Sen. Biden and Rep. Murtha in Johnstown, PA

GOP is not properly leveraging the Internet

When will the GOP wake up?

I've been saying for years the GOP is not properly leveraging the Internet. Take a look at the examples below and you'll see what I mean.

Compare:

On Twitter:
http://twitter.com/barackobama

http://twitter.com/johnmccain

On MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/johnmccain

http://www.myspace.com/barackobama

Also at right are Facebook search screen shots. The Obama supporter list went on and on. The GOP list was three Facebook supporter sites.

The above are three major social network sites on the Internet and the story is the same everywhere you look the Democrats are doing a much better job using the Internet. Sad story!

Heritage Foundation LIVE

The AreaGuides.com Network has added the Heritage Foundation LIVE feed to all its websites. see: http://frederick.com/Heritage_Foundation_LIVE-a-479.html

Joe Biden: Terrorists Will Test Obama

Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live

Also see Sarah Palin on http://USCute.com

Laura Ingraham and Bill O'Reilly

Click Here to watch the video!

Presidential Debate from Oct. 15, 2008

Vice Presidential Debate Oct 2, 2008

Now the Saturday Night LIVE version:

Fundraiser at the home of Mike and Jo Bowersox

Fundraiser at the home of Mike and Jo Bowersox

Date:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
6:30pm

Address:
7935 Wormans Mill Road
Frederick, Maryland 21701

You are invited to join us at the home of Mike and Jo Bowersox for a fundraising event for Michael Hough, Candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates (Frederick and Washington Counties).

Tickets are $100 per person. Please make checks payable to Hough for Delegate. If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a contribution, you can send it to: Hough for Delegate 143 Fiona Way Brunswick, MD 21758.

Please RSVP no later than Monday October 27, 2008. For more information, you may contact me at 240-405-7098, or via email at michael@houghfordelegate.com.

For more information and driving directions, please visit the event page on my website.


Sincerely,

Michael Hough

Candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates
District 3B Frederick & Washington Counties
Chairman, Frederick County Republican Central Committee

Authority Hough for Delegate, JoeyLynn Hough, Treasurer

Slots in Maryland

The best way to curb gambling and, at-the-same-time, bring more money into the Maryland economy is to allow gaming to come into the state and NOT tax the money that is won or lost. This way the payouts could be much higher than nearby states and gamblers would travel to Maryland to spend their money on dining, hotels and other needs while they are here. The result would be less gambling over time as government would not be profiting or aggressively promoting it.

Did Obama Really Say That?

Something was said during the last Presidential candidate debate that I believe is very important to bring to light. Not having heard anyone comment on this statement or "mis-statement", I started thinking maybe it wasn't really said. After finding the transcript and trudging through it, there it was. Candidate Obama indeed referred to America as a "shining beacon on the hill". OUCH!!

Being a Reagan Republican, that really hurts. I would love to say to Senator Obama that we Republicans do not care for a liberal democrat to try and quote a great President, and if you do, at least get it right. It was in President Reagan's Farewell Address to this great Nation that he referred to The United States as "The Shining City On The Hill". That's "CITY" not "BEACON". If Obama needs to use the words of Republicans, maybe he's a little more confused than we thought.

Cali Lewis LIVE on Bailout Plan

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

RE Slots from Senator Alex X. Mooney

Dear Supporter,

Conservative Republicans should be outraged by Martin O'Malley's slots boondoggle. I've always been opposed to expanding gambling because, like so many of us, I think it is the wrong way to balance our budget or supposedly fund education. But, it's important to point out that this is not - I repeat NOT - Bob Ehrlich's slots plan that some of my Republican colleagues supported. This is a big government liberal slots plan that will do nothing to solve Maryland's budget crisis.

This weekend, I was on Bob and Kendel Ehrlich's radio show that was devoted to slots. Gov. Ehrlich made his opposition to this Constitutional amendment clear, saying, "What people need to understand is, this is not my bill; this is not even anywhere close to my bill. And I'm very fearful that this bill is bad policy."

We must oppose enshrining slot machine gambling into our Constitution!

Do you trust the liberal insiders in Annapolis with slots? I sure don't. Recent polling suggests that the fate of the slots referendum is in the hands of Republicans. Democrats are split on the issue and the polling says that we Republicans are giving O'Malley and his liberal friends in Annapolis the margin of victory they need to pass their big government slots plan and increase wasteful government spending.

We've got to spread the word that slots are morally bankrupt and we've got to make sure that our fellow Republicans know that this isn't Bob Ehrlich's slots plan. This is a big government far left liberal power grab and we've got to stop it. Time and again, Annapolis insiders have made big government promises that they can't keep. It's what's gotten our state into the fiscal mess we're in and their slots plan won't fix it. It's fiscally irresponsible and it enshrines gambling into our Constitution - a place where gambling should never be.

We've got to turn the tide and stop O'Malley's big government slots scheme!

If you want to stop slot machines in Maryland, I hope you'll get involved with the bipartisan coalition Marylanders United to Stop Slots. They are a broad based coalition that includes both Democrats and Republicans like Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, myself, the House Republican Caucus, and our conservative friends at the Red Maryland blog and the Maryland Taxpayers Association. It's time for Democrats and Republicans to come together to stop Martin O'Malley's big government slots plan!

I urge you to sign up and join Marylanders United to Stop Slots - make a contribution if you can - and, together, we can stop O'Malley's slots boondoggle.

DEFEAT MARTIN O'MALLEY'S BIG GOVERNMENT SLOTS PLAN! JOIN WITH MARYLANDERS UNITED TO STOP SLOTS TODAY!

Thanks so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Senator Alex X. Mooney, Maryland

Michael Hough in the The Washington Times

Here is an article I wrote that appeared in the Washington Times today. I thought you may enjoy it.

--Michael Hough

The Washington Times

Article URL: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/01/constitutional-elections/

Constitutional Elections
Michael Hough
Wednesday, October 1, 2008


COMMENTARY:

Every four years about this time, news stories start to appear about the Electoral College, the constitutionally established system we use to elect the president of the United States. Invariably, pundits use this season to lambaste and ignore the important role the Electoral College plays in preserving our republic. Recently the attacks have gotten worse and they have even convinced four states (Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois and Hawaii) to enact legislation to do away with the Electoral College. Nationally, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida Democrat, has introduced legislation to abolish it.

But, before we discard the Electoral College, we need to understand its importance. As President Lyndon Johnson said of the Electoral College, "Our present system of computing and awarding electoral votes by States is an essential counterpart of our federal system and the provisions of our Constitution which recognize and maintain our nation as a Union of states."

The Electoral College emerged from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as compromise between delegates who wanted to directly elect the president and delegates who were worried about large states overpowering small states. As one delegate from Connecticut said, "[The people] will generally vote for some men in their own state, and the largest state will have the best chance."

To overcome this problem, the Founders created the current system that awards every state one elector for every U.S. senator and member of Congress from the state; plus the District of Columbia is awarded three electors. When voters go to the polls they are actually voting for the presidential electors and not the candidate. This system, while not perfect, ensures that less-populated states, like North Dakota with a population of 635,000 and three electoral college votes, is not totally overwhelmed during elections by a state like California with a population of more than 36 million and 55 electoral college votes. The system creates a balance because while California has 57 times the population of North Dakota, it only has 18 times more Electoral College votes.

President Ronald Reagan summed up the consequences for small states of scrapping the Electoral College when he said, "Presidential candidates would be tempted to aim their campaigns and their promises at a cluster of metropolitan areas in a few states and the smaller states would be without a voice."

The Electoral College also ensures the winning candidate, who must obtain 270 Electoral College votes, has a broad coalition of support from multiple regions of the country. If we were to adopt a direct election system in which the candidate receiving the most votes won, we could have a regional candidate like former segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who won five Southern states in 1968, win the election in a multiple-candidate race. It may seem far-fetched that a large democratic country would elect an extremist, but in 2002, France's perennial extremist candidate Jean-Marie LePen defeated then Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and garnered enough support to enter into a runoff with President Jacques Chirac. Mr. LePen had previously made statements downplaying the Holocaust and Nazism, but because he received 16.8 percent of the vote, in an election with multiple candidates, he made it to the final round of the election.

Finally, the Electoral College respects the unique role of states in a national election. If we went to a national popular vote, election laws would become even more federalized. Members of Congress would be encouraged to pass more and more unfunded mandates down to the states. An example can be seen in Mr. Nelson's bill, which in addition to abolishing the Electoral College, forces states to purchase new voting machines and to adopt early voting laws.

What's worse, a close election like the one we had in 2000 could put the entire nation in turmoil. Imagine Florida, but with lawyers spread across the country demanding recounts in all 50 states. The consequences of this could be disastrous.

It is no wonder the late Sen. Patrick Moynihan called efforts to get rid of the Electoral College, "the most radical transformation in our political system that has ever been considered." This is also the reason the American Legislative Exchange Council, which represents more than 2,000 state legislators, opposes efforts to abolish the Electoral College. This splendid system, while not perfect, has allowed America to remain a stable and prosperous republic for more than 200 years and it should not be replaced.

Michael Hough is the director of the Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development & Criminal Justice and Homeland Security Task Forces at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

www.houghfordelegate.com

Authority Hough for Delegate, Mathieu Gerard, Treasurer