Excellent. Thank you. I yearn for the day when we can reclaim the true meaning of “progressive!” The hijacked one takes on a life of its own and eclipses the value of what once gave it meaning.
CD 6 was simply a case of two multimillionaire carpetbaggers who dominated through sheer money and the fact that the corporate media would not cover alternatives. Neither of them ever mentioned their strident support for genocide and apartheid. The corporate media hid it as well. Both of them are properly regarded as extremists. There were a couple of decent candidates who tried to run serious campaigns, but didn't have the money to be competitive, coupled with the mass media blackout of them. If the campaign had been on issues, neither of the super-rich carpet baggers would have won. CD 6 represents a serious problem in American politics. For more than a dozen years, no one who lives in the district has been in the House of Representatives. This is because the law does not require residence in the district, and CD 6's misfortune of being a district where the politicians are not wealthy and it adjoins a district with a plethora of the super wealthy who can buy elections. This is not democracy. No European democracy would allow this. The USA is not, and has never been, a democracy. It is an oligarchy, and CD 6 truly illustrates that. I wonder how many Congressional districts are in the sad situation of CD 6. I haven't found any group that looks into how many districts don't get representation because an adjoining district overwhelms them with its wealth. It's kind-of like slavery.
Not sure I agree with this CD 6 analysis. Delaney spent over $7M. Trone spent over $25M. Both had the added advantages of incumbency.
Not that I think a centrist is a bad outcome for a district that stretches into very red western Maryland in the general. But reading this as some sort of ideological bellwether of Maryland voters is a different story. You’d need to look a races at the county and city levels over time if you wanted to see what CD-6 Democrats were thinking.
In Frederick, centrist Democrat and President of the Council Brad Young was just sent packing. Last cycle County Executive Jan Gardner was replaced by a much more progressive Jessica Fitzwater.
Jim — thank you for this very thoughtful and genuinely helpful comment. You make a compelling argument, and I appreciate you taking the time to lay it out so clearly.
I’ll admit something about myself here: I’m a mainline Democrat with centrist tendencies, and every now and then I write from a bit of an us‑versus‑them siege mentality. It’s a weakness of mine — I tend to see the broader statewide picture through the lens of party stability and institutional strength, and sometimes that leads me to over‑interpret races like CD‑6 as ideological signals.
Your point about Delaney and Trone — the money, the incumbency, the structural realities of the district — is absolutely valid. And your reminder to look at county‑ and city‑level races over time is exactly the kind of correction I value from smart readers. Frederick sending Brad Young packing is a perfect example of why the story is more complicated than a single congressional primary.
So thank you — sincerely — for the education and the pushback. I take your perspective seriously, and I’m grateful you’re part of this community.
Thanks for the reply Barry. I think you’ve put your finger on an interesting question, and I’ve often had folks in other states describe Maryland as “blue but not liberal”.
It’s especially important as we look to how Democrats are positioned going into 2028: does a centrist message give stability and pull back some Biden/Trump voters? Do national and international trends push the party towards “anything that’s the opposite of what republicans are doing now”?
Chris Van Hollen certainly seems to be leaning into a more progressive frame on immigration and Israel as of late, and Chris has always struck me previously as a more moderate voice.
Now all we need is to advance REIDA and create an economic development power block, creating an 18-county strong public-private governance entity, OUT from under the Maryland Commerce Department. Five regional hubs can then present a consolidated case for federal grant funding, something individual counties cannot do.
Excellent. Thank you. I yearn for the day when we can reclaim the true meaning of “progressive!” The hijacked one takes on a life of its own and eclipses the value of what once gave it meaning.
Why do you use the term “progressive”? They are LIBERALS!
CD 6 was simply a case of two multimillionaire carpetbaggers who dominated through sheer money and the fact that the corporate media would not cover alternatives. Neither of them ever mentioned their strident support for genocide and apartheid. The corporate media hid it as well. Both of them are properly regarded as extremists. There were a couple of decent candidates who tried to run serious campaigns, but didn't have the money to be competitive, coupled with the mass media blackout of them. If the campaign had been on issues, neither of the super-rich carpet baggers would have won. CD 6 represents a serious problem in American politics. For more than a dozen years, no one who lives in the district has been in the House of Representatives. This is because the law does not require residence in the district, and CD 6's misfortune of being a district where the politicians are not wealthy and it adjoins a district with a plethora of the super wealthy who can buy elections. This is not democracy. No European democracy would allow this. The USA is not, and has never been, a democracy. It is an oligarchy, and CD 6 truly illustrates that. I wonder how many Congressional districts are in the sad situation of CD 6. I haven't found any group that looks into how many districts don't get representation because an adjoining district overwhelms them with its wealth. It's kind-of like slavery.
Not sure I agree with this CD 6 analysis. Delaney spent over $7M. Trone spent over $25M. Both had the added advantages of incumbency.
Not that I think a centrist is a bad outcome for a district that stretches into very red western Maryland in the general. But reading this as some sort of ideological bellwether of Maryland voters is a different story. You’d need to look a races at the county and city levels over time if you wanted to see what CD-6 Democrats were thinking.
In Frederick, centrist Democrat and President of the Council Brad Young was just sent packing. Last cycle County Executive Jan Gardner was replaced by a much more progressive Jessica Fitzwater.
Jim — thank you for this very thoughtful and genuinely helpful comment. You make a compelling argument, and I appreciate you taking the time to lay it out so clearly.
I’ll admit something about myself here: I’m a mainline Democrat with centrist tendencies, and every now and then I write from a bit of an us‑versus‑them siege mentality. It’s a weakness of mine — I tend to see the broader statewide picture through the lens of party stability and institutional strength, and sometimes that leads me to over‑interpret races like CD‑6 as ideological signals.
Your point about Delaney and Trone — the money, the incumbency, the structural realities of the district — is absolutely valid. And your reminder to look at county‑ and city‑level races over time is exactly the kind of correction I value from smart readers. Frederick sending Brad Young packing is a perfect example of why the story is more complicated than a single congressional primary.
So thank you — sincerely — for the education and the pushback. I take your perspective seriously, and I’m grateful you’re part of this community.
Thanks for the reply Barry. I think you’ve put your finger on an interesting question, and I’ve often had folks in other states describe Maryland as “blue but not liberal”.
It’s especially important as we look to how Democrats are positioned going into 2028: does a centrist message give stability and pull back some Biden/Trump voters? Do national and international trends push the party towards “anything that’s the opposite of what republicans are doing now”?
Chris Van Hollen certainly seems to be leaning into a more progressive frame on immigration and Israel as of late, and Chris has always struck me previously as a more moderate voice.
So Len Foxwell’s analysis is that if there were no other candidates, Boafo would have won more. Riveting.
Now all we need is to advance REIDA and create an economic development power block, creating an 18-county strong public-private governance entity, OUT from under the Maryland Commerce Department. Five regional hubs can then present a consolidated case for federal grant funding, something individual counties cannot do.