I agree with what you say about Miller, but where was the outrage at all of Miller's procedural maneuvering when he used it to thwart Ehrlich's ideas? He doesnt use his clout to thwart just progressive ideas, but anything the Republican's tried to move as well.

Gee. I wonder if someone other than a liberal would buy a word of your nonsense.

O'Malley isn't "convinced" of anything other than playing to his Kool-Aid drinking base.

Welcome to the Socialist Republic of Maryland.

And Miller is about power. Exercising it against anyone that has the idea before he does. He killed Ehrlichs term. How many vetoes of O'Malley legislation? How many for Glendenning? Ehrlich?

I

Mike Miller is Poison to this state. Its not about the people of Maryland its about Mike Miller.

i agree with you on miller but not for the reasons you state. why should you critize a politician for views that the voters have? people who dont agree with you including miller are not idiots.

Let me guess Dan - you're against the death penalty, hence the hostility.

Miller's stance on the matter is the ONLY thing he's ever done that I approve of.

YOU have been one of the primary ramrods trying to force this down Maryland voters throats. The people and voters of this state have spoken, through their representatives, and the MINORITY has been stopped by the MAJORITY. This is how government works. The death penalty now stands even stronger, as it should.

I wonder how supporters of the death penalty would feel if they were wrongly convicted of a capital crime and faced the death penalty for something they did not do? Way too many people have been exonerated by DNA evidence for anyone in this country to be for the death penalty. Until we can rid our justice system of the corrupt cops who lie and plant evidence and the corrupt prosecutors who suppress evidence so they can up there conviction rate, and the judges in Md. who are corrupt and routinly ignore the constitiution, there should be no death penalty, PERIOD!

So if you are against gun rights or the death penalty, you are "taking a principled stand", but if you are for gun rights or the death penalty, you are "jaded", engaging in a "trick", and invoking "two-bit realism". Got it.
But this all begs the question of why someone would use the death penalty as a reelection tool. Perhaps because the majority of the electorate supports the death penalty, and would elect pro-death penalty candidates in their place?
Should we follow the will of the public, or do you support some sort of meritocracy instead? And who would make up this group of wiser men and women? My guess is not too many slots would be reserved for replaceable journalists toiling away for failing newspapers, so be careful what you wish for.

Gee. I wonder if someone other than a liberal would buy a word of your nonsense.

O'Malley isn't "convinced" of anything other than playing to his Kool-Aid drinking base.

Welcome to the Socialist Republic of Maryland.

And Miller is about power. Exercising it against anyone that has the idea before he does. He killed Ehrlichs term. How many vetoes of O'Malley legislation? How many for Glendenning? Ehrlich?

What are you even talking about? There aren't any real liberals in Maryland, only old-fashioned, big business, Dixiecrats posing as Democrats.

There are all these charges of "socialism" from the Right. Do you even know what socialism is? How is repealing the death penalty socialist?

And the to the person who says that the minority should shut up and let the majority rule: That is not have "government" works. That's how democracy is supposed to work. Not all governments. And remember you said that when the MAJORITY of Americans don't support Republicans.

Dan, you sound a bit like Miller, making negative characterizations of those who think differently from you and overly positive characterizations of those who agree with you.

Do you REALLY believe that any of those you mentioned had any other than personal motives for any of those actions?

Interesting. Those who agree with you have taken "a principled stand," while those who disagree with you are "jaded" and "control freaks."

I decided a while ago that it was inconsistent to support the death penalty and oppose abortion, and would now like to see the death penalty repealed, all life being sacred. Would you agree it is equally inconsistent to oppose the death penalty and support abortion?

Dan- If you have ever had someone close to you murdered then you would understand how valuable the death penalty is. We should not play the same racial politics, black or white should get the same treatment.

the death penalty is wrong, it dson't deter crime one bit. But with no money to play with, what are the good old boys in Annapolis with their taxpayer funded time?

It is obvious the liberal Dems like you are constantly trying to stifle the Majority with your Minority views. O'Malley tried to skew the views on the death penalty with his incredibly biased Death Penalty Study commision whose recommendation was a foregone conclusion before it even got started (taxpayer money frivolously wasted again). Well this time the Majority spoke louder than the Minority and justice was served. I don't like Miller, Busch or O'Malley especially for how they thwarted the only real governor FOR the people, Ehrlich, but in this case, Miller did something right for a change. The people have spoken.

Because you don't get your way on one issue, you say someone has been in the seat to long? You fail to mention that the Senate has commitee rules and as the Sun reports, O'malley lobbied for weeks trying to circumvent the process. The Committee process works for every other bill, why not this one. This year, the Senate needs to focus on the States budget and making sure our good State does not follow the footsteps of CA. Yes, the death penalty has been studied and I agree that it is wrong. Why don't you focus your attention on the committee members who voted against the repeal and than let the voters decide if they should be reelected. Show the committe members and the way they Voted in your column....don't just pick on one person.

"Would you agree it is equally inconsistent to oppose the death penalty and support abortion?"
Well, legally, abortion is not murder, even if some if us feel that it is in fact murder from a moral standpoint. So, no, abortion is not the same thing as expensive and pointless state-sponsored murder.

Lockestep, you seem to be unfamliar with our system of government. We are not a democracy where The People rule. We are a democratic republic, where The People elect leaders to respresent them with their "judgment", not do what we tell them to do. And Mr. Rodericks never said that being against gun control and for the death penalty was a trick, just that in this instance it is being used as one.

"Dan- If you have ever had someone close to you murdered then you would understand how valuable the death penalty is. We should not play the same racial politics, black or white should get the same treatment."
If you think killing murderers is to "valuable" then why don't we all just go ahead and save the state money? Logically, killing murderers makes us all feel better according to your statement, and it's somehow all about race? What?

"It is obvious the liberal Dems like you are constantly trying to stifle the Majority with your Minority views."
That's a hilarious statement in a state that always goes democrat. What majority are YOU talking about? What's also hilarious is that you think Erlich, or all people, gave a crap about anyone, let alone "The People." Remember this "the people have spoken" nonsense when you complain about who we elected president.

What's with all the Dan hating? If you hate Dan and his POV so much, why bother to read this website? You're just getting yourselves all upset and angry over something that none of us can do anything about right now. Seriously.

"Dan- If you have ever had someone close to you murdered then you would understand how valuable the death penalty is. We should not play the same racial politics, black or white should get the same treatment."

_______________________________

And Donald, what if you or someone you knew was wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to death row? Then tell me how "valuable" the DP is after that.

Dan, when the number of Democrats opposing and supporting the death penalty (Gonzalez's poll said 39% approve, what he didnt include was only 42% disapprove...aka its dead even), how could you call Miller out? O'Malley started using the party's infrastructure to repeal when it was clear Democrats are on both sides of the fence. I didn't see Republicans using the MDGOP to push the death penalty--and probably because they don't see it as political when they stand next to their Democrat colleagues who agree. Don't let your own opinion of the death penalty color what happened, Dan. Those of there to see it know better...especially considering Miller let it come to the floor first place given the committee's unfavorable report. --Your Republican Pal

Let's see.... the main senate building in Annapolis is named after a guy's who's not only not dead yet, he's still in office.

Think that might indicate a problem?

I'm a registered Dem who has little time for much of what too much of the GOP is peddling, but it's pretty clear to me and others that Mike Miller holds way too much power and that the politics of Annapolis need deep reform.