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I have been covering and writing about politics in Baltimore County for many years. What disturbs me the most is when seasoned politicians attempt to, as the old idiom goes, pull the wool over the eyes of the public.
Before I get into the main topic of this column, which is Baltimore County preserving its sanctuary status, I want to lay the groundwork for some comments that Candidate John Olszewski, Jr. made about transparency. Those comments, along with his negative statement about President Trump at the recent debate of County executive hopefuls, shows quite clearly that the former Delegate from the 6th District is running as a “Progressive Democrat.”
After the former governor’s failed presidential bid, most Marylanders know how this campaign may go.
The groundwork I just provided is important because it is strictly contrary to the political position Mr. Olszewski pontificates.
YouTube video of debate sponsored by The University of Baltimore, WJZ TV and The Baltimore Sun
“Johnny O,” as he prefers to be addressed, has made some recent statements regarding his reemergence into the political scene for the top slot in county government–Baltimore County Executive.
Now what is interesting to this journalist are the recent issues surrounding Mr. Olzewski’s decision to run for Baltimore County Executive. I found it rather interesting that, after losing his bid for state senator to a relatively unknown candidate, Mr. Olszewski feels he has the perspective to run for the lofty position of Baltimore County Executive. We find that rather arrogant, but maybe it’s just a case of SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for failed political careers.
In the last election, Johnny O–a delegate representing the 6th District–decided to throw his hat into the ring and run for the position of state senator. According to most political pundits, Johnny O was heavily favored to win the slot that was vacated after Norman Stone retired following a long and distinguished career as a public servant.
At the time, Johnny O was endorsed by almost every career politician in Annapolis. Those endorsements were based on several issues that included Johnny O’s father, who was then Councilman John Olszewski, Sr., in addition to close ties to the political machine run by former Governor Martin O’Malley.
The problem is, folks, politicians don’t elect state senators, but citizens do.
Getting back to the main topic of this column, I wondered why Johnny O chose not to answer our question, posed to him via email along with Facebook, concerning his stance on preserving Baltimore County as a sanctuary jurisdiction.I wanted to address his deceptive words, his ultimate agenda, and his self-described position as a “Progressive Democrat.”
Here is one definition of the term Progressive taken from a BBC article:
A progressive is someone who wants to see more economic and social equality – and hopes to see more gains in feminism and gay rights. They’re also supportive of social programmes directed by the state – and they’d like social movements have more power in the US.
As to the term “… social movements have more power in the us.”, here is another part of the quote from the BBC article that clarifies that issue regarding the term of a PD
One group is dominated by activists from social movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, he says, and the other is led by those who belong to the left wing of the Democratic Party (and aren’t part of a social movement or cause).
Let’s look at exactly what Johnny O is saying, as opposed to actually doing. As the old idiom goes, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Let’s start off with the statement found at 8:45 of the video above. In his opening statement, Johnny O makes it quite clear what he intends to do if elected–spend more of our tax dollars on government-funded social programs, fight the President of the United States (what the heck does this have to do with local politics?), and continue the legacy of well-known Progressive Democrat Martin O’Malley.
Regarding the transparency issue, I received a screenshot from a reader about that very topic–more specifically Johnny O’s censorship of his Facebook page. That censorship violates the First Amendment, as documented by a quote from an ACLU letter regarding similar issues:
The ACLU believes that censorship by government entities and representatives on official government social media sites is a violation of both constitutional law and state of Maryland’s social media policy.
I provide three examples of Johnny O promising to be transparent if elected. One of them can be found in a previous Post column.
Now is a good time to mention the reason Johnny O and his well-heeled campaign managers failed to respond to our email about the county’s sanctuary status: Our email never made it to the Olszewski campaign.
Please click on the image to view the entire response
Now compare the message sent to Johnny O as instructed by Mr. Olszewski’s Facebook page and you will notice we sent the email to the correct address.
I have mentioned previously how Johnny O blocking people’s access to his social media accounts is nothing more than blatant censorship. This is how a politician controls the narrative.
My best guess is that Mr. Olzewski, Jr. is patronizing the voters with a disingenuous message.
As you look at the bottom image, I offer the following closing statement – Actions speak louder than words!
