Health Care and Voter Fraud Hot Topics at MD Conservative Conference

"To be conservative is to be American," said one audience member during a question and answer session.

This proclamation, and many like it, permeated throughout the DoubleTree Hotel in Annapolis on Jan. 8.

Amid a sea of "patriot" stickers, pocket-sized Constitutions, and Ayn Rand books, the Maryland Conservative Action Network (MD CAN) held its first conference on Saturday with a wide range of speakers, from newly-elected U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) to Frederick County Sherriff Chuck Jenkins.

Hot topics included practically everything within the conservative mantra, from illegal immigration to repealing the recent federal health care overhaul. An energetic and newly-emboldened Congressman Harris recieved a standing ovation from the audience as he and Maryland state Delegate Ron George (R-30th District) took the stage for a panel discussion on how to ward off pressures from the federal government.

Fighting for state's rights was of utmost concern for George and Harris, both of whom spoke of a hugely imbalanced scale of power that tilts towards Washington.

"When we take federal aid, we lose state's rights," said George.

Harris added that "a new sheriff is in town," speaking of the 112th Congress, which includes a House of Representatives controlled by Republicans. That new sheriff, he added, will vastly increase the number of congressional inquiries into how an array of federal agencies operate.

"The days of Washington sending mandates to the states is over, now that the 112th [Congress] is here," said Harris.

Along these lines, Harris touted a landmark vote that took place this week in the House of Representatives, beginning the process of voting for repeal of the recent health care overhaul. However, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report  saying that repeal of the law would actually add $230 billion to the federal deficit.

When asked by Greater Annapolis Patch about the CBO's estimate, Harris cited the estimate as flawed because of "accounting gimmicks," used by Democrats who wrote the health care law.

Although "Obamacare" was a hot issue for many conference attendees, John Midlen of Montgomery County wanted to learn more about two areas of campaigning where the GOP lagged behind Democrats in the last presidential election — precinct organizing and reaching out to minorities.

"The two issues that I'm most interested in are precinct organization and development and outreach to minorities, to the black community and Latino community," said Midlen, who was recently elected to be on the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

For Scott Strzelczyk of Carroll County, the conference was more of a meet-and-greet to get a better understanding of what the Maryland Conservative Action Network stands for and what they want to do.

"I wanted to see what the organization is about and what they want to accomplish, and then make a decision on whether or not I want to be involved in it," said Strzelczyk, who is an officer in the South Carroll Republican Club.

The Carroll County resident also wants to see the government "get out of the way," in regards to rebounding the nation's economy.

"They've violated the rule of law, violated the Constitution, and the private sector is the one that needs to solve this [economic problem]," said Strzelczyk. "The government needs to get out of the way, stop taxing, and stop regulating."

Tonya Tiffany, one of the event's organizers, and one of three founders of MD CAN, pegged the conference as a chance for conservatives of all stripes to network and become educated about the issues.

"There are lots of conservative Democrats who feel they are being neglected as well," said Tiffany in a phone interview earlier this week. "There's commonalities in all and it's time to set down the bickering."

Tiffany also noted that turnout was higher than anticipated. Mid-week, MD CAN had 135 registrants, according to Tiffany, but by Saturday they had roughly 200 attendees and were scrambling to find enough boxed lunches.

While the conference was (for the most part) free of negative rhetoric, one outburst from an audience member was a reminder that within any political group, there will be fringe elements.

During a panel on combating voter fraud, a member of the audience asked the panelist, Anita MonCrief, what can be done to "stop elite liberals from pushing a socialist, progressive agenda."

In the back of the room, a man yelled "shoot 'em," in response to the questioner. The comment was immediately received with shakes of heads and disapproving glances by those in close proximity, who heard the outburst.

While the task of finding common ground between liberals and conservatives seems daunting, Bill Oldfield of the Annapolis Tea Party says the key to unity is starting local.

"We need to find where we can help each other, help our communities by focusing locally," said Oldfield. "We need to target making our communities better on the local and state level."

For more information, visit the MD CAN website.