"They've Been PIMPED!", Naw Dog, They Gave It Up Fo' Free!!!!

Look, I've written it before and I'm going to write it again: as a collective body, the Black Democrats in the state of Maryland, are ineffective, don't know how the game of politics is played, and is beholden to the white Democrat power structure in Maryland, to the deteriment of the Black citizens they claim they represent.

Yet another example of what I write about, is this:

ANNAPOLIS | Black lawmakers said Wednesday that Gov. Martin O'Malley's new regulations expanding the collection of DNA evidence violated a deal narrowly crafted earlier this year to win passage of one of the Democrat governor's hallmark proposals.

"This is exactly what we feared," said state Sen. Verna L. Jones, chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus, about the new regulations that allow state police to expand their collection of DNA samples.

Uhhh.... If you feared it, why did you pass the damn law?

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus, ACLU of Maryland, the Maryland NAACP and the Office of the Public Defender decried the new regulations Wednesday in an hour-long conference call with reporters.

The groups said the new regulations allow police to collect DNA samples shortly after arrest, do not guarantee expungement of the DNA records and allow police to track relatives through the samples that are collected - all of which are barred in the law passed earlier this year.

I mentioned this briefly in March where I saw some problems. I really don't understand why they are complaining about it, THEY ENACTED THE DAMN LAW!!!!!!

(DS... OK, now about that title...)

Mrs. Boersma noted that the definition of "charge" is written broadly in the regulations, including allowing citizens to file a criminal complaint, and that DNA can be collected during booking, something negotiators specifically said they did not want in the legislation

The regulations also only govern expunging DNA records from the federal database but do not dictate how the DNA material is physically destroyed or whether it can be used by local law enforcement, Mrs. Boersma said.

So, please tell me HOW THEY CAN WRITE A LAW that allows "charge" to be so loosely defined? You see, in order for this law to pass, the Black Caucus HAD to be on board because of the vote numbers involved. When this was in the news, the Black Caucus members KNEW about the relative DNA angle because it was in the news at the time. O'Malley said he wanted that option in the bill. Lo' and behold, the regulations say it's permitted.

if the law is written such that it is not permitted to use the results of DNA tests to then target relatives, then the first time this tactic is used, any lawyer worth their salt would say the tactic is illegal and get it tossed out. So, would the O'Malley administration be that ballsy?

(DS... OK, now about that title...)

Once again, the Black Democrats in Maryland show they ain't worth a damn! Black voters in their districts have to demand better, but once these people are elected, they KNOW the voters don't pay attention and all they have to do is show up someplace near election time and that's it. And white Democrats in office know that Black voters don't give the Black politicians money, so to control the Black politicians, all they have to do is contribute to campaigns.

*BAM*!!!!!

The Black politicians are paid off! And it is WELL KNOWN this is EXACTLY what O'Malley does! But he learned this from other white Democrat politicians.

(DS... OK, now about that title...)

So, this was being discussed Friday morning on the Larry Young Morning show on WOLB. Larry Young's co-host, "The Coach", kept saying Verna Jones and company were pimped. I called into the show and said they couldn't have been pimped when they knew, or should have known, what the bill THEY WERE WRITING, stated. At the time, since O'Malley was saying he wanted the ability to use DNA of relatives, and they were claiming they were pushing back on it, how can they write a bill that allows it?

I told "The Coach" they weren't pimped, they gave it up for FREE!!!!

Comments

[MIB]

"... as a collective body, the Black Democrats in the state of Maryland, are ineffective, don't know how the game of politics is played, and is beholden to the white Democrat power structure in Maryland, to the deteriment of the Black citizens they claim they represent."

As a minority bloc, Maryland's Black politicians (they're all Democrats) are at a disadvantage to force the agenda. That doesn't mean as a group they're inept or uncoordinated as you imply.

Af-Ams account for a little more than 25% of the Maryland legislature, with all but 7 serving in the lower chamber. Given the mechanics of bicameral politics, any such caucus' voice can be easily diluted, co-op'ed, or circumvented by their party's majority. The Caucus isn't a concession stand or a contractor; they're only seats at the table.

Apparently, the Caucus did get gamed in this scenario by O'Malley, who is manipulating the law in his favor -- a benefit of executive privilege. I'd love to read the actual statute, for it must contain considerable wiggle room for the governor. Again... the Caucus could have been outflanked all along and believed themselves to be working the best compromise possible. The question is, to what purpose were they compromising?

That's life in the fast lane for you.

Then again, you're a Republican -- a Black Republican in the state of Maryland at that. You don't even have a seat at the table.

[DarkStar]

If the Black Caucus, as a block, voted against the bill, it would not have happened. In fact, while this was being argued out in the last days, their lines started to ring to vote against it, or so I have been told.

[MIB]

Apparently, the Caucus did vote as a bloc, at least in the Senate, and the bill still passed by a 32-11 margin. In the House, the margin was larger: 135-3. At best, Caucus line vote would have lost in the House 102-36 (all other things remaining constant).

This was a simple matter of numbers. The Caucus didn't even have enough votes as a bloc in either chamber to stop anything. As I wrote earlier, the best they could hope for were the amendments for expungement and a sunset clause.

I didn't find any information showing a single Republican, in the House or Senate, voted against either version of the bill.

It doesn't sound like you understand how to play to win the game.

[DarkStar]

Republicans are irrelevant in the state.

If the Caucus didn't support it, many of those other votes would not have been there. O'Malley lobbied hard for their votes because he needed the show of Black support.

[MIB]

Republicans might be the minority party in Maryland, Ed. But that doesn't mean they're
"irrelevant". Their voices were included in the DNA bill.

I'm not sure what you're not getting here; the Caucus members in the Senate voted against the bill -- including the aforementioned amendments. It didn't matter. It wouldn't have mattered in the House. They were outnumbered from the start, and therefore had to cut the best deal possible for their constituents.

[DarkStar]

Your not getting it. The Caucus approval was needed, politically, to get this done.

If they weren't needed, they would never have been consulted. There would have never been any articles saying their approval was being sought.

They wouldn't be hiding right now.

[MIB]

"The Caucus approval was needed, politically, to get this done."

Not when the bill's backers put together 100+ votes in the state house out of 138. Not when they assembled 30+ votes in the state senate out of 43.

Furthermore... the Caucus wasn't "consulted". Its members consent was sought as per the rules. And Caucus members mostly voted 'no'. The bill passed both houses regardless.