Shorter Michael Swartz

If it weren't for the majority of Marylanders, Republicans would have won big!

Seriously, I think his claim of "the fiefdom of Prince Baltgomery" is undermined by the fact that much of the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly comes from the rural and exurban areas of the state Swartz claims are getting shafted by the urban and suburban core: Besides Mike Miller (Calvert & Prince George's) and Mike Busch (Anne Arundel), you have Senate Finance Chair Mac Middleton (Charles), Senate Executive Nominations Chair Philip Jimeno (Anne Arundel), and House Appropriations Chair Norman Conway (Wicomico & Worcester). Certainly Maryland's population centers are going to get a lot of attention in the General Assembly -- anything involving mass transit, for example, will require a lot of consideration from the state -- but as one who grew up in Frederick County, I've yet to be convinced that Baltimore, Prince George's, and Montgomery have it in for the rest of the state. (Though Michael's concerns about taxation in the Eastern Shore vis-a-vis Delaware are legitimate.)

Tags: maryland politics baltimore prince georges montgomery eastern shore