What is the Takoma Park mafia?

[Anonymous]

New to the area and its politics. Saw this mentioned in the other thread. What's the TP mafia?

[Anonymous]

The County Politburo of the Montgomery Supreme Soviet.
Get with the program already. /s

[Anonymous]

An imaginary bogeyman invented by people to explain why their candidates don't win elections and their policies don't get adopted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An imaginary bogeyman invented by people to explain why their candidates don't win elections and their policies don't get adopted.

+1. It’s a way to suggest that the majority of voters are secretly being controlled by a few people

[Anonymous]

An excuse that butthurt “centrists” (who are actually far right Republicans) use for the fact that a D+50 county always votes for Democrats. It references the fact that the most densely populated and left-leaning area, namely Takoma Park and Silver Spring, also bring out the most votes, while angry white men in Poolesville twiddle their thumbs and rant on twitter.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park is an extraordinary liberal part of Montgomery County: a solid mix of neighborhoods with affluent liberals and progressive immigrants and everything in-between, there are very few to no right-wing residents.

Very high engagement in politics and activism, very very high voting rate.

So the PP was referring to TkPk controlling the MoCo primaries because people in TkPk tend to skew the vote since so many there vote and so many don't vote in other areas (in primaries). Democrats win in MoCo, so whichever Dem is chosen in the primary will likely win the general election.

It's not a common term, nor does it have anything to do with mafia, it's just a term someone made up to say they're irritated by their perception of the typical overly engaged social-justice-warrior TkPk resident, which is not a stretch but is also an exaggeration.

I live in Takoma Park. It's absolutely a different vibe than other areas locally. I am a primary voter and big into social justice, but I am not the granola-loving earth mother people stereotype us to be. I think people who don't live here don't see the full picture (we are not a monolith, and are also are black, brown, work in media, get Botox, etc....). I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An excuse that butthurt “centrists” (who are actually far right Republicans) use for the fact that a D+50 county always votes for Democrats. It references the fact that the most densely populated and left-leaning area, namely Takoma Park and Silver Spring, also bring out the most votes, while angry white men in Poolesville twiddle their thumbs and rant on twitter.

I’m liberal and to be fair, it’s (county council) kind of like a more powerful Takoma Park City council because everyone in the county is from there. I’m glad districts were created in the last election though I’m sure the council will draw the district lines so there will just be more people from Takoma Park on the council.

[Anonymous]

Just like when people criticize residents of Bethesda/Chevy Chase for being rich entitled white people - I'm not any of these and I live in Bethesda.

It's funny until it's not funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is an extraordinary liberal part of Montgomery County: a solid mix of neighborhoods with affluent liberals and progressive immigrants and everything in-between, there are very few to no right-wing residents.

Very high engagement in politics and activism, very very high voting rate.

So the PP was referring to TkPk controlling the MoCo primaries because people in TkPk tend to skew the vote since so many there vote and so many don't vote in other areas (in primaries). Democrats win in MoCo, so whichever Dem is chosen in the primary will likely win the general election.

It's not a common term, nor does it have anything to do with mafia, it's just a term someone made up to say they're irritated by their perception of the typical overly engaged social-justice-warrior TkPk resident, which is not a stretch but is also an exaggeration.

I live in Takoma Park. It's absolutely a different vibe than other areas locally. I am a primary voter and big into social justice, but I am not the granola-loving earth mother people stereotype us to be. I think people who don't live here don't see the full picture (we are not a monolith, and are also are black, brown, work in media, get Botox, etc....). I love it.

I agree with this. (I don't live there, and I'm not as liberal as most of Takoma Park.) It's critical to understand they vote at exceptionally high rates, and unfortunately (I say this as more of a moderate liberal), upcounty does not turn out to vote in the same numbers. I'm not talking about conservatives. While there are many conservatives in the county, there aren't enough to really sway politics. But there are a ton of more moderate liberals. They just aren't anywhere near as active politically. And it shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is an extraordinary liberal part of Montgomery County: a solid mix of neighborhoods with affluent liberals and progressive immigrants and everything in-between, there are very few to no right-wing residents.

Very high engagement in politics and activism, very very high voting rate.

So the PP was referring to TkPk controlling the MoCo primaries because people in TkPk tend to skew the vote since so many there vote and so many don't vote in other areas (in primaries). Democrats win in MoCo, so whichever Dem is chosen in the primary will likely win the general election.

It's not a common term, nor does it have anything to do with mafia, it's just a term someone made up to say they're irritated by their perception of the typical overly engaged social-justice-warrior TkPk resident, which is not a stretch but is also an exaggeration.

I live in Takoma Park. It's absolutely a different vibe than other areas locally. I am a primary voter and big into social justice, but I am not the granola-loving earth mother people stereotype us to be. I think people who don't live here don't see the full picture (we are not a monolith, and are also are black, brown, work in media, get Botox, etc....). I love it.

Only Riemer lives in Takoma Park and he isn’t really the type people are generally referring to. He’s more aligned with the Developer Mafia than anything.
Glass, Jawando, and Hucker live in Silver Spring.
Albornoz lives in Kensington.
The rest in their districts.

Elrich lives in Takoma Park and he’s the left wing type the center-right angry people upcounty love to whine about and say it’s about upcounty representation. What they don’t realize is that primary voters in rural upcounty actually voted for him, they like that he didn’t develop Ten Mile Creek or carve up the Ag reserve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An excuse that butthurt “centrists” (who are actually far right Republicans) use for the fact that a D+50 county always votes for Democrats. It references the fact that the most densely populated and left-leaning area, namely Takoma Park and Silver Spring, also bring out the most votes, while angry white men in Poolesville twiddle their thumbs and rant on twitter.

I’m liberal and to be fair, it’s (county council) kind of like a more powerful Takoma Park City council because everyone in the county is from there. I’m glad districts were created in the last election though I’m sure the council will draw the district lines so there will just be more people from Takoma Park on the council.

Sorry, this was the PP I meant to respond to. 09:31.

[Anonymous]

One of the best people in Congress represents Takoma Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the best people in Congress represents Takoma Park.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Only Riemer lives in Takoma Park and he isn’t really the type people are generally referring to. He’s more aligned with the Developer Mafia than anything.
Glass, Jawando, and Hucker live in Silver Spring.
Albornoz lives in Kensington.
The rest in their districts.

Elrich lives in Takoma Park and he’s the left wing type the center-right angry people upcounty love to whine about and say it’s about upcounty representation. What they don’t realize is that primary voters in rural upcounty actually voted for him, they like that he didn’t develop Ten Mile Creek or carve up the Ag reserve.

More accurately, that he didn't vote to develop Ten Mile Creek. Because unfortunately Ten Mile Creek is getting developed.

https://eplans.montgomeryplanning.org/UFS/29255/84248/30-PBRESandMailingLists-120200050.pdf/30-PBRESandMailingLists-120200050.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I’m liberal and to be fair, it’s (county council) kind of like a more powerful Takoma Park City council because everyone in the county is from there. I’m glad districts were created in the last election though I’m sure the council will draw the district lines so there will just be more people from Takoma Park on the council.

It would be really great if people informed themselves instead of defaulting to resentful conspiracy theories.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/council-redistricting-commission-sets-guidelines-for-drawing-new-map/