FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)I think I know more about the politics of Maryland’s first congressional district than I do of my own. That’s probably because of the tough, ugly battles between Andy Harris and Frank Kratovil. After two rounds of Ali-Frazier-esque elections in which Kratovil took the first fight and Harris the second, we couldn’t get through a civil reality show like “Wife Swap” without a negative ad from either side.
Well, there will be no new “Thrilla In Manilla” because Kratovil is happy in his judgeship and is not going to run again. However, a self-described “spunky, feisty woman who speaks her mind” has entered the ring and is ready to go a few rounds, hoping to meet up with Andy Harris in the championship bout. Businesswoman Wendy Rosen is one of three Democrats, including Kim Letke and John LaFerla, running in the April Democratic primary. The winner will face Harris, the Republican incumbent, this November.
Much of the Jewish community won’t get a chance to cast their ballots for or against Rosen because the district encompasses all of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, along with the northeast part of our state. Those are not highly Jewish zip codes, although obviously more Jews are moving into that district’s Cockeysville area where Rosen lives … four doors from Harris!
Rosen, a member of Baltimore Heb- rew Congregation, is hoping to become Maryland’s lone Jewish Congressional representative (although John Sarbanes is married to a Jewish woman and they are raising their kids Jewish).
I wanted to make sure it was a real candidacy. She has raised only $50,000 so far, versus Harris’ $850,000, so I caught up with her by phone earlier this week. At first glance, she seems to be a one-issue candidate — “to be a strong advocate for small and micro businesses because 78 percent of new jobs come from this sector.” That’s obviously our country’s number one issue currently, and a very hot-button issue, especially on our Eastern Shore. Rosen says she’s been helping small businesses for decades through her business ventures.
Rosen’s known to be pretty eccentric, but comes across as very credible, certainly on her knowledge of how to help small businesses without government handouts. She ticks off a number of ways that we can use our current laws to help start-up companies with less than 20 employees, like working to enforce trade laws that “indelibly” show country of origin so Chinese manufactures can’t rip off Native American art, leading to 50 percent Navajo unemployment. She says stickers that fall off don’t count.
When quizzed on more global issues, such as the current crisis with Iran, the admitted social liberal comes off hawkish on foreign policy. The founder of the Rosen Group credits her stance to having “served as a military wife for more than eight years.”
Rosen said she would absolutely encourage the president to endorse an Israeli bombing run on Iranian
nuclear facilities, but does not want American “boots on the ground.” She is also adamant about Israel not giving up any more land in hopes of peace.
She doesn’t see being Jewish as a factor either way in the race for the predominantly Republican and historically conservative voters. “I’m a younger Barbara Mulkuski,” she adds.
We’ll see how that plays on the Eastern Shore.