Cross-posted from Free State Politics.

Donna 5, originally uploaded by Isaac Smith.

So I went to Watkins Park near Upper Marlboro today to see Donna Edwards start in earnest her campaign to defeat Rep. Al Wynn in 2008. At first, unable to find the gathering, I had thought it had been canceled, due to the intermittent rain. Then I found the right pavilion, and the weather cleared up, so all turned out well.

There were about 60 to 70 people there, with a large grill and a DJ playing R&B. But for the many t-shirts, stickers, and signs emblazoned with "Donna Edwards for Congress," one could have mistaken the event for one of the many other barbeques going on at the park today. The atmosphere was relaxed, but the people there were clearly enthusiastic about seeing Donna, who in her speech came off as personable and down-to-earth -- very unlike the stereotype of the aloof politician.

bumped -Matt

Hello, this is Isaac of Free State Politics, Maryland's progressive community blog and member of the 50 state blog network. For the past few weeks, one of us has been compiling  a digest of links from the blogs in the network, highlighting important affairs going on under the national radar. I didn't see anyone put together a roundup for this week, however, so I spent this morning taking care of it. Enjoy!

(P.S. My apologies to Square State, Fla. Politics, and Green Mountain Daily for not including your contributions -- for some reason, I couldn't access your sites this morning.)

See what's happening on the state level below the fold...

To: Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, Ben Cardin, Barbara Mikulski

What have you to fear?

Last night, the House and the Senate, yourselves included, voted to approve continued funding for the war in Iraq without language mandating a phased redeployment of troops from Iraq over the next year, and without mandating that the President require that the Iraqi government meet certain benchmarks in order to receive continued aid. While it was clear that President Bush was going to veto anything that fell short of giving him carte blanche to carry on the war as he sees fits, I was nevertheless astonished at how quickly the Democratic leadership in Congress capitulated to his demands.

As was reported at Free State Politics last week, Donna Edwards has officially filed to run against Rep. Al Wynn in 2008 in the Democratic primary. So far, Edwards seems to be off to a good start: She got herself a campaign manager (finally!), who happens to be a veteran of Sen. Jim Webb's election campaign last year. She'll have to work on fundraising, though -- she only has $600 on hand, compared to Wynn's $174,000.

Since there aren't many high-profile races in Maryland coming up in 2008, with the possible exception of the presidential primary, the Wynn-Edwards rematch will likely be the big election event there this cycle. Wynn appears to be trying to make amends with his constituents -- one hopes he's told his men to keep their hands to themselves. But Edwards managed to get within striking distance of Wynn with almost no organization or money, so a more prepared Edwards could still be a challenge. The early primary date for Maryland next year -- Feb. 12, I believe -- will probably influence matters as well.

--Isaac Smith

Cross-posted at Free State Politics

I thought you might like to know that, thanks to a generous grant from BlogPAC, Maryland's liberal group blog
Free State Politics (http://freestatepolitics.blogspot.com/) has
successfully moved over to Soapblox. The new URL is:

www.freestatepolitics.us

I encourage Marylanders who read or write for MyDD to check it out.

Attention Facebook users:

As many of you know, one of the priorities of the Democratic Congress will likely be passing the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow prospective unions to do an end-run around the corporate-controlled National Labor Relations Board (See this NY Times article for more). In the interest of promoting this effort, I've set up a Facebook group dedicated to the EFCA; go to www.facebook.com and search for "employee free choice act". So if you're a member of Faceboook, I encourage you to join the group, and encourage your friends to join as well. Thank you.

--Isaac Smith
Visit my blog, The Old Line: A Reality-Based Maryland Weblog.

If I may engage in a little cheerleading of family efforts: my brother, Paul Smith, has a new product for all you democracy nerds out there, and even ordinary people who want elections to be about more than attack ads and campaign contributions: The Election Day Advent Calendar. Like the one you get at Christmas time, it's series of panels that you open each day leading up to the big day (in this case Election Day), but with this calendar, the panels reveal fascinating tidbits about the history and traditions of democracy in America.

Why should you buy it? As my brother and his colleague, Ben Helphand, note:

Gerrymander [their company] believes that our great nation deserves great civic rituals, as well as rituals to support and celebrate the other rituals, like voting. Voting has had a bit of a cough of late, so we thought it could use a little TLC, in the form of, you guessed it, an appropriated Christmas custom. Democracy has to be something more than punditry. We wanted to create an experience that would build excitement for Election Day, something to celebrate the right to vote while at the same time making something fun for the whole family.

I would say any civic-minded person or organization should buy one of these, from political campaigns (of all parties), to teachers, to parents, and just about anyone who wants to brighten up their workplace or home with a reminder of what makes this country great: its people get to choose what direction it goes in.

And it's only 10 bucks, too; so if you can afford two of those ginormous frappucinos at Starbucks, or two extra value meals at McDonald's, you can afford this calendar. Go buy one!

-- Isaac Smith

Crossposted at the The Old Line.

Via Rachel Weiner, the Michael Steele campaign has just released its first TV ad, which you can see here. I have to admit that I'm rather impressed: Steele comes off as smart and affable -- the kind of guy who's just giving you the straight dope. He actually reminds me, for some reason, of Jared from the Subway ads; and indeed, there is a definite Madison Avenue feel to the piece, which in political ads is refreshing. Most of them, especially for Democrats, look like those "inspiring" movies of personal triumph (e.g., Annapolis) that everyone is supposed to regard as important but no one actually sees.

But to return to Steele: As Weiner notes, Steele's party affiliation -- that scarlet letter -- is conspicuously absent. That, however, tends to be par for the course, as the Darcy Burner ad above attests. More exasperating is Steele's claim that "instead of the spin, I'll talk straight about what's wrong in both parties." (Emphasis added.) As I've said before, it may be shrewd for Steele to pivot away from the Republicans in order to win in Maryland, but for anyone who knows his actual beliefs, it's a con game. I also doubt that Steele, with all the support he receives from the national GOP, isn't doing this without their tacit approval. Which brings up another thing I've said with regards to Steele: in the current environment, bipartisanship benefits Republicans, as it deflects responsibility for the countless failures of leadership in Washington from the ruling party. The MyDD strategy memo is instructive in this regard.

Having said all that, I fear that this ad will be effective in persuading the average voter to look on Steele the man in a positive light, even if he doesn't know what he stands for. Coming across as likable will be crucial for Steele to win in November, especially if he goes up against Kweisi Mfume. Let's hope he doesn't succeed.

-- Isaac Smith

Cross-posted at The Old Line.