Hogan’s Legacy?

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/pCNNolitics/md-gov-larry-hogan-leaves-behind-an-anemic-state-gop-why/ar-AA145taY

His sky-high popularity didn’t boost the rest of the state’s Republican Party, which suffered consistent down-ballot losses during his two terms — by moderates and by Trump-style firebrands. His handpicked successor lost a primary this year to a backbench freshman state delegate. After a bruising Election Day, party leaders say there’s no robust bench to build the Maryland GOP back up.

Great question: what’s the legacy of a unicorn Republican two term governor of the state of Maryland?

Not much. This piece covers party politics, where his self-focus did little to build his political party.

With a huge Democratic majority legislature, did he pass any laws? Taxes aren’t lower. Oh, he gave the go ahead to the seemingly eternal construction of the purple line light rail service between Bethesda and New Carrollton. Including a contractor who quit in the middle of the job. Leaving the project stuck in place for years. With torn up roads in Riverdale, College Park, and Silver Spring still reminding us of Hogan’s Folly. No Hero he.

I posted this question on Facebook and the best response I got was that his legacy is his pandemic response and his opposition to President Trump. That’s exactly correct and it is why he has failed as a Republican governor. He acted no differently than his Democratic Party counterparts did in adjacent Pennsylvania and Virginia. The absolute trouncing his anointed successor  received in the gubernatorial primary is evidence that he completely lost the base in his own state. Yet, he refused to put his supposed cross party appeal on the line when he turned down the opportunity to challenge a sitting Democrat U.S. Senator or perhaps challenge an incumbent Democrat congressman. Both chances when he could have bolstered Republicans in Washington, DC.

Look for Hogan to make millions of dollars now. Because it’s all about him.

50-50

By We are a 50-50 country and it’s time that political parties wielding short-term power stop imposing extremist agendas upon the people of the 50 states in our nation.

 We should now see the beauty of the filibuster is that some level of consensus and compromise is required when legislation and candidates for cabinet offices need a 60% vote. The very controversial ObamaCare law in 2010 did survive a 60 vote Senate requirement. Which meant that there was at least some degree of consensus in the country.

And that goes for both parties. Instead, any politician who looks to build an across-the-aisle coalition is demonized by the far left or far right elements of his or her party. 

Better yet? Let the “red” states and the “blue” states rule themselves. Make pot legal. Or illegal. (An easy topic these days.) 

Federalism works. Florida voters are quite happy with their Republican leadership just as California seemingly loves its Democrat leaders. 

No party is dominating elections. The Senate is literally 50-50. The House is probably 51% to 49%. And presidential elections take weeks to decide they are so close. The way our Congress runs itself is so anti-democratic. 50-50 Senate means that one party gets ALL the power? Same with the House which is indeed very close to a 217-218 margin. Chairmanships should be proportionally allocated, for one thing.

We should be creating coalition policies but we don’t. The books I read on Congress in college and grad school? Didn’t envision such 50-50 splits, but are worth examining nonetheless.