So....

.....let's take a look at the last two people in political circles who have employed Judd Legum.

One was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who of course spent most of the 1990's engrossed in one scandal or another....or another....or another. Legum worked as the Research Director of her Presidential Campaign, and if you remember towards the end of the campaign it was supporters of Clinton's campaign that first gave worth to the asinine birther movement.

Next, Legum (as we noted) went to work for New York Governor David Paterson. Paterson, of course, admitted to having an affair with a subordinate while serving as Lt. Governor and ended his campaign for a full term today due to the fact that he is being investigated for accusations that he abused his power to protect an aide accused of assaulting a woman last October.

So if you take a look at the scorecard, the last two political candidate employers of Judd Legum are two people who embody the picture of Democrats constant embroiled in scandal. With the people Legum works for, I think we really need to be questioning the fitness of his judgment and his fitness for office. Legum has shown to be a bad judge of character considering these (and others) he has decided to associate himself with.

Sadly.....it also makes me wonder what skeletons are in Judd Legum's attic.

Let the Sunshine In

In one of those rare instances in which the left and right of the Maryland blogosphere can wholeheartedly agree, Adam Pagnucco points out that Del. Saqib Ali is introducing the Legislative Sunshine Act, which will require that the business of committees of the Maryland General Assembly, particularly voting records on both legislation and amendments to the aforementioned legsilation, would be posted online. This is an idea whose time came a LONG time ago.

If one wanted to research committee voting histories of a member of the General Assembly, you would have to:

1. Go to Annapolis (easy for me, but not for a lot of Marylanders);
2. Visit the Committee Staffers for that particular committee;
3. Ask them for their Committee Records
4. Hope the Committee Chairman allows them to be made public (this is NOT at all a certainty);
5. Pour through countless copies of paper records to determine a member's voting record.

Why is this such a big deal? Because a pretty significant amount of legislators, on both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle, vote a lot differently on bills in committee than they would on the floor. Why is that? It's precisely because the committee records are not publicly available. It lets, for example, Republicans to support tax increases in committee (note: this happens more than you think it would), but still vote to "hold the line on taxes" when the bill comes to the House or Senate floors.

The fact of the matter is that open government is better government, partiuclarly in a state such as Marylan where such a large amount of business is conducted in committee, and particularly in a state in which the elected officials are a little less on the ethically straight and narrow than one would hope. Particularly important when you consider that it was members of the Senate Finance Committee, to name one such group, who were incredibly nervous when former Senator Tommy Bromwell took a deal in 2007. Committees in Annaolis are incredibly influential; their level of influence demands accountability and accessibility to records in this modern time.

I encourage all Republicans, including ALL members of Republican House and Senate Caucuses, to support such this legislation during the upcoming General Assembly session. Maybe if Marylanders truly knew what was happening in Annapolis, they'd be more inclined to seek the change our state so desperately needs...

Death, Taxes, Earmarking

Is anybody terribly surprised that Maryland's Senior Senator seems to be shutting money to her campaign donors?

Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has added tens of millions of dollars to a defense spending measure in earmarked grants for her top campaign donors, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis.

All but one of Mikulski's 16 funding requests were approved, making her the champion defense earmarker for the state. Final numbers won't be available until Congress completes action on the spending legislation later this fall.

Included in the senator's $42.1 million total is a combined $10.5 million for three companies, Northrop Grumman, Thales Communications and L-3 Communications, whose executives and political action committees have been among her most generous contributors.

Northrop Grumman officials and the company's PAC gave $57,900 to Mikulski's campaign and her political committee between 2005 and this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks political money.

That makes Northrop Grumman the largest source of contributions to Mikulski's re-election, according to the center's figures. The other two companies, Thales and L-3, also ranked among her top 15 donors.

Of course, none of this should comes as a surprise to people who pay attention to Barbara Mikulski, noting her status as a high ranker in the "Pig Book" to overcome her complete lack of influence in the U.S. Senate. She has to try to justify her continued service in the U.S. Senate, so instead of actually putting the interests of Marylanders first she will settle for at least staying bought by her largest contributors.

There is one thing that makes me a little curious going into 2010 however. Mikulski is now caught red-handed shuttling earmarked spending to large corporations who just happen to be some of her biggest donors. Last year, Mikulski was being pummeled by the lunatic fringe on her side for not being enough of a leftist.

How do you think Maryland's fringe left is going to react to this?

What....the....Hell?

So apparently that whole Zina Pierre withdrawing from the Annapolis Mayoral Election? Well......nevermind:

The Annapolis mayoral candidate, whose spokesperson announced her withdrawal from the race Friday amid revelations of personal financial problems, said Saturday that she is staying in the contest.

Zina C. Pierre won the Democratic nomination last Tuesday, putting her on track to become Annapolis' first African-American mayor. Her campaign on Friday abruptly announced her withdrawal amid questions about her foreclosed home, bounced checks, state liens for unpaid income taxes and other problems. But less than 24 hours later, Pierre said she was staying in to "continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support."

So in the last 24 hours, Zina Pierre has established herself as a fantastic joke. The fact that her campaign operation managed to bungle the story, announcing her withdrawal as a sure fact only to have the story revert itself, should show her inability to lead even the most basic of organizations.

Her campaign statement printed by the Capital is even weirder:

“I am running for Mayor of Annapolis and will continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support. The same support I am getting from the chair of the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee. I will continue to be accountable, transparent and a strong leader. Misinformation led to the confusion of the last two days. We will hold a news conference on Wednesday to address issues in detail.”

I'm not exactly sure how Zina Pierre will continue to be accountable, transparent, and a strong leader when it is apparent that she intends to not be held accountable, be far from transparent, and so far seems to be one of the weakest leaders I have ever seen.

When you combine her inability to keep her campaign on the same page with what seems to be a lengthy history of questionable financial and legal decisions (I mean really, what kind of idiot lets their car insurance lapse twice?) , it makes you wonder how Zina Pierre could ever hope to lead the city of Annapolis.

I think it is time that bloggers, community leaders, and the local media to really do some soul searching and fully investigate what Zina Pierre has been up to.

Hope and Shame

If as to prove that most local Democrats do in fact make up the gang that couldn't shoot straight, Annapolis Democrats lost their Mayoral nominee tonight:

Zina C. Pierre, a virtual unknown in Annapolis politics whose primary victory this week put her on track to become the city's first African-American mayor, dropped out of the race Friday evening in the wake of revelations of personal financial problems.

Pierre was besieged with questions about the foreclosure of her Bowie home and several state tax liens.

"Zina Pierre has decided that for personal reasons she will withdraw from the race for the city of Annapolis," said her spokeswoman, Michael Matthews, who declined to comment further.

According to city code, the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee must choose a replacement nominee by early October. Nick Berry, the chair, said the group will move "expeditiously" to appoint a nominee.

Go figure...a Clinton Administration figure with character issues. Who'd have thunk it?

To his credit, our sometimes nemesis Paul Foer broke the story this afternoon:

Zina Celestine Pierre, the recent upset winner in the Democratic Primary for Mayor, has a lengthy history of legal troubles that have repeatedly landed her in court for issues such as mortgage foreclosure, tax lien and a credit union judgment.

According to state records easily available online, Zina C. Pierre is listed as a defendant in 18 civil lawsuits and 3 traffic cases in Prince Georges County, the earliest being 1990 and the most recent two being filed in March of 2009. In all cases she is the defendant.

Five of the civil lawsuits are listed as still active and involve a mortgage foreclosure, a credit union judgment against her (over $6,000), a State of Maryland tax lien ($653), another approximate $6,000 judgment against her and what looks like her company, and another lien. These are just the active and open lawsuits. Among those listed as closed are lawsuits involving Hecht's and Jaguar Land Rover of Annapolis.

managed to not see any reporting, any campaigning, or any discussion of this issue until three days after the Democratic primary. I am completely flabbergasted that a mayoral primary that seemed to have lasted almost a yearEspecially when you consider all of these records were easily accessible via computer.

Looks like Annapolis Democrats were incredibly under served, not just by the other six Democrats who ran for Mayor, but also by local media. The Sun and The Capital managed to completely fumble this story and run no stories about Pierre's background until after her withdrawal from the race. Given how much ink was (rightfully) given to the Sam Shropshire sexual assault allegations, you would have thought that somebody in these journalistic institutions would have thought to sit at the computer and do this basic research.

Score one for the blogosphere, but what a complete embarrassment for the city of Annapolis...

The Most Dangerous Man in America

As the saying goes, there is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose. So you have to wonder, now that he has been convicted and removed from office, what does former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich have to lose?

Blagojevich has no political career left to save. He has no legal career to resurrect. He has no job, no state office to preserve, no reputation left to save.

Can you think of anything more dangerous with than a politician in this kind of position?

There is only one thing that Rod Blagojevich needs to worry about anymore, and that is trying to avoid prison time as much as he possibly can. If that is the direction in which he goes, than pretty much anybody who has ever been connected to the Governor may want to consider lawyering up. Because Blagojevich could very well decide to sign like a canary. That means that there are lot of powerful people, all the way up to President Obama, who could get more involved in this mess. But because of how this thing has played out so far doesn't mean that anybody else is going to be indicted just because Blagojevich starts to sign. If this entire endeavor has taught us anything, it's the fact that Rod Blagojevich is delusion and insane. The man seems to be completely bonkers with the "defense" that he launched of these charges. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Blago just started making stuff up on the fly.....but that doesn't mean there aren't real skeletons out there waiting to be exposed.

Illinois is a seedy place to practice politics, and Rod Blagojevich is (so far) the seediest of the seedy. With self-preservation as his only resort, we must see a bit more light shined on Chicago-style politics, which truly makes him a danger to the Obama Administration and, perhaps, the most dangerous man in America....

Proving My Point

I'm pretty sure I told this story on RedMaryland Radio at one point, but never here on the blogs. Last year I was in the gift shop of the Space Needle in Seattle, buying some swag, and I go to pay by Credit Card. The cashier needs to see ID, so I provide my Maryland Driver's License. She asks if I was from Baltimore and said that I was from right outside of it. She then ask's me: "Is Baltimore really like it is on The Wire?"

I told her "No, it's much more violent and much more corrupt than that."

Thanks Mayor Dixon for helping reinforce the point...

Cashing in or Abandoning Ship?

Does O'Malley's inner circle know something? Read this:

Sean R. Malone, a long-time trusted aide to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), said today that he will leave the administration in coming weeks to become a partner in a law firm and lobbying shop.

Malone, a deputy legislative officer to the governor, is the third member of O'Malley's inner circle to depart in recent months. Steve Kearney, a long-time communications aide, left to start a public affairs firm, while Josh White, who ran O'Malley's 2006 gubernatorial campaign and later joined the administration, has become a lobbyist.

So, other than the fact that another Democrat in Maryland is going to help continue the culture of corruption and get filthy rich from their contacts with other Democrats in State Government, do O'Malley staffers see the end is near?

Bottom line: Does O'Malley's inner circle think he is going to lose in 2010?

Come Again?

As usual, the Annapolis insiders provide us with a startling look into their lack of reality:

The president of the Maryland Senate said yesterday that Sen. Ulysses Currie's work for a regional grocery chain should be investigated by the General Assembly, but Sen. Thomas V. Mike Miller dismissed speculation that he would ask the Prince George's County Democrat to step down from his leadership post.

"Senator Currie, in my opinion, is guilty of making a terrible mistake," said Miller, who is attending the Democratic National Convention here. "Knowing him, I believe it was absent-mindedness. Still, he lobbied the government on behalf of a private entity for personal profit."

Say what? Guilty of making a terrible mistake?

What I think Senator Miller meant to say was "guilty of violating ethics laws and unfit to serve in the State Senate."

Sadly, the story gets worse:

Despite his censure of Currie's actions, Miller again dismissed rumors yesterday that he would ask his political ally to step down as head of the Senate committee that oversees the state budget.

"Senator Currie is going to remain chairman ... through all of these difficult budget negotiations," Miller said, referring to the problems that could be caused by anticipated state revenue shortfalls. "And if, in fact, he is charged by the federal government, then we will look at it again."

So we have somebody who has violated ethics laws and engaged in what seems to be bribery and public corruption, and of course had contraband narcotics found at his home, and Miller is going to leave him in charge of the budget? Is this some sort of bizarro universe we find ourselves in?

The ridiculous thing, however, is the fact that Miller legitimately believes that Currie did no lawful wrong and should remain in the Senate. Had Currie been a Republican, however, don'tcha think that Miller would be constructing the gallows?

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Senator Currie broke at least ethics laws, and possibly many many more while serving as a State Senator. He is unfit to serve as a Senator, and certainly unfit to serve in a position of trust and authority as Chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Senate leadership needs to wake up and do the right thing.

Making a Mockery

Good to see that politicians can also get away with reckless behavior virtually unscated

House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve pleaded guilty Thursday to drunken driving as part of plea agreement.

''I'm here to take full responsibility for my actions," Barve (D-Dist. 17) of Gaithersburg told the court. ''... I have learned from this situation and I will never do this again."

District Court Judge Mary C. Reece placed Barve, 49, on one year's unsupervised probation and fined him $1,000 with $800 suspended because it was a first-time offense.

He was arrested by Gaithersburg City Police at 11:43 p.m. Nov. 29, according to traffic citations. Barve was charged with driving while impaired and driving under the influence, which required the four-term delegate to stand trial.

He also was charged with failure to obey a traffic device and failure to drive right of center, each a $90 fine.

Sadly, Barve's slap on the wrist is pretty common in the world of drunk driving and criminal prosecution in Maryland, as Greg Kline pointed out with his experiences as an attorney.

Unfortunately, Barve would have been the perfect person to make an example of. He should go to jail for his offense (like many other convicted Drunk Drivers should also be sentenced to time in jail). But he isn't.

Instead of serving as an example of the consequences of one's actions, Kumar Barve serves as an example both of the nearly criminal negligence in our judicial system when it comes to punishing lawbreakers, and also as another sad example of the Democratic Chain Gang that is tainting the highest levels of the Maryland Democratic Party and Maryland State Government.

Get Real

Mark Newgent touched on this earlier, but while we're on the subject of violating the public trust, who is surprised by this development?

A development team including a contractor with whom Mayor Sheila Dixon had a relationship was chosen last year for a $200 million project in Southwest Baltimore, even though an independent city panel urged that the contract be awarded to another firm.

The redevelopment of Uplands, a boarded-up apartment complex off Edmondson Avenue, has been described as one of the largest projects of its kind on the East Coast. Dixon recently acknowledged having a personal relationship in 2003-2004 with a developer who later got a stake in the deal.

Amazingly, there are people stepping up to take the bullet for Dixon on this one:

Selection of the developer came a few months after Dixon took office as mayor, but city officials said she played no role in influencing the outcome of the process. Several residents said they, not Dixon, were the ones who advocated reversing the panel's decision because they opposed the team initially recommended for the site.

Sorry, but I call shenanigans on this one. Because in all reality, does anybody really believe that city officials who work for the Mayor are going to keep the Mayor out of the loop on such a high profile project? Because I certainly don't. And even if Dixon had "no role in influencing the outcome" of the selection of Doracon, there are ways for the Mayor of the city to influence the outcome without influencing the outcome.

Who does Dixon think she's fooling anymore?

Currie Must Go

We have noted the ethical problems State Senator Ulysses Currie got himself into, and now it has become painfully apparent that Currie was not just working for Shoppers Food Warehouse without disclosing it on his ethics form, but was clearly using his influence as a State Senator in order to help his undocumented employer:

State Sen. Ulysses Currie has repeatedly intervened with state agencies since at least 2003 on behalf of Shoppers Food and Pharmacy, involving himself in the minute details of its business, such as traffic light installations, roadside improvements and other projects near the grocery chain's stores, according to thousands of documents reviewed by The Sun.

Currie, the Prince George's Democrat who chairs the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee, worked as a paid consultant for the chain but did not disclose that employment on state financial disclosure forms. His ties with the firm are now the subject of a federal investigation that led to simultaneous FBI raids on his home and Shoppers' Lanham headquarters in May.

According to the documents, he held meetings, made phone calls and wrote letters - including some on his committee stationery - to state transportation officials, frequently lobbying on matters far from his legislative district.

Read all of the annoying details. And here is the money quote from the Post story:

Nothing in the documents indicates that any of the state officials were aware that Currie was a consultant for the grocery chain.

Clearly, this violation of public trust is getting worse and worse by the day. If Currie had any class and knew the right thing to do, he would resign his seat immediately to allow the people of the 25th District to be represented by somebody who has the interests of their constituents, not paychecks, at heart.

But since I doubt that Currie will do the right thing, Senate leadership needs to step up and expel Currie from the Senate. Violations of the public trust like this cannot and should not be tolerated by anybody, regardless of party affiliation.

David Paulson needs to lay off the bong water

David Paulson is either or drugs or has completely lost his mind:

It's not every day that the state Democratic Party's communication director and one of Maryland's most prominent Republicans agree on a party's political fortunes. But after former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele told a crowd of Republicans that "the Republican brand quite frankly sucks," David Paulson emailed PolitickerMD.com to express his empathy for Steele's idea.

"I don't disagree with Michael Steele on his low opinion of the Republican brand - it's in the toilet for a lot of reasons," Paulson wrote in an email to PolitickerMD.com. "But Republicans who think they only have a branding problem are fooling themselves. This isn't a public relations problem. This is a public trust problem."....

..."Andy Harris is just more of the same - all talk and no action, especially when it comes to gas prices," Paulson wrote to PolitickerMD.com. "If Harris is so concerned with gas taxes why didn't he sponsor a bill as a state senator? He has even failed to officially request that any action be taken now. Proof once again that Harris (sic) all talk and no action."

Paulson concluded the email by criticizing Republicans even further: "Republican hypocrisy is not a branding problem. It's more like we-can't-believe-you-because-we-don't-trust-you problem."

Wow.

I mean, wow.

The Democrats in this country and this state have repeatedly found themselves to be either under some sort of cloud involving shoes, involving money stored in freezers, involving shady land deals, involving undisclosed employers, involving State Senators with drugs, involving unsafe vehicles on the road, accepting bribes, nepotism at the state and county levels, firing political appointees after spending millions to investigate Ehrlich doing the same, appointing lobbyists to patronage gigs, and nominating a pre-packaged walking, talking scandal waiting to happen for President.

And David Paulson thinks that Republicans are hypocrites that can't be trusted. He needs to either get a mental examination, or he needs to lay off whatever substances he is currently using. Because nobody can be as self-deluded as he is.

It's true Republicans that have a branding problem for their inability to follow their principles while governing at the national level. But I'd say we look pretty good standing next to the chain gang wandering the streets under the label of the Maryland Democratic Party these days....

What Sheila Dixon Isn't Saying Often

One thing Sheila Dixon isn't saying much is "I didn't do it":



Dixon waxes poetic about how she "can't say anything" about the allegations, but at no time in her Press Conference did she actually deny wrongdoing. Even when it is shown later that a politician did, in fact, break the law, they almost always deny the allegations in front of the campaign unless it actually happened.

Now, on 98Rock (of all places) this morning, Dixon did unload a relatively weak denial of the charges, but only when Josh Spiegel came out and asked Dixon directly about the truthfulness of the charges. But even then, she said only that the charges were "unfounded."

So why is Sheila Dixon barely defending herself when accused of pretty serious charges of corruption? Because I know if it were me and I were innocent, I would be screaming my innocence at the top of my lungs and anybody who would listen...

John Leopold took money from Lipscomb

John Leopold's campaign committee accepted a $4,000 contribution on September 15th from Doracon Contracting, Inc. of 3500 East Biddle Street, Baltimore. That company is one of the companies controlled by developer Ronald H. Limpscomb, who has been implicated in the Sheila Dixon Corruption Scandal.

What's curious about the donation is the fact that Leopold is the only Republican to recieve a donation from Lipscomb or one of his holding companies. But it also came days after Leopold held a $4,000 per plate fundraiser at the Baltimore Marriott at which he was criticized for breaking his campaign promise regarding fundraising and getting cozy with developers.

Looks like we may now know why exactly John Leopold started taking developers money.....

RedMaryland Radio: The Commentary

As promised, the Commentary I opened today's RedMaryland radio broadcast with:

The Democrats here in the state of Maryland have been waxing poetic for several days now about the case of Sheila Dixon, particularly the involvement of the State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh. Democrats, since as the Democratic Party's official propaganda windbag David Paulson, decry the involvement of the Ehrlich-appointee in involving Mayor Dixon, the noted upright citizen that she is.

Paulson said "Rohrbaugh has sent some very disturbing signals in recent weeks," complaining that developer Ed St. John was punished for his illegal contributions to Democrats but not those he made to Ehrlich, notwithstanding the fact that St. John was never accused of making such illegal contributions. Paulson said Democrats are watching the state prosecutor for signs that he is "stepping out of bounds" and that they are "concerned" with Rohrbaugh's work.

All of this is very convenient for Paulson and the Democrats to do, but in order to believe that the Democratic Party in the State of Maryland was free and clear of any hint of corruption one would have to have just stepped off a spaceship from the Crab Nebula. Just take a look at the last four decades of politics in Maryland. The political graveyard is littered with Democratic scandal. Dale Anderson. Marvin Mandel. Jerome Connell. Larry Young. Clarence Mitchell IV. Corruption in the anti-crime unit overseen by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Parris Glendening, putting his girlfriend on the state payroll. These are just a small number of the Democratic scandals from Maryland's past who have brought harm and disrepute to the state and to Maryland's Democratic Party.

Modern day Democrats are no better. Nathaniel Exum involved in a scheme to keep his employer's car inspection business open. Ulysses Currie's nondisclosure of his employment with Shopper's Food Warehouse. The two-year Sheila Dixon investigation, which has already yielded shady contracts, nepotism, and now personal relationships and receiving furs from contractors, during her time as City Council President. State Senator Thomas Bromwell went to jail. And Governor O'Malley was implicated in shady land deals with Eastern Shore property owned by a supporter and member of his transition team.

Democratic complaints about investigations launched by the independent state prosecutor are as misguided as it would have been for Bonapartists to complain about Napoleon's exile. The complaints only arose because of their own ineptitude in the first place. Maryland Democrats need to worry less about what the independent prosecutor does, and more about themselves. If Democrats want to avoid investigations for once they'll need to do the right thing, and not the easy thing. But all Marylanders need to do something in order to end this vicious cycle that continues to breed the culture of corruption.

Did O'Malley appoint an unregistered lobbyist to the Board of Education?

Governor O'Malley appointed Tricia Johnson and Teresa Milio Birge to five-year stints on the Board of Education this past Tuesday, pending the approval of the voters in the ridiculously asinine process that the General Assembly set up for us. More details on their appointments in general here.

But did O'Malley appoint an unregistered lobbyist in Birge to the Board? Birge is listed by the Maryland Association of Senior Centers as their lobbyist. In her resume, Birge notes that for a "private client" she:

Manages government relations program for a state association; track and review legislation; draft amendments and testimony; draft oral and written testimony; testify before legislative committees on legislative and budget matters; facilitate meetings of members with legislators; conduct training for association members.

All of which sounds like the activities of a lobbyist. Except Birge is not registered as a lobbyist according to the Maryland State Ethics Commission, nor is the Maryland Association of Senior Centers listed as employing a lobbyist. And the summary of lobbying law seems to indicate that if Birge received more than $2,500 in personal compensation or if the MASC paid a lobbyist more than $2,500 in lobbying expenses, both should have had to register.

The evidence seems to point to an unregistered Democratic lobbyist being appointed to the Board of Education. I'm not exactly sure how flouting ethics laws makes Anne Arundel County's new appointment process a success, though is does give us the opportunity to right this wrong at the ballot box in November.

Democrats step up politicization of independence

If you pay any attention to Democratic Party politics in the state of Maryland, you know that the Democrats are the first people who want to step to the plate to have an "independent" or "fair" investigation of any Republican wrongdoing. The long investigation of Governor Ehrlich's appointees was such an "independent" investigation.

As usual though, when the shoe is the other foot, the Democrats cry foul.

According to the story in today's Sun:

The General Assembly created the state prosecutor's office in 1976 after a series of public corruption scandals in Maryland. The office, which is designed to be independent of political influence, can initiate investigations on its own or at the request of the governor, legislature or other top officials. Rohrbaugh is the third person to head the office.

All of which seems pretty basic right? The website of the State Prosecutor lists the following as the mission of that office:

The State Prosecutor may investigate on his own initiative, or at the request of the Governor, the Attorney General, the General Assembly, the State Ethics Commission, or a State's Attorney, certain criminal offenses. These include: 1) State election law violations; 2) State public ethics law violations; 3) State bribery law violations involving public officials or employees; 4) misconduct in office by public officials or employees; and 5) extortion, perjury, or obstruction of justice related to any of the above.

An independent investigator who is above the political fray, who is not subject to the whim of the Governor of a particular political party to keep their position. It seems like a pretty reasonable concept of good government.

Considering that it was a Democratic General Assembly and a Democratic Acting Governor who passed the legislation and signed the bill into law, you would think the Democrats would be all for the continuance of this position. And they were....until Governor Ehrlich got to appoint Robert Rohrbaugh.

Now, the Maryland Democratic Party is certainly singing a different tune:

The state Democratic Party has been especially critical of the state prosecutor's attacks on the mayor.

"Rohrbaugh has sent some very disturbing signals in recent weeks," said David Paulson, communications director for the Maryland Democratic Party, which complained that the prosecutor went after St. John for his contributions to Democrats but not those he made to Ehrlich. Paulson said Democrats are watching the state prosecutor for signs that he is "stepping out of bounds."

"We are concerned," Paulson said. "This investigation [into Dixon] has been going on for years, and these questions have been asked and answered." Ehrlich, who appointed Rohrbaugh to a six-year term, said he has no influence over the prosecutor.

It's quite an amazing change of heart that suddenly Maryland Democrats have a problem with the idea of an independent prosecutor. Paulson's problem with Rohrbaugh seems to be merely the fact that Rohrbaugh is fulfilling the duties of the office to which he has been appointed and serving. It's just that Paulson doesn't like the fact that somebody independent is going after corrupt Democrats in Maryland, which impedes their ability for hegemonic governance. Citing the fine of Ed St. John as a problem is ridiculous because St. John violated campaign finance laws. Citing the further investigation of Sheila Dixon is a farce because the current investigation, including the public revelation of obvious violations of ethics laws and a clear violation of the public trust, is stagnant and has lead to no prosecution to this point.

If Paulson really wants to complain about the prosecutor's office, maybe he should complain that Rohrbaugh's office can't spend enough time investigating corrupt Maryland Democrats.

There is a long standing tradition of political corruption in Maryland, particularly on the side of elected Democrats. The Democrats insistence on politicizing the office of the independent prosecutor charged with investigating such corruption shows the lengths they will go to in an effort to delegitimize those who wish to stand against their hegemony in Maryland, and those who wish to challenge the corrupt leaders Democrats wish to protect. As usual, their argument is full of bologna.

No Quarter

Just because Obama VP Search Committee Head Jim Johnson stepped down today from his post gives no reason for the public to retain and trust in Obama and his campaign.

Whether or not Johnson remained as head of the committee was inconsequential: Senator Obama's poor judgment of character, and poor decision making needs to remain an issue in this campaign. Obama is not running for Cheerleader-in-Chief. He is running for Commander-in-Chief, and his continue lapses in competent decision making are going to deserve more and more scrutiny as we go forward.

The American people need to give no quarter when it comes to Obama's Campaign...

Obama: A Scandal in a Box

What is it about Barack Obama that makes him what he is? Just take a look at the people he surrounds himself with:

• Obama fundraiser and friend Tony Rezko was convicted a few weeks back on mail fraud and wire-fraud charges surrounding pay-to-play scandal with local officials in the Chicago area;
• Jeremiah Wright pretty much speaks for itself;
• You have Jim Johnson in search of his Vice-Presidential search team, who as RedState's Soren Dayton points out, has all sorts of character flaws: an old Mondale and Carter flunky, sweetheart mortgage deals, foreign agent, and disgraced-former Fannie Mae CEO.
• And then we have Penny Prtizker, which again Soren Dayton tells us Chaired a bank that had to buy its way out of a racketeering lawsuit.

And that's just what we know about, not counting all of his gaffes (57 states anyone?) plenty enough to seriously question the man's judgment.

Here's what we do know: Obama has surrounded himself with some bad people. And these are the people who he has brought along board to get him to the Oval Office. If Obama were to be elected, I cannot imagine the type of folks that he would try to put into positions of power and authority. This could make the Clinton Administration look like the minor league stuff.

Unfortunately, we have seen Barack Obama consistently lack judgment in the people he associates with in his political life. With that lack of judgment in character, it makes an Obama Presidency a pre-made scandal in a box. If he becomes President we could see the highest level of corruption in a Presidential Administration since Harding, and that's not something our country needs at this or at any other time...