George Wenschhof
More analysis of the first presidential debate is sure to be on tap for the Sunday morning "talking heads".
Republicans will be touting a strong performance by Mitt Romney and Democrats will be pointing out all of the misinformation put out by Romney in the debate.
It is also likely, some discussion will take place on the upcoming vice president debate scheduled for Thursday night. Republicans will be hoping Representative Paul Ryan delivers a strong performance against Vice President Joe Biden.
While, Democrats will be looking for Biden to stop whatever momentum Romney may have after the first debate. Polls released Sunday will be the first to include three full days following the debate and will be more indicative of the impact of the first debate on undecided voters.
Also, sure to be discussed is the drop in the unemployment rate to 7.8%. Republicans are crying the books were "cooked" and Democrats say the drop illustrates President Obama's economic plan is working and would have worked even better had there been Republican cooperation in Congress.
With a future foreign policy presidential debate, look to see Republicans bring up the tragedy in Libya which resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans. They will try to paint the president as weak on foreign policy and the Middle East in particular, also pointing to the U.S. policy toward Iran.
The scheduled guests follow below.
NBC "Meet The Press" - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Roundtable with Obama campaign adviser Rober Gibbs, Newt Gingrich, Hillary Rosen, mike Murphy and Chuck Todd.
ABC "This Week" - Robert Gibbs, Ed Gillespie and Bill O'Reilly
Roundtable with James Carville and Mary Matalin, Peggy Noonan, Paul Krugman and Jonathan Karl.
CBS "Face The Nation" - Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod
Roundtable with John Dickerson, Norah O'Donnell, Michael Gerson, and John Fund
CNN "State of The Union" - Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
Fox News Sunday - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley who is also chair of the Democratic Governors Association and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)
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Saturday, October 6, 2012
Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Cheat Sheet
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
O'Malley in Frederick Tomorrow
George Wenschhof
As part of his "On Your Side" tour of of Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley will be in the City of Frederick on Wednesday. The governor is traveling across the state during the last week prior to the general election next Tuesday on November 2.
The Maryland Democratic Party website has a list of the stops the Governor will be making here.
On Wednesday, O'Malley will be attending a Democratic rally at 2:00 PM located at 629 North Market Street behind Cafe Moxie. The rally will also be attended by Senator Barbara Mikuski.
Also on hand will be Democratic candidates for local races and Andrew Duck who is running for the 6th district congressional seat.
After a recent Gonzales research and Marketing Services poll showed Republican former Governor Robert Ehrlich closing the gap between the two candidates to 5 points, a Washington Post poll was released with O'Malley having a commanding 14 point lead.
Yesterday, former Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (1st District) endorsed Governor O'Malley. Gilchrest said O'Malley was "on the side"of Maryland's working families.
Gilchrest was defeated two years ago by Andrew Harris in the Republican primary. The seat was won by Democrat Frank Kratovil, who is currently locked in a "pick-em" race with Andrew Harris.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Listen to O'Malley/Ehrlich Radio Debate
George Wenschhof
After two televised debates, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) and former Governor Robert Ehrlich faced off this morning on Baltimore WOLB Radio.
You can listen to the debate here.
The candidate campaigns immediately began the spin war with their respective releases claiming their candidate had won the debate.
Here is the release from the O'Malley campaign website where they point out the "F" grade Ehrlich has received by the NAACP every year from 1997 to 2002 and that Ehrlich had resorted to shrill and desperate attacks in the debate due to their being behind in the polls.
The release from the Ehrlich campaign can be read here. The release points out failures by O'Malley during his term as mayor of Baltimore in the areas of education and law enforcement.
Only 12 days remain until the General Election on November 2. It is doubtful the two candidates will appear together in another debate prior to the election.
The latest poll by Gonzales Research and Marketing Inc. showed Ehrlich had closed within 5 points of O'Malley.
The Maryland Democratic Party (MDP) is taking nothing for granted, including reminding voters of the shenanigans which took place in the 2002 and 2006 election. They also have started up a voter protection website. In a recent email to supporters, the MDP pointed out the following:
In the 2002 Governor’s race, Bob Ehrlich’s campaign distributed a brochure at African American voting precincts that included a picture of Mr. Ehrlich, Congressman Elijah Cummings and other notable African American leaders - along with the caption:“Democrats for Ehrlich.” That assertion was not true.
In 2006, Bob Ehrlich’s campaign for Governor bused homeless people from Philadelphia on Election Day to distribute fliers designed to trick African American Democratic voters into voting for him by falsely suggesting that Ehrlich was backed by prominent African American Democratic leaders. This year, in a fundraising email, the Ehrlich campaign suggested that it is impossible that African-Americans will turn out in high numbers in 2010.
Also today at 3:00 PM, former President Bill Clinton will headline a rally for Governor O'Malley in Baltimore.
All indications point to a further tightening in this race with voter turnout and specifically, the vote in Baltimore County being pivotal for the winner.
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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Watch O'Malley-Ehrlich Debate Today
George Wenschhof
Maryland candidates for Governor; Democrat incumbent Martin O'Malley and former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich face each other today. This comes just two days after their first televised debate aired last Monday night.
It will be streamed live beginning at noon today. You can watch it live at washingtonpostlive.com
The debate will be rebroadcast at 7:00 PM ET on MPT.
The first debate was fiesty between the two candidates and the general consensus among political analylists is Ehrlich needs a a strong performance today to be competitive on November 2.
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Monday, October 11, 2010
Watch Maryland Governor O'Malley Debate Ehrlich Tonight
George Wenschhof
The debate is over between Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) and former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (R). Early reports of the debate, taped by Baltimore WJZ TV and moderated by Denise Koch earlier today, have O'Malley winning easily. It will be aired at 7:00 PM ET tonight on Baltimore channel 13.
This is a grudge rematch of the 2006 election won by O'Malley with O'Malley leading in a recent Washington Post poll by 11 points.
The debate reportedly was heated at times when the topics covered property taxes and education. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
O'Malley stuck around after the debate and chatted it up with reporters while Ehrlich left via a back door without speaking to reporters.
In the all important spin war, the O'Malley campaign website already has a Blog post published entitled "O'Malley Wins 1st Debate.......". You can read the post here.
The Ehrlich campaign website counters with "Ehrlich Scores Decisive Win..." which you can read here.
Make sure you tune in tonight as this is the only televised debate between the two candidates prior to the election on November 2.
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Friday, October 8, 2010
Daily Political Wire 10-8-2010
George Wenschhof
Obama leads Cheers for O'Malley in Maryland - at a rally yesterday at Bowie State University. Over 7,000 attended the rally, according to MDP communications director Isaac Salazar. Obama fired up the crowd for Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Senator Barbara Mikulski.
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Unemployment Remains at 9.6% - end of September figures show jobs continue to be lost across the country. Bloomberg.com has more here. President Obama will appear at a small business in Blandensburg, Maryland today to address the current state of the economy.
The economy continues to be the number one issue for voters and remains a problem for Democrats facing election in the upcoming elections.
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Rangel and Waters Ethics Trials Dates set - Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calf.), chair of the House committee on Standards of Official Conduct announced the dates after Republicans complained trials were being delayed due to the upcoming mid term elections.
Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) trial will begin on November 15 and rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calf.) will begin on November 29. The NY Times Caucus Blog has more here.
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Accidental voice mail slip by Brown campaign in California Governor's race - seems there is an audio of someone from the Brown campaign referring to Republican candidate Meg Whitman as a "whore".
Whitman is behind in the polls in spite of spending over 119 million of her own money on the campaign. The looming question is whether this audio mishap will alter the race. The Page.com has more here.
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State Senate Republican Leader Endorses Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - over Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle. Reid is currently locked in a "pick-em" race with Angle. TPM.com has more here.
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18 million of Stimulus Funds went to dead people and/or inmates - a $250 social security payment was erroneously sent out per a report issued today. Look to see republicans already questioning the 800 billion stimulus bill to jump on this latest revelation. Politico.com has more here.
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Sunday, October 3, 2010
Join Obama in Maryland
The following is from an email sent today from Organizing for America (OFA):
This Thursday, President Obama is holding a rally at Bowie State University.
He'll be getting us fired up for the final stretch of our Vote 2010 campaign -- and making sure we all know how important it is that we keep moving America forward. And he'll be joined by Governor O'Malley, Senator Mikulski, and several other great Democratic leaders in Maryland.
Can you join the President in Bowie?
Here are the details:
What: Rally with President Barack Obama,
Governor Martin O'Malley,
Senator Barbara Mikulski,
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer,
Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and
Congressman Chris Van Hollen
Where: Bowie State University
14000 Jericho Park Road
Bowie, Maryland 20715
When: Thursday, October 7th
Doors open: 1:00 p.m.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Questions Surround Ehrlich Pick of Kane as Running Mate
George Wenschhof
Yesterday, in a much ballyhooed Facebook announcement, named Mary Kane as his Lt. Governor running mate. Former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich is running against Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley to try to reclaim his office. The Baltimore Sun has more here.
Ehrlich's "friendlier to business" theme took on a new meaning with the selection of Kane whose family run business is currently being sued for fraudulent billing on government contracts.
The Kane Co. is being sued for double billing labor and fuel costs on government contracts, failing to pay fair wages and inflating prices.
Upon hearing the news of the selection, Susan Turnbull; chair of the Maryland Democratic Party issued this statement:
"Bob Ehrlich has some pretty serious questions to answer about his vetting process for this position since Mary Kane and her husband's company has been under investigation since 2008 when the Bush Department of Justice joined a Federal False Claims Act lawsuit against The Kane Company for defrauding federal taxpayers."
This announcement comes after Ehrlich said he wanted to pay Department of Economic and Business Development (DBED) employees bonuses for bringing businesses to Maryland. A dangerous practice that could lead to less than favorable state offered incentives to businesses to locate here in order for the employee to earn a bonus.
Mary Kane first served (2003-2006) under the Ehrlich administration as Deputy Secretary of State and chief legal counsel before becoming Secretary of State in August 2005.
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Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Ehrlich To Make Run for MD Governor Official
George Wenschhof
As we reported two weeks ago, former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) will challenge Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) in a rematch of the 2006 election. Ehrlich made his announcement this morning in Rockville, Maryland.
The Maryland Democratic Party, anticipating an Ehrlich run, has been blasting away at their opponent for some time. The latest was a email blast to reporters with the following questions they wanted asked:
Six questions we hope reporters ask Bob Ehrlich at his third campaign announcement
As Bob Ehrlich holds his third campaign announcement tomorrow there are several questions that remain unanswered about his candidacy. We've put together a list of a few that we hope reporters will ask him.
1) What do you think of the job Michael Steele is doing at the RNC? Have you asked your Lt. Gov. to campaign for you?
2) What are your responsibilities as a leader of the China Practice for Womble Carlyle?
3) Do you consider yourself a Tea Party Republican?
4) You have clients that have accepted federal Government TARP or Stimulus funds. Did you advise them to take those funds? Do you support their decision?
5) Will you disclose how much you are paid by Womble Carlyle? Or how much you and Kendel are paid by WBAL?
6) Do you promise to refrain from the controversial tactics your campaign used at the end of the 2006 race? We're referring specifically to your campaign busing in homeless from Philadelphia to distribute fake endorsement literature in African-American Communities.
There are clearly many more questions that could and should be asked but we know Bob Ehrlich isn't exactly the most forthcoming person.
###Well, you get the picture. This race is not going to be pretty. Already today, Governor O'Malley challenged Ehrlich to a debate on Ehrlich's radio show this Saturday morning on Baltimore area WBAL Radio. The Baltimore Sun has more here. Seems Ehrlich did not like the idea of a moderator.
Ehrlich is under fire for continuing to participate in his weekly radio show, although it is permissible under campaign regulations up until the time he actually files for the office. The deadline for filing in this year's Maryland elections is July 6.
In addition, Ehrlich's ties to embattled RNC chair Michael Steele are already surfacing. Steele was chosen by Ehrlich to be his Lt. Governor. You can read more here.
A sign that Martin O'Malley is taking this race seriously is his brother Peter O'Malley just resigned from his position as Chief of staff to Baltimore County Executive James Smith. He will immediately join the reelection effort. Peter is a brilliant political tactician and will be a huge plus to the campaign. Peter has been involved in his brother's campaigns since he won as Mayor of Baltimore.
Stay tuned as this race promises to be exciting.
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010
MD Governor O'Malley to face Primary Challenge
George Wenschhof
After a period of speculation, Democrat George Owings III from Calvert, Maryland declared today he was running for Governor for the state of Maryland. His Facebook page said he was making the announcement today at a rally from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Calvert County Courthouse in Prince Frederick, Maryland.
In an article yesterday in the Calvert News, Owings said his 17 years in the Maryland legislature and 3 years as cabinet secretary gives him a record to run on. He went on to talk about his differences with Governor Martin O'Malley on the Death Penalty and Economic Development. George Owings was also critical of how the Governor has handled Slots, referring to it as a mess and was disappointed in how O'Malley handled the merger between Constellation Energy Group and Electricite de France. He referred himself to a Louis Goldstein type of Democrat. Goldstein was a long term Comptroller of the Treasury for the state of Maryland.
Looking for more information on George Owings, I discovered a piece The BayNet.com also published yesterday. It seems that ten of the seventeen years he served as delegate in districts 27B and 29A, he served as Majority Whip. He resigned from the legislature to become State Secretary of Veteran Affairs.
Reacting to the announcement, the Maryland Democratic Party quickly and clearly signaled they were supporting incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley. In a post published today on the Maryland Democratic Party(MDP) website Online State Blog, Susan Turnbull,chair of the MDP asks "Who is George Owings?".
She refers to Owings "as a loyal appointee of Bob Ehrlich" and later goes on to add "George Owings' conservative record on tobacco, choice, women, health care, guns and the environment have led to his close affiliation with the state GOP and Bob Ehrlich. Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan has even said that he and George Owings agree on most issues."
With the additional battle to raise competitive campaign funds ahead of him, it appears Mr. Owings has his work cut out for him with his effort to become the Democratic Party nominee for Governor.
Which leads to the speculation this effort by Owings was supported by Republicans hopeful a Democratic primary would soften up O'Malley against the Republican Party nominee for Governor.
Rumored Republican candidates; former Governor Bob Ehrlich and state Senator E.J. Pipkin have both been silent on the matter.
Stay tuned....
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Democratic Chatter 3-19-2009
George Wenschhof Bio
Today, President Barack Obama remains in California - He will tour a electric vehicle research plant in the morning and in the afternoon he will be joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a town hall meeting at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center in L.A. Before heading home, the president will tape a show with NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno which will be broadcast tonight at 11:30 PM ET. ThePage.Time.com has more here.
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The Federal Reserve announced yesterday it will spend another 1 Trillion to help stabilize the economy - The NY Times has more here. the question is rapidly becoming how much national debt can the country withstand? The one trillion will be spent to purchase mortgage and securities interests. The Obama budget for fiscal year 2010 will have an additional 1.75 trillion in deficit spending and we have not added the recent 787 billion Stimulus bill. When added to the current 11 Trillion in national debt, the total could near 15 Trillion by the end of fiscal year 2010.
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Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) admits he added loophole allowing for A.I.G. to pay bonuses - CNN.com has more here. Reportedly, he first denied and then admitted to CNN, he added language to the Stimulus bill to allow for existing bonuses to be paid. He added Obama administration officials also pushed for the change over legal contractual concerns pertaining to the bonus agreements in place. These revelations will not help Dodd in his reelection bid in 2010 which is already shaky due to favorable mortgages he received previously on homes he owns. This news will not help the Obama administration either who claimed they were unaware of the planned bonus payments.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) threw gasoline on the fire yesterday when testifying before Congress saying it is unlikely A.I.G. will be able to repay the government the 170 billion in loans received. McClatchydc.com has more here.
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Not all Congressional Democrats supportive of President Obama's budget - elected Democrats have not been shy in denouncing various aspects of the president's proposed 3.55 Trillion budget. Expect this to heat up even more as the budget debate moves forward. TheHill.com has more here. Up until now, the president has been able to blame the economic woes on the previous Republican George W. Bush administration and rightfully so. However, at some point the voters will say this is your problem Mr. President. Stay Tuned.
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New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) signs repeal of the death penalty - this action was a reversal in thought by the Governor who indicated he is comfortable with his decision. Time.com has more here. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D) was unsuccessful in his recent attempt to repeal the death penalty in his state, instead opting to support limitations.
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On the foreign policy front, North Korea detains two U.S. women journalists - an area where tensions are already high, two journalists who were filming on the frozen river Tumen on the border of China and were seized by North Korean security guards. Reuters.com has more here.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
"Frederick's Up and Coming"
J. Burke Miller Bio
I Want to "Believe"
On Monday evening, Governor Martin O'Malley spoke before approximately 4,400 Midshipmen as part of the United States Naval Academy's Forrestal Lecture. At the annual lecture series that offers Midshipmen the opportunity to pick the minds of prominent political leaders, some of our nation's best and brightest did not pass up the opportunity to hit Governor O'Malley with some tough questions. These questions concerned his greatest blunders as a politician and (even more after my own heart) some pertained to HBO's wildly popular drama about crime and corruption in Baltimore - "The Wire".
Governor O'Malley took each question in stride while never hesitating in his defense of Baltimore and its people. Much to his audience's delight the former two-term Baltimore Mayor chastised the show for the dark cloud of cynicism that it often cast not only over the city of Baltimore but also over mankind in general. For his ability to answer tough questions well and for the seemingly genuine optimism for Baltimore's future, I tip my hat to the Governor. But, I cannot honestly say that I am presently so confident in the city's promise. I find it difficult to argue against the belief that Baltimore has made marked improvements in terms of safety, livability and image; however, I still read the news.
I have a great deal of friends that have flocked to the streets of Federal Hill and Canton for the relatively cheap housing, multiple job opportunities for young professionals and the booming nightlife. Yet, I am still from an area that was hit hard by the tragic death of Zach Sowers and still remember the callous remarks concerning Zach made by Margaret Burns, a (still employed!) spokesperson for the (still employed!) Assistant District Attorney Patricia Jessamy. On top of that, news broke yesterday of the tragic slaying of Frederick taxi-driver Stephen Mauk in Baltimore.
Now, I have no intentions of disproving Governor O'Malley's optimism because I both applaud it and on many levels can recognize the improvements of Baltimore. Instead, I cite these few instances to point an accusatory finger and repeat one of my favorite quotes, "attitude reflects leadership." How can we expect the citizens of Baltimore to "Believe" (the city's newest slogan) amidst the poor leadership they are currently being offered? I think the world of most members of Baltimore's state delegation and of Governor Martin O'Malley but the examples being set by City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton and Mayor Sheila Dixon are embarrassing and to be honest, exactly the sort of thing that HBO's "The Wire" pointed out.
Holton and Dixon, both recently indicted on charges of corruption, were not only noticeably absent onstage at President Obama's Baltimore Whistle Stop, but are apparently absent of morality as well. A year ago, my belief that public service is reserved for those who are determined to make the world around them a better place may very well have been regarded as naivety. However, there is currently a man in the White House that makes me believe that we do not need to put up with political corruption any longer. While I understand that the nature of politics will always breed some levels of corruption in certain individuals that does not mean that the voters need to tolerate it on any level. Hopefully, the Illinois State Legislature will set a strong precedent for us soon.
In the spirit of our justice system's strongest credo - "innocent until proven guilty" - both of these women may very well be innocent and if Councilwoman Holton emerges from this as such, I will write her a letter that contains my sincerest apology. Mayor Dixon, on the other hand, will not receive any such letter as she lost my respect when she stood firmly behind a policy that will force the taxpayers of Baltimore, a city largely stricken by poverty, to foot the bill for her legal fees. In her responses to the policy, she is yet to explain how her alleged misuse of gift cards originally donated for Baltimore's homeless and severely poor population falls within the realm of her acting in her role as Mayor and on behalf of the city of Baltimore.
I look forward to the time when I may be able to look to Baltimore and feel the same affinity as does the Governor but I know that no such time will come as long as corruption runs rife through City Hall. Hopefully, we will soon see Baltimore set a standard for excellence that dictates to all future public officials that, "We will no longer tolerate such corruption," and the city's slogan can move on from "Believe" to "See."--
jburkemiller@gmail.com
301.514.5022
