ELRICH'S WHITEWASH
By Lori Jaffe
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich likes to whitewash both the past and the present. In a recent video, Elrich wants the viewer to be reminded of slavery and he implies that he is here to help the minority communities. But what do his policies really do to these communities? You can help the Committee for Better Government limit him to two terms, but you must act soon. Ten thousand valid signatures must be gathered by July 29. (See below).
In his video, Elrich walks a fine line between truth and deception. He implies that he, a leader in the Democrat Party, helps the minorities but he gives no credit to the Republican Party, which was founded in 1854 to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. Brittanica states, “This sectional conflict between Northern states and slaveholding Southern states had been tempered by a series of political compromises, but by the late 1850s the issue of the extension of slavery to the western states had reached a boiling point. The election of Abraham Lincoln, a member of the antislavery Republican Party, as president in 1860 precipitated the secession of 11 Southern states, leading to a civil war.”
“From 1867 onward, Black participation in public life in the South became one of the most radical aspects of Reconstruction, as Black people won election to southern state governments and even to the U.S. Congress. For its part, the Ku Klux Klan dedicated itself to an underground campaign of violence against Republican leaders and voters (both Black and white) in an effort to reverse the policies of Radical Reconstruction and restore white supremacy in the South.” Dinesh D’Souza says that Democrat policies in big cities continue this “plantation” mentality to this day.
Elrich also whitewashes the present-day state of Montgomery County. “Our Montgomery County public schools are some of the best in the nation and an important reason why people want to live here.” What he doesn’t say is that they used to be at the top. Now our top schools aren’t even in the top one hundred in the nation.
Elrich likes to pose for photo-ops in an effort to show how much he cares about the minority children, like the students at Eastern Middle School. According to USNews, “In Montgomery County Public Schools, 37% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 27% tested at or above that level for math.” “At Eastern Middle School, 14% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 48% scored at or above that level for reading.” Elrich brags (13:07) about the biotech jobs that he wants to bring to the county. But if Montgomery County school kids can’t do math, how will they make it in the biotech industry? If he really cares, Elrich should change his focus from Equity, and Inclusion to requiring that the public schools provide kids with an education that will set them up for success.
Elrich wants the students to think about what changes he’s made over the last couple of years. What’s been happening safety-wise? Elrich put an end to Student Resource Officers. The police department, which is already hemorrhaging staff, must now expend major resources to address an increase in school threats. And increasing crime is forcing Silver Spring businesses to close. How is all this affecting the Eastern Middle School kids?
Marc Elrich wants to run for a third 4-year term as County Executive in 2026. Do you think his policies have been working? Stop the madness. Please volunteer to hold him to two terms.
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Lori Jaffe is the Party Secretary for the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, volunteer coordinator and Member of the Executive Board. She can be reached at [email protected]