Allegedly illegal ‘robocalls’ were the subject of the election-fraud trial of former Gov. Bob Ehrlich’s 2012 campaign operative Julius Henson, who claimed the calls constituted a right to “free speech.”

But if they can telephone us,
why can’t we return the favor?

WHY DON’T POLITICAL MESSAGES
QUALIFY FOR ‘DO NOT CALL LIST’?
 
By David Maril
 
Better gear up for the annoying robocalls from political hacks and the “get-out-to-vote for me” pleas from the candidates running for governor. The Maryland primaries are June 24th and the general election will be held Nov. 4th.

Heading into the primaries, the Democrats, the dominant party in Maryland, are holding center stage.

We have Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, trying to distance himself from the Obama healthcare registration debacle after originally claiming bragging rights for launching the program in the state, and leading the way.

State Attorney General Doug Gansler is in frantic pursuit, hoping to rebound from sloppy missteps early in the campaign. Maryland House Del. Heather Mizeur, coming in from the far left, rounds out the field.

The Republicans, led by Harford County Executive David R. Craig and Charles County businessman Charles Lollar, are running on a farfetched plan, with few details, of eliminating the state income tax over several years.

Expect the phones, for those who still have landline telephones, to start ringing off the hook any day now, just when you are sitting down to dinner or beginning to watch your favorite TV program.

I have always wondered how many voters make up their mind while listening to a recorded message from one of the candidates or a campaign worker.

Just as deadly are the campaign lackeys gushing away on the phone about how their man, or woman, will correct every problem in the state while making us all happy and prosperous.

Who needs this pestering? Why aren’t these nuisance interruptions into your home included on the Do Not Call List?

Wouldn’t it be nice payback to turn the tables on all the contending candidates, with recorded telephone messages of our own, asking for their support?

MAKING US LISTEN TO THEIR RHETORIC

Instead of making us listen to their rhetoric, shouldn’t they be forced to hear what we want and have to say? And why shouldn’t we, the taxpayers, have the same opportunity to record our requests and bug them when they’re getting ready to sit down to eat or unwind after a day of work?

Since they have no trouble reaching us, we should be able to track down the unlisted phone numbers of Brown, Gansler, Mizeur, Craig and Lollar and plead for what we want from them.

I’d like, for example, to make  one recorded message, sent to all of the candidates, which would go like this:

“Hi, my name is David Maril. I need your support for the next four years if I vote for you and you get elected.

“All of us are facing tremendous challenges the next few years and you have a chance to participate in a historic effort to turn things around for all Marylanders.

“Can you deliver experience and good judgment along with fresh ideas while offering a message of optimism? Do you know how to get things done politically while rising above special interest politics of the past?

“I am committed to supporting a candidate who will not raise taxes, who will fix all the enrollment problems with healthcare, expand public transportation, upgrade the school systems, repair the bridges and highways and decrease utility rates.”

‘A GOVERNOR WHO COMMANDS RESPECT’

“I’m looking for someone who is liberal on some issues, conservative on others, has some of the values of a populist while respecting the importance of big business, is tough on crime while also striving for rehabilitation.

“Maryland needs a governor who commands respect in urban and rural areas around the state and is also a proponent of diplomacy, willing to cross party lines finding common ground.

“We’re looking for someone who can help Marylanders maintain a leadership position in the national and global economies while not abandoning the local workers.

“Are you the person who can make government serve the people while cutting out waste and bureaucratic expansion?

“Maryland needs a governor who respects the environment and will save the Chesapeake Bay but realizes the importance of encouraging growth in the business world.

“The state could use a governor who sticks with budgets and makes sure there is proper accountability and supervision of government programs.”

‘COURAGE AND INTEGRITY’

“The state needs someone who has enough courage and integrity to be committed to the right issues and won’t flip-flop with the political winds. Maryland needs a governor who will make sure we receive the promised revenue from the expanding casino industry while maintaining responsible control of the industry.

“Most importantly, Maryland needs a candidate who is focused only on being governor and not planning to run for president. Governing decisions should not be influenced by national ambitions.

“My name is David Maril and I approve this message.”

Unfortunately, I don’t see any candidates in either party who are running this year who have the character and fortitude to meet many of the standards in my message.

davidmaril@hermanmaril.com

“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Other candidates running for governor include Republicans Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., who served in former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich’s cabinet, and State Del. Ronald A. George of Anne Arundel County.

CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S “INSIDE PITCH” COLUMN:  click here
…and read previous Dave Maril columns  by clicking here.