O'Malley's March

Jesse Walker | November 7, 2006

CNN is calling Maryland's gubernatorial race for Martin O'Malley, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore. Seems a bit premature to me -- Gov. Ehrlich and other Diebold-wary Republicans have been urging their supporters to vote via absentee ballot -- but even so, it's the result I've been expecting. O'Malley, who comes off as a guy who spends hours studying Super 8 film reels of Bill Clinton's facial mannerisms, is a pol to watch. Fearless, foolish prediction: He'll be the Dems' vice presidential nominee in 2012.

Comments

|11.7.06 @ 10:49PM|#

I believe he is also the inspiration for Tommy Carcetti on "The Wire".

And I'll be damned if the wire isn't a fine show.

Therefore, he'd be a good veep.

|11.8.06 @ 8:44AM|#

O'Malley is terrible. Even though I dont vote and if I do it's LP, I would much rather have Ehrlich. He has his faults but Ehrlich is more "pro-freedom." Baltimore is a police state cesspool, and the top man has a lot to do with it.

Jesse Walker|11.8.06 @ 9:32AM|#

It was interesting that Ehrlich -- a Republican! -- ran ads on black Baltimore stations knocking O'Malley for police abuses.

|11.8.06 @ 9:36AM|#

I've never had as much disgust with the Maryland electorate as I do now, and I've lived here my whole life.

This is the second time that Marylanders voted out a liberal Republican JUST BECAUSE of the "R" label. That's it.

The first was Representative Connie Morella, who served for many years. The fucking Washington Post endorsed her (she was their token Republican). But voters ultimately kicked her out "just because" she was in the wrong party, and "it was time for a change".

Now it's Ehrlich. He's commuted the most felons in recent Maryland history. He at least keeps his mouth shut on social issues (I've read he confessed libertarian leanings). He's befriended many conservative and centrist Democrats. He's one of the few governors, MUCH LESS A REPUBLICAN ONE, who successfully decriminalized MJ medical use. And, again, the ultra-liberal Washington Post endorsed him. But Maryland decided to go with a label instead of substance. Fuck Maryland.

|11.8.06 @ 11:05AM|#

Add to that, the Volvo and Beemer quiche gobblers of Montgomery County didn't think that the county council had enough time to reallyscrew things up, so they converted them from part-time to full-time. Funny how the state legslature can get it all done in 90 days, but governing the riff-raff in Monkey County is a full time job.

MNC--I had my own grumpy rant about the "Free State's" actions, but I'll let yours speak for me.

Partisan fuckheads.

|11.8.06 @ 11:24AM|#

JW:

When I was in a voting booth yesterday in monkeycounty I heard someone (perhaps a poll worker) loudly Bush-bashing. Granted, I myself have quite a few beefs against Boosh myself, but that was clearly out of bounds.

O'Mally didn't have a fucking campaign, as far as I know. The only commercial I heard, they said "George Bush" about 5 times within 15 seconds. Excuse me. This was a state-level race, not a federal. Ehrlich, for the last four years, was representing Maryland, not George Bush. But I guess the Bush-demon-cult couldn't make this distinction.

|11.8.06 @ 12:23PM|#

I'm pained to think of a single positive thing that happened in Balmer under the O'Malley administration.

I can think of several BIG negatives: the missing $58,000,000 from the Balmer Public Schools, escalating violent crime, net population loss despite subsidies to get people to move *to* Balmer. Granted, not everything bad is his fault, but these are the rules: if you get credit for good things you did nothing to make happen, you get the blame too.

But Mayor Muscles is good looking and heck, can play a mean axe on stage. That he's a Dem is only a bonus! Ehrlich is a big, bad Republican. Boo!

I'll be interested to hear Ron Smith on WBAL today. I don't get the chance to listen that often, but I'll be sure to tune in today.