Why do MoCoites keep voting for the same? Silver Spring residents are melting down due crime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the website of the 2022 Republican county council candidate for Silver Spring’s district. Any more questions about why she lost?

https://www.cherylriley4moco.com/

The new downtown Silver Spring-Kensington-North Bethesda district. She got 6,119 votes (12.43%), and yes, if county Republicans want to start winning elections, they need to stop running candidates like this.

The actual reason a Republican can never win is because the Democrats keep gerrymandering the Council District maps to prevent that from happening. If there was a District that spanned the border of the county with Frederick county as Republicans have requested, from Potomac to Poolesville to Clarksburg to Damascus, a Republican candidate would actually have a strong chance of winning which would encroach better Republican candidates to run. Aside from crazy people, who’s going to waste their time in futility.

Even if the county gerrymandered a district as affirmative action for Republicans, the Republican candidate still wouldn't have enough Republican votes. To win, any Republican candidate would have to get a lot of crossover votes from Democrats, and to do that, the Republican candidate would have to be, well, not a Republican candidate.

Marilyn Balcombe, a non-incumbent, won the open District 2 seat in November with 72% of the votes. Dawn Luedtke, also a non-incumbent, won the open district 7 seat with 67% of the votes. The margins aren't even close.

I happen to really like both those councilmembers, but I am VERY disappointed in upcounty voters in general. They always have the lowest turnout, and they have similar registered numbers as different parts of down county. If they had a large turnout each election, they could effect the type of change they want (and that might be contrary to my own interests, but at least it would reflect the will of the residents).

That's Marilyn Balcombe's point, no? Stop wasting time complaining about Takoma Park and start working on get out the vote.

Even with get out the vote, though, there's no way to draw a geographic boundary where a generic Republican candidate would even come close to winning, let alone an actual Republican candidate. The only way to do it would be to require a Republican seat on the County Council, like there are two required non-Democratic seats on the Planning Board. Or for the county, state, and national Republican party to become something other than what they currently are.

Republican turnout is much lower for primary and off year general elections than in Presidential year general elections. A big reason why that is is because most Republicans believe there is no point in voting because their votes don’t matter for local elections. That’s a correct belief given the gerrymandered districts. However when motivated to vote for President, they come out in much larger numbers due to enthusiasm. The PP is also incorrect in stating that there would not be many cross-over Democratic votes for a Republican in Montgomery County. A map of precincts that Hogan won should dispel that notion. A Larry Hogan/Connie Morella style Republican could easily still win a local election but let’s not forget that this is Maryland and despite the progressive pretenses the political power in this county would never allow that to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the website of the 2022 Republican county council candidate for Silver Spring’s district. Any more questions about why she lost?

https://www.cherylriley4moco.com/

The new downtown Silver Spring-Kensington-North Bethesda district. She got 6,119 votes (12.43%), and yes, if county Republicans want to start winning elections, they need to stop running candidates like this.

The actual reason a Republican can never win is because the Democrats keep gerrymandering the Council District maps to prevent that from happening. If there was a District that spanned the border of the county with Frederick county as Republicans have requested, from Potomac to Poolesville to Clarksburg to Damascus, a Republican candidate would actually have a strong chance of winning which would encroach better Republican candidates to run. Aside from crazy people, who’s going to waste their time in futility.

Even if the county gerrymandered a district as affirmative action for Republicans, the Republican candidate still wouldn't have enough Republican votes. To win, any Republican candidate would have to get a lot of crossover votes from Democrats, and to do that, the Republican candidate would have to be, well, not a Republican candidate.

Marilyn Balcombe, a non-incumbent, won the open District 2 seat in November with 72% of the votes. Dawn Luedtke, also a non-incumbent, won the open district 7 seat with 67% of the votes. The margins aren't even close.

I happen to really like both those councilmembers, but I am VERY disappointed in upcounty voters in general. They always have the lowest turnout, and they have similar registered numbers as different parts of down county. If they had a large turnout each election, they could effect the type of change they want (and that might be contrary to my own interests, but at least it would reflect the will of the residents).

That's Marilyn Balcombe's point, no? Stop wasting time complaining about Takoma Park and start working on get out the vote.

Even with get out the vote, though, there's no way to draw a geographic boundary where a generic Republican candidate would even come close to winning, let alone an actual Republican candidate. The only way to do it would be to require a Republican seat on the County Council, like there are two required non-Democratic seats on the Planning Board. Or for the county, state, and national Republican party to become something other than what they currently are.

Republican turnout is much lower for primary and off year general elections than in Presidential year general elections. A big reason why that is is because most Republicans believe there is no point in voting because their votes don’t matter for local elections. That’s a correct belief given the gerrymandered districts. However when motivated to vote for President, they come out in much larger numbers due to enthusiasm. The PP is also incorrect in stating that there would not be many cross-over Democratic votes for a Republican in Montgomery County. A map of precincts that Hogan won should dispel that notion. A Larry Hogan/Connie Morella style Republican could easily still win a local election but let’s not forget that this is Maryland and despite the progressive pretenses the political power in this county would never allow that to happen.

There's always an explanation that doesn't involve the actual explanation, which is that the voters don't want what you're offering.

There are no more Connie Morella style Republicans. You got rid of them. If you think a Larry Hogan style Republican could win an election, then find a Larry Hogan style Republican and persuade them to run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw an interview with Jawando on don lemon after the terrible incident with those two police officers at the elementary school center as leaked (the one where the police officers were suggesting someone should smack the kid), and it was clear to me that neither Jawanda nor Lemon had watched the whole video before the interview because they had mistakes on basic facts. That video was a very bad showing from two officers of MCPD but jawanda was making all sorts of conclusions that weren’t warranted because he was wrong on the facts. I really don’t like him and think that he’s a one trick pony and that one trick is playing on white liberal guilt.
We could really have the best police force in the nation and be a leading model for training and accountability. (I think MCPD was already probably one of the best in the country.). But it’s easier just to slash and burn the department I guess.

Jawando is good example of the kind of slick politician with national aspirations that just does not understand the needs of his constituents in part because he has insulated himself from the harm that his policies cause. This is particularly true when it comes to crime.

DTSS getting so dangerous that families don't let their teens go out after 7? He doesn't care, he moved to the countryside. Weekly lockdowns in public schools due to guns and rumours of guns? Why would Jawando bother to lift a finger - his kids are in private school, after all.

Meanwhile, he shills his new book and claims credit for policies that look good on paper but that completely fall down in the implementation.

Don’t think you need to worry too much about Jawando. His colleagues have ostracized him and has no political future. He got the least number of votes of all At-Large Councilmembers.

I've been hearing this too, re: the other council members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Republicans in MoCo need to start registering as Democrats for local elections or we will just keep getting more of the same.

Not just republicans- there’s actually a pretty large percentage of voters who are registered independent or unaffiliated. My DH was in this category but finally just registered as a Dem (too late for this past election cycle). The contest is in the primaries in MoCo but too many registered voters don’t participate. But the most progressive voters do those are the candidates that advance to the general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Republicans in MoCo need to start registering as Democrats for local elections or we will just keep getting more of the same.

Not just republicans- there’s actually a pretty large percentage of voters who are registered independent or unaffiliated. My DH was in this category but finally just registered as a Dem (too late for this past election cycle). The contest is in the primaries in MoCo but too many registered voters don’t participate. But the most progressive voters do those are the candidates that advance to the general.

dp.. exactly!! Please register as a Dem for local primaries. Otherwise your vote is a throwaway.

I even started a thread about it. If you really want change that badly, take the 5min to register as a Dem. It's easy. Otherwise, stop complaining.

https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/

May I change parties?

Yes. To change your party affiliation you can use Maryland's Online Voter Registration System (OLVR), or submit a new voter registration application or a signed written request to your local board of elections.

https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Online Left in Silver Spring, median age of 24, believe that Marc Elrich isn't woke enough because he loves cops too much. They want him to defund the police more.

Source for that? In our neighborhood it tends to be Middle Aged women whose kids are older and about to be finished with MCPS (or are already in college). They have little tolerance for those that have younger families and raise any types of concerns about rising crime or decaying schools. Their response is always, we need more and denser housing to get people off the streets! As if they could afford the high-end condos that end up getting built.

[Anonymous]

I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Republicans in MoCo need to start registering as Democrats for local elections or we will just keep getting more of the same.

Not just republicans- there’s actually a pretty large percentage of voters who are registered independent or unaffiliated. My DH was in this category but finally just registered as a Dem (too late for this past election cycle). The contest is in the primaries in MoCo but too many registered voters don’t participate. But the most progressive voters do those are the candidates that advance to the general.

dp.. exactly!! Please register as a Dem for local primaries. Otherwise your vote is a throwaway.

I even started a thread about it. If you really want change that badly, take the 5min to register as a Dem. It's easy. Otherwise, stop complaining.

https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/

May I change parties?

Yes. To change your party affiliation you can use Maryland's Online Voter Registration System (OLVR), or submit a new voter registration application or a signed written request to your local board of elections.

https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1

I switched from independent to democrat so I could have a say in the primaries, which we know determines the general election.

I don’t understand the ramifications of having an open primary and how that would work so instead, this is what I do to have a say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sock puppets on a Friday night.

We’ve found the obnoxious too online Silver Spring head in sand progressive. Do you think this crime is NBD? You may want to talk your fellow liberal Silver Spring and Takoma Park friends. I think you will find out that their progressive values end the moment these things begin to affect them personally. It’s one thing if it’s 20-something males shooting each other at 2 AM on Georgia Ave. It’s quite another when its middle aged women having a guns shoved in their face at 7 PM trying to shop at Safeway.

You may not be aware, but the neighborhood is starting to get a reputation for crime and you may not be able to understand this, but it is not a good thing.

Please share link about the Safeway incident. I haven’t seen it..

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/2-armed-carjackings-in-1-week-cause-concern-in-downtown-silver-spring/3260005/

Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

There was someone earlier in this thread who was pretty much saying that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

There was someone earlier in this thread who was pretty much saying that.

Cite, please. I don't see anyone saying that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

There was someone earlier in this thread who was pretty much saying that.

Cite, please. I don't see anyone saying that.

NP but it’s here:

“24-year-olds in Montgomery County are living with their parents or other older relatives, because they can't afford the high cost of housing in Montgomery County.”

Montgomery County is a big place. A 24 year old living at home in Montgomery County because they cannot afford rent either doesn’t have a job or is an unpaid intern. Are there no apartments they could afford anywhere in the county? Is there no one looking for a roommate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

There was someone earlier in this thread who was pretty much saying that.

Cite, please. I don't see anyone saying that.

NP but it’s here:

“24-year-olds in Montgomery County are living with their parents or other older relatives, because they can't afford the high cost of housing in Montgomery County.”

Montgomery County is a big place. A 24 year old living at home in Montgomery County because they cannot afford rent either doesn’t have a job or is an unpaid intern. Are there no apartments they could afford anywhere in the county? Is there no one looking for a roommate?

That's just not the reality. It's just flat-out wrong. It also ignores the reality that you can't separate your housing costs from your transportation costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think two things can be true.

1) The county does have a housing shortage- both affordable and just in total housing period. We should do something about that.

2) People cant just live wherever they want, regardless of income, age, etc. Thats just life. "I make 40k a year, but I want to live in a brick rowhouse in georgetown". Well sorry, you (or anyone) is not just entitled to that because you'd like it. If you dont earn much, you may have to live farther out, or have a longer commute, or sacrifice on a few of your wants. God knows I did.

I don't think anybody is saying, "I should be able to live in whatever I want wherever I want."

But there's no reason why whole geographic areas should be off limits for people who aren't affluent. That's why it needs to be legal to have a mix of housing type. Maybe you can't afford to live in a free-standing house with a yard, but you can afford to live in an duplex, or in an apartment in a sixplex, or whatever.

There was someone earlier in this thread who was pretty much saying that.

Cite, please. I don't see anyone saying that.

NP but it’s here:

“24-year-olds in Montgomery County are living with their parents or other older relatives, because they can't afford the high cost of housing in Montgomery County.”

Montgomery County is a big place. A 24 year old living at home in Montgomery County because they cannot afford rent either doesn’t have a job or is an unpaid intern. Are there no apartments they could afford anywhere in the county? Is there no one looking for a roommate?

That's just not the reality. It's just flat-out wrong. It also ignores the reality that you can't separate your housing costs from your transportation costs.

Thanks for conceding the point by shifting the goal posts.