Congressman Kratovil wins how ?

Written by: Stephen Crockett on Aug 7, 2009 9:47 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Prince George's - Democracy for America, Morris County DFA, Democracy for Lancaster, Democracy for Chester County, Democracy for Tennessee

Frank Kratovil of Maryland’s 1^st Congressional District faces a very difficult re-election race because the district historically leans Republican. However Kratovil has a very effective secret weapon, it is an active and well-financed coalition from an element of the Republican Party mostly from the extreme Far Right wing of the Republican coalition. They are the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall disrupters” you have been seeing on television and reading about in your local newspapers!

This group is not really representative of the typical Republican voters from sprawling Maryland 1^st. Most Republicans I know from the dozen or so counties comprising the 1^st Congressional District are relatively moderate and always reasonable.

They dislike taxes like everyone else. However, they believe government does on most occasions some things very well (like Social Security, the American military, Medicare, national parks, etc.)

The Republicans I know simply dismiss the nonsense about Obama not being born in America. Obama’s Hawaiian original birth certificates in all forms (long and short) have been made public. The birth announcement was published in the Hawaiian newspapers when he was born.

These local Republican voters would never deny other citizens their right to interact with their member of Congress just to score political points. This kind of rude behavior has never been tolerated by either major political party in recent memory. I have lived in the District for over 35 years.

Today, I had the opportunity to attend two Kratovil citizen contact events in my home county. Both were mobbed by “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters.” I honestly do not know what to call them. The majority of those at the events trying to disrupt them seem to fall into all 3 categories. Basically, the same people are involved in all 3 media stunts.

They make good copy for reporters because they are real wing-nuts!!! It appears that crazy as a bedbug sells.

Financing fake grassroots movements is a booming business since the Democrats won control of Congress and the White House. The usual Right Wing billionaires have been typically generous and now the health insurance industry has exploded the cash available. It does not take big bucks to rally the extreme Right so the organizing can be a very lucrative business.  All you need is a near total lack of ethics or concern for your fellow American citizens. The sentiment being sold is a dressed-up version of “let them die” combined with “I got mine.”

For some strange reason, the wing-nuts seem to thing radical behavior strengthens their cause. They actually think they are a mass movement instead of a fringe political element. They are living in a fictional alternative reality where the vast majority of Americans oppose healthcare reform. All major polls state otherwise. The current system is clearly broken and most Americans know it is broken. There is little healthcare security outside Medicare for most Americans.

Kratovil handled both crowds with ease. He understands his District very well and is clearly in the political mainstream on almost every issue. Obama lost the 1^st District by large margin while Kratovil won the same year!

 Kratovil is both moderate and extremely personable. Charisma is a frequently over-used term in politics but Kratovil has it. The guy is reasonable, patriotic and caring. Although I wish he was a little more reliably Democratic in his voting record, I know his views are closer to the District’s majority than are mine. The man is smart, young and wise. He is also very patient man.

The tone and attitude of the vocal leadership of the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters” made it clear they were there to disrupt. A couple of the signs at the second event were especially insulting. One sign read “I was once afraid of terrorists but now am afraid of our government.” The other read “Save America, Impeach Obama.” After reading them, I realized this people were far, far, far outside mainstream political thought.

The leadership was intentionally insulting, aggressive and angry. They disrupted answers over and over again. For some reason, about 50% of the crowd was holding identical copies of the same talking points and style directions- same font, some colors and same text! The guy clearing in charge at the first event told a staffer that he was from Howard County which is not part of the 1^st Congressional District.

I only recognized a single person from Cecil County. He is a local Republican officeholder. It seems the vast majority of people in the crowd from Cecil County were supporters of Frank Kratovil which is not surprising. Kratovil did receive the endorsement of the previous moderate-conservative Republican Congressman in 2008! There is a huge and growing Republicans for Kratovil movement.

The trick for keeping this Congressional District is the nature of the extremist opponent State Senator Andy Harris. Harris is the most Far Right state legislator in Maryland. To be any worse, Harris would have to become the Maryland version of David Duke. Harris is not quite there. Even the majority of the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters” are not quite there. A few seem to have made it there.

Kratovil certainly is catching a clear break from the nature and high visibility of wing-nut opponents! Having “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters” running around this very traditional district is keeping the Republicans for Kratovil from returning to the Republican column. Mainstream Republicans remain highly wary of “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters.”

Kratovil is clearly a fiscal conservative. Whatever internal Democratic opposition that might have normally arisen from the left over policy or votes has been muted because of the visibility of the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters.” Even if Kratovil is not always a reliable Democratic vote, he certainly has the right enemies in the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters.”

That crowd is closely identified with State Senator Harris. They are a scary bunch of wing-nuts. They do not help Harris but Harris still needs them. Without them Harris has almost no base.

After today, I am still not afraid of my government! Why? Because the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters” are not running the government, I am not afraid. Because the “tea-baggers, Obama birthers and Healthcare Town Hall Disrupters” are who they are, I believe they will never be running our government. I trust the voters!

Written by Stephen Crockett (Cecil County resident, host of Democratic Talk Radio http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com and Editor of Mid-Atlantic Labor.com http://www.midatlanticlabor.com ). Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland 21919. Email: demlabor@aol.com. Phone: 443-907-2367.

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