Reporter’s Notebook: Even in a blue state, there’s green for the red candidate

Friday, June 27, 2008

Reporter’s Notebook: Even in a blue state, there’s green for the red candidate

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John McCain may have little hope of winning blue-hued Maryland in November, but there’s plenty of cash to be had in the Old Line State.

The Arizona senator will swoop into Baltimore on July 22 to shake the money tree at the posh Center Club that is a trendy fundraising destination for political bigwigs.

A chance to rub shoulders with McCain will set donors back at least $1,000 apiece. State GOP 1st Vice Chairman Chris Cavey, who is helping to coordinate the money dance, hopes it won’t be McCain’s only visit to a state that Barack Obama is heavily favored to carry.

‘‘We’re very lucky with our proximity to D.C. and hopefully we can have a little more exposure than some of the other blue states have,” he said.

No Obama appearances have been scheduled so far, but state campaign director Mike Novelli said there’s a chance the senator or his bride could pop in for a Democratic Party unity event on July 30 in Baltimore that Pennsylvania guv Ed Rendell will attend (Virginia gubbie Tim Kaine is a maybe).

Although the odds may be long, Cavey said McCain won’t ignore Maryland. ‘‘Who knows? We’re a blue state, but it doesn’t discount us. Stranger things have happened.”

BPW on the Shore?

Peter Franchot wants to take the Board of Public Works on the road.

See, the panel’s July 16 meeting happens to coincide with the annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield. That’s when Maryland’s political capital shifts to a heat-seared slab of concrete at the tip of the Eastern Shore for a day of beer-guzzling, crab-cracking and oyster-slurping.

So the comptroller — probably in a nod to his deputy Len Foxwell, an Eastern Shore resident and Tawes mainstay — has suggested moving the BPW to a remote site, perhaps at Salisbury University or the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore to accommodate Tawes enthusiasts.

He also said it’s an opportunity to showcase the Eastern Shore to the ‘‘national press” who cover the BPW’s general obligation bond sale, which is scheduled that day and may preclude the relocation request.

We must’ve missed CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo and Jim Cramer and Fox’s Neil Cavuto live on location at the last riveting bond sale, but we digress.

Nancy Kopp, whose office handles the bond sale, said she will check if the meeting can be moved since it has already been advertised and if there are any locations with the capacity to host the BPW.

We have a sneaking suspicion that Martin O’Malley just doesn’t have it in him to let Franchot have his way.

Oopsie!

With 435 races to keep track of, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is bound to let one slip past them.

It just so happens that it’s Maryland’s 1st District race between Frank Kratovil and Andy Harris.

The DCCC’s Web site lists the contest as a competitive open seat as a result of Wayne Gilchrest’s ‘‘retirement” — BY THE VOTERS. Harris bested Gilchrest by 10 points in February.

‘‘Rep. Gilchrest is one of nearly 30 Republicans to jump ship — the most in over 50 years,” the Web site errs. ‘‘His retirement forces Republicans to defend an open seat without the incumbent advantage in a highly-competitive district.”

Spin is spin, but come on...

Like a box of chocolates

The keepers of the State House are keeping the secrets of the historic building’s ongoing renovation well guarded.

The Department of General Services, which manages the capitol complex and is overseeing the replacement of the State House’s piping and HVAC systems, has had several requests for a peek inside of the building, which has been closed to the public since shortly after the General Assembly adjourned on April 7.

‘‘Properly suited” workers are still removing debris, DGS spokesman Dave Humphrey said, calling to mind the guys in the astronaut suits in ‘‘E.T.”

DGS can’t provide the same protection for a reporter or photographer, he said. Hence, dear readers, no sneak peeks — at least not this week (we’re looking for our face masks and hard hats).

The project was discussed and put off during the Ehrlich administration, Humphrey said. With some of the pipes more than 40 years old and at risk of bursting and flooding the oldest state capitol building in continuous legislative use in the United States, it was time to get it done.

Work is on schedule or ‘‘ahead of schedule on some parts,” Humphrey said. The 228-year-old structure is scheduled to reopen to the public — and to legislators — in January, just in time for the 2009 General Assembly. Meanwhile, workers continue to remove debris from the walls.

‘‘You don’t know what’s in there until you open it up,” Humphrey said.

Everybody into the pool!

It’s never too early to start thinking about 2010.

Senate Prez Mike Miller has done it, announcing earlier this month that he would run for a 10th term.

Now a newcomer is considering challenging for a delegate seat in Monty’s District 20.

Elihu Eli El, a software developer from Takoma Park, said ‘‘timing and personal reasons” have led him to launch an exploratory committee.

El, a former Montgomery Village resident who was secretary of the District 39 Democratic Club, said he knows what he’s up against.

‘‘The other three candidates are quite strong,” El said. ‘‘Heather Mizeur is probably impossible to beat. Let’s just keep it real.”

He also cited Sheila Hixson’s longevity in office and Tom Hucker’s strong union support.

Getting out of the gate early is part of El’s plan.

‘‘That gives me one and a half years of getting my feet wet and another year of going strong,” he said.

An expensive crab pot

That summer crab feast could depend on coming up with $20 million.

While the cost of a bushel of Maryland’s favorite crustaceans hasn’t reached that level (yet), that’s what Maryland and Virginia senators are asking the federal government to come up with in blue crab disaster relief.

Maryland’s Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Virginia’s John Warner and Jim Webb sent a letter urging Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez to approve a request for disaster relief made by O’Malley and Kaine.

Blue crab stocks have declined 70 percent since the early 1990s and with the females down 34 percent, so it does not look like the numbers will improve any time soon, lawmakers said.

‘‘Maryland’s watermen are facing a very real disaster in the face of an already stressed economic market. It is time for us to team up to put the resources of the federal government behind the needs of our states,” Mikulski said in a statement.

The relief would provide funding for alternative economic opportunities for watermen and the processing industry, business grants and loans and would allow state regulators to work with the industry to rebuild stocks and restructure the fishery.

‘‘We need to save the watermen as well as the crabs, and this emergency funding will provide key support for both,” Cardin said. ‘‘A quick decision will give us time to get a safety net in place for the blue crab fishery.”

Get out!

Hey, dads, here’s a chance to sleep in the back yard that doesn’t mean the dog house and might actually win you points with the missus: The guv has proclaimed Saturday to be Great American Backyard Campout Day in Maryland.

The state is encouraging families ‘‘to embark on an outdoor adventure either in their favorite state park, a private campground or in their own backyard.”

The 2,340 campsites and 129 cabins in Maryland’s state parks, forests and other public lands welcomed 735,465 campers last year. If you’re interested, made a reservation at www.dnr.maryland.gov or call 1-888-432-2267.

‘‘Overnight camping is a great way to immerse yourself in Maryland’s natural wonders,” Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin said.

Saturday also offers a chance for campers to immerse themselves in Maryland’s heat and humidity. The forecast calls for a high of 92 degrees, humdidity and isolated thunderstorms.

Passing the apple

Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski met Tuesday with this year’s top teacher April Todd, an educator in Somerset County. But they didn’t stop there, they also honored top teachers from all 24 school districts.

‘‘As a social worker and legislator, my goal has always been to make sure everyone in America has access to a first rate education, so that no child or community is left out or left behind,” Mikulski said in a statement.

Cardin agreed. ‘‘Studies show that good teachers are the key to helping students learn and succeed,” he said. ‘‘Our state and our country owe you our thanks and our appreciation.”

Who’s for torture?

Not several members of Maryland’s delegation who packed into a Capitol Hill conference room on Thursday to denounce it.

The newser was organized by Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma, which is headquartered in Baltimore and has an office in Wheaton. The group estimates 40,000 international survivors of torture and war trauma live in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region.

‘‘But what can an American say about torture? What can we say with a clean conscience? What can we say with a straight face?” asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Hoyer pointed out the Bush administration’s practice of water boarding and other interrogation techniques practiced at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and other secret prisons.

‘‘After all that, how much weight can our words possibly carry?” Hoyer asked. ‘‘No matter how pure our intentions, no matter how noble our words, it is clear that our reputation has been sullied. And that fact is written into our history with indelible ink.”

Hoyer was joined by Elijah Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, John Sarbanes and Donna Edwards.

The White House is probably booking their flight to Gitmo now. (We josh, we josh.)