Posted on 10/30/2006 10:51:56 AM PST by milwguy
Former Prince George's County executive Wayne K. Curry, backed by five black members of the Prince George's County Council, today endorsed Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's campaign for the U.S. Senate, at a 12:45 p.m. press conference. Mr. Curry, a Democrat who became the first black Prince George's county executive in 1994, and served two terms, is influential in Prince George's, the state's second-largest county, with about 846,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Council members David Harrington, Camille Exum, Samuel H. Dean, Marilynn M. Bland and Tony Knotts joined Mr. Curry in backing Mr. Steele, who is black. Prince George's is also 65 percent black, and is expected to play a key role in Maryland's Nov. 7 U.S. Senate race between Mr. Steele, who is from Prince George's, and Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, who is white and from Baltimore
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
It's now 6 hours since this announcement was made, and only the Washington Times and Town Hall have picked it up. Shameful.
Spread this word far & wide.
I'll turn it back around on you: What were Curry's future prospects before he did this?
Answer: About nil.
He had already risen as far as the white racists in the Maryland dem party would let him. This shot across the bow was to tell them that they'd better stop keeping black politicians down or they can no longer count on keeping the black vote in their pockets.
I think this premise is true regardless of whether or not Steele wins, so he can only win with this move. In fact, it pays off better for him if he doesn't do any more for Steele than he already has & Steele loses a squeaker. Then he can say to them, "If I had made ads for Steele, or supported his get out the vote effort, Steele would be a Senator today. You ignore me at your peril."
"Which leads to another question - what does Mr. Curry know that isn't general knowledge?"
Thanks for the heads-up.
I'd like to think he may just be doing what he believes is the right thing, but it would make sense that he would hedge his bet just a bit.
It's my understanding that Curry was courted to replace Steele on the Ehrlich ticket, but he didn't take it. This was before Cox came on board. I believe that I heard this kicked around on WBAL.
Yep, this man has definitely left the plantation! God bless him!
Dear No Longer Free State,
"I'll turn it back around on you: What were Curry's future prospects before he did this?
"Answer: About nil."
I don't think I agree with you. Mr. Mfume, who is a felon and a sexual harasser, came within 4% of getting the Dem nomination for Senate.
Mr. Mfume was a deeply flawed candidate, and yet came within a hair's breadth of winning. I think that Mr. Curry could do better. Mr. Curry also would have had a good shot against Mr. O'Malley, if he'd have tried.
As well, I'm less sanguine about the Dems taking him back. I think that whether Mr. Steele wins or not, Mr. Curry will be persona non grata in the party. I think, rather, that Dems will be more solicitous of other black Dems in the state, of which there are plenty. Shooting the messenger isn't unusual.
However, I think it's even less likely for the Dems to take him back if Mr. Steele loses. The race is very close now. To most observers, it looks like a real horse race. If Mr. Curry's endorsement doesn't put Mr. Steele over the top, Mr. Curry will be unable to claim that he had much impact on the election at all. This is especially true if Mr. Steele doesn't significantly outperform in the black community.
But if Mr. Steele loses, I don't think the Republicans will have much use for Mr. Curry, either.
sitetest
Dear incredulous joe,
"It's my understanding that Curry was courted to replace Steele on the Ehrlich ticket, but he didn't take it."
I'd heard that, too. I think that perhaps Mr. Curry didn't take it because he didn't want to be a "me too" type of candidate, as in, "I'm Mr. Ehrlich's black running mate, too."
If he wants it, this represents a different point of entry into the Republican Party. If Mr. Steele wins, Mr. Curry will get the credit. He'll be the kingmaker. And I think that the Republicans will give him wide leeway in what he'd like to do next.
See, as a Democrat, he couldn't challenge Al Wynn for his congressional seat. If he'd have wanted to run for US Senate or for Governor, he'd have to duke it out with folks like Cardin, Mfume, O'Malley, Duncan. Although he probably could have won either primary, nonetheless, the races would have been strongly contested.
As a Republican, the party would likely help clear the way if he wanted to run against Mr. Wynn in '08, or run against Ms. Mikulski (or run for the open seat when she finally vacates - how long has she been there? Since the Stone Age??). He'd be a heavy favorite running in the Republican primary for governor in '10. He sees how the party has made room for Mr. Steele, and I think he believes (and rightly) that the party would make space for him.
As the Man Who Cleaned Up After Parris, he'd have instant credibility as a fiscally prudent and competent candidate.
Just some thoughts.
sitetest
Nice. If Steele wins, he could blaze a trail for other black Republicans to peel off disgruntled, taken-for-granted black Democrats.
I was happy to read this today...and hope it puts Steele over the top. After watching Steele debate Cardin and Russert yesterday, it was clear that he was the winner. Cardin put up a new ad, and Steele countered it right away. You can see the ads over at powerline. Very good stuff. I wish all candidates would run the kind of ads that Steele is running, very very good.
I lived in southern Maryland (St. Mary's County) for ten years, and The Enlightener is right-on. The people down there who are so racist that they wouldn't vote for Steele are the ones that are voting Democrat anyway. Luckily, I didn't meet too many racist folks down there - people get along just fine.
My friend in St. Mary's County tell me that Cardin is really hitting Steele hard by attacking Bush, and apparently Bush is not popular now. He thinks Cardin may still have the edge.
Cardin has a fairly small power base in the State and it overlapped with Mfume's Cardin's are Baltimore area Jews, libs , Blacks. (Their districts were back to back)).
No Black Democrap has ever been elected or even nominated for Senator or Governor in the State, and Curry can read the tea leaves as well as anyone. With 30 % of the State and half the Party being Black, thats pretty pathetic. I doubt he loses face backing an African American from his home County. Very doubtful of that.
With this endorsement, Curry has little to gain and much to lose if Steele loses the election. The retribution by Cardin and Schumer will be tremendous. Therefore, Curry must be convinced that Steele can win this election.
Dear Nonstatist,
"No Black Democrap has ever been elected or even nominated for Senator or Governor in the State, and Curry can read the tea leaves as well as anyone."
That's true.
"With 30 % of the State and half the Party being Black, thats pretty pathetic."
And that's why Mr. Curry could have done it. Especially if he'd have run against Mr. Cardin, whom you point out had a rather narrow power base.
But he didn't try. I wonder if he'd prefer a more wide open field in which to play.
"I doubt he loses face backing an African American from his home County."
I don't think it's a matter quite of losing face, just clout. If he is perceived as unable to move the electorate a few percentage, if he's perceived as unable to move the black vote significantly, then he'll hardly have the ability to call the tune for the party.
sitetest
I know I'll be celebrating on Tuesday night. I'm buying a little bottle of champagne. It's going to be a GOP House and Senate, and Negron will win Foley's seat.
How do you like them apples?
LOL!!! Me too.
Thats true. OTOH, if Steele pulls this off, Curry's status will rise commensurately. And if Steele is really only 4 to 5 points back, that means he has to flip maybe 4-5 % of the Dem vote. Given that maybe 40 % of that vote is African American, I would say its quite doable.. No risk, no gain!
He was a consiglier to Tommy Broadwater, former state senator, proprietor of the Ebony Inn in Fairmont Heights just over the DC line, and kingmaker to PG's black political class for a generation. Curry graduated from Bladensburg back in the seventies and came up through the ranks of PG politics, and was instrumental as County Executive in securing the Redskins deal for Landover. His name hangs on the stadium ring of honor along with Riggins, Jurgensen, Allen etc.
For Curry to come out for Steele a week before Election Day tells me that the insiders who shape PG's body politic are rejecting the Baltimore-centric Democrats at the worst possible time for them, and seek to have their imprimatur on the first open Senate seat in almost a generation.
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