Anonymous wrote:Elrich won becuase it was a 6-way primary and the moderate vote got spread among the rest. Elrich focused on a few key groups (unions, ultra-progessives, socialists) and that was enough to squeak by with a win. Then he was up against crackpot Ficker in the general so that was an easy win.

One solution is open primaries. Then the top 2 of any party in the primary end up in the general, and it also gives the people of MoCo more of a say (33% of registered voters are independents = can't vote in primaries except for BOE).

I have friends in the GOP in MD. The problem is the moderates get derailed by the right-wingers and then they end up with candidates who will not do well with the general public. Hogan was the exception to this -- he managed to get through that and he's a moderate Republican.

Also a lot of the "noise" from the County comes from the progressive Takoma Park triangle, and that's where most Council members are from too. That's not what all of MoCo is about -- especially areas upcounty like Germantown/Clarksburg the people are more moderate in their views generally. The few times I've met with Elrich, I always tell him to think of the entire county and not just certain parts of it.

Ranked choice voting would help with this, also.

Nope

No more Republicans in office period. Do not care who they put up. I Will not vote Republican again. Life long no more. Officially changed.

Republicans are the party of zero fiscal responsibility and zero accountability. Gallows for Pence says it all. Hawley's fist pump, yeah never trusting any of them again. Those people started in local races, not helping them get any more crazy liars in office.

Montgomery County does not need a Republican. What Montgomery County needs is an injection of Independents.

The days of Connie Morella are long gone and won't be coming back in any foreseeable future. If you are hoping for some Hogan type figure emerging in MoCo, you are sadly delusional. What is desperately needed is some Biden-like candidates who are moderately left and are more concerned about making sensible policy decisions regarding growth and taxation, and less about trying to out banner the AOC imitators. It is doubtful that these moderate candidates would ever win a Democratic primary since the woke wing of the MoCo Democratic Party has completely outflanked the opposition better and tighter than a gerrymandered North Carolina Congressional District. So, the only way to circumvent team Che is compete against them in the general election.

Montgomery County is a far cry from the conservatively liberal county that I grew up in the 70's and 80's. Most of that is self inflicted. The 90's & 00's opened up the floodgates to overdevelopment. The population boomed. The I-270 monster was created, then the ICC slush fund. The doors were left wide open for everyone to come, be it through legal channels or not, and without concern whether there was actually enough housing for everyone or not.

Now everyone is bemoaning about the housing crisis and the only answer the GGW propped up councilmembers can come up with is destroy single family zoning in order to raze homes in Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Takoma Park and create mini apartment dwellings in their place or plop tiny homes (aka shacks) all over existing properties across the county. Let's ignore all the neglected, slumlord apartment units all over the county that desperately need to be updated and repurposed. Let's ignore the east and middle sections of the county that could certainly use some modernization and revitalization. Nope, let's concentrate on owning the bloodsucking bluehaired boomers. We live to watch old people cry! Let's list the Elks Lodge as a terrorist organization while we're at it.

The demographics of Montgomery County have changed dramatically and identity politics is king. Team AOC has cultivated their base to perfection. You have to applaud how well they managed to accomplish their grip over local politics. I fear that such an unchecked political machine will eventually corrode everything that Montgomery County has done exceptionally well over the past 50 years. The school system, being the penultimate example. If the schools start to crater, then everything else will follow along. All the federal workers living in the county can only prop it up so much. Not to mention that with distant working, there is ample motivation to live elsewhere. The all out assault on Bethesda and the western slice of the county won't help matters either. I say this as person who lives in the Silver Spring side of the county. Who knows, maybe in a few years, the entire county will be declared an autonomous zone?

Elrich won becuase it was a 6-way primary and the moderate vote got spread among the rest. Elrich focused on a few key groups (unions, ultra-progessives, socialists) and that was enough to squeak by with a win. Then he was up against crackpot Ficker in the general so that was an easy win.

One solution is open primaries. Then the top 2 of any party in the primary end up in the general, and it also gives the people of MoCo more of a say (33% of registered voters are independents = can't vote in primaries except for BOE).

I have friends in the GOP in MD. The problem is the moderates get derailed by the right-wingers and then they end up with candidates who will not do well with the general public. Hogan was the exception to this -- he managed to get through that and he's a moderate Republican.

Also a lot of the "noise" from the County comes from the progressive Takoma Park triangle, and that's where most Council members are from too. That's not what all of MoCo is about -- especially areas upcounty like Germantown/Clarksburg the people are more moderate in their views generally. The few times I've met with Elrich, I always tell him to think of the entire county and not just certain parts of it.

Anonymous wrote:Blair is an Obama Democrat. Elrich is a Bernie Sanders Socialist. There is a difference but both are left of center. I think it's time we balance things out with someone in the true center, or center-right. Another Hogan would be great.

You might think so, but the voters of Montgomery County disagree with you.

Blair is an Obama Democrat. Elrich is a Bernie Sanders Socialist. There is a difference but both are left of center. I think it's time we balance things out with someone in the true center, or center-right. Another Hogan would be great.

Everyone cares about public safety, eh? Nobody says, "I'm ok with chaos and societal breakdown, sounds like fun, whee!" Or at least not anybody running for public office.

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Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

The most extreme/progressive. The other candidates were more moderate but split the vote. Come on, Elrich was generally your first choice or last.

Blair is another leftwing wolf in sheep's clothing. He was more rhetorically pro-business but he's another far left Wokester. He campaigned in favor of free government programs for illegal immigrants and defunding the police.

If you're putting Blair in the same category as Elrich, then you're a member of the Republican Party that causes Montgomery County to only elect Democrats.

Plenty of moderate Democrats and Independents care about public safety. Not everybody supports defunding the police, and MS-13 gang violence is a problem. I don't believe in the Trump administration's inhumane treatment of children at the border but I also don't believe that MS-13 criminals should be protected from ICE and given taxpayer funded legal assistance. Blair supported all of these things.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

The most extreme/progressive. The other candidates were more moderate but split the vote. Come on, Elrich was generally your first choice or last.

Yeah, except that BLAIR ALMOST WON.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

The most extreme/progressive. The other candidates were more moderate but split the vote. Come on, Elrich was generally your first choice or last.

Blair is another leftwing wolf in sheep's clothing. He was more rhetorically pro-business but he's another far left Wokester. He campaigned in favor of free government programs for illegal immigrants and defunding the police.

If you're putting Blair in the same category as Elrich, then you're a member of the Republican Party that causes Montgomery County to only elect Democrats.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

The most extreme/progressive. The other candidates were more moderate but split the vote. Come on, Elrich was generally your first choice or last.

Blair is another leftwing wolf in sheep's clothing. He was more rhetorically pro-business but he's another far left Wokester. He campaigned in favor of free government programs for illegal immigrants and defunding the police.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

The most extreme/progressive. The other candidates were more moderate but split the vote. Come on, Elrich was generally your first choice or last.

Anonymous wrote:We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

"Someone like Elrich," meaning what? Not to mention that Elrich only had about 80 more votes than Blair, and the election could easily have come out the other way. So are you putting Blair in the category of "someone like Elrich"?

We need ranked voting. In a crowded county exec field like the last primary, someone like Elrich is always going to win.

That and more participation in the primaries- that’s where the main contest takes place, for better or worse, but so many voters sit it out or don’t officially affiliate with the Democratic Party, even if they generally vote that way in the general.

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Anonymous wrote:No. The Council chose the representatives for the Redistricting Commission. They've cooked the books before it even begins.

Folks do need to wake up if they want any real changes. And I say this as a moderate Democrat. You all are about to lose your police department and I just wonder if anyone is even paying attention.

Oh good grief. No, we are not about to lose our police department, whatever that would even mean.

Yeah, you are. They are getting it from both sides -- public and politicians. All the good ones are leaving. You'll be left with the likes of Baltimore.

Nah, these guys love their good MoCo paycheck that they can take back to more rural parts of MD and PA. The police union huffs & puffs, but where else are these guys gonna work with such a robust tax base?

All talk. They have to deal with independent oversight moving forward. Waaaah, too bad.

Actually, the MoCo police department is one of the lowest paid in the region. There used to be hundreds of applicants for the academy each year, but now they are struggling to even fill seats. MoCo is currently an undesirable department because of the working conditions, primarily a very hostile council that doesn’t respect the officers or their contract. It’s easy for us to look in from the outside and criticize, isn’t it?

No it's not. There has not been one under enrolled class every in MoCo. Not 1 young applicant even knows who is on the council. I'm looking from the inside and I see MoCo police sitting at home due to COVID cashing a paycheck because they <fill in any excuse>. You gotta love the union.