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Harris Eyeing Party-Building Role

Rep. Andy Harris appears to be embracing a role in helping build the Republican Party in Maryland.

Harris, a two-term congressman, is the featured guest at a Jan. 7 fundraiser for Eastern Shore Del. Michael McDermott, who is said to be eying a run for state Senate. Harris is also scheduled tomorrow to be the featured speaker at a Jan. 8 joint meeting of Republican delegates and senators before the General Assembly reconvenes on Jan. 9.

Harris also has close ties with Republican former senator Alex Mooney, who now heads the state Republican Party. While in the Senate, both had reputations for their fund raising efforts.

Harris assisted with the election of Tari Moore as the first county executive in Cecil County. Moore switched her party affiliation to independent before being sworn-in in an attempt to prevent other state legislators from having an hand in naming a replacement to her seat on the Cecil County Council, according to The Daily Record.

In 2006, Harris provided financial backing for Doug Riley in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Sen. Jim Brochin. Kathy Szeliga, a former aide to Harris when he served in the Senate, was elected to the House of Delegates in 2010.

Harris was not immediately available for comment. A source close to Harris said the congressman plans to assist Republicans running for office in Maryland starting with those in his district which stretches from the Eastern Shore to parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford Counties.

FIFA_archived

3:27 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013

If you wish to make the Republican Party in Maryland even less significant, go ahead and put Harris in charge. He will not change a single democrat's mind and he will cost you Independents. He just voted againts the disaster relief package for NJ and NY. One of 67 Republicans. The other 350 congresspeople (including 160 Republicans) disagreed with him.

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AllStar

12:27 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The bill was full of pork and there were no reforms or spending cuts to offset the costs.

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FIFA_archived

7:26 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

There was zero pork in the bill passed. You are incorrect. There were no offsets. Glad you don't live in NJ or NY?

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Amazed

8:11 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I would like to have seen the package passed with the stipulation that no funding go to rebuild any home within 500 yards of the shoreline. Why should the American public be on the hook for Ken and Barbie's dream beach home when its only a matter of time before it's smashed to kindling again. I they want to live on the beach let them figure out how to rebuild.
...

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FIFA_archived

9:21 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

@Amazed - they should ban trailer parks too. Seems tornadoes are attracted too them all of the time. Also, anyone subject to blizzards should not be covered.

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AG

10:57 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Maryland isn't worth saving. The Democrats are going bankrupt the state. It is already too late. Let i go, and rebuild from the Democratic rubble.

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Jaclyn Gregory

5:09 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

No there was no pork in the bill; just don't look over here: http://spectator.org/archives/2013/01/07/sandy-republicans-pig-out
The disgusting thing is that politicians (both R and D) use disasters and hardship to booster their own political careers by putting pork in any attempts to help those who need it. Those who really care about those affected by the disaster and about having a decent gov't that represents the people will start demanding clean bills. Good for Harris for voting against the pork.

Steve

4:09 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013

LOL That's just what the MDGOP needs. Let the Frat boys run the show.....

http://www.globalrhetoric.com/2012/01/03/have-a-drink-on-me/

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Buck Harmon

4:10 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013

What is needed is some serious third party building...otherwise prolonging the agony will be accomplished..that's it..

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Kelly Blue

7:29 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013

The only Sandy victim Harris knows is John Travolta.

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Bart

7:23 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

If Harris wants to help the Republicans, he should quit. He is an embarrassment; totally out of touch with his constituents.
If Sandy had hit Maryland harder, he would have been all over it. Maryland missed a catastrophe by a hair, and it will only get worse.

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1ke

8:21 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Bart, if you travel to Crisfield and other parts of Somerset County, you would see a highly concentrated rural catastrophe.

Gov. O'Malley, visited and advocated for people there in spite of the fact that he only received 41% of that county's vote in 2010.

I hope that someone begins to understand that when national money pours in to support a candidate, local needs fade into the background. Follow the money, Bart.

1ke

9:54 am on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Crisfield received the highest tides in living memory, higher than the 1933 storm that moved Assateague south and cut the inlet at Ocean CIty.

The freakish part of it was not the height of the surge--Smith and Tangier Islands made out fine--but the persistence of southwest winds, which blew into the 60 kt. range for 24 hours, piling up water tide on tide.

Houses that had stayed dry for at least 40 years were inundated. "Water as high as the top of the toilet tank," one old-timer said.

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John Doe

4:30 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I'm sure each Republican will be given a 'national debt' chart for all of their presentations. Seriously, if Congressman Harris wants to help the Maryland Republicans, he should follow Councilman Marks around with a tablet and take notes. I am not a Republican, but I can respect Councilman Marks brand.

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Lois Raimondi Munchel

8:48 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Harris should be ashamed for not standing up for the Eastern Shore's hurricane damage. What do you expect from someone who as soon as he was elected, wanted to know when his medical coverage kicked in. How hypocritical!! All 1st dist. voters should ask to see just what bills he has initiated or cosponsored so we will know what his value is for working 120 days at $120,000.00. If he can't stand for his own constituents then he should be replaced.

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Karl Schuub

2:38 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Most officials that have bothered to physically assess the damage describe it as limited at best. It's typical of the adage of "not letting a good crisis go to waste" for locals to claim a catastrophe in order to get a bigger grab at federal money. Crisfield is about the only part of the eastern shore that experienced much damage at all - and given the abhorant condition of most of the buildings there not sure how you'd tell what was storm and what was simply a case of deferred maintenance. I do find it amusing that the usual leftist crowd - 1ke, Honeygo and FIFA lead the charge here...anything to undermine Harris including trying to be responsible with taxpayers dollars is fodder for the little jackals. I haven't seen Crisfield but did drive up the coast all the way into Delaware...have family that lives within a stone's throw to the beach. It's the surge that did the damage not the storm and given the direction of the winds MD and DE got nearly zero surge.

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FIFA_archived

2:46 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

A little "jackal" compared to a jackass? You and Harris are from the same breed.

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Karl Schuub

3:02 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

That's the best you can do? I'm so disappointed in you; not surprised though. Pretending you've suddenly developed a great love for the eastern shore residents for the sole purpose of justifying yet another round of shreaking about the GOP just seems a bit disingenuous. Get your facts straight - the damage is MD was minimal and isolated to a few areas of the shore; hardly worth the millions the little money grabbers are hoping to get. You and PT Barnum of from the same breed.

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FIFA_archived

3:07 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl, is that the best you can do? Perhaps you can find the quote from me but it doesn't exist. I have never made any claim or knowledge of damage to the MD Eastern Shore. Show me. I don't shriek about the GOP, I point out that Harris is one of 67 Republicans voting against the bill and I give my opinion that the GOP would be stupid considering him to help Maryland Republicans. I have only stated facts and my opinion, you appear to have been Ronald McDonald in this case. Learn to read clown, you'll get further in life.

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1ke

3:09 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

No, guess your prosperous carcass didn't go to Crisfield.

Yes, Karl Schluub, I, too, hope that Harris is as responsible with the taxpayer's dollars as he was with phantom donations to support his 2009-2010 campaign. http://bit.ly/11gDvsH

Bet you are an ardent supporter indeed.

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Karl Schuub

3:30 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Seems like the little basement dwellers done got their panties in a wad. Predictably easy...

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FIFA_archived

3:37 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl, not at all, you just demonstrate for all to see you are a tea bagging fool. Congratulations with your new found 8% support.

See you at McDonalds this weekend. Which one are you working?

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John Doe

3:49 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl - You should watch 'Property Income' on HGTV. The basements are transformed into luxurious apartments. There is no point to this, but it may give you a different perspective on basement dwellers.

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Karl Schuub

3:57 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

And to the FIFA's right hand idiot - 1ke. You seriously want folks to be up in arms over Harris's campaign contributions. He's a doctor. Doctors make quite a bit of money. Doctors have extra money to contribute and appear to have done so - smoked the little carpetbagger Kratovil and that's all I really care about. By the way, the dem party threw tons of money towards Kratovil and he lost anyway, but of course that money rolling in from outside Maryland isn't even on your radar.

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Karl Schuub

4:01 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

John Doe - point taken. Not literally commenting on the houses of abode; more the tone. It's like these 3 or 4 sit here all day long every day and wait for somebody to fight with as if they've been assigned the job of obnoxious lefty blogger. It's actually pretty mental. Within a post or two it always becomes "you teabagger" or "you clown" and sort of juvenile really. I usually ignore them because it's such a waste of energy.

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FIFA_archived

4:02 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl, we are not done with gerrymandering the map. We got Western Maryland, next up is the Eastern Shore. Just need to do a bit of cut and paste, we'll get Harris as well.

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John Doe

4:15 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl - I was making a joke...I get it...I know you were referring to the tone. It is best to get insight/info from all political backgrounds, though.

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FIFA_archived

4:21 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Let's see Karl, you began this whole process with the terms "usual leftist crowd" and "jackal" and expect no pushback? Your ignorant tone began the entire back and forth and now you blame 1ke and me for it? Fool.

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1ke

4:21 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Not tons, Karl. Read and write. Write and read. Inverse processes.

I miss Gilchrist.

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Karl Schuub

4:24 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Come on FIFA it's not as if you've never posted before. All you do is attack...it's a long series of insults and personal attacks w/ zero ability to stick to the subject to converse in adult, reasoned tones. I reply in kind to you because that's who you folks are. It's as if you're actually the same person with several different id's on this site. Do you all sit together...do you have nothing to do other than this?

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Buck Harmon

5:34 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The thought of believing, or taking seriously anything that comes from a silly red face on a ping pong ball named Fifi is...well...odd at best..

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FIFA_archived

5:26 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013

Wrong Karl, you began the attack and don't like people standing up to your nonsense by retaliating. Grow up.

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FIFA_archived

5:29 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013

Buckaroo, believing anything from a tax protestor and 9/11 conspiracy theorist like you is ???? Tell people about 9/11 and their volunteering income tax to the Feds. Go ahead Bucky, make your case. I'm nuts? You belong in the looney bin. File your tax return yet? Oh, that's right, you think it is unconstitutional. I hope the IRS is watching the Patch.

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Buck Harmon

6:57 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013

Wow Fifi...that little red face on the ping pong ball thing really pushed your button...
Once again....I accept your surrender to this topic...you're done..

John Doe

3:14 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

If Congressman Harris plans to assist Republicans running for office, these same Republicans will soon be wearing a "Fire Harris" button on their lapel in hopes of being elected.

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1ke

4:24 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Karl, there are people who have relatives somewhere other than at the beach.

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Kelly Blue

8:00 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013

Buckyboy, still waiting for your fiscal plan that you and your cohorts are putting together. Remember Judge Smails, "well we're waiting". Can't wait to see how you solve all of the County's problems. Or are you just the ass that FIFA describes.

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John Doe

9:36 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013

Judge Smails? Nice. Very Nice.

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