By Barry Rascovar
Oct. 15, 2014 — Chalk one up – a big one – for Anthony Brown.
In a campaign marked by wild accusations and harsh, over-the-top negativity, the Democratic candidate for Maryland governor finally started talking policy in the second televised debate.
Two down, one to go.
Brown still focused too much on slamming his opponent with charges that are patently false. But he also started giving voters a clearer picture of how he’d govern Maryland over the next four years.
Sadly, Republican Larry Hogan Jr. didn’t deliver much more than what the Washington Post called his usual “mush.” Hogan missed a prime opportunity to gain ground.
That’s important because Hogan remains stuck somewhere between 3 and 10 points behind in the polls. While that’s surprisingly close for a Republican in Maryland, it’s not good enough.
Few Specifics
Hogan repeatedly failed to offer specifics on key questions: How he’d clean up the Chesapeake Bay; how he’d deal with gun laws he opposes; how he’d attempt to jump-start the state’s economy, and how he’d improve education while at the same time cutting spending.
Hogan completely avoided answering questions about his private meeting with gun advocates and what, if anything he promised them.
He refused to say if he told gun advocates that he intended to name a new State Police Superintendent so he’d make it easier to obtain a concealed weapon permit.
Details didn’t seem to concern Hogan in this debate. He repeated the same campaign fluff he’s been spouting for months.
He offered little beyond his distaste for past tax increases, his pessimistic view of Maryland’s economy and his wish to create more jobs.
Fill in the Blanks
That worked for Hogan in the Republican primary but he’s got to fill in the blanks if he wants to win over Democratic and independent voters in suburban Baltimore and Washington.
During the debate, Hogan offered no concrete examples of how he’d cut state spending or how as governor he would pump up Maryland’s economy.
He left viewers pondering this question: Where’s the beef?
There was no meat to chew on.
Brown, at least, stopped finger-pointing long enough to give a hint of how he’d run things.
He provided a brief but cogent explanation of the botched health exchange rollout and a defense of Obamacare, i.e., giving 400,000 more Marylanders health insurance.
Brown’s Pledges
He far outdistanced Hogan in his response to protecting Maryland waterways against stormwater pollution.
He repeated his pledge to use tax credits and tax cuts to spur small business development.
He defended his call for universal pre-kindergarten through a phased-in program. (Paying for it remains unanswered.)
He committed to mass transit expansions in the Baltimore and Washington regions that Hogan wants stopped.
He placed emphasis on career and technical education (the old vocational-tech courses) to make high school students job-ready if they’re not college-bound.
We heard little of such substance from Hogan other than his usual grand themes.
In contrast, Brown finally started turning to the specifics voters crave. He came across as competent and knowledgeable. It was his best performance to date.
For Brown, it was Mission Accomplished.
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