O'Malley/Brown and Mikulski Fire Up Frederick Democrats

George Wenschhof

On day three of their "On Your Side" tour across Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown were joined by Maryland U.S. Senator Barbara Milkuski at their stop this afternoon at the Bernard Brown Community Center located in the City of Frederick. Also speaking to the crowd was Maryland Democratic Party chair Susan Turnbull.

They fired up the enthusiastic crowd of supporters before heading off to Frostburg State University and then on to Cumberland for more events today. The statewide tour will conclude in Baltimore next week prior to the election on Tuesday.

Senator Mikulski, as she was introducing the Governor, told the crowd about how she first met Martin O'Malley years ago when he was working for her in her early campaign for Senator of Maryland. It was a humorous story on how O'Malley managed to bag her, a stool for her to stand on, and after an introduction from Mikulski, also bagged his wife Katie Curran - a fortuitous night for O'Malley.

The Governor and other speakers focused on the campaign theme of moving Maryland forward with the Governor highlighting his accomplishments during his first term in office.

From keeping college tuition rates steady, receiving high evaluations/ratings in the areas of public education and public safety, to balancing the budget in difficult economic times, restoring the Chesapeake Bay, and keeping Maryland's unemployment rate among the lowest of any state in the country, the emphasis was on moving Maryland forward.

The Governor took a moment to talk to me after the rally. I asked him about the "dirty tricks" pulled by the Ehrlich campaign on election day in 2006 and what his campaign was doing to inform voters of the potential of this type of shady behavior in this election. I also asked him how he came to name the "On Your Side" Van used for the tour after his wife Katie.



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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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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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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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Daily Political Wire 10-2-2010

George Wenschhof

President Obama to campaign for Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley - on Thursday October 7, the president will appear with O'Malley at a campaign event most likely at a location in Prince Georges County. You can read more here.

O'Malley is locked in a close contest with former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich. Obama continues to travel across the country, attending Democratic events with hopes he can energize the Democratic base to get out and vote in the mid term elections.

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Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman hold debate Number 2 in California Governor race this morning - this comes after revelations surfaced that Republican candidate Meg Whitman had employed an illegal immigrant as domestic help for an extended period of time. Despite spending 120 million of her own money, Whitman is trailing former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. You can read more here.

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For a quick preview of the Sunday morning "Talking Heads", watch the video below.


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Daily Political Wire 9-28-2010

George Wenschhof

President Obama interviewed by Rolling Stone - it was the interview by Rolling Stone of General Stanley McChrystal that led to his forced retirement by the president. In a wide ranging interview, the president discusses his first almost two years in office. You can read it here.

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Rahm announcement expected Friday - White House chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will most likely announce his departure date to run for Mayor of Chicago. President Obama is rumored to be leaning toward replacing him on an interim basis with Pete Rouse who served as his chief of staff when he was a U.S. Senator in Illinois. Rouse has little Capitol Hill experience so do no expect him to stay long. The Chicago Sun Times has more here.

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Rick Lazio drops out of New York Governor race - the unknown is whether this will boost the campaign of Republican Carl Paladino. Lazio did not endorse him in his effort to beat the favored Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo. The Washington Post has more here.

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Senate to vote on restricting job outsourcing today - Democrats do not expect to receive the 60 votes needed to move the measure to a full vote on the Senate. The bill would restrict the ability of U.S. companies to move jobs overseas. TheHill.com has more here.

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House Democrats continue to battle themselves on tax cut strategy - first, it was 36 Democrats who signed a letter to house Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting an extension of all the Bush tax cuts. Now, it is 46 Democrats signing a letter calling for a vote to allow the cuts for the wealthy expire. Meanwhile, the Senate Republicans have blocked the vote from coming to the floor. Politico.com has more here.

This is an excellent example of the gridlock and foolishness that is taking place on Capitol Hill these days. Even, the casual observer sees the compromise solution being to extend all of the tax cuts with the cuts for those making over $250,000 extended for only two years. This would allow for continued growth in the economy to take place and limit the cost of the extension of the cuts for the wealthy.

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Disturbing revelations of U.S. soldiers randomly killing Afghanistan civilians threaten progress - a gruesome tale is being told in a military trial of soldiers accused of killing Afghanistan civilians. The NY Times has more here.

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Maryland Governor race begins to get nasty - counter charges are being thrown by the campaigns of Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley and his challenger; former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.

The latest is from the Ehrlich campaign who accuses the O'Malley administration of interfering with reports published by the state Labor Department. The Governor contest continues to be a pick-em race based on recent polling. The Baltimore Sun has more here.

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Daily Political Wire 6-9-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House - The Washington Post has more here.

Middle East Envoy George Mitchell has been the intermediary in the "proximity talks" between Israel and Palestine. His job has been made more difficult by the announcement by Israel of new building permits in the disputed West Bank and Israel's recent seizures of humanitarian aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip.

Perhaps Obama can broker a UN inspection process for humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza that is acceptable to Israel.

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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke to appear at House Budget Committee today - this morning, investors will be listening to the testimony by Bernanke and the stock market will respond. Bernanke is expected to say that growth will remain weak but steady and that there is little danger of slipping backward into another recession. Listen to his analysis of Europe's economy and that of China. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Blagojevich Trial Underway - opening statements were given by the government and the lawyer for the former Illinois Governor. The government prosecutors presenting a detailed time line of abuse which they say began soon after his election. The defense argued Blagojevich was a "C" student who surrounded himself with people he should not have, countered the prosecutors as to Blagojeich's intent and said he was broke today. Stay tuned... The NY Times has more here.

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Maryland Republican candidate for Governor Bob Ehrlich says he wants to make the state "open for business" - promises of reducing corporate and small business tax rates and the creation of commissions to study the current corporate income tax and unemployment benefit system were highlights of his speeches at campaign stops on Monday.

Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley's campaign countered with questioning why Ehrlich hadn't done those things when he was in office. Meanwhile, Maryland's unemployment rate of 7.5% remains among the lowest of any state in the nation. The Baltimore Sun has more here.

Interestingly, it was Ehrlich's pledge to offer commissions to state Department of Business and Economic Development top-level employees who brought corporations to the state that caught my attention. This type of incentive could easily lead to the careless action which was prevalent on Wall Street that lead the country into the severe economic recession which is still being felt today.

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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.

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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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