July 2, 2008 - 5:10pm
Kratovil takes shot at Harris on earmarks and beach funding
By Danny Reiter
State's Attorney Frank KratovilState’s Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville) is criticizing his MD-1 opponent’s commitment to protecting Ocean City’s beaches. The criticism comes just a day after state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) told a crowd at a fundraiser Tuesday to “just say no to earmarks.”
“Ocean City’s beaches are a billion-dollar economic engine that generate thousands of jobs for hard-working Maryland families,” said Kratovil in a statement.
He continued: “When storms hit, those beaches are the only line of defense for thousands of homes and businesses. In Congress, I'll go to the wall to protect the funding for beach restoration. If my opponent can’t make the same pledge, then he just doesn't understand what Ocean City means to the economy of this district.”
Tim McCann, Kratovil’s campaign manager, took a shot at Harris as well. “Harris is making it clear that he would vote for the interests of the Club for Growth ideologues funding his campaign instead of voting for the interests of the First District. It’s stunning that a candidate for this seat would actually tell Ocean City residents that he wouldn’t stand up to protect their jobs and property in Congress.”
Chris Meekins, Harris’s campaign manager shot back. “Andy Harris is committed to the Beach Replenishment Project because it is a crucial part of the Lower Shore economy which is why he met with the mayor and toured the project almost two months ago,” he said.
“Mr. Kratovil believes tax dollars from Maryland taxpayers should be used to build a bridge to nowhere in Alaska. Kratovil supports wasteful government spending on projects like the Bridge to Nowhere, Andy believes in using tax dollars wisely to fund projects like the Beach Replenishment Project in Ocean City. Because of the importance to this project, the Army Corps of Engineers should allocate money in their budget for the Ocean City Beach Replenishment Project,” said Meekins.
He continued: “On May 16, Kratovil criticized Andy for supporting the project, now he is saying the he supports it too. Changing ones tune as the political winds change is typical of a liberal Democrat politician. The first district deserves better.”
Andy Harris and Frank Kratovil are currently competing for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District’s seat. The race is seen by some observers as one of the most competitive in the country. Although the district trends Republican, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has seen an opportunity to pick up the seat and has added Harris’s opponent to its Red-to-Blue program. MD-1 includes 12 of the 24 counties in the state, which encompasses all of the Eastern Shore and portions of Harford and Baltimore counties.
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Oh, Martin O'Malley Mini-Me,
Oh, Martin O'Malley Mini-Me, ahem I mean Frank Kratovil is flip-flopping on where he stands? Well, lets not be too mean. He is on what his 19th campaign manager? You want O'Malley, vote for Frank Kratovil.
Right from the Donkey's
Right from the Donkey's mouth..." Andy Harris' outright dismissal of earmarks..."
So, let's move on to the next piece of liberal regurgitated sound bit.
What is Harris' problem with the environment?
I'd say Paulson hit it on the head when he pointed out that Andy Harris is "bitter and more comfortable pointing fingers than doing the hard work of serving [his] constituents."
http://www.politickermd.com/dpaulson/2291/gumbo-polish-sausage-tupelo-ho...
At least $8,000,000 was earmarked in FY2008 to help restore the Chesapeake Bay. Harris wants to eliminate this funding. Under an administration that slashes domestic spending to pay for its wars, it is the job of congressmen to represent the interests of their constituents, hence the earmarks. Yes, some are wasteful, but many are useful and important (military housing, aid to Israel ect). Andy Harris' outright dismissal of earmarks illustrates a frightening lack of understanding about funding.
Perhaps Harris understands
Perhaps Harris understands that throwing more money at the Bay isn't going to help it. We in Maryland can do everything in our power to clean it up, but until Pennsylvania comes on board, nothing will change. The majority of water that flows into the Bay comes from the Susquehanna River, which is out of PA. Despite the desire to blame Maryland farmers and the Eastern Shore poultry industry, you Dumbocrats are eventually going to have to sit up and realize that over-regulation is killing Marylanders. Harris feels that monies appropriated for Bay cleanup could be better spent on other issues facing our state, many of which are environmental. Furthermore, the offshore drilling which your are so quick to blast Harris with would be hundreds of miles away from OC. It would have a minimal impact on the beaches there. The BRP is an annual thing anyway, so it wouldn't change the process.
Why does Harris oppose the environment?
I'd say Paulson hit it on the head when he pointed out that Andy Harris is "bitter and more comfortable pointing fingers than doing the hard work of serving [his] constituents."
http://www.politickermd.com/dpaulson/2291/gumbo-polish-sausage-tupelo-ho...
At least $4,224,000 was earmarked in FY2008 to help restore the Chesapeake Bay. Harris wants to eliminate this funding. Under an administration that slashes domestic spending to pay for its wars, it is the job of congressmen to represent the interests of their constituents, hence the earmarks. Yes, some are wasteful, but many are useful and important (military housing, aid to Israel ect). Andy Harris' outright dismissal of earmarks illustrates a frightening lack of understanding about funding.
Dr. Harris' Day at the Beach
The latest Harris pander falls on our beloved Atlantic shores. Dr. Harris supports the Beach Replenishment Project; and he'll get no bones from me about that, good show, Doctor!
However, given Dr Harris' earlier pronouncement that he would jump at the opportunity to drill for oil off our sensitive coast, and the likelihood that he would join the rest of his Republican counterparts (and all of this Club for Growth cohorts) in Washington by voting against common sense cap and trade legislation, his support of the the Beach Replenishment Project leaves a great deal to be desired.
Andy Harris lacks the political will to curb climate change, and will instead continue to question the science and the economic impact of cap and trade, even as sea level rise innundates OC's Coastal Highway, and puts the entire Eastern Shore at risk. The economic repercussions of global warming stem further and wider than the perceived economic turbulence of cap and trade.
The Beach Replenishment Project is all well and good, but it is like sticking your finger in the dyke to stop a leak. Andy Harris supports offshore drilling that would hurt our beaches; he opposes meaningful action on climate change, and yet he pretends to care about our coasts?
Let Andy Harris ponder the impact of the Beach Replenishment Project as an Ocean City vacationer, not as it's Representative in Congress! Send Frank Kratovil to Washington.
Clearly, Frank has no idea
Clearly, Frank has no idea what he is talking about. He just thinks he is going with the flow. While you may not like Andy, he hasn't changed his stance. Kratovil is just doing the standard Democrat line, which is tell people what they want to hear. Of course Andy is for the Beach Replenishment Project, to be against would be stupid. He just thinks it should be funded properly and not earmark. I love how Krap-ovil takes Andy's anti-earmark stance and somehow turns that into a anti-beach statement...Show me the logic, please.
This should be
This should be titled:
Kratovil Regurgitated Noise!
Kratovil consistent while Dr. Harris flips and flops
Harris-Meekins has forgotten that Frank Kratovil has never voted on any appropriation, much less a Bridge to Nowhere - a Republican project. Maybe it's time for a new script. Of course Dr. Harris has voted for many Maryland Senate earmarks, including numerous appropriations for his employer, endowment-rich Johns Hopkins University, and CASA of Maryland, the leading voice of the illegal immigration amnesty agenda in this state.
By contrast, given how little Kratovil has spent on his campaign to date and what value he has gotten through his broad volunteer-based efforts, the Queen Anne's County prosecutor demonstrates he is more likely than Dr. Harris to fight waste and push for spending cuts to curb the federal deficit.
When it comes to federal spending (a.k.a. "earmarks"), Kratovil has pledged to support beneficial projects in the First District, including beach replenishment for Ocean City. At his public appearances around the District, Kratovil argues that while bashing earmarks makes for good sound bites that attract money from Dr. Harris' Club for Growth underwriters, Kratovil will go to Congress to promote the best projects for our district (as opposed to only those located in his political cronies' front yard), instead of just saying "No" and relying on the new president and congressmen in other districts to set our District's appropriations agenda.
Harris-Meekins probably does not know that the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives removed the Republican veil of secrecy on earmarks and now require earmark sponsor identication and appropriation justification.
The real earmark flip flopper is Dr. Harris who has pledged never to use earmarks, but singled out beach replenishment as the one earmark over which to break his "no earmark" pledge. (Mayor Meehan thought he had a real winner in Dr. Harris until Harris-Meekins announced its support for oil drilling off of Ocean City and Hizzoner has had to publicly distance himself from Dr. Harris' extremist attitude about OC's waterfront. Of course, Harris-Meekins hates to confront Kratovil's criticism of Dr. Harris' fear of good environmental stewardship.)
The real test for Dr. Harris' "no earmark" pledge is whether he can hold fast from carving out more exceptions. Wait until Dr. Harris actually starts his campaign in earnest and we see him begin to move around the District to meet with local elected officials. Will Dr. Harris say "NO" when he hears about needs for highway expansion, bridge construction, or requests for Naval Academy funding, to name a few "earmark" appropriations for the First Congressional District and its environs supported by Congressman Wayne Gilchrest. (Of course these projects are a few of the reasons the extreme right of the Republican party voted out Wayne Gilchrest. Go figure.)
Of course, maybe Chris Meekins is right to keep Dr. Harris working in the hospital as much as he has lately. Given Dr. Harris' reception (or lack thereof) at the MML annual dinner, local officials in the First District are probably as confused as I am over what Dr. Harris plans to bring back for the District from Washington if elected, other than a growing war debt, higher gas prices, rising interest rates and partisan gridlock.
This article should be
This article should be titled Kratovil flip-flops on Beach Replenishment Project. Instead, it's been spun for the Democrat's enjoyment.
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