Latest October surprise: The Washington Post endorses Bob Ehrlich

[MODU]

"For Governor in Maryland"

WHEN HE RAN for governor of Maryland four years ago, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s claim to the job seemed to rest on little more than a sense of entitlement and a telegenic, genial personality. In fits and starts, though, he has grown in the role to become a generally proficient, pragmatic governor, if not always a disciplined or mature one. He has chalked up successes on transportation, the environment and education, among other things. For Mr. Ehrlich, the state's first Republican governor in a generation, those are real achievements -- particularly when weighed against the monolith of Democratic dominance in the state legislature. His opponent in the gubernatorial race, Democrat Martin O'Malley, is a smart, adroit politician who has compiled a creditable record as mayor of Baltimore for the past seven years, but he has not made a compelling case for toppling the incumbent. Our choice is Mr. Ehrlich.

No doubt Mr. Ehrlich has had the good fortune to govern during good times. Having inherited a crushing deficit upon taking office in 2003, he benefited over the next three years from a muscular national economy that lifted Maryland, as it did most states, and pumped up the public coffers in Annapolis. Still, Mr. Ehrlich helped his own cause by raising funds through higher taxes and fees, breaking with his party's knee-jerk anti-tax orthodoxy and using the proceeds constructively. Despite having squandered time, energy and political capital in pushing fruitlessly to expand state-sanctioned gambling in Maryland, the governor did manage a number of victories.

Mr. Ehrlich was able to revive, accelerate and push through approval of a highway to connect interstates 270 and 95 north of the District, which would be the first major road to be built in the Maryland suburbs in years and one that is badly needed. Though it had been on the state's drawing board for decades, the intercounty connector was a dead letter when Mr. Ehrlich took office. On the environment, Mr. Ehrlich rightly claims authorship of the "flush tax" bill, under which households pay a $30 annual fee to finance upgrades in sewage plants that pollute the Chesapeake Bay; it represents an important step toward cleaning the state's waterways.

(Cont...)

[Virginian87]

This was unexpected. 

I don't want to hear any more allegations about the Post being a member of the dreaded, conspiratorial "liberal media" from now on.

[Eraserhead]

Boo!

[MODU]

This was unexpected. 

I don't want to hear any more allegations about the Post being a member of the dreaded, conspiratorial "liberal media" from now on.

hahaha . . . even a broken clock is right twice a day.   

Anyway, it's not a very glowing endorsement, but an endorsement nonetheless. 

[WalterMitty]

im not surprised.

o'malley is a sleazy son of a bitch.  if he does get elected it will be because of the democrat wave.

then again, maryland has a history of electing mediocrity (remember the goofball that came before ehrlich?)

[nini2287]

Excellent news!

Hopefully this will carry some weight.

Why is this in the Congressional Elections board?

[MODU]

Why is this in the Congressional Elections board?

Because I chose the wrong forum by accident when I posted it. 

[Moooooo]

It was a rather weak endorsement, which also praised O'Malley:

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I discussed this article earlier with someone from Montgomery County.  Here are his thoughts:

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The Post endorsement will have no effect in the Batlimore area.  The Sun is king up here.

[Moooooo]

o'malley is a sleazy son of a bitch.  if he does get elected it will be because of the democrat wave.

lol, and what is Ehrlich? He was caught trying to sell state-owned public land to his developer buddies.  His right-hand man was fired for spreading rumors on the internet about O'Malley and his wife.  Ehrlich recently lost a court case for throwing poor pregnant women and children off of Medicaid.    He's the definition of 'sleazy'.

[WalterMitty]

o'malley is a sleazy son of a bitch.  if he does get elected it will be because of the democrat wave.

lol, and what is Ehrlich? He was caught trying to sell state-owned public land to his developer buddies.  His right-hand man was fired for spreading rumors on the internet about O'Malley and his wife.  Ehrlich recently lost a court case for throwing poor pregnant women and children off of Medicaid.    He's the definition of 'sleazy'.

eh.  i like ehrlich.

but i must admit, i actually liked that kennedy woman that ran against him in 02.  i probably would have voted for her, seeing as how her father is a personal hero of mine.

[Moooooo]

o'malley is a sleazy son of a bitch.  if he does get elected it will be because of the democrat wave.

lol, and what is Ehrlich? He was caught trying to sell state-owned public land to his developer buddies.  His right-hand man was fired for spreading rumors on the internet about O'Malley and his wife.  Ehrlich recently lost a court case for throwing poor pregnant women and children off of Medicaid.    He's the definition of 'sleazy'.

eh.  i like ehrlich.

but i must admit, i actually liked that kennedy woman that ran against him in 02.  i probably would have voted for her, seeing as how her father is a personal hero of mine.

Im just bustin your balls, Walter.  You're a good man and I respect your opinion.  Seriously, though, what politician isnt a little sleazy?

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was awful, by the way.  She campaigned on ending dodge ball in the public school system.  She even refered to scoring a touchdown as scoring a 'football'.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

o'malley is a sleazy son of a bitch.  if he does get elected it will be because of the democrat wave.

lol, and what is Ehrlich? He was caught trying to sell state-owned public land to his developer buddies.  His right-hand man was fired for spreading rumors on the internet about O'Malley and his wife.  Ehrlich recently lost a court case for throwing poor pregnant women and children off of Medicaid.    He's the definition of 'sleazy'.

eh.  i like ehrlich.

but i must admit, i actually liked that kennedy woman that ran against him in 02.  i probably would have voted for her, seeing as how her father is a personal hero of mine.

wow. Even I would've voted for Ehrlich in 2002.

[Smash255]

The post endorsing Ehrlich doesn't really help, afterall he is done and has been done for months.  He hasn't had a lead in a poll since Jan, and has trailed in almost every single poll by outside the MOE.  he's done.

[Eraserhead]

The post endorsing Ehrlich doesn't really help, afterall he is done and has been done for months.  He hasn't had a lead in a poll since Jan, and has trailed in almost every single poll by outside the MOE.  he's done.

Thanks for giving a few of the people on here a reality check. He would have won, wave or no wave.