By Thomas F. Schaller Thomas F. Schaller|February 08, 2008
It's pretty exciting and quite surprising that Tuesday's so-called Chesapeake Primary - which includes Virginia and the District of Columbia along with Maryland - could affect the outcome of the Democratic presidential nomination contest between Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. Usually the nomination process for both parties is effectively over by the time Maryland's spot on the calendar arrives.
While it's tempting to write more about the choice between Senators Obama and Clinton, there is another Democratic primary in the state of lesser national consequence but far greater contrast: that between 4th District incumbent Rep. Albert R. Wynn and his second-time-around challenger, Donna Edwards.
To put it bluntly, Mr. Wynn, an eight-term congressman, is an embarrassment to his Prince George's County-based district, the state and the Democratic Party. And his past - his machine-style bossism, dirty politics and political bullying - is catching up with him.
In 2006, he sent out a flier implying he had won endorsements from some unions that hadn't endorsed him.
That same year, two of his supporters physically harassed one of Ms. Edwards' campaign volunteers.
This cycle, he filmed a political ad fashioned to look like a news reporter had caught him randomly on the street for an interview, when in fact the ad was staged by his campaign.
And then last week, Mr. Wynn, who is a lawyer, filed a completely bogus Federal Election Commission complaint that charges Ms. Edwards with violating election law. As The Sun has reported, the complaint is so slapdash that it doesn't even bother to cite specific election law provisions.
All of these electoral shenanigans are designed to mask Mr. Wynn's real problem: his voting record, which reflects contempt for voters in his district and the opinions of many Marylanders.
He voted in October 2002 for President Bush's Iraq war resolution. In 2004, Mr. Wynn voted for Vice President Dick Cheney's energy proposal, even though every other member of Maryland's House delegation, including both Republicans, voted nay.
He has accepted more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from banks and lending institutions, and, not surprisingly, voted in 2005 for a Bush administration-backed bankruptcy "reform" bill with punitive provisions for working-class borrowers.
