On Ferguson and the State of Humanity Today

I would like to believe that human nature contains an impulse towards perfection, like a gravitational pull, that over time will draw us inexorably closer to some better, more enlightened version of humanity.  Perhaps future societies, fifty generations hence, will look back in some combination of awe and disgust at present-day Earth.  Awe that we managed to not destroy ourselves and disgust that our civilization obtained a relatively advanced level of technological development, yet still had not found a way to transcend our baser instincts.  Hatreds and fears based on racism, taking the form of overt acts, spoken words, hidden thoughts and unarticulated assumptions continue to plague our communities.

It is difficult to see Progress when history, to the average observer, seems to repeat itself over and over again.   Who among the age cohort commonly known as Generation X has forgotten about Rodney King?  Wasn’t there supposed to be a National Conversation on race following the acquittal of the police officers involved in his beating?  Whatever became of that?  What lessons were learned?  And the specific case of Mr. King is - sadly - just one of many possible examples.  Tragedies and instances of brutality, based on racism, persist and remain threats to our Union and other nations around the globe. 

So now we bear witness to the terrible events in Ferguson, Missouri following the death of Michael Brown and the decision by the grand jury to not indict the police officer who shot and killed Mr. Brown.  The immediate aftermath, among many, probably evoked sickeningly familiar feelings – sadness for the deceased and his grieving family, anger at the officer for using deadly force, dismay that the legal system will, yet again, not deliver justice.  Another double standard applied, another heart-wrenching reminder that our multicultural society is far from discrimination-free.  “Post-racial” America is a myth.

I find it difficult to finish on a note of optimism for the future.  I can not tell it because I do not feel it.  I will just hope that my thoughts regarding our capacity for evolution will not prove horribly naive and misguided.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

"Exit the Warrior"

Bereft of a rental car, Slats asked if I could transport him to the nearest Aston Martin dealership on Saturday.  Why not?  The DB9 is a fine bit of automotive engineering. And I’m sure the salespeople would love to see my ’01 Civic HX on their lot.

While on the road to Vienna, VA, we chatted about the political arena and his semi-retirement therefrom.  We’ve had variations on this conversation before, but I suppose the nostalgia factor was running high with the holiday music emanating from the radio.

“I got tired of oscillating between rage and regret,” he said. 

“Aren’t those two of your preferred emotions?”

He waved his hand in a manner that indicated he was being serious.  I knew I should stop cracking wise for one minute, perhaps two if I exercised super-human self-restraint.

“No, and I’m not talking about the grind, or chasing down campaigns for non-payment.  It’s seeing good people lose.  Sometimes they were my clients; other times, I was working against them.”

“Sounds like you still have a touch of the true believer.”

“Eh.  Mercenary sensibilities will only get you so far.  Actually pretty far, based on what my accountant is telling me.  But he keeps yelling about my spending habits, so what does he know?”

Slats paused.  He was probably calculating his personal cash-on-hand following his most recent visit to Atlantic City.  After a moment, he picked up again.

“So anyway, yeah.  The disappointment accumulates. It’s the tundra in January. One snowstorm leads to the next and it settles in.  It’s isolating.  I spent four months in Kemijarvi, Finland back in…’79. Not the center of the city either, the outskirts.”

“Sure, because downtown Kemijarvi is known for it’s bustle.”

“You have no idea.  I was in a cabin there…in the winter.  It was harsh too.  Desolate once you got a few miles off the main road.  The snow would pile up and there was nothing you could do about it.  Same feeling when you see fine people getting the short end of the electoral stick…folks who would shake up the System getting overwhelmed by vicious circumstances.  Spent too many Novembers cycling between anger and resignation. It wears you down.”   

“I hear you.  I don't know though.  I always thought of those occasions as opportunities for productive contemplation, for introspection.  And long-term plotting on a grand scale, of course.”

“It helps if you know some good people.   Authentic, dedicated to public service.  Not raging, self-involved jagoffs.”

“I do actually.”

“Well,” he shrugged, “that’s good then.  That is what keeps you going.  Resilient people getting through the tough times, the Valley Forge moments.” 

“Ice melts. Spring always arrives.  The shamrocks return every year.”

“I suppose that is true.  Listen, when we get there, you should tell them you are looking for a trade-in deal.  How many miles you have on this ride?”

“123,000, Slats.  And I’m not the one in the market for a new vehicle.”

“Why should you be? It’s practically just off the showroom floor.  Plenty of value left.”

“So you aren’t planning on buying today I assume?”

“Nah.  The roads are open. Not a flake of snow in sight.  A perfect day for a drive.”

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

A Morning Conversation

“So why isn’t the Administration cutting deals on Keystone? On immigration?”

“Both fine questions Slats, but the President seems to be doubling-down.  Partially out of principle, partially because of optics…he doesn’t want to appear to be getting rolled, and the last element is that he doesn’t have much in the way of negotiating partners, with the GOP leadership in Congress being what it is.”

“Almost makes Newt look statesman-like.”

“Might be an overstretch. Is that coffee in that cup?”

“No. It’s a Drambuie Sunrise. It’s all the rage in Zurich now.”

“Sure.  Anyway, it is shaping up to be a brutal two years for 44. The only good news for the White House is that HRC is going to take a fair amount of heat.”

“The discourse is going to become increasingly polarized as candidates for the Big Chair appeal to their respective bases.  Compromise is going to be difficult on most domestic issues.  No will to deal, not with the aspirants bashing DC as they crisscross Iowa and New Hampshire. ”

“And the traditional pivot to a foreign policy focus isn’t promising either.   ISIS/ISIL, Putin indulging his revanchist inclinations, no hope of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.  What’s left? Maybe going after narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere?"       

 

“It’s 11:45 pm in America.”

“Perhaps not so dour a prognosis, but Happy Days have not yet arrived.”

“They should have spun off Potsie and Ralph Malph.  A good screwball buddy sitcom could have really helped with ABC’s Tuesday night prime time line up.”

“That isn’t what I meant and that is also a debatable proposition.  But I would have watched “The Tuscaderos!”

“Santorum would love another popular resurgence of ‘50s nostalgia. Of course he would embrace it without any sense of irony and he would forget all of the ‘unpleasant’ parts." 

“Of course not, the actual history of the time wouldn’t fit with his image of that decade as some sort of halcyon era of permanent triumphalism.”

“Pleasantville all over again, at least the first half of that movie.”

“Might not even need to worry about Santorum running again.  He said he would announce his decision in June of 2015.”

“Late.   Who is going to sit on the sidelines that long…for him?  The money and talent will flow elsewhere.”

“Yep.  It would be a significant infrastructure deficit. However, he still has some support on the ground in Iowa.  But he doesn’t want to limp into the fall debates looking like an also-ran four months before the Caucuses.”

“But if he runs, it will just make the Democratic Party seem considerably more centrist.”

“Santorum.  Cruz. Paul.  All together on one stage?  Hillary should be so lucky.”

“Or Bernie Sanders.”

“You need to spend more time state-side.  That just isn’t going to happen.  Are you catching your news on RT?”

“Heaven forbid! Pravda redux.  Now, what do they have on tap here?”

“It's a Panera. So nothing.”

“Right, let’s go.”

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

 

      

Figuring Out a Way to Work Together

The Howard County Board of Education General Election returns revealed some interesting outcomes.

Based on the still unofficial results:

1. Cindy Vaillancourt obtained the highest number of votes of the eight candidates on the ballot in 57 of the 118 Election Day precincts.  She finished second in another 39 precincts…and in the top four in 117 (all but one of the smaller ones).  She performed well countywide and crushed in Board of Elections Voting District 6 (southeast HoCo: Laurel, Columbia, Jessup, a bit of Ellicott City and Fulton) where she won 27 of the 35 precincts.

Bottom line:  This election served as a vote of confidence in the oft-embattled Vaillancourt. Even with lower turnout, there is no other way to read this outcome.  The other Board Members need to take note, and I am assuming they have already.

2. Sandie French garnered a plurality of the vote in 43 precincts and placed second in another 30.  She also banked the greatest number of early votes (9,721 compared to 9,561 for Vaillancourt).  She fared best in Board of Elections Voting District 2 (Ellicott City) where she won 15 of 26 precincts and also ran well in Board of Elections Voting Districts 3 (primarily West Friendship, Marriottsville, and a slice of western Ellicott City) and 4 (western Howard County) where she won five of six and four of six precincts respectively.

Bottom line:  French capitalized on the strong name identification she has built up over her years of service, a good organization and solid forum performances.  As I noted earlier, incumbents are tough to defeat and this race was no exception.

3. Bess Altwerger won four precincts and finished second in 30.  She was a fine candidate and a prime example that the Howard County Education Association’s backing is important in BoE general elections.  She banked 8,274 early votes, which helped propel her to a third-place finish overall.

4. Christine O’Connor ran away with Voting District 1 (Elkridge, the eastern part of Ellicott City) where she placed first in 13 of the 21 precincts and second in four others.  Overall, she won 18 districts and obtained a second place showing in another 16.  Her strength was concentrated in eastern HoCo but she performed well enough countywide to place in the top four, approximately 200 votes behind Altwerger.  Her 7,426 early votes were 650 more than Dan Furman’s tally.

  

5.  51.95% of the votes cast for Board of Education candidates were cast for candidates supported by the HCEA.  They backed four candidates, two of whom were elected, with the others finishing with respectable fifth and sixth place showings.  It would have been extremely difficult for the full slate to have been successful, given French’s presence on the ballot.  The HCEA would have helped elect a third but O’Connor (an educator) ran a smart campaign and took the fourth position.

Shifting away from numbers for a moment, it is my hope that the two new Members will help usher in a new Era of Good Feelings on the Board of Education.  No one is asking for hand-holding and exchanges of “You are my BFF” texts but the corrosive environment has not been healthy for the Board, for the Howard County Public School System, or the County as a whole.  Now is the time to begin a new dynamic, one that is productive but also conciliatory, respectful and civil. 

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Philanthropic Foursome

The major takeaways from last night’s program: “The State of Nonprofits in Howard County: Perceptions, Challenges and Opportunities” were, in my estimation:

• Be mindful of the opportunities to help, and don’t be afraid to begin a dialogue, ask questions, and take action.

• When considering volunteer possibilities, think about what strikes a chord with you personally.  Perhaps think and feel in equal measure; a true head/heart collaboration.  What causes evoke an emotional response? That might provide a useful internal compass.

The panel spoke before a Standing Room Only crowd at the Jeffers Hill Neighborhood Center.  There were many elected officials and activists in the audience.  Courtney Watson delivered brief remarks.  She spoke about the election returns and, importantly, vowed to continue to work for the policies and causes dear to many of the assembled.  She received a warm round of applause.  Jon Weinstein, the Council Member-elect from the 1^st Council District, the three Delegates-elect from the 12^th HD, Clarence Lam, Terri Hill and Eric Ebersole, and Judge of the Orphans’ Court-elect Nicole Bormel Miller were also in attendance.

Considering the fatigue levels of many of the assembled, coming so soon after a long and bruising election season, the Columbia Democratic Club and Alan Brody, the evening’s moderator, really pulled off a spectacular event.

As Council Member Watson did, I would also like to acknowledge the dedication of two of her key campaign staffers who were present last night: Anna Mudd and Dylan Goldberg.  Having just completed a marathon, while running at a sprint pace, they both exhibited impressive vim and vigor levels.  Today’s campaign workers must be doing something right. Clean living?  Perhaps. In any event, they are rising stars and we shall hear more from them down the road.

But I digress.  The Philanthropic Foursome of Bita Dayhoff, Joan Driessen, Mickey Gomez, and Beverly White-Seals were at the epicenter of last night’s gathering/educational experience. 

The highlights, in my mind, were those moments when the panelists or audience members discussed personal experiences and how those events helped lead to a Pivotal Question (What can I do?  How can I help?  Where do I go now?) and/or a Helping Action (Knowing X, I was able to do Y). 

While the information on the challenges being faced by Howard County nonprofits was interesting, the stories that were uplifting and/or resulted in the transmission of useful information (In order to address specific challenge Z, here are some resources you might consider…) were, far and away, the most engaging and productive elements of the program.  Those were the memorable moments, and the ones most likely to motivate potential volunteers to become actual volunteers.

With that in mind, I encourage you to visit the websites of the organizations that were represented so ably on the panel:

The Community Action Council of Howard County

The Community Foundation of Howard County

The Association of Community Services of Howard County

The Volunteer Center Serving Howard County

That is all for today. 

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

100% Positive

Comparative (some call it “negative”) campaigning has been with us since the early days of our Republic, even some of our Founders and their associates practiced it.  The first truly contested presidential elections under our Constitution – in 1796 and 1800 – were rife with vitriolic accusations and counter-accusations.  Rough and tumble politicking of the highest order. The Willie Horton ad, relatively speaking, was subtle and nuanced compared to some of the allegations that were printed in the newspapers of that era.   

So if you are opposed to comparative campaign tactics, you must be against the Founders and therefore, hate America. Commie swine!

Do I even need to write, “See what I did there?”

My point with this inelegant example is to recognize that pointing out the shortcomings of one’s political opponent(s) is generally well within the bounds of fair play in our democracy and that witless hand-wringing while bemoaning the so-called coarseness of modern elections is to miss the mark completely.

Don’t get it twisted, there were folks on both sides of the aisle, in Maryland, that engaged in comparative campaigning in 2014.  Sometimes it took the form of paid media, in other cases, attacks generated earned media.  In some communities, whisper campaigns via word-of-mouth or social media conveyed messages…information that wasn’t always grounded in that which the boffins call “facts.”  Sometimes attacks were cloaked as defensive statements.

So before one starts saying, “Golly gee, I reckon ‘negative’ campaigning doesn’t work.” Think again. You might not like it, and it might not appeal to “our better angels” but it serves a purpose…and it is often effective.  A back-and-forth on voting records and statements helps facilitate a free exchange of ideas and allows for the painting of more detailed portraits of those seeking public office.  Those on the receiving end may not appreciate the “warts and all” image of themselves, but it offers an electorate another way of thinking about someone who may represent them. 

Of course serious money is spent by campaigns in an effort to showcase/position their candidate in the most favorable light possible, and they will get miffed because comparative communications efforts require the expenditure of additional time and resources, both of which are precious, to ensure that the voters are hearing “our” story about our candidate as opposed to “their” narrative about our candidate.

Academic arguments can discuss the impact of such campaigns on political efficacy and voter turnout.  That subject will not be addressed here today. 

My point is that those on high horses tend to dismount quickly when it becomes advantageous for them/their political party to engage in such practices. So the “holier-than-thou” attitude gets very tiring, very fast…and often precedes behavior that could best be described as hypocritical. 

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

"And You Give, and You Give"

Katy bar the freakin’ door because it is about to get real…and personal…real personal to the point of over-sharing. To the max. I can’t stress that enough, or can I?

[Insert local TV news awkward story transition] Speaking of sharing…I know we are all looking for different ways in which we can engage in our local communities.   This Wednesday offers a prime opportunity to hear from the Super Friends of Howard County’s Non-Profit Community.  Just look at this line-up:

Bita Dayhoff: President, Community Action Council of Howard County

Beverly White-Seals: President and CEO, Community Foundation of Howard County

Joan Driessen: Executive Director, Association of Community Services of Howard County

Mickey “#AllDogs” Gomez: Executive Director, Volunteer Center Serving Howard County

This is promising to be a fascinating night of panelist insights and Q & A.  If you want to get a handle on what is happening in our local not-for-profit scene, there is no better place to be than the Jeffers Hills Neighborhood Center (at 6030 Tamar Drive in Columbia) on November 12 (again, this Wednesday). The Columbia Democratic Club is hosting the event although this panel discussion is not focused on electoral politics.  It will be centered on: “The State of Nonprofits in Howard County: Perception, Challenges and Opportunities.”  Which is excellent news because that is also the title of the program. 

The meeting should kick off at 7:00 pm with the panel discussion commencing at about 7:30 pm.

Seriously, these are some awesome people doing great and important work in our community.  Come hear what they have to say, share your ideas, and let’s make connections and take steps to make our County an even more amazing place to live.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.