Moore debate was like watching an uncoordinated kid fighting a seasoned heavyweight boxing champion. For Moore, it was child’s play. It was so uneven that there was really no comparison. Cox presented so poorly, even I wanted to throw him a life preserver. I’m not saying that Moore gave the greatest performance in the world. Knowing how he strives for perfection, I know if he had a do-over, he would ace a couple of answers even better. I am saying that Dan Cox is the worst gubernatorial candidate possibly ever in the history of the great state of Maryland. At one point during an exchange on abortion rights for women, the man literally could not find words to express himself for several seconds. He had the look of a boxer knocked out on his feet – begging to land on the canvas.
For one, Cox has the personality of an acutely lethargic snail high off of a bag of heroin laced with Fentanyl. If I were advising him, I’d encourage him to first tighten up his appearance – you know, posture, neatness, and for heaven’s sake – “Smile, man!” The goal is to get people to like you.
Secondly, that whole tattletale routine of ‘telling Mommy how Wes is a bad boy’ bit was overused. Rather than focus on articulating the highlights of his platform and why he is the better candidate, I think Cox spent way too much time pointing the finger at Wes on issues like “defunding the police” which, by the way, is absolutely absurd. Moore is a proud US Veteran. Why in the world would he go against law and order when he risked his life trying to help others establish it in their own country? Certainly, Moore wants that same law and order stateside where he lives with his family. Right?
Besides, Moore garnered the endorsement of the men and women of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police. How’s that for confidence?
And then there was that reference to Moore not showing up at the Morgan State debate. Given how Moore mopped the floor with Cox tonight, I clearly see why Cox was spared a shellacking. Maybe Moore didn’t want to be a bully. Cox really should be grateful that Moore opted out. Even more, I was present at a recent fundraiser at the home of Dr. Tyrone Taborn where Morgan State University President David Wilson embraced the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. It didn’t seem like there was any problem whatsoever. That I saw with my own eyes.
Tonight was a complete embarrassment for Cox and his supporters. No friend of Larry Hogan, Cox is rather closely associated with disgraced former President Donald Trump who is solely responsible for the January 6th Attack, which is currently being discussed in public hearings of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. More recently, he is being investigated by the FBI regarding his Mar-a-Lago estate and classified documents. This evening, yet another story about Trump’s character is gaining traction regarding the 2019 lawsuit by E. Jean Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine. She alleges Trump raped her in the mid-90s.
As a Democrat who supported both Robert Ehrlich and Larry Hogan, Cox has no idea how far-removed he is from understanding Maryland voters. This is a 2-to-1 Democratic state. Both Ehrlich and Hogan won because they did what the Democrats should have been doing: tapping into the 30% Black electorate.
Cox has zero African American outreach. Granted, he will get his core supporters’ votes, but after tonight’s fiasco, I am certain he will not raise as much money as he could have if he came with a better presentation, including a more likable personality. His display, quite honestly, lacked substance. Some of his answers were as short as his list of Black friends.
On education, for instance, Cox seemingly had no comprehension of the needs of Black children in a state where the two largest Black jurisdictions’ public school systems have historically been at the bottom of the state in terms of performance. This is a serious problem for Black voters and we want solutions. What we do not want is a governor who isn’t even aware of the inequity. Cox did very little to convince the Black community that he even knows we exist. Too bad for him.
Moore, on the other hand, gave some insightful responses loaded with facts, but he also conveyed the image of a leader who actually believes that he doesn’t have to leave anyone behind. I most appreciated Moore’s mention of Minority Business Enterprise goals in the state vs. the reality. Maryland is nowhere near the goal of 29% MBE participation in state contracts, something BmoreNews.com has been pushing for our entire 20 years of service. I appreciate Moore speaking about business because it is the backbone of every community, and my community is no different.
As Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford often says, no one hires more Blacks than Blacks. So, we need to help strengthen these business owners so that we can better reverse employment. As I always say, the best crime-fighting plan is a j-o-b!
I tell you – if I’m in a fight for a better future, I’m a lot more comfortable with a Gov. Moore than a Gov. Cox. I think Cox did very little to convince voters that he even believes in himself. Frankly, I know he is pinching himself. He never imagined in a million years getting this far on the political stage. And had it not been for the Trump support, Kelly Schulz would have beaten the breaks off of him.
