Showing posts with label Ben Cardin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Cardin. Show all posts
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Senator Ben Cardin to Speak on Federal Climate Issues at the University of Maryland
By Rachel Hare, UMD for Clean Energy.
It’s easy for America to be green on Earth Day. It’s easy for us to support energy efficiency, encourage sustainability and demand emissions reductions on Earth Day. The entire world is watching, and it is exactly what is expected.
But what about the other 364 days of the year?
Can America truly commit to strict environmental standards that will reduce emissions, create green jobs and promote renewable energy?
This Friday, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), will take up this question during a town hall meeting at the University of Maryland, College Park. During the discussion, hosted by student group UMD for Clean Energy, Cardin is expected to address recent progress of federal climate change legislation that is making its way to the Senate.
The current climate bill is an important piece of environmental legislation that could solidify America’s commitment to a sustainable future and set a precedent for other countries to take further action. It must put in place strong, binding standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy and create green jobs.
The current emissions reductions standards enumerated in the bill – 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 – are far too soft. America also has the capability to develop many potential renewable energy resources, and this should be reflected in a strong Renewable Electricity Standard.
Ambitious standards for emissions reductions and efficiency would make America a leader in emissions reductions and give our country the necessary leverage to pressure other nations to further their own commitments.
As a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Cardin has demonstrated his support for a strong bill and will have an important role in drafting the Senate bill. This town hall meeting is an opportunity for us, as constituents, to show our support for a strong climate bill with strict sustainability standards; a climate bill that could work to solidify America’s commitment to innovative energy solutions.
It’s easy to be green on Earth Day, but Earth Day will come and go. Will America commit to a strong bill that will reduce emissions, create green jobs and promote renewable energy for the other 364 days of the year?
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin on "Political Pulse" on Ch. 16 TV
Ben Cardin, United States Senator from Maryland, will be on the "Political Pulse" TV Show on:
Thursday, November 5th at 9:00 p.m.;
Friday-Sunday, November 6th-8th at 6:00 p.m.; and
Tuesday, November 10th at 9:30 p.m.
Topics that will be discussed include:
-The Health Care Debate;
-The Afghanistan War;
-The Climate Bill;
-The Purple Line transportation project in Montgomery and Prince Georges' Counties and the Red Line in Baltimore City;
-The federal budget deficits and national debt; and
-Senator Cardin's relationship with President Obama.
"Political Pulse" is on Channel 16 TV in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Ben Cardin on the Mainstream Media
Last week, the Sentinel sat down with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. Their entire interview is a good read, but this exchange over the mainstream media caught our eye.
The Sentinel: One of the other things I wanted to cover for, I guess for constituents, for younger constituents especially, there's such a plethora of information out there or ability to access information, yet it seems like information has been watered down to where it can't be found. How do you combat that?
Cardin: I don't know that it's watered down so you can't find it - there's information, the availability of information is almost unlimited because of the ability to search on the Internet. What I find frustrating is the quality of good reporting. There's not a lot of good, investigative work being done today. Now, I look at what I do in the United States Senate and look at the number of local reporters who cover what I'm doing, and it's not very many. And the same thing's true of businesses in Maryland and the same thing's true of schools or environmental issues, there's just not - the quality of investigative reporting, the quality of the news bureaus of our local papers has been greatly diminished, and one of the reasons it's greatly diminished is because people are getting their news online and get it with less cost, and therefore the financial ability of local papers to maintain robust bureaus is compromised. I have the answer for that, but that's -
The Sentinel: What's your answer?
Cardin: Well the answer is first of all, they should have different - other revenue options than advertising and subscription.
The Sentinel: Such as…
Cardin: Well I've suggested that if there's local people who want to help support it through a non-profit, they should be able to contribute to a news organization as a non-profit. And I've also suggested that you should look up compensation for original news source on the Internet; there should be some way of papers being financially compensated for their work being used on the Internet, the original work.
The Sentinel: The original work, like a copyright.
Cardin: Right. It's impossible to do under our current trust laws. There's no way that a local paper can keep its information off the Internet without having an understanding of other news organizations, otherwise you'll be at a terrible competitive disadvantage.
The Sentinel: And you know the problem that everyone in the news industry would have with a non-profit-government interference.
Cardin: There is no government interference; it's to protect it! Does the government interfere with the church? Church is a non-profit.
The Sentinel: But it is - you understand, the appearance versus reality.
Cardin: I understand the appearance. And when I explain it, people start to say 'Hey, wait, maybe you're right.' I mean, it's the same model we use for private schools, it's the same model we use for churches, and it preserves the government staying away from it - I would oppose anything that would allow the government to interfere with the free press.
That's against the free press; free press has to work independently. Today, what's happening is because of the realities of the current marketplace, you're losing the checks and balances that a free press provides in a democratic society, 'cause you're not getting the same investment in independent reporting. Therefore, you need a model that can work, and the reality of life is that subscription and advertising is not going to work, so where the other revenue flows, and what's wrong with a private foundation being able to support an independent news organization for its community?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Cardin and Leggett Support Navarro in Leisure World
This mailing went out from the Navarro campaign into Leisure World.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Upcoming Events
From Marc Korman.
Upcoming Events
MCDCC Training for New Precinct Officials
Tuesday, March 24th at 7:00pm
MCDCC Headquarters
3720 Farragut Avenue, 3rd Floor in Kensington
If you are a new Precinct Chair or Vice Chair, then this training is for YOU! Email Vivian Malloy at vivmalloy@aol.com for more information.
Senator Ben Cardin in Montgomery County
Hosted by the Silver Spring Democratic Club
He will be discussing the topic “The Nation’s Economic Crisis – A Congressional Perspective.”
Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00pm
White Oak Middle School
12201 New Hampshire Avenue
Council District 4 Candidates’ Forum
Hosted by Sierra Club and Action Committee for Transit
Tuesday, March 31st at 7:30pm
Kennedy High School
1901 Randolph Road in Silver Spring
Council District 4 Debate
Hosted by the Montgomery County Young Democrats
Wednesday, April 1st at 7:30pm (Doors open at 7:00pm)
AFI Silver
8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring
Sunday, February 08, 2009
More on Steele's "Base"
Just like anyone else, I enjoy a good Sunday morning laugh. And I sure got one when David Lublin skewered Post columnist David Broder for referring to Michael Steele's Maryland "base." Here's a few details on Steele's "base" from the only election he ever ran on his own: the 2006 Senate contest against Ben Cardin.
1. Steele lost to Cardin by 10 points (54.2%-44.2%) overall.
2. He lost majority-black Baltimore City 112,805 to 35,185 (74.5%-23.2%).
3. He lost majority-black Prince George's County 154,798 to 49,484 (75.0%-24.0%).
4. He lost Montgomery County, the state's most diverse jurisdiction, 205,264 to 96,616 (67.2%-31.6%).
5. His biggest margins came from small counties with heavily white populations that usually vote Republican (unless Frank Kratovil is on the ballot): Garrett (+44.0%), Carroll (+37.8%), Caroline (+34.4%) and Queen Anne's (+32.1%).
Yeah, this is a guy with a proven track record on reaching out to non-white voters. Too bad it's not the track record the national GOP thought it was getting!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Walking Through Silver Spring with Ben & The Penguin
Ok it was me, Sen Cardin, his wife Myrna, a dozen other supporters, the official mascot of the largest unincorporated town in the US and around a thousand of our closest friends. The rest of you called this the Silver Spring Thanksgiving Day Parade. I call it a people watching watching extravaganza. Besides being a supporter of Sen. Cardin because of his political views, it is so nice to see a Baltimore politician in MoCo outside of the election season.
This was my second Silver Spring parade and with the addition of the 50 foot balloons it had that Macy Day Parade feel. Got to love the Penguin, the official mascot of Silver Spring, christened in December of 2006. (Nice background on SS symbols.)
Now my favorite people watching that masquerades as a parade is the Fourth of July Parade in Takoma Park. Maybe it is the summer weather. Maybe it is the Nation's birthday. But you can never discount the Takoma Park factor.
But any parade that combines, as Silver Spring did, two immortal Presidents, two groups of Presidential candidates supporters, the Skins Marching Band, Boys Scouts, Brownies, elected officials, a half dozen HS marching bands, dancers, singers, clowns, firetrucks, dogs, and Santa can warm any heart to counter the brisk air. And unlike our neighbors in Takoma Park, Silver Springers have a permanent Mayor (see below) who watched all the proceedings from his own Alley.
Ok this is a political blog and the parade route went through Congressional District 4, so it is time to mention why Congressman Al Wynn and challenger Donna Edwards had supporters walking for them but they were not there. They were in the middle of a debate. Interesting turn of events with newcomer Jason Jennings. So in lieu of shots of Wynn and Edwards here are shots of their supporters.
Even though you have many of the same participants in both parades, Takoma Park's is a satirical Kumbaya wrapped in a red, white and blue flag with the grill fired up; Silver Spring's is a Jambalaya wrapped in a red costume, red noses while ones hat pulled down and a scarf pulled up.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Battle Joined on Fourth Circuit Nominee
Bethesdan Rod Rosenstein, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, has been nominated for a Maryland seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Fourth Circuit has long been seen as the most conservative in the federal judiciary. Judicial appointees have become highly partisan and controversial and the Fourth Circuit currently has only 10 of the 15 judgeships are currently filled. However, staunch opposition by Maryland's two Democratic senators promises to torpedo any chance of Rosenstein being confirmed by the Senate:
Maryland's senators exercise virtual veto power over a nomination from their state, and they have criticized Rosenstein's dearth of legal experience in the state and his lack of strong Maryland roots. They also bemoaned the inability to settle on a compromise candidate with the White House.President Bush, long famed for his bipartisan approach, attacked the Senate in response as he continued his tradition in speaking only to groups inside the bubble by giving an address to the conservative Federalist Society:
"Rod Rosenstein is doing a good job as the U.S. attorney in Maryland, and that's where we need him. He plays a vital role in fighting crime and protecting our communities in Maryland," Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said in a statement. "In the twilight of the Bush administration, we don't need an acting U.S. attorney in Maryland. In light of the mismanagement of the Bush administration Justice Department, we cannot risk another vacancy."
In the joint statement, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin added: "I regret that the White House did not listen to our recommendations to keep Rod Rosenstein as U.S. attorney. We had had hoped to work with the administration to find a consensus candidate for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals with deep roots in the Maryland legal community."
Praised for his effective stewardship of about 70 federal prosecutors in Baltimore and Greenbelt, Rosenstein - who remains in the post during the confirmation process - is nonetheless likely to see his nomination wither without the support of Mikulski and Cardin, said one longtime court watcher.
"It's extremely unlikely that he'll be confirmed," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.
"The Senate is no longer asking the right question, whether a nominee is someone who will uphold our Constitution and laws," he said in excerpts of a speech he was to deliver last night to the Federalist Society, a conservative group that emphasizes legal matters.Not all Democrats agree with Mikulski and Cardin's approach. Montgomery State's Attorney John McCarthy supports the nomination:
"Instead, nominees are asked to guarantee specific outcomes of cases that might come before the court," he said. "If they refuse - as they should - they often find their nomination ends up in limbo instead of on the Senate floor."
"I think he is a phenomenal nominee," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy, who lauded Rosenstein's efforts to reach out to local prosecutors' offices. "I think he has done an extraordinarily fine job as U.S. attorney, uniformly respected by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike."And Mikulski did support him for the post of U.S. Attorney. Of course, supporting someone for a temporary post as prosecutor is different than a lifetime appointment to the federal circuit court overseeing Maryland. No doubt our two liberal senators do not relish the idea of solidfying conservative control of this court for many more years. Rosenstein is only 42 and could easily spend decades on the court.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
