Today Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele brought his newly-minted U.S. Senate campaign to Salisbury for what he billed as his "Eastern Shore" campaign announcement. I know in some ways we're a different state but it's nice to see that acknowlegement.
While a good part of his remarks were simply accolades for those who put the event together and for those Republicans he's worked with in Annapolis, he did make some general statements about things he'd like to accomplish if elected and sent down the street to Washington, D.C.
- He noted the rancor and bitter relationships among the partisans in the federal government and vowed to work on ending that. Good luck with the olive branch, I'm thinking Harry Reid would be among the first to snatch it out of your hand and beat you with it. It has to work both ways and I don't see the Senate Democrats making much of a move to work with the GOP on solving problems.
- The more important part of the speech to me was when he spoke of empowerment. It was along the lines of empowering people to accomplish what they want to do by letting the government step aside somewhat. I'm all in favor of that, maybe even more than he spoke of.
He seems like a reasonably nice man in person, I did get to shake his hand and speak to him briefly. I also was the College Republican photographer of the day, they got some nice shots which I'm sure will grace their website.
There were two things that concerned me a bit. I know this area is heavily dependent on agriculture, and that may have colored his remarks some. He made a good point in that where a farm is bought out and converted into a subdivision or strip mall, that farm is lost. No one ever buys out a subdivision or strip mall to convert it back into a farm. But there are those forces in local government who would love to take control of less productive private property and convert it into a cash cow for their tax rolls and a profitable venture for a chosen developer. I'm quite hopeful that Lt. Gov. Steele would be on the side of those who feel Kelo v. New London was a poor decision, allowing local governments to overstep their bounds.
The farm analogy is a good argument, but I hope it's not an indication that he would be too much on the side of the anti-development crowd that seems to be invading this area. It's almost like the last one in wants the region to stay the same as it was when they arrived and screw the new folks who are attracted for the same reason. Development means growth (and growing pains), but it also means jobs for people like me!
On the other issue raising my concern, Steele also remarked about working in the Senate to "save the Bay," which is all well and good but to me it's not necessarily a federal priority. In my view of government, that is best managed at the state level (or two states in this case, since both Maryland and Virginia border Chesapeake Bay. They can coordinate their efforts easily enough.)
Overall, I would have to say he's working to earn my support in the race. I'm sure I could count on him to do more for me, an average Free Stater, in terms of supporting a less intrusive federal government, in both regulation and my wallet, than I could any of his other Democrat opponents. Sure, there are things I know I disagree with him on (such as the death penalty) but I believe he would be amenable to listening to my arguments, assuming they're well thought out. (Aren't they usually?)
Pictures from the event are below. One thing I was disappointed about was that I saw neither of the TV stations here covering the event while the bulk of the crowd was there. I think one of them was showing up as I was leaving. That must have been WMDT Channel 47 because there's a story on their website. (Not sure why the photo of Rosa Parks.) Also looks like the Daily Times will have coverage tomorrow according to this on their website.
