DMC at the DNC
August 28, 2008
Several of our fellow Dolan Media publications have joined together to form DMC@theConventions, a Web site chronicling the political conventions. It’s a good place to go if you’re interested in seeing what’s been going on but — like me — reluctant to subject yourself to actually watching the whole thing on television.
Obviously most of the current coverage is on the Democrats in Denver. However, there’s also a section previewing the Republican convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul and the site will feature more coverage of that shindig when the time comes.
Much appreciation to the Arizona Capitol Times, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Politics in Minnesota and the St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report for all their great reporting.
Also on the topic of Dolan Media/political coverage is “Politics and Profits,” a blog examining business issues in the 2008 election. It’s a complementary site to DMC@theConventions, but the current plan is to keep it updated up to the election. Check it out when you have the time.
JOE BACCHUS, Web Specialist
Sphere: Related ContentProfessor Obama
July 30, 2008
The New York Times has a story today about what Obama was like during his time teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. On the one hand, he was apparently an engaging professor, if a touch overly pleased with himself:
As his reputation for frank, exciting discussion spread, enrollment in his classes swelled. Most scores on his teaching evaluations were positive to superlative. Some students started referring to themselves as his groupies. (Mr. Obama, in turn, could play the star. In what even some fans saw as self-absorption, Mr. Obama’s hypothetical cases occasionally featured himself. “Take Barack Obama, there’s a good-looking guy,” he would introduce a twisty legal case.)
On the other hand, he sometimes got so wrapped up in the intellectual arguments surrounding an issue that he didn’t do anything about it:
While students appreciated Mr. Obama’s evenhandedness, colleagues sometimes wanted him to take a stand. When two fellow faculty members asked him to support a controversial antigang measure, allowing the Chicago police to disperse and eventually arrest loiterers who had no clear reason to gather, Mr. Obama discussed the issue with unusual thoughtfulness, they say, but gave little sign of who should prevail — the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed the measure, or the community groups that supported it out of concern about crime.
What, if anything, do you think this all says about what kind of president Obama would be? A broader question: do academic types make good political leaders? Are there similarities between the skill set required to be a law professor and the one needed to be president? Or are we talking about two very different personality types here?
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentBush Bus makes pit stop at City Hall
July 10, 2008
If you were on I-95 earlier today and thought you saw a 45-foot long, 28-ton bus with a picture of President Bush splashed across the side, you weren’t mistaken.
“The National Bush Legacy Tour,” sponsored by Americans United for Change, stopped outside of Baltimore’s City Hall this afternoon. It was part of the group’s coast-to-coast summer tour, aimed at bringing public attention to what they deem “two terms of failed conservative policies.”
Individuals from AUC and Progressive Maryland spoke outside the bus before a crowd of about 25 people, mostly supporters.
“It’s important that we remind the public of just how bad things have been,” said Matthew Weinstein, Baltimore’s Region Director of Progressive Maryland.
The bus (which runs on clean biodiesel) has a full exhibit inside on Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration’s education policies and the war in Iraq. I also noticed a command center of sorts in the rear of the bus.
Take a look at the pictures. Do you think the marketing campaign is effective, or overkill?
RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter
Sphere: Related ContentRoss Perot calls for “action this day”
June 16, 2008
Don’t count out Ross Perot.
The former presidential candidate has stepped into the spotlight again with the launch of a new Web site on “government fiscal irresponsibility.”
Think of it as a place for him to keep his economic charts - the ones he became famous for using in his campaigns for the presidency, including the 30-minute television timeslots he bought (like this one in October 1992).
In a welcome video on PerotCharts.com, Perot says gravely - in his Texas drawl - “We live in the greatest country in the history of man. We’ve been so successful for so long that we now take our success for granted. Not since the Great Depression have we seen an economic crisis of the magnitude that we are facing today.”
Much of his attention focuses on the national debt, which he says is growing by more than $1 billion each day. Mandatory spending programs such as Social Security and Medicare, he says, are only going to get costlier as the Baby Boomer population ages. Perot asserts that unless we solve these fundamental issues, the country won’t be able to meet future challenges.
In case you begin to feel downtrodden about the wealth of information the billionaire shares, he notes: “The good news is that Americans are resilient and resourceful, and have always responded unselfishly in a crisis.”
To view his Web presentation, “Suicidal Spending,” click here.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentA different sort of ‘preacher problem’
June 10, 2008
Via the ABA Journal blog, a law professor says he was denied communion because he backs Barack Obama, an abortion-rights supporter. The prof, Pepperdine University’s Douglas Kmiec, writes a column for the Catholic News Service and used to be dean at Catholic University.
A spokesman for Cardinal Roger Mahoney has confirmed the event occurred in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and called the priest’s action “absolutely indefensible.”
What do you think about this?
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentHome prices, politics and the numbers
May 15, 2008
21224
Includes Canton, Brwer’s Hill, Patterson Park, Highlandtown and Greektown
Estimated population: 45,000-50,000
Most of the voting age population is between 22 and 42
Median home price of just under $180,000
Hillary Clinton: $21,200
Barack Obama: $16,200
21231
Includes Fells Point, Upper Fells Point Butcher’s Hill, Washington Hill
Estimated population: 15,000
Most of the voting age population is between 22 and 35
Median Home Price: About $220,000
Barack Obama: $14,006
Hillary Clinton: $11,450
John McCain: $1,800
21202
Includes Jonestown, Little Italy, parts of Downtown, Inner Harbor, Harbor East, Mount Vernon, and Oliver
Estimated population: 22,000
Most of the voting age population is between 21 and 39
Median Home Price: $270,000
Hillary Clinton: $54,650
John Sarbanes: $31,300
Obama: $18,510
21218
Includes Charles Village, Waverl, Guilford, Barclay, Pen Lucy, Ednor Gardens
Estimated population: 50,000-55,000
Most of the voting age population is between 18 and 22
Median Home Price: $140,000
Hillary Clinton: $54,950
Barack Obama: $43,844
21213
Includes Belair-Edison, Mayfield, Broadway East, Clifton Park
Estimated population: 22,000
Most of the voting age population is between 21 and 39
Median Home Price: Under $70,000
Barack Obama: $2,200
Hillary Clinton: $1,200
21211
Includes Hampden, Remington, Woodberry, Medfield
Population: about 16,000
Most of the voting age population is between 25 and 35
Median Home Price: About $160,000
Barack Obama: $4,505
Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Assn $1,000
Fred Thompson: $1,000
Mike Turner: $1,000
John McCain: $951
Ron Paul: $950
Hillary Clinton: $750
21215
Park Heights
Estimated Population: 60,000-65,000
Most of the voting age population is between 34 and 50, very young
Median Home Price: $95,000
Barack Obama: $17,425
Rudolph Giuliani: $14,200
Republican National Committee: $4,300
Hillary Clinton: $2,550
21209
Mt. Washington
Estimated Population: 20,000-25,000
Most of the voting age population is between 25 and 50
Median Home Price: just over $300,000
Hillary Clinton: $44,200
Barack Obama: $29,963
21201
Downtown, parts of Mt. Vernon, Heritage Crossing
Estimated Population: 15,000
Most of the voting age population is between 20 and 30
Median Home Price: $90,000
Barack Obama: $17,677
Hillary Clinton: $7,700
21223
Franklin Square, Poppleton, Union Square, Booth-Boyd
Estimated Population: 30,000
Most of the voting age population is between 30 and 45
Median Home Price: just over $60,000
National Beer Wholesalers Assn.: $5,000
Hillary Clinton: $2,300
Barack Obama: $2,000
21217
Bolton Hill, Druid Heights, Sandtown-Winchester
Estimated Population: 40,000
Most of the voting age population is between 30 and 45
Median Home Price: just under $60,000
Barack Obama: $17,525
Hillary Clinton: $4,800
John McCain: $2,700
21230
Federal Hill, Ridgely’s Delight, Pigtown, Locust Point, but also Carroll Park, Westport, Brooklyn
Estimated Population: 30,000
Most of the voting age population is between 20 and 30
Median Home Price: just over $200,000
Hillary Clinton: $25,500
Barack Obama: $17,794
21229
Edmonson Village, Irvington, Uplands
Estimated Population: 45,000-50,000
Most of the voting age population is between 20 and 37
Median Home Price: about $105,000
Barack Obama: $4,662
Hillary Clinton: $2,981
Sources: www.city-data.com and The Center for Responsive Politics (www.opensecrets.org)
Home sales based on political affiliation?
May 15, 2008
A recent article from Muckety.com suggested that New York Realtors might want to start marketing certain apartment buildings based on which presidential candidate their residents support.
They found that the top 20 clusters of Clinton — and Obama — supporters live in apartments around Central Park.
In this age of hyper-customization of social interactions, be it through social networks like Facebook or MySpace, on-line dating services or the Huffington Post’s “neighbors” political affiliation search tool, which allows users to find out “whether that new guy you’re seeing is actually a Republican or just dresses like one,” we decided to crunch some numbers in order to see if the same sort of political NIMBYism exists in the City that Reads.
Since there are far fewer apartment complexes in Baltimore, the question became – what neighborhood should you live in, if you want to surround yourself with like-minded voters, and what does political preference have to do, if anything, with the housing stock of a particular area?
The study was further complicated by the fact that Baltimore’s neighborhoods don’t necessarily adhere to zip code distinctions, and the Center for Responsive Politics, which is the source of our campaign contribution numbers, only compiles donation tallies by postal codes, but our findings, after all that, were interesting.
Some of the most notable factoids:
- Zip Codes 21209 and 21202, which include Mt. Washington, Harbor East, and parts of downtown and Mt. Vernon, and have median home prices of about $300,000, and $270,000, respectively, are going overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. Mt. Washington’s Hillary-ites outspent the Barock stars, $44,200 to $29,963. People say that Obama is the candidate of elitists — but not so in Baltimore’s upscale neighborhoods, it seems.
- As the median home price goes down, so does Hillary’s margin. Solidly middle-class zip codes like 21218 (Charles Village, Waverly, Guilford, Barclay, Pen Lucy — median home price $140,000) and 21224 (Canton, Brewer’s Hill, Patterson Park, Highlandtown and Greektown — MHP $180,000) contributed more to Hillary, but only about 20-25 percent more.
- Baltimore’s largest zip code, area-wise, is 21230, and includes the affluent Federal Hill, Ridgely’s Delight, Pigtown and Locust Point areas, but also more middle-class Carroll Park, Westport, and Brooklyn. It is also one of its least populous, at just 30,000 people. They went for Hillary, $25,500 to $17,794.
- Campaign contributions tell some interesting stories about the demographic and socio-economic make-up of Baltimore’s neighborhoods. Residents of pricey Mt. Washington, for example, contribute about $3 per person to Democratic Party candidates. In zip code 21229, which includes the more working-class neighborhoods of Edmonson Village, Irvington and Uplands, the average residents spent less than 10 cents on their Democratic candidate of choice.
- John McCain barely registers at all on contribution stats in Baltimore. When he does, though, it’s pretty funny. In white, working-class 21211 (Hampden, Remington, Woodberry, Medford), the zip code in which this reporter resides, Obama leads the pack with $4,505 in contributions, while Hillary languishes at the bottom of the list at $750, behind Ron Paul ($950), McCain ($1,000) and the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association ($1,000), a transit union.
- Historically black West Baltimore, including the previously-mentioned 21229, 21223 (Franklin Square, Poppleton, Union Square, Booth-Boyd), and 21217 (Bolton Hill, Druid Heights, Sandtown-Winchester) combined to support Obama nearly three dollars to one (his $34,932 to Clinton’s $10,081), but the folks over in 21223 made it clear that beer is a bigger priority than politics. They contributed $5,300, more than their gifts to Obama and Clinton combined, to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
What part of town do you live in, and what do the vinyl signs in windows and on front lawns tell you about your neighborhood’s political character?
ROBBIE WHELAN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentBusinesspeople for Obama
May 8, 2008
Members of the Greater Baltimore Committee were treated Wednesday to a prediction that is becoming more and more common in the wake of Tuesday’s primary elections in North Carolina and Indiana. Chris Matthews, guest speaker at the GBC’s annual meeting and host of MSNBC’s “Hardball,” told the dinner crowd that he thought the next U.S. President would be either Barack Obama (this drew loud cheers from some sections of the audience) or John McCain (fewer cheers).
Matthews seemed taken aback by the response. An earlier mention of Obama by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown drew a similar applause, and not so much when Brown mentioned fellow Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton.
“I thought this was a business group,” Matthews said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “You guys are turning tail. Boy, not very loyal.”
Business folks are generally seen as economically conservative, but I would imagine they are happiest when policymakers have a keen eye for the business climate. Do you think Obama and the Democratic party are now seen as more effective economically, or was this a peculiarity of the particular crowd at dinner Wednesday?
ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentObama lands more Maryland superdelegates
May 5, 2008
Superdelegates Michael Cryor, Maryland’s Democratic Party chairman, and Vice Chairman Lauren Glover are scheduled to announce their support for Barack Obama on the eve of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
As the AP reports:
Two other Maryland superdelegates who are supporting Obama also will attend a news conference in College Park. Former Governor Parris Glendening was chosen Saturday as an add-on delegate. Karren Pope-Onwukwe also will attend; she has long been an Obama supporter.
Hillary Clinton supporter Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was also chosen as an add-on delegate Saturday.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentLawyers top list of campaign contributors
April 22, 2008
A legal newspaper out in Los Angeles, the Daily Journal, has a piece today about law firms’ political donations. (Hat tip to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog and a bow to former Daily Record-ite Lawrence Hurley, who wrote the DJ piece. Longtime readers will remember him as the one with the great British accent.)
According to the Law Blog, Hurley writes that lawyers are the biggest contributors to the campaigns of both Democratic presidential candidates and the second-biggest to Republican John McCain.
The post also mentions that lawyers at Baltimore’s own home-grown megafirm, DLA Piper, have given Clinton nearly half a million. Wow.
I wonder how other firms around here stack up, donation-wise. I sense a story one of these days…
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
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