Maryland

From tadpoles to rainbows, advice to Kermit on taking the stage | Opinion

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2025

From tadpoles to rainbows, advice to Kermit on taking the stage | Opinion

Larry Little
| Columnist

As a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, I often wear a baseball cap with a big M emblazoned on a smiling image of their mascot, a terrapin — their “fighting turtle.”

Little did I know when I attended the school decades ago that Jim Henson created the Muppets while an undergraduate at the university in the mid-1950s. As we know, one of the Muppet characters is Kermit the Frog. The university has invited Kermit to give an address at this year’s commencement on May 21.

This column offers Kermit five suggestions for his speech.

First, be yourself, and encourage your graduating audience, if they are humans, to always show their humanity and especially respect.

I liked your address at Southhampton College’s 1996 graduation. Your opening lines in that speech are memorable and bear reimagining for this graduation. However, when thinking of “bears,” remember to keep Jim Henson’s ideology in mind when you recall the famous now-outdated childhood road-direction advice: “Bear right, frog left.” Perhaps in the near future, more up-dated advice would be to say, “Damn it, AI, I told you to go to the Board and Brew, 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, Maryland.” To which the AI would reply, “I thought the Milk and Honey at 10280 Baltimore Ave. would be better for you today.”

Remember Kermit, you opened in 1996 with: “When I was a tadpole growing up back in the swamps, I never imagined that I would one day address such an outstanding group of scholars. And I am sure that when you were children growing up back in your own particular swamps or suburbs, you never imagined you would sit here on one of the most important days of your life listening to a short, green talking frog deliver your commencement address.”

Second, take along your banjo. Bring along the one you strummed while singing your famous song, “Rainbow Connection” to open The Muppet Movie. I suggest you sing a few lines from that song, and then stop and reflect on them, before continuing through the verses you want to emphasize.

“Why are there so many / Songs about rainbows / And what’s on the other side?”

You might then rhetorically ask: What do you think is on the other side?

“Rainbows are visions / But only illusions / And rainbows have nothing to hide.”

Here you might ask: What would you like for a rainbow to hide?

Third, remember that while you were created about 1955, and you were most famous around 1975, most of your student audience were born around 2005, and their parents around — perhaps — around 1985.

So, you have the wonderful opportunity to introduce many in your audience to your Muppet team for the first time (or at least for the first time not on You Tube). To others you have the opportunity to reintroduce them to your team.

My favorites are Miss Piggy, Oscar the Grouch, and of course yourself, Kermit the Frog. You have a great chance to talk about how you worked as a team of friends, supportive of one another. You should mention that Oscar lives in a trash can and Miss Piggy practices karate. I know that you and Miss Piggy broke up in 1990, but you can talk about how to break up the right way — as you two did. At one point in 2005 you said that you might be open to a marriage to a pig — an interspecies marriage.

Fourth, you are certainly a liberated frog, no longer stuck in the mud. You can hop from one position on a subject to another and still stay camouflaged. Use brief silence in your speech, as you do in the swamp. Remember that you don’t need to stick with human language. Use “Ribbit-ribbit” for more than emphasis.

Jokes are always a good idea — if they work. Here are a couple of political ones — use carefully. These are courtesy of Reader’s Digest on September 20, 2024:

“Have you heard about McDonald’s new presidential value meal? You order whatever you want, and the person after you has to pay for it.” Or, “Stop repeat criminals — don’t re-elect them!”

Fifth, don’t hesitate to inject a bit of tough love by addressing the difficult issues facing this year’s graduates. This is again where you may need to weave in some politics. As you remember, Jim Henson was an advocate for environmental conservation. As his frog-child, don’t hesitate to croak a lot about whatever you believe your fellow frogs are facing — say plastic pollution.

Continuing with jokes that are timely, say about artificial intelligence:

“Why did the AI go to the psychiatrist?” “It had neural issues.”

“Scientists predict human-level artificial intelligence by 2030. Perhaps sooner if the bar keeps dropping.”

I suggest you conclude with a variation of a couple of your concluding lines from your 1996 speech: “…you are no longer tadpoles. The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp.”

Contact Larry Little at larrylittle46@gmail.com.

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Maryland

On primary Election Day in Maryland, voters are deciding several highly competitive races – WTOP News

Published

10 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

On primary Election Day in Maryland, voters are deciding several highly competitive races – WTOP News

Maryland voters are choosing party nominees for state legislative offices, governor and some of the costliest congressional contests in the country.

Follow WTOP’s team coverage of June 23 Maryland primary and Election 2026 online, on air at 103.5 FM or on the WTOP News app.

Maryland voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide a wide range of primaries, including state legislative offices, governor and some of the costliest congressional contests in the country.

All the General Assembly seats are up for election this year, though Republicans are not offering GOP candidates in all their primaries.

The Maryland governor’s race

Gov. Wes Moore is seeking a second term and is being challenged in the Democratic primary by Eric Felber, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress two years ago against Rep. Jamie Raskin, who represents Maryland’s 8th District.

Moore and Felber are joined on their respective tickets by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and Felber’s running mate, LaTrece Hawkins Lytes.

Moore, who has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2028, is hoping for a strong showing but has downplayed White House aspirations.

In the Republican primary for governor, nine candidates are competing to face Moore in November.

The GOP candidates leading the field in campaign contributions and expenditures are Ed Hale, a Baltimore banker who switched parties last year, and Dan Cox, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

Cox is angling for a rematch with Moore. He was the Republican nominee for in the 2022 governor’s race.

6th District race is among the nation’s most expensive

One of the most competitive and bitter Democratic primary battles is for the 6th District congressional seat held by Rep. April McClain Delaney and contested by former congressman David Trone, who once held the seat.

Trone, who ran for U.S. Senate two years ago but lost, has spent at least $25 million of his own money in the House race.

McClain Delaney has spent more than $7 million.

Six others are running in the Democratic primary, but have raised little money by comparison.

Trone and McClain Delaney have aired a flurry of negative ads, each accusing the other of not doing enough to counter President Donald Trump and his policies.

McClain Delaney has stressed affordability issues and her fight against cuts to the federal workforce.

Trone has emphasized the need to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and reproductive rights for women, among other issues.

Both candidates actually agree on a lot of issues, though their TV ads seek to stress their differences.

On the Republican ballots, longtime candidate and former state Del. Robin Ficker is among several people seeking the GOP nomination.

The 6th District stretches from parts of Montgomery County to Frederick County and Allegany and Garrett counties.

Crowded field battles to succeed Rep. Hoyer

The retirement of longtime Rep. Steny Hoyer, who has represented Maryland’s 5th District since 1981, has opened the floodgates to two dozen Democratic candidates.

The candidates include: former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, healthcare business executive Quincy Bareebe, Prince George’s County state Del. Adrian Boafo, Prince George’s County Council member Wala Blegay and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn.

Money has also been an issue in the 5th District primary, though in a different way than in the 6th.
Boafo, who has Hoyer’s endorsement, has received millions of dollars in support from outside groups.

Some of his opponents have complained about the surge in money supporting Boafo in recent weeks.

In addition to Hoyer, Boafo has been endorsed by Moore and U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen has not endorsed any candidate in the race, but has warned about the danger of outside money from special interest groups.

WTOP’s Tracy Johnke contributed to this report.

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Maryland

Montgomery County Voter Guide: Primary Election Candidates, Polling Places

Published

20 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Montgomery County Voter Guide: Primary Election Candidates, Polling Places

The job involves handling the daily administration of county departments and submitting proposals for the county budget. The current officeholder is Marc Elrich (Democrat), who is running to serve as an at-large member of the County Council.

The leading contenders vying for the four-year term include Councilmembers Andrew Friedson (Democrat), Evan Glass (Democrat) and Will Jawando (Democrat), all of whom hold seats on the County Council.

The four other candidates rounding out the competition include Mithun Banerjee (Democrat), Peter James (Democrat), Shelly Skolnick (Republican) and Esther Wells (Republican).

County Council At-Large Candidates

Another key race to keep an eye on this election cycle is the County Council at-large position, which is responsible for voting on the operating budget, introducing and passing legislation and providing oversight on multiple departments.

A total of 18 candidates are running for the four-year candidacy, although only four contenders will ultimately be selected by voters.

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Maryland

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Maryland’s state primary – WTOP News

Published

1 day ago

June 22, 2026

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AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Maryland’s state primary – WTOP News

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore seeks the Democratic nomination for a second term in Tuesday’s primary for…

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore seeks the Democratic nomination for a second term in Tuesday’s primary for federal, state and local offices. Among the other top races on the ballot are two Democratic congressional primaries: one where two dozen hopefuls look to succeed a longtime congressional leader and another where a Democratic incumbent faces a tough challenge from her wealthy predecessor.

The 2026 midterm contests in Maryland take place under the shadow of the 2028 elections. Moore is running for reelection amid speculation that he also has his eye on a possible presidential campaign. Meanwhile, the contested primaries in all eight of Maryland’s congressional districts could be the last held under the current set of boundaries, as state lawmakers consider entering the national mid-decade redistricting fray with a map that could eliminate the state’s lone Republican congressional seat in time for the 2028 elections.

At the top of the ballot, Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller face a primary challenge from Eric Felber and his running mate, LaTrece Hawkins Lytes. In Maryland, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket. Felber is a physician who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin in the 8th Congressional District primary in 2024.

The Democratic ticket will face the winners of a nine-way Republican primary field that includes former state Del. Dan Cox and his running mate, Rob Krop. Cox lost to Moore in the 2022 general election for governor and ran unsuccessfully in 2024 for the 6th Congressional District Republican nomination.

In the 5th Congressional District, 24 contenders seek the Democratic nomination to replace former Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who is retiring after 23 terms. Among those running are former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, health care business executive Quincy Bareebe, Prince George’s County state Del. Adrian Boafo, Prince George’s County Councilwoman Wala Blegay and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn.

Bareebe led the field in fundraising as of early June, followed by Dunn. Boafo has endorsements from Hoyer, Moore and Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks.

Dunn served at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters supporting President Donald Trump attacked the complex in an attempt to block certification of his 2020 presidential election defeat. Dunn ran in the 3rd Congressional District in 2024, placing second in the 22-candidate Democratic primary.

The district includes all of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s County in southern Maryland, but the bulk of voters come from parts of Anne Arundel County and heavily Democratic Prince George’s County.

U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney seeks a second term in the 6th Congressional District but first must clear a strong Democratic primary challenge from the man she replaced, former U.S. Rep. David Trone, who has loaned his campaign $25 million from his personal fortune. Trone gave up the seat for an unsuccessful 2024 U.S. Senate primary bid where he spent $63 million of his own money to place second behind Alsobrooks, who went on to win the seat.

A majority of voters in the 6th District come from Democratic leaning Frederick County and heavily Democratic Montgomery County, but the district also includes all of Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties in heavily Republican western Maryland.

Moore and his allies in the state Legislature attempted to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to new Trump-backed maps in several Republican-controlled states, but the measure was blocked in mid-April by Democratic state Senate President Bill Ferguson, who said the plan put existing Democratic seats at risk.

But in the wake of an April U.S. Supreme Court decision that prompted some Republican-controlled southern states to eliminate several Democratic-held majority-Black districts, Ferguson said in a statement that “Maryland must respond as the ground shifts under us.” The Legislature may take up the measure again ahead of the 2028 election in the form of a state constitutional amendment that could go before voters as early as November.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for governor, U.S. House, state Senate, state House and local offices in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

Who gets to vote?

Voters registered with a political party may participate only in their own party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.

How many voters are there?

As of May 31, there were about 4.6 million registered voters in Maryland. That includes about 2.2 million active registered Democrats, about 1 million active registered Republicans and about 1 million active voters not affiliated with any party. There are an additional 250,000 inactive registered voters that the state does not break down by party.

How many people actually vote?

About 671,000 registered Democrats and about 295,000 registered Republicans cast ballots in the 2022 primaries for governor. That was about 16% and 7% of registered voters at the time.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 60% of Democratic primary votes and about 37% of Republican primary votes in the 2022 primaries were cast early in-person or by mail.

As of Wednesday, about 228,000 Democratic primary ballots and about 67,000 Republican primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

The first vote reports of the night tend to be from early voting and mail ballots cast before Election Day.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2022 primary, the AP first reported results at 8:42 p.m. ET, or 42 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 4:15 a.m. ET with about 56% of total votes counted.

In Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the two most populous in the state, the first votes were reported at 9:05 p.m. ET. The last election night update from Montgomery County was at 2:25 a.m. ET with about half the vote counted and from Prince George’s at 3:05 p.m. ET with about 59% counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts in Maryland are not automatic. A losing candidate may request and pay for a recount if the vote margin between the top two candidates is 5% or less of the total votes cast for those two candidates. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.