Maryland Senate debate! I'm excited. Ben Cardin v Mike steele.

The exciting as drying paint Congressman vs. The Buppie who denies being a Repub.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

the denying being a republican was pretty funny, but other than that...yeah.

He does "speak so well"

Actually, if it didn't have to do with my livelihood, I'd probably be inclined to vote for Steele.

I'm a sucker for a pure Horatio Alger story

Fuck. I forgot about this. Will have to catch the first half on replay.

Also, I'm pretty disappointed in Steele's stem cells ad that just came out.

They were both pretty blah. Don't know how anyone could vote for Steele though who thinks Clarence Thomas is his hero and says. "nope, Republican, not me suh..."

Nice. Black Republicans might as well wear an Aunt Jemima costume.

I like Steele, though I don't agree with him on a number of things. Ben Cardin is nothing more than a lackluster career politician. He hasn't really fucked anything up, but he hasn't done anything either. He's 110% mediocre across the board, and the Senate keeps him from having to go out there and get a real job.

I'm a believer in throwing the bums out on both sides, so Steele gets my vote. It's a shame that Maryland Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1, so that Steele barely has a chance to even make the race competitive.

Steele's the guy with the "BTW, I love puppies" ad, right? That was pretty great.

He's got a couple other good ones, too. I was pretty disappointed in his stem cell ad, though.

Throw them out on both sides, only neither of these candidates is an incumbent. While this rationale might make sense to you, if Steele wins (and if Repubs win Senate seats in Missouri, Tenn., Virginia) there is no way that this won't be accepted as "proof that Americans are not THAT upset with the administration and its policies." You get to feel like you are fighting against power, but at a cost.

If you really think Steele would make a better senator, that's another issue.

This is what people SHOULD base their votes on. Not what party they want in control. Unfortunately, I think he probably would be a better Senator in the strictest sense, but that don't mean I would vote for him

Technically, you're right but Cardin's a career politician who has been a Member of the US Congress since 1987. You don't suddenly develop a fresh perspective just because you're moving from the House to the Senate.

Bingo. I also think Steele would be a better Senator.

Just to be clear, part of "being a better Senator" does include more than personal integrity, communication style, thinking... Steele would vote with the administration on homeland security measures that, to some of us, erode constitutional protections.

Steele would likely vote to approve another Supreme Court appointment who would most likely support "right to life"... oppose stem cell research ... consumer protections... any number of judicial issues in the pipeline.

Steele would likely vote to block any consideration of the Bush tax cuts of 2001, which continue to distribute wealth to the very rich, stimulate the economy in ways that pump up the stock market, but does little for wages... and creates huge debt we sell to the Chinese.

So voting Republican means something... not just "kick the bums out" or voting for someone's personal qualities. If these things don't matter to you, then you are a Republican by ideology... and you want to vote to keep the bums in power.

Keep on dumbing it down as far as you like. I'll wait. If the only qualification for being a better Senator is not being a Republican, then you're wasting my time. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, however, because I know it's part of your game and you aren't Hegel.

The Senate, though eroded by rules changes since Johnson, is the deliberative body of Congress. I also welcome viewpoints that oppose my own and believe that it is important to have voices of prominence for both sides on issues facing the nation and society. Open debate is pretty damn worthless if it's an echo chamber. Hell, it's bad enough now, and it's only 55-44-1.

Compared to Santorum, Brownback or even (gasp!) John Sidney McCain III, I do not feel that Steele is a huge Conservative Devil. Secondly, Steele has shown that he is able to debate issues without dropping into sloppy pejorative attacks all too common in politics from both parties today.

One of Steele's running themes in the campaign is the elimination of gifts from lobbyists to Senators. That's pretty similar to Congresswoman Pelosi's (and Liberal Devil) anticipated rules changes in the House. He also supports a transparent appropriations system naming the legislator responsible for earmarks, including prohibiting a legislator from sponsoring an earmark if the legislator has a financial interest in the legislation.

Steele also feels Bush isn't doing enough for energy independence, as supports more funding for R&D. He also promotes higher fuel efficiency standards for vehicles over the coming years. Not just once, but a graduated increase.

Steele wants immediate re-funding for Pell Grants, Perkins loans and the college tuition deduction.

Steele also opposes the death penalty, though that's not a Senate issue.

Voting for Ben Cardin for sheer Democratic advantage is wrong, even if I am tired of a GOP-controlled Congress. Of course, I'm just stupid enough to believe that SCOTUS has room for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas.

I appreciate your efforts to educate me on Michael Steele, even if he has been the Lt. Governor in my state for the past four years.

He might, but it's not entirely certain. Ben Cardin, however, voted for the renewal of the Patriot Act.

I rarely mean to offend, so hope you take this interaction as an interchange of strongly held views about things of substance.

I don't deny your "right" to analyze thoughtfully who is the best candidate, and I'll agree that you must know Steele well from seeing him in state office for several years.

I will acknowldege also that Bush, what he is doing to the constitution, how he is making us all unsafe with a brutish and incompetent foreign policy, an economic policy that is melting away the middle class and causing astonishing national debt... well, to me it calls for unusual political choices. A choice that endorses this administration and its incompetence, in not ok. Not to be too dramatic, but I think our nation is trouble.

In any case, I salute you as a comrade American voter, and celebrate with you our freedoms. If I pontificate, it's cause that's my nature, not that I want to characterize your positions as dumb.

I'll be honest, though. As a registered Democrat, I voted for Kweisi Mfume in the primary, and had he won, very possibly would have voted him in the general. I was fearful of Steele being a lapdog earlier in this cycle, but after the primary, he's said a few things that have assuaged my fears. Now, whether he would adhere to those statements when elected is a totally different animal, but that's the risk we take.

There's also a local issue at play here. Maryland Democrats hold a 2-to-1 advantage in registered voters, and in my view their complacency and entitlement to state & national office hasn't resulted in many new ideas or improvements for the state. Not all of them are bad, but too much of one flavor gets stale after a while.

Four years ago we elected the first Republican Governor since Agnew. Ehrlich is a Republican, but he's not a whackjob right winger by any means. Unfortunately, most of state politics has turned into throwing stones at the Gov, since he ain't from the proper party.

If Steele can win 45-50% of the vote, I'd say it's a victory. He's not a seasoned politician and he's a black Republican in a staunchly blue state. Sarbanes and Mikulski routinely rolled up 66-33% victories. For Steele to put up a good showing might even out the discourse around here, and open up that dialog I was talking about in the previous post, but on a state level.

No offense taken. I know you toss bait out there, and I knowingly and willingly take it. I just enjoy my own smart-assedness more than is probably healthy.

This is exactly how I feel. I just get mocked about it more than you do cuz you look all professorial and did exotic drugs with mixed minorities and whatnot.

To be honest I could give a fack about all the issues listed. I'd vote for a communist or nazi if I thought they could secure funding for coastal restoration and gives us the same oil rights that Texas has.

I actually agree with alot of this too.

I'll send Javier over with a package of ayahuasca and some Robert Talbot ties.