A few years ago, when Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening retired, I wrote this letter to my local paper. They ran it, but with some editorial changes; here is the unchanged version. I realize that this is an "oldie," but I like to be reminded of liberal successes from time to time, and I think I was downright prophetic in the last paragraph.
To the editor:
I think that time will be kinder to Parris
Glendening's administration than some Marylanders,
and above all the press, have been. His eight years
in the office, especially his second term after a
landslide reelection in 1998, have seen consistent
successes and excellent liberal leadership--exactly
the kind of thing the state and the country needs.
Here are some examples:
--Glendening led the way for the Smart Growth program,
which has encouraged both the preservation of rural
space and the revival of urban and inner-ring-suburb
communities. This program has won honors from many
groups, including the Maryland chapter of the American
Planning Association, the Sierra Club, and Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government.
--Glendening defied the political winds and bravely
followed Illinois Governor George Ryan's decision to
suspend the death penalty until its discriminatory use
could be further studied--which, now that the study is
finished, was clearly the right decision (and one that
new governor Bob Ehrlich seems determined to reverse,
no matter what the study says).
--Glendening made winning civil rights for gay people
in employment and housing a top priority, and fought
right-wing Republicans all the way to get it passed.
As a result, Maryland is one of only thirteen states
that prohibit employment discrimination based on
sexual orientation.
Some of Glendening's enemies have vilified him for
divorcing his wife and marrying a younger former
staffer. While I am no fan of divorce, I am not
inclined to judge him so harshly for it, especially
since (like those critics) I really have no idea of
the background of Glendening's personal life.
Similarly, right-wing critics like Bob Ehrlich and
Michael Steele have criticized him for leaving the
state in debt. I can't take these criticisms very
seriously, especially since the same conservatives are
ready to deify another politician who left office with
more than a little debt remaining (one Ronald Reagan).
Besides, we all know that if Glendening had raised
taxes to make up the difference, they would be
attacking him just as harshly for raising taxes.
Ehrlich's ethical lapses in the campaign (such as his
unreported use of a helicopter given to him by a
business buddy who wanted favors, as reported in the
Post) have already dropped off the radar. Is it not
completely obvious that similar offenses by Glendening
would now be all that anyone in Annapolis was talking
about? I think that it will take some hindsight to
see all that Parris Glendening accomplished during his
tenure, hindsight that we might enjoy after four years
of his replacement.
