CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Maryland delegates were still crowing about
President Bill Clinton's Wednesday night speech at their breakfast meeting
Thursday.
"He was just awesome. He is truly a master," Prince George's County
Executive Rushern Baker III said. "To put in context about what this
election is all about, what President Obama has done and why we need him,
nobody can do it better than Bill Clinton."
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin agreed and said, "I'm so proud of the fact
that he is so engaged in this election. He wants to see America succeed and
he understands the choice that we have to make ... I think president Clinton
laid out the entire game plan for the Democrats."
Maryland Democratic Party Chairwoman Yvette Lewis said Clinton,
"articulated so well everything about this president's record that has been
so distorted and vilified."
Former Gov. Parris Glendening agreed with Lewis and remarked about
how well Clinton executed his convention role.
"He had one role ... to very clearly and forcefully rebut the claims
that were made by the Republicans, and he did that. He did that really
well," Glendening said.
***
How many politicians does it take to cast an obvious vote? Four,
clearly.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Elijah
Cummings and state party Chairwoman Yvette Lewis all helped cast the state's
124 votes for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention early
Thursday morning.
O'Malley led off and addressed Alice Germond, the secretary of the
Democratic National Committee.
"Madam secretary, madam secretary, Maryland, the Old Line State, the
original land of the free and home of the brave, the number one state for
innovation and entrepreneurship, the number one state for four years in a
row for public education in America, has a great vote to cast here, but we
have a couple more things we'd like to share with you."
Cardin then took the microphone.
"Working with our great Gov. Martin O'Malley we have driven down
violent crime in our state by 30 percent, made college more affordable for
the people of our state, looking forward to the Baltimore Orioles winning
the World Series and the Ravens and the Redskins meeting in the Super Bowl."
(In rehearsing his remarks beforehand, Cardin joked that his Orioles
prediction would damage his credibility.)
Next up was Rep. Elijah Cummings.
"Maryland: Where we move forward, not back and Maryland, where we
will re-elect the greatest senator in the world, Ben Cardin!"
And, after the home state chauvinism, the official business:
"I am Yvette Lewis. I am the chair of the Maryland Democratic Party
and we proudly cast 124 votes for President Barack Obama!"
Capital News Service
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