Letter: Ruben mailings distort Raskin record
When I moved to Maryland in 1984, Ida Ruben had been in the Maryland Legislature seven years. Her State Senate webpage lists committees and biographical information, but mentions no legislation she sponsored to help people in her district during her 29 years in Annapolis.
Without much to run on, the Ruben campaign recently mailed out a brochure questioning Jamie Raskin’s Democratic credentials that grossly misrepresented her challenger’s record. This unwarranted, unsupportable attack seems out-of-character for Sen. Ruben whose main positive was that she ran positive campaigns. The smears should backfire by tarnishing Ruben’s “nice” image without convincing anyone Jamie Raskin is not a “real Democrat,“ costing Ruben dearly in what had been a closely contested, spirited but respectful campaign focused on the issues.
Jamie Raskin’s record speaks for itself. He was a national delegate for John Kerry in 2004, helped Al Gore win the popular vote in 2000, and worked to expand the Democratic Party with the Rainbow/Push organization. I’ve seen Raskin in action: standing up for the people of Maryland. When a gay-bashing measure came up in a Maryland Senate Committee, he stood up for equal rights and the Constitution confronting those who would entwine church and state to the detriment of both. When Michael Steele met with Karl Rove at the RNC, Raskin stood with concerned Marylanders protesting this financial and dirty-tricks interference in our politics.
Where was Ida Ruben? She sponsored a resolution praising the Bush Administration for the Iraq War, emulating Rove’s politicization of war for political gain. She admitted she’d never have done this if she knew the war was unpopular. This reveals an entrenched Senator out of touch with constituents’ needs trying to distract them with misguided grandstanding on the War and now with a clumsy effort to smear a worthy opponent! This betrays a lack of respect for voters.
Why did Ruben resort to dirty tricks? This hints at desperation from a campaign that has no faith in its candidate’s record or its voters’ intelligence. After squandering three decades in Annapolis, the Ruben campaign hopes voters forget her record of deregulating energy companies and increasing special interest money in our state’s politics. She keeps serving big corporations at the expense of Maryland’s consumers. After harming rather than helping Marylanders during her long incumbency, Ida Ruben hopes to distract us by making up things about her challenger. After acting like a Republican, Ruben is trying to tell us Raskin is not a “real Democrat.”
The Ruben campaign chooses attacking Jamie Raskin rather than opposing Ehrlich and Bush policies that hurt Maryland voters. Joe Lieberman found out what Democrats think about incumbents who side with Bush and Rove over Democrats and value big money politics more than their constituents. Voters in the 20th District are likely to react the same way. The Ruben attack piece has one accurate point, however. Democratic voters in the 20th District do want a “real Democrat” to represent us in the Maryland State Senate. His name is Jamie Raskin.
— Mike Hersh
Wheaton, Maryland