Let’s turn Maryland from a “green” state to a “red” one! An observation on Martin O’Malley’s Filing for Re-election as Governor of Maryland by Diana Larmore
June 17, 2010, Severna Park -- I had trouble sleeping last night as I often do when I am sorting out things – especially things that are big and things that are baffling.
You see… yesterday, I participated in a demonstration outside of the Board of Elections at 151 West Street. Governor O’Malley was expected to arrive on foot to file his election paperwork. My GOP friends and I viewed this as a chance to meet him at the front door and let him know we are concerned about his policies on spending and taxes.
Joining me were prospective GOP Business Women, along with SPRWC members (President Amy Leahy, Marge Acree and Lauren Stahl, who was accompanied by her 7 year-old son). MFRW officer Catie James beat us to the location. Young conservatives -- in college or new to the workforce-- emerged from a nearby garage carrying homemade signs with messages that expressed their serious concerns about the future. They were grassroots and were not affiliated with any Republican organized group.
Waiting for O’Malley
We waited and waited for O’Malley, joking that he was probably afraid to encounter us. Then a scout came up the street to tell us that O’Malley had been spotted down at the Ram’s Head Tavern, that he was surrounded by a large band of supporters in green t-shirts and that they were heading rapidly on foot toward us. Before we could huddle to select our chant, the O’Malley entourage was upon us. And I mean, “upon us.” First their Security guys and news cameras flanked us from behind and made sure they had a clear view of O’Malley approaching the door. Then, the O’Malley supporters, carrying large Styrofoam campaign signs (3’x4’ or more) pierced our front lines, spun around, and completely blocked our view. Then, his supporters drowned us out with a chant of “Move Maryland Forward.” And reinforcements came in from the back lines to form a tight circle around us. This must be rally logistics, I thought to myself. They used their campaign signs like shields. And they moved in on us as if they had marched off the set of an Irish Mel Gibson movie. This was intimidation, no doubt.
A Picture Perfect Way to Block Free Speech
Anyway…. so much for all our clever signs. So much for expressing our views on O’Malley’s spend & tax record. O’Malley would never hear our message – our shouted “Here comes the Tax Man!” - - he never read our signs. Curiously enough, though, I observed that these people in green with their thuggish behavior did not seem committed. Not even as they shouted louder and louder: “Move Maryland Forward. Move Maryland Forward.” These green-shirted supporters were just acting. They delivered their campaign message like lines in a play. They didn’t seem to understand or believe what they were saying. Some looked like regular people to me; like neighbors down the street; like my GOP friends and me. And I wondered what they were thinking and feeling?
We read that night in the media that O’Malley‘s people had coached them. The fact that O’Malley was setting up a physical battleground there in front of the Board of Elections building, and trying to turn us into the enemy, seemed ludicrous to me and a really sad report on the lengths that O’Malley felt he needed to go to win. I wondered how many people wearing green shirts were state office workers who could lose their jobs or their perks in a flash, if they didn't follow the script. But that was just my mind racing ahead of things – I had no evidence that any were state workers.
Getting Beyond the Baffling.
I couldn't see. I couldn't move. My voice was too hoarse to shout over them. So, I decided to find out why all these people who had squeezed around me would choose to back a governor whose spend & tax policies had contributed to the devastation of the state’s economy.
The University Student.
I spoke to the young man to my right. He was black and he was in college. “They’ve raised tuition by 40%,” he told me.
Yes, I know, I said.
“Well I don’t think that is fair!” he said. I wanted to tell him how I had worked three part-time jobs to put myself through college and it took me six years to do it.
But, it was Governor O’Malley who did that and you are supporting him! I told him. Have you heard of spend & tax? He’s spent all the money that could have helped you complete your education. You think that high tuition is a problem for you now? How about when you get out of college? And you can't find a job. Because many of the small businesses that could have once given you a job have been taxed into bankruptcy or no longer hire or have left the state.
You think you'll be able to get a government job? Look at the furloughs for the lucky state workers who haven’t been laid off yet. Don't let them fool you. Spend & tax policies will keep the economy from getting better. I offered to get in touch with him and talk about a plan of action for him – I teach a class at the U. of Maryland and really care about students like this. He told me he “couldn’t do that.” And he pulled way.
The Woman who Memorized her Lines.
Then I struck up a conversation with a middle-aged white woman who had squeezed behind me. She was wearing O’Malley green and chanting: “Move Maryland Forward. Move Maryland Forward.”
I asked her what that meant.
She responded: “Not backward.”
I asked her if she thought Maryland had moved backward.
And she said “Yes.”
I agreed and cited out of control spending during O’Malley’s administration. I asked her why she’d want to vote for O’Malley.
She looked confused and then said forcefully: “Move Maryland Forward, not Backward.”
Then she backed away.
The Construction Worker Union Member.
Then I turned to the middle-aged man squeezing me in from the left. His muscles bulged through his green t-shirt.
“Why are you supporting O’Malley,” I asked.
“To move Maryland forward,” he said.
How are you hoping he’ll do that? I asked. If you are talking the economy, small businesses are really suffering. Then he told me that he was in the construction business. And he wasn’t suffering. Many of my clients are, I said. Many of them are finding that running their businesses is increasingly difficult.
“Well, I am in a union,” he said. “So my job helps the economy.”
I asked him how. “I get good pay so that I can eat at restaurants and there is a trickledown effect.” I told him that I was going to have to think about that comment, because I had never considered unions to be a boon to small business. I asked him for his name and phone number so that we could continue the conversation. But at this point, I felt a tug on my shirt and was scooted away by a fellow protestor. She had worried for my safety since she felt the union guy looked menacing.
The Real Danger.
I am glad my fellow activist saved me from a dangerous situation if it was dangerous. But I see a bigger danger that affects all of us -- the muddled thinking of so many Marylanders like the ones above could lead to a devastating outcome in November for all of us. Certainly if the O’Malley supporters knew better, if someone could teach them, they would join our ranks. I think it’s obvious from the three O’Malley supporters I spoke with that these people are simply spouting what they’ve been told to say. They aren’t making any sense. But they probably aren’t aware that they’re not making any sense. My guess: No Republican has ever talked issues and policies with them. We can help them.
So, as I was saying, I always have trouble sleeping when I am sorting out something big and baffling. And after reflecting upon this, I know I’ll sleep well tonight.
You see… I’ve had some lullaby-type realizations.
We’re Republicans -- We can Deal with BIG and BAFFLING.
The opportunities for us here are BIG. The reasons that all these people in green shirts would follow O’Malley seemed on the surface to be BAFFLING. But, I believe we can deal with it – on a one-on-one basis. Yes. The Job of educating fellow Marylanders on how the economy works is a big one. But, if we come from a gentle spot in our hearts for these fellow Americans who have just never had the opportunity to learn what the Republicans are all about, and approach them with that in mind, we’ll be able to help these people to understand.
We want to show them the power of the Constitution, that amazing living document that was written for all of us Americans. We want to demonstrate the values that underlie foundational American beliefs. When we talk about these things, we want to steer away from the merely intellectual. We want our words to go straight into the hearts of these fellow Marylanders and teach and convince them of the truth. We want to demonstrate why it makes sense to embrace our GOP principals and values. We want them to support our GOP candidates so we can win big in November.
Red Shirts.
Does anybody have any extra red shirts? All sizes. Short sleeves, cap sleeves, ¾ sleeves. All kinds of necklines. Not just Cotton. For all the different kinds of people who vote.
We’re going to need a lot of them to replace those O’Malley green shirts – and the plain Democrat blue shirts as well -- as we reach out to our fellow voters all over this state for the next five months. We know that it is possible to turn a state around. But Maryland?
I think we’re a little like those O’Malley supporters when we talk about Maryland going red. Not really believing in what we are saying. If Maryland is ever going to go red, don’t you think that now would be a good time? Let’s do it!
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Diana Larmore is an Associate Member of the SPRWC. She was the MFRW V.P. of Public Relations the year that the Maryland placed 2nd Place in the NFRW’s Public Relations contest. She is currently stepping into a new position as President of the GOP Business Women, GOPbw@gmail.com.