I totally agree that Jefferson needs to go.  Hopefully his constituents do too.  Dems need to do everything we can to assure that corruption does not become a feature of the Democratic Congress. That's a sure way to lose the majority in two years.  

Do the netroots have an opinion on the ethical reputations of Murtha, Hoyer, Hastings, and Mollohan.  

I would be embarassed by the hypocrisy if just one of these were going to be chairing a committee.  But all four of them?  We're going to look like chumps in January if these 4 take charge.

I wish I could fully agree with Dean.  The party still has a bad attitude on race, albeit not as bad  as Republicans.  Michael Steele almost won in MD because the MD Democratic Party does NOT nominate African Americans for state-wide office.  Blacks are good for votes.  When it comes to candidates they never seem to be "qualified" or have "enough experience."  Likewise, Keith Ellison won his primary yet outgoing incumbent Marty Sabo endorsed an independent, Tammy Lee, so that Democrats would have an option if they weren't "comfortable" voting for Ellison (a Muslim).  For more examples, look to the Arab-baiting and Mexican fear mongering used by some of our current electeds following the Dubai ports deal and immigration debate.

Man, I'm just back from dinner with a fine distinguished ex-University prez., an African-American from Tennesee, and he says: it's the race card all the way.  He knew as soon as he saw the bimbo ad that Ford was done for with the crackers tucked away in the Smokeys.  "Colonel Corker" should dress himself in a uniform of the Confederacy -- can someone out there good at Photoshop do that for us?  Can you?  Then post it so we can bomb it around?  We need to call the racist old Colonel for what he is, complete with feathered hat, gold braid, shades of gray. Let's never forget what happened, and remind ourselves that so much of "El Base" of the GOP is made up of fundamentally racist Rednecks who will never change their colors.  !Viva la Raza! And I mean here the Democratic Race, which lets us all into the Big Tent.  !Arriba!  

Do the netroots have an opinion on the ethical reputations of Murtha, Hoyer, Hastings, and Mollohan.  

I would be embarassed by the hypocrisy if just one of these were going to be chairing a committee.

Would you be equally embarrassed by a non-African-American chairing a committee if he were also innocent of charges brought against him like Alcee Hastings?

You know, of course, that Alcee Hastings was acquitted at trial.  Certainly you know that Alcee Hastings was convicted by senators who would not read the evidence.  Naturally you have learned that those who did read the evidence voted for acquittal before casting aspersions.

So again perhaps you would like to discuss your embarrassment at an African-American falsely convicted chairing a committee.  It is not comprehensible to me.

Best,  Terry

Minority voters aren't stupid. Every major black Republican candidate who ran lost. White voters aren't stupid either.

What about white voters that have "passed?"

Are macacas "white" considering they are caucasians or are they still Asians like Arabs and Israelis?

George Allen lost narrowly.  It appears the macaca incident was not enough by itself to do him in. Allen's revulsion at the revelation of Jewish ancestry was not immaterial it seems to me.  Allen's literary critiques seem to have harmed him.

In this day and age, that single incident of attacking an Indian-American for his ancestry with a slur should have rendered George Allen unfit for any elective office, let alone allowing him to compete for the Senate in my opinion.  It did not.  On the other hand, it is clear that the racially-motivated attacks on Harold Ford were successful whatever one might think of Harold Ford himself. (I don't think much of Ford.)

Lot of work yet to do.

One of these days the brothers and sisters who have passed might also get a break.  Won't happen soon I fear.

Best,  Terry

In Maryland, Steele was (almost) able to take advantage of conditions that will not exist again.

First, African-American, Latino and Asian-American (specifically Korean-American) communities are growing larger, and that will affect redistricting significantly.  Maryland has the second largest Korean-American community in the country by proportion of population, so much that telemarketers from Seoul scour Maryland phone directories for names that "look" Korean. Drive down Rt. 40 or visit Seoul Plaza west of Baltimore, and Korean-language signs for billiard halls, restaurants and businesses  abound.  

Maryland is 30-31% African American and that number will increase as DC's economy remains very strong and parents still work to send their children to Howard as much for the large, affluent Black community in DC and nearby Maryland.  The Latino community is very strong in Montgomery County but even in old retrograde Baltimore it is growing.  

Meanwhile, the old beat-up rural white part of the state is losing population or at least proportion.  The parts that are growing are, with one exception, turning bluer.  Exception: Anne Arundel County, but even there the reddish trend has been overstated and the local Republican Party suffered a lot of unpleasantness last week.  The nastiest right-wing homophobic thug in the Maryland House lost to a very moderate, let's bring Massachusetts-style health care to Maryland, Republican named Nic Kipke who ran de-emphasizing party in AA's district 31.

Upshot: Black Democratic candidates will be more able to win in 2010 than they were this round, plus the pool for races like Attorney General and Comptroller - no African-Americans filed for either office except a running-mate of a gubernatorial candidate after a health-related drop-out- will increase.