The newly-elected Md. Gov. Larry Hogan, is a likeable-enough
guy; but now is the time to stop campaigning and start governing.
Memo to Md Gov. Larry Hogan: Always understand the context
in which you serve.
Kevin E. Dayhoff, February 9, 2015
That is, know when it is the time to be a statesperson and
govern and when to stop campaigning.
Now President Obama cannot help himself. He suffers from a destructive
narcissistic personality disorder.
But the newly elected Republican governor of Maryland ought
to have known better.
As much as many in his base agreed with every comment uttered
in the state of the state address, it was mistake to say it. We get it. And it
was an unnecessary exposure to say it.
To say much of what he said in the hallowed halls of Md.
State Senate President Mike Miller and Md Speaker of the House Mike Busch is
tantamount to the old adage, don’t tug on superman’s cape, and don’t spit in
the wind….
Now is the time to move-on to the business of governance in
the Maryland General Assembly, a government whose feudal middle-ages roots were laid before the
birth of the modern Westphalian State in 1648 - a medieval byzantine environment
that is ruled by feudal lords of the manor that are inherently hostile to dissent and have
no concept of accountability or being held responsible for their behavior.
The governor should take a memo; now is the time to stop
preaching to the choir and reach out into the Maryland General Assembly audience
and start winning folks over. In this business one accumulates enemies, do not
go out of your way to make any.
All the state of the state did was feed red meat to the
liberal lions of the Maryland General Assembly and they reacted predictably. It
was the mistake of someone who had never held elected office before. It was the
sophomoric mistake of a rookie and candidly, the governor is surrounded by
enough veterans that the mistake ought to have been avoided.
That said, it is often been stated that the reaction to a
problem is often as critical as to the problem itself. Fortunately the governor
is a likable-enough guy who roots in real estate transactions have taught him
that it is better to be loved than feared.
The Senate President on the other hand, is so powerful –
arguably one of the most powerful elected officials in the entire nation - - that
he does not care whether or not you like him. He is simply to be feared.
In this case the reaction by the Senate President Mike
Miller was the mistake of someone so arrogant as to believe that he so powerful
that the rules do not apply - that he would not be held responsible for his actions
or behavior. President Miller’s behavior was a manifestation of how dare this
conservative Republican upstart tread into my pond and row around spewing such
blasphemy.
It brings to mind another rule: Always understand the
context in which you serve.
Candidly, if the shoe were on the other foot, and a liberal
had rowed into a conservative stronghold and thumbed their nose at the
powers-that-be; conservatives probably would not have reacted any better. We
hope they would have, but maybe not.
In this case, the case of the Senate President; the reaction
was so over-the-top and cringe worthy that even the Baltimore Sun cringed.
Baltimore Sun Editorial: Miller overreacts, Hogan benefits
February 9, 2015
We doubt Gov. Larry
Hogan intended to make Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's head explode
with his State of the State speech last week, but it might wind up working out
for him politically, if not for the people of the state substantively. The
governor's address was heavy on recycled bromides from his stump speech and not
equal to the occasion, but it looks downright statesmanlike in comparison to
the ensuing petulant overreaction from the Senate president and his loyal
lieutenants. Nonetheless, it may have given Democrats an excuse to kill
legislation they didn't like anyway.
On Friday, the Senate
delayed confirmation votes for the first five of Mr. Hogan's cabinet secretary
nominees to come before it, and senators were not at all subtle about the
connection between that decision and the State of the State speech. The
contrast with Mr. Miller's attitude on the opening day of the legislative
session, when he predicted before even holding any hearings that all of Mr.
Hogan's nominees would be confirmed, is not flattering. It suggests that the
Senate's role to advise and consent is a function of the Senate president's
mood and not the quality of the nominees… http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-hogan-miller-20150209-story.html
Also be sure to read: Miller’s joke with one appointee could
prove prophetic By: Bryan P. Sears Daily Record Business Writer February 9, 2015
http://thedailyrecord.com/2015/02/09/millers-joke-with-one-appointee-could-prove-prophetic/
