Sunday Show Recap: All-Maryland Lineups

In the wake of the crisis in Baltimore last week, many of Maryland's politicians took the opportunity to appear on this week's Sunday shows to address the problems facing the city and the country, as well as possible solutions. Here are some of the highlights: CNN’s “State of the Union”: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) tells Michael Smerconish that there are "some systematic underlying problems that should be addressed by government." Smerconish: "Are the problems, Congressman, that we are here to discuss government-created? Is that why we are talking about government solutions?" Van Hollen: "I think there are a whole constellation of problems here, but there are some systematic underlying problems that should be addressed by government, both at the local level, the state level and the federal level. Just last week, for example, we had a big debate in the Congress over a budget that came to the floor. And that budget, frankly, will make poverty worse in places like Baltimore. We have put together alternatives that would improve the situations for family in -- families in Baltimore and elsewhere, and we have not been able to move that agenda forward. So, yes, it's time for people to come together. We need civic organizations. We need the private sector. Yes, we need government as well. And the debate that is going on right now in Washington, while it's often abstract in terms of numbers and documents, the real- world impact it can have will make a difference in people's lives. [09:05:17] And that's why, for example, the child tax credit, that helps millions of Americans. The proposal in Congress would scale back the child tax credit, would actually put millions of more Americans in poverty. We have got proposals to improve investments in child care, in early education, and also expand, for example, the Earned Income Tax Credit, something Republicans say they are for, but have not put the money into the budget to address." Watch full video below, courtesy of CNN: CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Bob Schieffer asks Cornell William Brooks, NAACP president & CEO (based in Baltimore), whether we are at the point where "we have to have black officials to deal with black people and white officials to deal with white people?" Schieffer: "Are we at the point in America where we have to have black officials to deal with black people and white officials to deal with white people? It seems to me there's still a great divide here." Brooks: "Certainly, there is a divide. But we need to be clear here. Racial profiling does not require that all the participants be white or black or anything else. The fact of the matter is this process of profiling communities and people has a disproportionate effect on African Americans. Freddie Gray was a young man who was detained, who was arrested, where there was no probable cause. We live in a country where African-American young men are 25 times more likely to lose their lives at the hands of the police than their white counterparts. So the fact that the mayor's black and some of the defendants are black doesn't speak to the fact that we have a young man who had his vertebrae crushed, his spinal cord severed, and who's dead. And so the point being here is we have to focus on, how do we change this modality and model of policing that is badly broken and ineffective? Racial profiling doesn't work." Watch the clip, courtesy of CBS News: Fox News Sunday”: Chris Wallace asks Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) whether "liberal policies have failed Baltimore?" “A lot of people, frankly conservatives, have pointed out that Baltimore has not had a Republican mayor in fifty years,” Wallace said. “Is it unfair to say that liberal policies have failed Baltimore?” “No, I think it’s been unfairly spread," responded Edwards. "Just prior to the Freddie Gray incident mayor was actually prevailing upon our Republican governor to release money for school funding.” “Baltimore was already spending plenty for public schools and the schools were still lousy," Wallace pointed out. “Well, there’s uneven spending in the public schools," Edwards said. "We have a lot of questions to ask, and they’re not questions that are only for Republicans…about where we’re going to make investments in our communities, so that the only investment isn’t on the backend in law enforcement.” Watch clip, courtesy of Fox News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBZo9FbAir0 NBC’s "Meet the Press": Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, tells Chuck Todd she "certainly used the wrong phrase" to allow people to voice their frustrations following the death of Freddie Gray. "I certainly used the wrong phrase to talk about what was clear, that there were people who took advantage of the peaceful demonstrators' First Amendment rights and they used it to destroy our city," she said. "I don't condone it, and we'll make sure that those individuals will be held accountable," she told Chuck Todd. Watch clip, courtesy of MSNBC: Chuck Todd asks former Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD) whether he could still run on his "record as Mayor of Baltimore.” “I did not dedicate my life to making Baltimore a safer and just place because it is easy," responded O'Malley. "I am more inclined and deeply motivated now to address what’s wrong with our country…What’s happened in Baltimore should be a wake-up call for the country.” Watch clip, courtesy of MSNBC: ABC’s "This Week": Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) tells George Stephanopoulos that "we have to invest in our cities and our children." "We have to invest in our cities and our children," Cummings told Stephanopoulos. "A lot of young people feel that they have been disconnected and we have to have what I call an 'inclusion revolution,' and address issues such as joblessness and training for young people." Watch clip, courtesy of ABC News: ABC Breaking US News | ABC Politics News

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Sunday Show Recap: All-Maryland Lineups

Many of Maryland's politicians appeared on this week's Sunday shows to address the problems facing Baltimore and the rest of the country, as well possible solutions.

Damon Marx

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Damon Marx