Maglev train uses magnetic levitation in lieu of wheels to travel at lightning speeds without touching the ground. Mary- land Gov. Larry Hogan wants taxpayers to fund a Maglev line between Baltimore and Washington that would reduce one- way travel time between the two cities to just 15 minutes.

NEVER HAVE SO MANY LIGHTWEIGHTS
DECIDED IN A SINGLE ELECTION
TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

If Hillary Clinton occupies the White House,
will she ever hold a press conference?

REASONABLY PRICED MARC TRAIN SERVICE
BETWEEN BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON
IS EFFICIENT, AND GAINING POPULARITY
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering if a White House with Hillary Clinton as president would ever host a press conference, it’s interesting to note the following:

 So much was made of Gov. Larry Hogan’s being swept off his feet in Japan riding 300 miles per hour in a high-speed Maglev train, dreaming about 15-minute service between Baltimore and Washington, two obvious questions were never asked:

Is the Governor even aware that affordable and, for the most part, efficient rail service exists on MARC trains? And if he is, has he ever boarded one of these trains and taken the smooth, comfortable trip from Penn Station or Camden Yards in Baltimore to Washington’s Union Station?

If the new Governor is into rail service, he doesn’t need to go all the way to Japan to take a ride. He should stop all of his tap dancing and delaying and approve the Red Line Light Rail system for Baltimore and Maryland.

His plan of applying for $27.8 million in Federal Railroad Administration funds to study the feasibility of the $10 billion Maglev rail line to D.C. is a waste of time and money. This train proposal is old news. It’s been discussed and debated for decades. The fact Japan is so eager to sell and build this type of system that it will kick in half of the money needed doesn’t make it any more feasible.

It’s true the Maglev system is intriguing and it would be a major achievement to establish a futuristic, high-speed and environmentally friendly rail line connecting the busy Northeast Corridor.

However, to achieve this costly, mammoth objective would require a regional, large-scale approach to coordinate and secure the service through Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, New York, Providence and Boston.

A NORTHEAST REGIONAL PLAN

Throwing so much money into an isolated stretch of Maglev tracks that don’t tie in with the other lines connecting the major cities would be absurd. High-speed service between Baltimore and Washington only succeeds if it is part of a Northeast regional plan that links numerous major metropolitan areas.

Long-term and long-range planning would be needed to see how the existing Amtrak service on the profitable Northeast Corridor can be improved, modernized and, if feasible, replaced by a more modern service.

A Maglev type of project would need to be tackled on a regional level. It would be foolhardy for Maryland, alone, to take on, producing a costly, deluxe and most likely unaffordable premium service simply to shave off 30 minutes of travel time to Washington.

The Governor should be practical, recognize what we already have in place and focus on improving the existing service. MARC, as an alternative to the more expensive tickets on Amtrak, is growing in popularity and now includes weekend service between Baltimore and Washington.

 According to political strategists, the Clinton for President campaign people are concerned about Hillary’s low poll ratings when the question of trust is raised. Their solution is to publicly spin more stories about her fortitude growing up through a difficult childhood.

That’s all well and good but how about spending some time with the press and answering questions? Trust comes from speaking directly to the people, addressing issues related to her past and going on record with where she stands on the complex situations facing the nation today.

In a dramatic do-over of her April tweet announcing her second run for president, Hil- lary Rodham Clinton re-branded herself Saturday in New York as an “anti-Wall Street warrior who would take from the rich to give to the poor,” as reported by the Sunday (June 14) New York Post in a lede story promoted by one of the tabloid newspaper’s imaginative signature covers.  Clinton has been known to avoid and/or attempt to manipulate the press whenever it’s in her best interests — but will she be able to offer more than Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s fiery rhetoric-sans-solutions against the “fat cats of Wall Street”?  (Note Former President Bill Clinton, lower right, as Robin Hood’s jovial companion Friar Tuck, made to appear like a Buddhist monk, in a sarcastic reference to the panhandlers and charlatans dressed as spurious monks who have recently been hitting up tourists for handouts in many of New York’s city parks.)

 No matter where you stand politically, there’s no question that quantity has replaced quality in the chase for the White House.

On the Republican side, there’s never been a greater collection of lightweights under one roof. Of the group, every candidate has at least one major flaw.

For example, Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida, is an up and coming blowhard who struggles to manage his personal finances.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is too sanctimonious to realize his political train left the station years ago.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas’s Ted Cruz, political opposites, both are starving for attention and similar in lacking the big-picture judgment to be president.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has all the credibility of a carnival barker.

Is it any coincidence that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker always has a blank, confused look on his face?

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, with dark-framed glasses and neatly combed hair, is sporting a new Clark Kent look. However, he is no Superman.

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Senator, is honest, answers questions and works well on domestic issues with both parties. But when it comes to foreign policy, he’s a hawkish character right out of “Dr. Strangelove.”

Jeb Bush has the campaign funding but is flustered by obvious questions he should have been expecting. Amazingly, he remains puzzled that it’s impossible to distance himself from brother “W” when he surrounds himself with the former President’s old advisors.

Dr. Ben Carson was a great humanitarian and surgeon in the medical world but painfully out of touch as a presidential candidate.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who hasn’t formally announced, could be the best the party has to offer but may be too capable, reasonable, focused and rational to get the nomination.

 On the Democrats’ side, there’s Clinton, who feels she’s waited long enough to be president to not have to state her policies and answer questions.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party in the Senate, is a decent guy and puts all his cards on the table but he’s too far to the left to have a chance.

O’MALLEY’S EMPTY TEFLON SUIT

Old Maryland friend Martin O’Malley, still wearing an empty non-stick Teflon suit that held up through two terms as governor and seven years as Baltimore Mayor, has shifted to the left of Hillary. However, he seems unable to convince voters around the country he really believes in what he is preaching.

Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is a man of principle but lacks the toughness and political organization to be taken seriously.

Is it too much to hope that this combination of weak challengers will cause Hillary enough problems to encourage a stronger candidate to jump in and at least force a discussion of issues to create an interesting race?

 Has there been a more confusing political issue in recent news than the trade bill? It’s nearly impossible to remove the politics from the discussion and get a clear analysis of the pros and cons.

Barack Obama’s failure, thanks to the opposition from many of his fellow Democrats, to get his fast-track version of the trade bill steamrolled through Congress isn’t that surprising.

The president’s biggest weakness is his disdain, and ineffectiveness, in negotiating directly, behind closed doors, with key individuals to make deals and get things done.

He has never mastered the art of finding a way to put something out there for the opposition so it walks away saving face after giving in on what the President wants.

Calvin Coolidge, the nation’s 30th President, between 1923 and 1929 held more press conferences, on average — nearly eight per month — than any other chief executive. Franklin Delano Roosevelt met with the press more than any other president — 1,020 times in 12 years — for an average of seven per month between 1933 and 1945.  If Hillary becomes the first woman president, how often can she be counted on to meet the press?

 Every time Elizabeth Warren, populist Senator from Massachusetts, speaks, I hear a lot of fiery rhetoric against the “fat cats of Wall Street” but few solutions to the problem.

Personally, I think those greedy opportunists elected to serve in Congress, who are allowed to become wealthy lobbyists after they leave office, are even fatter cats than the ones prowling around on Wall Street.

Some of these elected officials don’t even bother finishing out their terms. They can’t wait to sit out the required year and then become even wealthier using all their inside congressional connections.

Wouldn’t lifetime bans against becoming lobbyists be fitting for anyone elected to the House or Senate?

 Jake Tapper, who is taking over CNN’s Sunday morning news show “State Of The Union,” is a terrific choice and will help raise the profile of this program.

When he was with ABC, Tapper should have succeeded George Stephanopoulos on that network’s Sunday morning program. Tapper is an experienced journalist, asks tough, relevant questions in a civilized manner, and brings credibility.

 Isn’t it laughable when mouthpieces from casinos criticize the media for providing too much negative coverage of the recent protesting, arson and vandalism, hurting their business and Baltimore’s economy?

You can always trust them for having our best interests at heart. Will complaints about too much coverage of gambling addiction be next?

 The recent resurgence of the Orioles’ defense, which was especially noticeable against the Red Sox and Yankees, is primarily due to the return, off the injury list, of shortstop J.J. Hardy into the starting lineup.

The fact that the American League East is so balanced and weak kept the Orioles from dropping out of contention when they were struggling.
 
davidmaril@voiceofbaltimore.org
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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