Our Seventh Democrat Congressman

The Baltimore Sun runs a cute little piece of home state boosterism touting Maryland’s perceived clout in the Congress due to the number of Democrats it has in its delegation.

There are a couple of observations to be made here. You don’t have influence if you vote lockstep with the party leadership. In actuality, Maryland is the equivalent of the homely girl in high school who had a reputation as a cheap date. Maryland’s Democrat delegation will vote for whatever harebrained scheme Baltimore Native Nancy Pelosi sticks in front of them. There is no need for anyone to bargain with them on anything.

The second point is what we’ve been hammering at for a while, Wayne Gilchrest needs to go:

In the 110th Congress, the state’s two Democratic senators and six Democratic representatives enjoy a degree of influence that may exceed any of the 109 previous sessions. Only 13 states have as many House Democrats as Maryland’s six – and just eight of those states also boast two majority-party senators, as Maryland does in Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin. Even Wayne T. Gilchrest, one of the delegation’s two House Republicans, frequently crosses the aisle to vote with the majority.

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The American Conservative Union’s voting tally ranks Wayne Gilchrest as less conservative than Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat. Gilchrest’s general knavishness on the question of the Iraq War, his support of government funding of abortions on demand, and his general voting record make a compelling case for retiring him in 2008.



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