Why does it seem that everyone involved with Al Wynn finds it necessary to use intimidation against the Donna Edwards campaign? Lets look at the most recent incident as covered in the Gazette.

There was a brief sideshow last week in Lanham as the State Central Committee voted in Michael Cryor as its new party chairman when congressional candidate Donna Edwards was tossed out of the meeting.

   Edwards, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville, was in the crowd with campaign materials when the encounter happened. One of the electrical union reps who runs the Lanham building where the event was being held apparently didn't appreciate her presence, and confronted her.

   Edwards said Charles Graham, one of the managers for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 26 office, told her he was a Wynn supporter and that she was ``not welcome." So she left. But she said others in the room had on buttons for presidential candidates, so she felt she should be able to campaign as well.

     Edwards was indignant.

   ``I'm a lifelong Democrat, and I felt that those are things that should be open to all in the party," she said. ``I'm not going to be intimidated ... or mistreated in the process [of campaigning]."

Its sad that this is the sort of thing we have come to expect from Wynn and his supporters.

Thanks to help from Blogpac Maryland progressives now have a new home:

Free State Politics

After the Nevada/Fox debacle, it's important for progressives to look for forums in which our Democratic candidates can shine, and in which they will be presented with questions that matter to us.  

Though it is a few months off, this is why I am very excited to hear that Tavis Smiley and the CWBA will be holding a presidential forum at Howard University in June.

So far, it seems only Gravel and Kucinich have signed up, and lets hope that changes soon.  I am hoping that all of our Democrats will jump on this opportunity, but if they don't we will need to pressure them to show up.

Either way, I am excited to see this forum, and I hope it forces the candidates to address issues that are important to Blacks, and to progressives in general.

Click on "covenants" over that their website to see the CWBA comprehensive progressive platform.