Are We Who We Say We Are?

MC, about blacks, women, and the Maryland Democratic Party:

I think you attribute to race and sex what would be better explained by partisan affiliation and other factors. Ellen Sauerbrey's sex didn't make up for the fact that she was a Republican, with all the baggage that carries in this state. Granted, Parris Glendening wasn't the greatest of politicians, but nothing about Sauerbrey ever struck me as superior in this regard -- an impression that continues to this day.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend? There's a reason her nickname among Democrats is "Worst Campaign Ever." Not to mention that, as Timothy Noah argued at the time, many people took out their frustration with Glendening's problems (and peccadilloes) by voting for Bob Ehrlich, much as some in 2000 vented their disgust with Bill Clinton's infidelities by choosing George W. Bush over Al Gore.

Kweisi Mfume? It is true that the Democratic Party preferred Ben Cardin, and feared Mfume's name and personal history would scare off moderates, such as those who voted for Ehrlich in '02 (see above). But even by underdog standards, his campaign was, by all accounts, not well run. The fact remains, however that black Democrats are fully integrated into the party's infrastructure (Besides Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, witness how many black Democrats have committee chairmanships in the House of Representatives). Can the same be said of black Republicans, honestly? How many black Republicans are in Congress? Oh, right, there are none.

As for Anne McCarthy -- who is Anne McCarthy? Seriously, I think if the Maryland Republican Party had known William Donald Schaefer would lose the primary, they would have fielded an actual candidate.

I could go on (I haven't even mentioned Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland institution if ever there was one), but the truth is, while the Democrats have had an imperfect record on promoting a diverse party, they are giants compared to the GOP. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama (and Bill Richardson, for that matter) are just the latest examples of that.