Middle View – Not the Left, nor the Right, but in the middle, ideally with Common Sense and Fairness

2019/29 Whiner of the Week – Elijah Cummings

190727-Elijah Cummings, after repeatedly throwing hardballs at Donald Trump, pulls the racist card out after Donalds lobs his first softball back at Mr. Cummings.

Saturday, July 27, 2019 Donald trump tweeted, “Why is so much money sent to Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous city anywhere in the United States.  No human being would want to live there.  Where is all this money going?  How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately.”

Elijah Cummings is been the House Representative since 1996 for Maryland’s 7th disctrict.

This immediately set off a firestorm of racial accusations.  But an analysis of the text above, if it was stated by anyone other then Donald Trump would probably be not be termed racial motivated.  Just naming Representative Cummings, a 36 year fixture in the House, does not mean it is racial.

190727-Baltimore has the highest per capita homicide in the US. (Baltimore Sun Data)

If you review 232 countries in the world.  Only El Salvador, Jamaica, and Venezula have higher per capita murder rates than Baltimore.

Reviewing other statistics from numerous sources sometimes put other US cities at the top, but Baltimore is not a safe city by this statistic.

Elijah Cummings has spent the last two years beating up Trump.  Which is all fine and good as it’s politics.  But, his race does not give him a shield to protect him from critique.  He has thrown many political hardballs toward Donald Trump over the past few years.  When Trump lobs a softball his way.  He melts, and pulls the race card out.  He calls out the Big Gun, Nancy Pelosi to help battle Trump and divert attention. 

1907027-Bernie Sanders tweeted about conditions in Baltimore while running in the 2016 campaign. No charges of racism for Bernie?

The Baltimore Sun reported Bernie Sanders likened West Baltimore to a “third world country” when he toured the city in Dec of 2015 (months before the tweet to the left).  But Bernie, from pasty white Vermont, is not a racist.

Like any large city, Baltimore does have a rat problem.  The city provides a website with tips to prevent them.  The biggest benefit is obtained by keeping trash in cans and keeping streets and alleyways clean.  Baltimore has issues following the cities guidelines.

In 2018, Orkin, once again put Baltimore in the top ten of US cities with a rat problem.  In 2018 it moved from #8 to #9.  An improvement.

But we doubt Elijah Cummings had anything to with this.  But could he do more to help out?

The video above or on the left is from a Sept 2018 Fox-45 broadcast where Mayor Pugh toured a part of the city.  Perhaps Trump saw this or another show.  Around the same time the Baltimore Sun was reporting on food markets and restaurants closing because of the rodent problem.

190727-Nancy Pelosi, ever protective of the flock of Democrat House Representatives, fires back to protect Rep Cummings from Trumps twitter onslaught. Nancy Pelosi's father, Thomas “Big Tommy” D’Alesandro, Jr, was a three term Mayor of Baltimore. So she may have a soft spot for Mr. Cummings district. Would her father, the Mayor, be proud of today's Baltimore? (twitter)

On August 6, 1999, Rep. Cummings made this speech before the house.  He talked of his Drug Infested city.

He did not call his constituents “deplorables”, instead he used the term “ZOMBIES”.   Eh?

 

What Baltimore could really use is a Manhattan Style project on trash pickup.  If every city employee would put down their spreadsheet work and spend 16 hours a quarter picking up trash, a large part of the problem could be solved.

If Cummings was white, would Trump have said the same mean things?

I believe so, do you?

Other Stuff

190727-A statistical ranking of the worlds cities by homicide rate per 100,000 people. Interestingly all of the on this list of 23, all, with the exception of Capetown, South Africa, are in North or South America. Baltimore here ranks 23rd. Only St Louis is higher in this ranking.

What started all of this?  Well one, Cummings has been threatening the President for 2-1/2 years now.  He has to expect a return softball every now and then.  Additionally, Fox News reported on Aug-8, Jack Brewer, a former NFL player, stated he personally asked President Trump a few weeks prior to bring attention to the issues of Baltimore.

“I had a chance to meet with President Trump, and I told him please call out Elijah Cummings and Baltimore. I asked him to do that three weeks ago and he did it,” said Brewer, a former NFL linebacker from 2002 to 2006.

“I’m seeing these kids that don’t have any core, no culture within them. They don’t have anyone teaching them or training them,” Brewer explained.

Brewer also recently penned an article on NewsMax.com titled:

    4 Ways Trump Has Done More for African Americans Than Barack Obama 

190720-President Donald Trump with Jack Brewer at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., July 20, 2019 (abc news)
And on a lighter note, the HBO Show, "The Wire". Set and produced in Baltimore. 60 episodes from Jun/2002 to Mar/2008. The five subjects are, in chronological order: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. From wikipedia, "The Wire" is lauded for its literary themes, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics, and its realistic portrayal of urban life. Although during its original run the series received only average ratings and never won any major television awards, it is now regarded by many critics as one of the greatest television shows of all time. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire)