What's right with America

I don't think it's a surprise to any one (including Mark) is surprised that our RedMaryland colleague Mark Newgent got his ass kicked by County Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke today. As of 10:31 PM, Mark was gotten five percent of the vote in City Council District 14. But I am glad that Mark ran. I am glad that Elbert Henderson ran. And Glenn Werner, and Brian Davis, and Sean Cummings, and Michael Bradley, and Duane Shelton, and even Green Party candidates Maria Allwine and Bill Barry.

The fact of the matter is that these candidates said "damn the torpedoes" and campaigned in an incredibly hostile political environment. And they tried to get the candidates of the majority party to campaign on their issues. That is what is right with America. No matter how the deck is stacked against the minority, everybody gets a chance to put their names on the ballot and let the voters sort it out. Not always the way we'd like to see it (lord knows that you can't convince me that 88-percent of the electorate really wants to continue the failures of the O'Malley/Dixon team), but the voters get to make that call.

So I say good for Mark, and for all of the challengers who undertook the idea of campaigning in the face of a sure loss...