An “Upstream” Battle

At the very onset of meeting Johnny Ray Salling, one gets the sense that the Republican candidate for Maryland Senate is of a different breed. Salling has a crucifix on his political card because he is not ashamed of this faith—in Dundalk, that speaks volumes, but that may not be enough to carry Salling through in his quest to represent us in Annapolis.

Why, you ask? Well, Senator Norman—who is retiring—has seemingly anointed the current 6th District Delegate John Olszewski Jr. to take Norman’s vacated Senate seat in Annapolis.

So, the crucifix on Salling’s card may come in handy, as it seems he will need some divine intervention if he expects to dethrone the favored Olszewski.

Hence the headline of this blog. Salling is definitely swimming upstream against a pretty rough current.

Olszewski has lined up a lot of support from the liberal Democrats. He also has a war chest with more than $100,000 in cash, which is usually a major plus in political campaigns.

Social media campaigns using Facebook and You Tube can neutralize some of that war chest spending, but it needs to “catch fire,” as the saying goes. To that end, Salling is quite active in this area, as his Facebook page indicates. He also has a You Tube video on some of his views about the direction Dundalk and the 6th District is headed.

But will social media be enough?

This race is a tad different given Olszewski’s experience and the blessing of many veteran Democrats in a District controlled by the party elite. Additionally, Olszewski has close ties with the Governor and is currently head of the county delegation that follows the “yellow brick road” that may not lead to where many of those from these parts of town are traveling.

Salling will need a strong campaign with a sound message of how he is going to make changes in a District that has seen its share of bad times. He must live on the streets of the 6th District, speaking with every voter that will actually visit the polls in this coming election.

Salling’s campaign site offers some clues about his agenda, but one of the main issues facing this District is Fort Howard. So far, I have not found one political hopeful who actually knows anything about it. That is sad, especially when you consider that a development of this type will forever impact the area … and not in a positive way.

As you know, I have written several blogs on the subject, and I hope to follow with some more that cover some serious implications. But more on that another time…

I like Salling’s concept on public safety and overall stance against the liberal Democratic machine. He seems to be our only chance of hope for change.

My take on Johnny Ray Salling is that he is truly sincere and a genuine middle class working man who faces many of the same issues that are impacting his 6th District constituents.

One plus on Salling’s side is that he is running unopposed in the Republican primary, which will allow him to save his resources for the battle against Olszewski in the general election.

The one thing I know for sure is that new blood in the 6th Senate seat will take the power out of the hands of the political elite and pass it back to the people. In case you’ve forgotten, it’s “we the people” who are supposed to have the say; not “them their political types that run Baltimore County and the State of Obama Care.”

Judgment on that one issue alone is enough to vote Republican.

It seems very apparent that the state’s effort at health care turned out to be a catastrophe. If you like horror stories, check out this one from the Sun that discusses the money—OUR tax dollars—that Mr. Kamenetz is throwing away on numerous fruitless appeals.

This is where leadership should step into the fray. As our Delegate, Mr. Olszewski could certainly put a few wise words into Mr. Kamenetz’s ear about this situation.

But that is not happening. You see, it’s easy for them to spend our money on such issues.

Remember the old saying about power and arrogance and what absolute power can do?

Somehow, I don’t see a middle class, down to earth man like Johnny Ray Salling throwing thousand dollar bills out of the county office building windows.

How many times does the county have to be told by the courts to get the message? Apparently, the tab that currently sits at $19 million isn’t enough to sway the king and all his men (and horses). A good analogy on that last one, as this will turn out to be the wrong end of the horse for Mr. Kamenetz if he doesn’t stop wasting taxpayer funds on this case.

I can practically guarantee you that a middle class working man would see the writing on the wall and act accordingly. The value of a dollar is important to a man who has to spend his own money rather than someone else’s.

As for me, I’m voting for anyone who is running from the party line where the citizens aren’t part of the agenda.

Despite some rough waters, Johnny Lee Salling just might touch a chord with the disenfranchised and find a seat in the crowded field filled with connected blue bloods.

As they say, “Johnny be a good bet.”