Annapolis Capital Punishment

2010 Elections Again...Over 50 folks showed up to hear and show support for Republican Charles Lollar who is running to unseat Congressman and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in TheMaryland Fifth. I was impressed by Lollar's public speaking skills, his strong sense of patriotism and service to his country. He is personable and commands the audience. He is not afraid to come out with his strong conservative principles, some of which annoy and concern me, but I think he's right to express his concerns about the directions of our country. I did not like his massive references to military duty--his and others--as if that somehow is necessary to show commitment to serving others orthe only way to support one's country, and I certainly don't think our military is always right or always rightly used. I'm generally not fond of diehard conservatives, particularly those of a religious bent, as is Lollar who mentioned God numerous times, in addition to saying he is not a politician (Lollar, not God that is....) but is sympathetic to many of the values he holds such as service to others, fiscal restraint and a belief in the good of America. In some respects, Lollar is cast from a similar mold as that of Alan Keyes and Michael Steele, each of whom used their experience (or was used...) as that rarest of creatures, a Black Republican conservative, and then went to play on the larger national stage. Lollar has addressed a Tea Party crowd in Washington. Some will criticize me for bringing this up, but race matters, one way or another and we cannot avoid or ignore it. One question is whether he will attract Black voters in his district. At last night's forum, the only other African American besides Lollar was a man wearing a Lollar shirt and taking photographs. The only one out of over 50 people.....one interesting note....among the many bumper stickers spotted outside was one that read "Former Fetus Aboard".....ughhhh.....It will be interesting to see if he is attracting a lot of support from outside of his district but he appears to be mounting a serious campaign and riding on this tide of anti-incumbency, well, maybe Hoyer should be concerned. I've not heard a peep from his opponent, Collins Bailey (www.baileyforuscongress.com)  but he appears to be as conservative if not more so than Lollar. Before Lollar spoke, one lady who came up to introduced herself to me thinking I was another "Paul" and when I tried to read and pronounce her lengthy last name on her name tag, I received an unsolicited five minute finger-in the-face lecture about her family history and how her ancestors immigrated to the US legally..unlike the way people do it today....I think she corssed a border she should not have crossed. I said not a word....Also on hand were County Council hopeful Jerry Walker whose bald head reminded one person next to me of Delegate Ron George. Another said he looked like Bruce Willis....go figure....   visit http://www.jerrywalker.org/... Ginny Meerman, running for Republican Central Committee opened the evening while wearing a low-cut dress (oh I am gonna get it for this...) with an enormous, at-least-four-inch diamond studded cross around her otherwise open and unadorned neck. ....more on her to come.....

Scott Shaffer is  vying to be the representative from the 30th legislative district on the Republican State Central Committee of Anne Arundel County. This will be determined in the September 14,2010 primary election. The Central Committee serves the Maryland Republican Party by recruiting, training, and supporting candidates for elective office.

Shaffer believes strongly in the importance of fielding quality candidates in all state and local races. “Uncontested elections erode our democracy,” said Shaffer. “In any marketplace, a lack of competition results in poor quality of products and service. Monopolies, whether in business or in politics, don’t work in the best interests of the people they serve. Unfortunately, the Maryland Republican Party too often allows many local elections to go unchallenged. I am running for this position with the following goal: to make sure that every election, in Anne Arundel County and in Maryland, has a Republican candidate on the ballot. No elected official should be guaranteed their position simply by winning the Democratic primary.”

A native of Anne Arundel County, Shaffer currently resides in Annapolis with his wife, Kathy, and their two children. He holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from The Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. email Vote.for.Shaffer@gmail.com
or on Facebook: Scott Shaffer for RSCC.

I wrote to Shaffer and put the question point blank asking "Why don't you run for legislative office?" and he wrote back:

"I believe at this time I can be most effective helping the party develop up-and-coming candidates. Finding people to run, developing campaign strategies, and building grassroots support. Not only so that every general election is contested, but so that voters have real choices in the primaries as well. I see that as the biggest need of the Maryland Republican Party at the moment. The party leadership has gone through a lot of turmoil recently, at a time when rifts in the party's base are widening between the conservatives, tea partiers, and moderates, and they've lost sight of the basics. They couldn't even find someone to run for Attorney General this time around. That's just not acceptable. Just as the Orioles aren't going to win until they fix their minor league system, the Maryland GOP is not going to be more competitive at the state-wide level without doing a better job of developing and supporting local candidates. They may get lucky and have a Bob Ehrlich fall into their lap once every 30 years or so, but sustained success requires real, long term planning.

Would I consider running for the House of Delegates or the State Senate in the future? Absolutely, but realistically it would require more resources, political connections, and fundraising ability than I currently have, especially when I would be going up against Michael Bush or Sen. John Astle in a general election. County Council (Josh Cohen's old seat) was a possibility, but I felt I could make more of a difference right now by being on the Central Committee. Ironically, my own district doesn't seem to have a shortage of candidates. As you mentioned in ACP, I'm one of eight candidates in this race."   Thanks to Scott for his comments.....Please keep us informed....We will publish information about all candidates---just send us the details!!!

Look here for frequent updates to all the 2010 election campaigns with 2010 Elections Again! LISTEN TO CP Publisher Paul Foer on 1430WNAV at 8:15 every weekday morning or click on the WNAV icon to the right, press On demand and On The Foerfront to listen. READ CP Publisher Paul Foer's "The Ninth Ward" every Wednesday in The Capital at www.capitalonline.com Identified comments are always welcome. ALL ANONYMOUS COMMENTS will be automatically rejected without being opened.