The Cardin Monologues

I’m not sure what relevance this has to anyone outside of Maryland except for the fact that it has to do with a up and coming major campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Here in Maryland, we’ve been cursed with the eternal Senatorial existence of two Senators, Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Sen. Paul Sarbanes. Mikulski has served in the Senate since 1986 and Sarbanes since 1977. Sarbanes has announced his intention not to seek a 6th term in the 2006 Senatorial campaign.

Which for the first time in 20 years, leaves a vacant seat for the Maryland delgation.

Alot of speculation has gone into who would run for the seat from both sides of the aisle. Former Congressman and leader of the NAACP, Kweisi Mfume (also known as Queasy and Fumey) has already announced his intention to run for the Democrats. Though there was speculation that Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger would also run for the seat, he has since indicated his plans not to run. Lieut. Governor Michael Steele, favorite son of the Maryland GOP, is still weighing his options, but it is believed he will run unopposed for the Republicans — and possibly win, depending on his opponent.

Which leaves the wild card, Congressman Ben Cardin, Democrat from Maryland’s Third Congressional district. Staunch Democratic analyst Frank Defilippo writes a column for WBAL and weighs in on the Cardin Monologues — a jab at Cardin’s knack to wallow back and forth before making any kind of committment, making sure all his i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.

To Cardin, or not to Cardin? That is the question.

Will Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin run for the U.S. Senate? Maybe. Well, he just might. He�s getting awfully close. But perhaps he�ll change his mind at the last minute.

Or maybe he ought to stay where he is. After all, it�s a safe seat. And who knows. A Republican (or worse, a conservative Democrat) might carry the Third District seat if Cardin seeks a resume upgrade.

There are other problems as well. Cardin�s the number three ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. He�s the acknowledged expert on Social Security and Medicare, keys to keeping old folks wealthy and healthy and making sure the lock box stays locked.

And after all, in the Senate he�d just be the new kid on the block, way back in the line behind the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barbara Mikulski.

They say he�s dispatched hundreds of e-mails and thousands of phone calls to make certain all the ducks are in a row and everybody who counts is on the bandwagon. One �no

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About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He served as Director of Technology at b5media from 2005-2008 and is currently an independent consultant.