With the election just 100 days away, the rhetoric was hot and heavy at a rally Saturday in Solomons sponsored by Republican and unaffiliated conservative groups. Political stump speaches flowed out from under the pavilion overlooking the Patuxent. The only thing missing was the candidates as the speeches were given by surrogates with a strong anti-Democratic message.
The “The Turn the Tide Maryland!” noontime rally was sponsored by the Republican central committees of St. Mary’s, Prince George’s, and Calvert counties, and Americans for Prosperity and the Maryland Society of Patriots. Several dozen people attended.
The subjects of the speeches were of course President Obama, Rep. Steny Hoyer and Sen. Ben Cardin. Of Obama, Del. Mark Fisher (R: Calvert) said: “I truly believe for the first time in American History we have a Marxist in the White House.”
Dave Parenti of the Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Maryland Chapter criticized Hoyer for what he called non responses to several letters he has sent to the congressman’s office. “I am offended by garbage like that.” he said.
And in a fiery speech, 1st Vice President of the Maryland Republican Party Diana Waterman said of Cardin, “I don’t know what he does except vote wrong.” She added “We need someone energetic with fire in their belly.” She said Cardin’s Republican challenger Dan Bongino was the person to do just that.
Maryland is a heavily Democratic state but Waterman said all isn’t lost. “Republicans have won before in Maryland. We can win for Romney.” Waterman held up a Tony O’Donnell bumper sticker and urged Fifth Congressional District residents to vote for the Calvert County delegate over the long-serving Hoyer, from St. Mary’s County.
The rally was not without some partisan discord. Although the national Americans for Prosperity largely supports Republicans, at one point Parenti criticized Republican members of Congress for supporting the Farm Bill. “Republicans are letting us down in Washington,” he said.
Parenti said his organization is concentrating on several states, such as Virginia, in getting on the message about “Obamacare.” When asked from the audience why not Maryland, Parenti said the message resonates with Virginia residents more than in Democratic Maryland. “It is winning their (Virginians) hearts and minds,” he explained.
Also speaking was Sam Hale of the Maryland Society of Patriots, the state’s Tea Party organization. In a rousing speech he noted, as did several other speakers, that the state has lost 10,000 jobs recently. Hale hit hard at health care
