Election

Eileen Ambrose's column Sunday about the implications of the recent election for investors doesn't start off very well ( "What a split Congress means for investors," Nov. 7). She says the four major issues are "the deficit, economy, Social Security and Medicare. " I'll grant her "the economy" but the other three are just the same tired old right-wing Republican shibboleths — non-issues if we got the economy right, really. (Well, genuine health care reform would have helped Medicare.

For the first time in some 5,000 years of Egyptian civilization, voters went to the polls this week to select a leader in a contest where the outcome was uncertain. Given Egypt's crucial role in maintaining order and stability in the Middle East and the wide range of candidates, from secular to military to Islamist, that fact is unnerving to some in the United States, Israel and elsewhere. But it has been a cause of unbridled jubilation throughout Egypt, where millions of ordinary people lined up to cast ballots and determine their national destiny.

A group of black lawmakers appears to have blocked Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler's effort to end voters' ability to choose Circuit Court judges. Gansler's proposal, which aimed to replace contested elections with retention elections every 10 years, is languishing in key committees in the House of Delegates and the Senate. The chairmen of both said Monday that the Legislative Black Caucus' strong opposition has doomed Gansler's bill. "That spelled its demise," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, who does not plan to forward the legislation to the full Senate.

A proposal to expand equal-pay protections for women, long championed by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, was thrust into the national political spotlight Wednesday in a Democratic effort to court female voters — a crucial demographic in this year's election. The Paycheck Fairness Act has languished for years and faces tough odds again this year. But Democrats hope that by advancing the bill now they can send a compelling message to women weighing presidential and congressional candidates in the fall.

We're all worried about the economy, that's obvious, yet in all the campaign rhetoric, why were our two wars rarely mentioned? America's invasion of Iraq and this country's involvement in Afghanistan were seldom cited. These two adventures will cost trillions when the bill comes due. I listened to much oratory and was amazed our Iraq and Afghanistan involvements were never part of the debate. Voters may desire change, but why have they forgotten what's taking place half a planet away?

A measure to move Baltimore's election to the presidential cycle was among scores of bills that cleared the House of Delegates during a rare Saturday session, setting the stage for MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeand the current city council to be in office for an additional year. Other legislation receiving House approval included a lower charge for those caught with small amounts of marijuana and a bill that would require helmets for motor scooter drivers. Delegates also had a testy debate on a provision that would allow expedited court procedures for some developers.

In all of the sadly predictable hype, excuses, and speculation which followed last week's election, one reality mostly got left out of the mix. That being that the American people are very nervous. Beyond scared in fact. So scared that they were willing to take a flyer on some unknown, untested, and inexperienced candidates. Of course, some would argue — myself included — that such a strategy gave them a president clearly over his head and flailing for help. Regardless, panic, a growing sense of doom and false hope make some desperate to gamble on the unknown.

Harford County will begin its transition from a fully appointed school board with the Sept 14 primary election, as county voters begin choosing representatives on the panel. The change will be partial this year, affecting three of six County Council districts. But after the 2014 election, the seven-member board will expand to nine seats; six will be elective and three appointed by the governor. Parents strongly advocated for the change, arguing that it would give them more of a voice in their children's education.

The question that consumed Maryland's Republican state senators during the last four years was whether they should seek to confront the Democratic governor and majority in the legislature at every opportunity or whether they should look for ways they could work with the other party without compromising their beliefs. Two devotees of the confrontational school — Sens. Andy Harris and Janet Greenip — have either left or are leaving the legislature, and voters in their districts have the opportunity to replace them with candidates who are solidly conservative but dedicated to building the kinds of relationships that will help them get more done for their constituents.

The campaign trail may be a distant memory for candidates as the Nov. 2.  election is long over.  But, some of the complaints that popped up during the campaign still linger on. According to Jared DeMarinis Director - Division of Candidacy and Campaign Finance ¿with the Maryland State Board of Elections, the following are complaints filed or received by their office regarding Baltimore County candidates for the Nov. 2 election: Joe Bartenfelder...

If it has accomplished nothing else, the tea party insurgency has made Republicans vastly more newsworthy than Democrats. While the party of the left plods along performing the boring old tasks of governing, the party of the right is engaged in high drama worthy of Shakespeare. The latest plot twist comes from Nebraska, where three conservatives have been vying to be the GOP's nominee for the U.S. Senate. The "establishment" candidate, state Attorney General Jon Bruning is, by traditional measures, a conservative.

After about eight hours of deliberations Thursday, the Baltimore Circuit Court jury considering the fate of political consultant Julius Henson went home for a second day without reaching a verdict. Henson, 63, of East Baltimore, faces charges of election fraud, conspiracy and failure to include a campaign authority line on an automated call he orchestrated on Election Day 2010. Prosecutors say Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign used the call in an attempt to suppress black votes.

Francehas elected only the second Socialist president in its history -- the first being Francois Mitterrand, who spent 14 years in the driver's seat back when French presidential terms lasted seven years rather than five, and who made a hard-right turn away from economic socialism and toward spending cuts after his first two years in office. The best France can hope for now is that the newly elected Francois Hollande takes a similar plunge into a pothole of pragmatism and douses any budding socialist ideas.

Political consultant Julius Henson's attorney used a stack of fake oversized money, invoked slavery and called prosecutors' election fraud case against his client a "bunch of bull-honky" during his closing argument Wednesday afternoon. Using props, charts and a blend of humor and outrage, Edward Smith Jr. talked to the jury for an hour, shifting his style between folksy and erudite. He quoted lyrics from the song "Backstabbers" by the O'Jays, showed jurors a photo of what he called a "twisted" man meant to represent the prosecution, and recommended that the deputy state prosecutor "just walk out the door right now" rather than present his arguments.

The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.

If The Sun doesn't believe coverage of primary races selecting candidates for a U.S. presidential election is news, what do the editors think is important ("Romney rolling toward the fall," April 25)? There was nothing on Wednesday's front page about the five primaries held the day before. Inside the paper on page 8 was a headline describing Gov. Mitt Romney as "rolling" toward the fall. What does that even mean? Are we talking about a failure or autumn? The national paper I read published a brief of Mr. Romney's sweep of five primaries on the front page under "What's News - Worldwide.

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold filed his candidacy for re-election Friday, formalizing his bid for a second term at the county's top post. Leopold, a Republican, faces a challenge from Democrat Joanna Conti, a business executive. Former county executive Janet S. Owens, a Democrat who has said she's considering running, has not yet announced her plans. In a brief interview, Leopold, 67, who lives in Pasadena, said he should be re-elected to continue his policies of "fiscal discipline, economic development and environmental protection."

A Stanley Black & Decker director whose real estate partnership with a company executive brought a rebuke from the New York Stock Exchange last month will not seek re-election, the toolmaker said Tuesday. M. Anthony Burns, whose term ends May 20, told the company that he won't have the time to continue because he accepted a position on another corporate board. Before Black & Decker finished merging with Connecticut-based Stanley Works, the Towson company disclosed that Burns and Black & Decker Chief Executive Nolan D. Archibald were co-owners of a luxury golf community in Utah.

Letter writer Stanley J. Glinka demands that Governor O'Malley and other Maryland politicians who are Catholic follow the teachings of the Catholic Church rather than the U.S. Constitution or their own conscience regarding gay marriage ("Catholic position on gay marriage is clear," April 25). What an astounding assertion! If Catholic elected officials were indeed to follow that advice, how could non-Catholics like me ever again vote for a Catholic candidate? Is that really what your reader wants?

If it's April, it must be election time for the Columbia Association. And that means another round of CA board and village board elections in which, in most cases, there are barely enough - and in some cases not enough - candidates to fill the available seats. Just why so few people run for the CA and village boards has been explained in various ways, ranging from the theory that things are going so well that people don't feel the need to get involved to the rather opposite theory that things are so messed up that people figure why bother getting involved.