Democratic Party

Josh White, who took over daily operations of a dispirited Maryland Democratic Party after the Republican gubernatorial victory in 2002, is leaving the organization nine months before next year's primary. A widely respected political professional, White, 38, was hired in 2003 as executive director, but lost the title after Terry Lierman replaced Isiah Leggett as party chairman last year. Lierman wanted greater control over party functions, and White became political director while still handling most management functions such as budgeting and planning.

Is the Iraq war to blame for the mess we are in? Now, I should qualify that question by explaining "mess" and "we. " By "mess," I mean the dawn of Barack Obama's second term, the predictably catastrophic rollout of Obamacare, the exploding debt and deficit, the stimulus boondoggles, etc. By "we," I mean conservatives (particularly those, like me, who supported the war), but also anyone else who doesn't think President Obama has done a bang-up job. There seems to be a growing consensus that the answer to that question is "yes.

GOV. WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER is leaving behind a living will. In his political afterlife he'd like to witness the rebuilding of the state's Democratic Party and he believes that Sen. Barbara Mikulski is the person who can do the job.Say what? Isn't this the very same pilgrim who boycotted the 1984 Democratic convention in favor of a visit to the San Diego Zoo? And didn't Mr. Schaefer endorse Republican George Bush for president in 1992? And wasn't Rep. Helen Bentley in the primary race for governor with Mr. Schaefer's imprimatur?

My columnist and television pundit gigs have me thinking a great deal about the relative positions of the two parties heading into the midterm election cycle. For starters, the Democrats are ahead. Last November's elections gave the president a surprisingly strong victory and provided him with a comfortable margin in the U.S. Senate. These results have the usual suspects (Hollywood, academia, mainstream media) all aflutter with thoughts of an emergent progressive era in America. The picture is decidedly less rosy on the other side of the aisle.

ANNAPOLIS -- Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton made another personal bid last night for the backing of Democratic Party regulars in Maryland's March 3 presidential primary, emphasizing his party credentials and sharply denouncing President George Bush.Representatives of Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey urged the party regulars at the meeting to consider their man. Representatives of a fourth Democratic candidate, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas, were also present. Mr. Tsongas will speak today at the University of Maryland law school in Baltimore.

WASHINGTON -- LEADING Democrats are playing a cynical game on the question of the 1992 presidential election. On the one hand, the party's most prominent spokesmen are telling both Democratic activists and the voters at large that President Bush has been a dAmerican children are at risk, the health care system is in collapse, the infrastructure is deteriorating, the streets are overrun with drugs and the homeless, and the gulf between the rich and poor...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- White House senior adviser Karl Rove must have sent counterintelligence agents to infiltrate and sow confusion in the Democratic Party. How else to explain the dysfunctional behavior of so many Democrats in recent days? Bill Clinton must be spinning in his bed. The public has watched a reprise of what former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick referred to more than 20 years ago as "those San Francisco Democrats." The farthest left wing of the party has reached up from the grave, like a character in a Stephen King novel, grabbing Democrats by the ankles and placing them in danger of political death.

WASHINGTON -- The new Democratic Party platform addresses some of the usual concerns of federal and other workers as well as some other issues that have come to the forefront in the 1990s, such as sexual harassment and environmental degradation.The platform, adopted at last week's Democratic National Convention in New York, sets the goals of the party for the coming four years. The plan was based on input from officials and constituent groups from around the country.Marylanders sitting on the Democratic National Committee's platform committee included Comptroller Louis Goldstein, Ina Taylor, Leon Billings, Margareta Crampton, Al From and Robert P. Legg.

WASHINGTON -- Boarding a plane in Miami in November 1987, Sen. Bill Bradley ran into a political reporter who asked him why he wasn't running for the Democratic nomination for president. The field of candidates, then known as "The Seven Dwarfs," seemed ripe for the taking, the reporter suggested."It isn't the right time for me," the New Jersey Democrat replied. Sure, he conceded, he would like to be president some day. But the timing just didn't fit. Then he spent the next two hours leaning over the back of his seat and picking the reporter's brain on every development in the campaign to date.

The South Carroll Democratic Club will gather election pointers tomorrow from the party's state leader. Isiah Leggett, chairman of the state Democratic Party, will be the guest speaker at the recently revived club's monthly meeting at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of Carrolltown Center in Eldersburg. "We are hoping Leggett can help us to build up the party in Carroll County," said Nimrod Davis, who helped re-establish the Eldersburg club about six months ago. Leggett, a law professor at Howard University School of Law and a four-term Montgomery County councilman, spoke at the Carroll County Democrats' annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner this year.

There are many people wondering why the Republican Party has run campaigns that are not well coordinated, are divisive on some issues and can't seem to get their messages to impact on the American people the way that Democrats do. Here's the real problem: They don't have a well organized structure to hold them together and make things happen. Sure, there are powerful people like the Koch Brothers who push a conservative philosophy, and there are many rich folks who support the Republicans with finances.

Local political committee interviewing applicants for membership The Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee is seeking to fill an open membership position in the 12th Legislative District. Applicants must be a registered Democrat and reside in the 12th Legislative District. Those applying should provide a cover letter and résumé to the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee, baltcodems@gmail.com , no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 15. Applicants are invited to make their presentation to the 12th Legislative District Democratic Central Committee: Brian Bailey, Margaret Henn and Paula Wolf.

It's hard to recognize the Democratic Party these days. In recent decades, it's been a divided, brawling tribe. But this year, Democrats are one big, happy family. Sure, there was grumbling from the left over President Barack Obama's agreement to keep tax cuts in place for couples making between $250,000 and $450,000 a year. But that quickly gave way to satisfaction that Mr. Obama had won the "fiscal cliff" fight, and growing confidence that he can win the next round over the federal debt ceiling as well.

The Democrats who control Maryland have tipped their hand regarding their view of the referendum process ("State leaders contemplate changes to referendum process," Jan. 8). Your article quoted state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller as saying "our forefathers never imagined everything that we did in Annapolis would be subject to referendum. " Oh, really? What does Senator Miller think a duly elected representative government is subject to? Unquestioned loyalty? Absolutely not. Mr. Miller, along with the rest of the legislatures and the governor, are elected to represent us , not to serve their own purposes.

After 24 years in the U.S. Senate, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first and only Jewish politician nominated to a national major party ticket, in 2000, had some advice to his colleagues in a farewell speech Wednesday on the Senate floor. To break the impasse that has paralyzed the body in recent years, Mr. Lieberman preached: "It requires reaching across the aisle and finding partners from the opposite party. That is what is desperately needed in Washington now. " In the last years of his long Senate tenure, it certainly could be said that Joe Lieberman practiced what he preached.

I feel compelled to respond to the Democrats' continual gloating and condescension concerning the 2012 election typified by Raymond Hoff's recent letter to the editor ("Republicans make themselves easy to beat," Nov. 24). Perhaps if would be more useful to focus not on why Republicans lost, but why Democrats won. One illustrative fact is that while President Barack Obama won slightly more than 50 percent of the popular vote, 62 percent of people interviewed in exit polls stated that the country was on the wrong track.

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic National Committee has rejected the Maryland Democratic Party's plan for selecting delegates to the presidential nominating convention, forcing state party leaders to develop an acceptable alternative or risk losing delegates.Maryland's plan did not meet a new DNC requirement that delegates to the nominating convention be awarded to presidential candidates based on the candidates' popular vote totals in the March 3 primary.Maryland's plan instead rested on direct election of delegates, each committed to a particular presidential candidate.

WASHINGTON -- Former Congressman Michael D. Barnes and Vera P. Hall, vice president of the Baltimore City Council, have joined forces in an effort to become co-chairmen of the Maryland Democratic Party, hoping to avoid the squabbles that marked the tenure of outgoing Chairman Nathan Landow."

Editor: This is in response to Wendy Sawyer's letter to the Forum on Nov. 14 titled Harford politics 'out of sync.' Ms. Sawyer states "The outcome of this year's election demonstrates how much Harford County is out of sync with not just the rest of Maryland, but the majority of our nation's citizens. " "The obstructionist position by our Republican elected officials have served Harford County poorly. Failure to work with the Democratic  statewide majority leaves Harford County at the end of the line at the very time when we need state support for our schools and road systems.

President Obama constantly speaks of rebuilding America's middle class, but by expanding welfare, Social Security and other entitlement programs he is actually building a lower class that is dependent on the Democratic Party for its survival. This type of candy-man politics was very effective in securing inner-city votes for Mr. Obama and other Democratic candidates in the November election. During the campaign season I heard the different battle cries many times: "Don't vote for Romney, he is going to cut food stamps!"