White oak or dandelion fluff?
About three weeks ago, andy harris posted this on his Facebook Page:
"I guess the fake signing ceremony Wes Moore held for the bill might have been a waste of time. At least he was in Maryland that day. "
My response:
"What's the problem? He's in the sate more than you are on The Shore."
Of course harris answered as if he seized upon a gotcha moment:
"I live on the Shore. Nice try with the fake news."
And my faithful readers, all three of them, already knew I wasn't about to let that nonsense sit unanswered.
First, my comment wasn't news, fake or otherwise; it was my sarcastic retort to a sarcastic post.
Second, it's the first time harris ever responded directly to me over the last two decades. It was time to get serious and test how he would respond. That meant I had to respond as neutrally as I could while laying out the facts as I understood them. Here was my response:
"Thank you for responding. I missed that you sold your Cockeysville home in 2023.
When you first ran for the congressional seat in 2008, I remember thinking how dare one of them people from over there thinks they can represent us over here. I wasn't alone. You lost your 2008 bid.
You were living in your Cockeysville home for around twenty years, but something strange happened around 2009 shortly after losing the election. You were still living in Cockeysville, but decided to buy a home in Dorchester. And then you took a part time position with PRMC (Tidal Health today) and another position shortly after with Easton Memorial. But you continued to live in Cockeysville.
The telling part is that when you won the 2010 election, the media bragged about you being the first person from the other side of the Bridge to represent The Eastern Shore. In other words, Cockeysville was still your primary residence as campaign records show.
But then something strange happened, again, in 2021. Due to redistricting, Cockeysville fell out of District 1. As of December 2021, the media was still reporting your primary home as Cockeysville, but by early 2022, you registered to vote in Dorchester and you sold your Cockeysville home about year or so later.
"I guess the fake signing ceremony Wes Moore held for the bill might have been a waste of time. At least he was in Maryland that day. "
My response:
"What's the problem? He's in the sate more than you are on The Shore."
Of course harris answered as if he seized upon a gotcha moment:
"I live on the Shore. Nice try with the fake news."
And my faithful readers, all three of them, already knew I wasn't about to let that nonsense sit unanswered.
First, my comment wasn't news, fake or otherwise; it was my sarcastic retort to a sarcastic post.
Second, it's the first time harris ever responded directly to me over the last two decades. It was time to get serious and test how he would respond. That meant I had to respond as neutrally as I could while laying out the facts as I understood them. Here was my response:
"Thank you for responding. I missed that you sold your Cockeysville home in 2023.
When you first ran for the congressional seat in 2008, I remember thinking how dare one of them people from over there thinks they can represent us over here. I wasn't alone. You lost your 2008 bid.
You were living in your Cockeysville home for around twenty years, but something strange happened around 2009 shortly after losing the election. You were still living in Cockeysville, but decided to buy a home in Dorchester. And then you took a part time position with PRMC (Tidal Health today) and another position shortly after with Easton Memorial. But you continued to live in Cockeysville.
The telling part is that when you won the 2010 election, the media bragged about you being the first person from the other side of the Bridge to represent The Eastern Shore. In other words, Cockeysville was still your primary residence as campaign records show.
But then something strange happened, again, in 2021. Due to redistricting, Cockeysville fell out of District 1. As of December 2021, the media was still reporting your primary home as Cockeysville, but by early 2022, you registered to vote in Dorchester and you sold your Cockeysville home about year or so later.
Now would be a good time to fill in all the holes in the timeline I outlined. An astute journalist or opponent can see the holes in your story and the pattern you followed. I base my statement on the fact that I am not a journalist nor am I astute. So if I can see it, plenty of other people a lot smarter than me probably see it.
When I was a kid, many old timers used to say that transplants aren't Eastern Shoremen until they have lived here for ten years. I don't know if that unofficial social rule holds today, but I am one of those old timers now <sigh> who still believe that unless you have lived here for at least ten years and have been active in your community here, then you have no business coming here and telling us what to do.
My outline above shows that maybe you lived here five years tops. Part time living and working doesn't count. At least not for me. I also don't see you as being active in Dorchester as a citizen. That doesn't mean you aren't. It simply means I haven't found evidence. I can find plenty of evidence of community involvement in Baltimore County, but none in Dorchester.
Other than a photo op a couple of times a year at a firehouse or the occasional groundbreaking ceremony or seafood house, I don't see you rubbing elbows with your neighbors, much less the hard working folk you supposedly represent. It's almost like you think of us as residents of a crap house, as a previous governor once described the Eastern Shore.
That disconnect means something to me, and should explain my initial comment. Please feel free to fill in the holes where I'm missing something."
That was posted three weeks ago. He hasn't responded.
Come November, you decide: white oak or dandelion fluff? If you prefer fluff, andy might be your man. If you prefer oak, take a serious look at the other candidates.
When I was a kid, many old timers used to say that transplants aren't Eastern Shoremen until they have lived here for ten years. I don't know if that unofficial social rule holds today, but I am one of those old timers now <sigh> who still believe that unless you have lived here for at least ten years and have been active in your community here, then you have no business coming here and telling us what to do.
My outline above shows that maybe you lived here five years tops. Part time living and working doesn't count. At least not for me. I also don't see you as being active in Dorchester as a citizen. That doesn't mean you aren't. It simply means I haven't found evidence. I can find plenty of evidence of community involvement in Baltimore County, but none in Dorchester.
Other than a photo op a couple of times a year at a firehouse or the occasional groundbreaking ceremony or seafood house, I don't see you rubbing elbows with your neighbors, much less the hard working folk you supposedly represent. It's almost like you think of us as residents of a crap house, as a previous governor once described the Eastern Shore.
That disconnect means something to me, and should explain my initial comment. Please feel free to fill in the holes where I'm missing something."
That was posted three weeks ago. He hasn't responded.
Come November, you decide: white oak or dandelion fluff? If you prefer fluff, andy might be your man. If you prefer oak, take a serious look at the other candidates.
For your listening pleasure:
Posted by One Drunk Redneck
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