Get Your Dime's Worth Right Here

When Robert Ehrlich was elected governor of Maryland in 2002, Democrats here warned that he was an ultraconservative extremist out to ban abortions, drain the Chesapeake, and do whatever else it is that ultraconservative extremists do. Slowly, they're starting to realize what should have been obvious from the beginning: Setting aside his personal style and his obsession with putting slot machines everywhere, he's not really so different from his Democratic predecessors.

In fact, after some initial conflicts, the governor and the Dems might even be starting to get along. To quote the Baltimore Sun's David Nitkin, "As he begins his second year in office, Ehrlich appears to have adopted a time-honored strategy for wringing wins from a legislative branch dominated by the opposing party. Like Ronald Reagan in California and Bill Clinton in Washington, Ehrlich has reached across the aisle for policy ideas and is making them his own."

It's a local story, but I figure it has national resonance.

Comments

[Ken]

I like this guy. He signed the medical MJ law passed by the state legislature while resisting heavy pressure from the White House to veto it. Saying "no" to Bush alone would be enough for me to vote for Ehrlich (again) in '06.

As far as running the state from the center, how else would you expect a Republican to govern in a state where his party is outnumbered in registration 2-1 by Democrats?

[Xrlq]

Isn't this guy also trying to prevent the state from enacting a ban on "assault" rifles? In an ultra-lib state like MD, that's gotta count for something.

[Highway]

I rather like Bob Erlich as well. I did vote for him, out of a combination of narrow personal interest (he's quite the proponent of highway infrastructure, paid by gas tax), like ideology, and a complete and utter repudiation of his opponent for Governor, that dim-bat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. And as governor, I haven't seen too much to change my opinion of him. He seems to be in control of himself, his policies, and is trying to control the state, somewhat. I think he comported himself well in the recent dust-up over Baltimore City Schools complete and utter management failure (they all of a sudden turned up 58 million dollars in the hole, and attempts to reconcile payroll with personnel records have been futile). Yes, he ended up giving them a bunch of money, but hopefully he'll follow up on the conditions that were placed on the money.

[Ken]

Highway,

I assume that you spell relief "ICC"? 😉

That's the issue that got me to support Ehrlich.

[Jesse Walker]

I'd say the medical marijuana law is an example of how Ehrlich's willingness to act like a Democrat sometimes works out for the best. He hasn't shown a lot of backbone on the gun bill, but he did finally come out and oppose it; whether that means he'll actually veto it (or keep opposing it if the legislature ends up passing a more moderate bill) remains to be seen.

[Ken]

Jesse,

I don't think Ehrlich can veto the gun bill and expect to be re-elected. Sure, he'll have the support of Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, but he'll lose the suburban soccer moms who wouldn't know what an automatic weapon was if they were forced to play "Call of Duty" for a week.

[JimInNoVA]

Ehrlich kicked out a Kennedy relative, reason enough to re-elect him in my book.

[Gordon Shumway]

Everything Ehrlich does is campaigning for re-election in a state that is two thirds dem. He knows the only reason he won was the supreme incompetence of KKT and her inability to shake Glendenning's stench. But the only chance he has of repeating as Gov is to wait until after Gov O'Malley runs for the presidency in 2012.

[Douglas Fletcher]

For all the years I lived in Maryland, I can't believe I haven't dreamed up some smart-ass comment to make about this.

Such a beautiful state, be even better if they could get DC relocated a couple hundred miles away from it.

[Highway]

Ken, that's one of them, although that one is purportedly going to be paid for by direct tolling. But more than just that roadway, he is proposing a lot in the way of infrastructure. He's actually making the legislature pay back some of the transportation capital fund! Yeah, it's only 25 million out of a 'borrowed' 300 million, but it sure did get the school people up in arms! "They could use that money For The Children in the city schools!" Didn't hear them mention what they'd do when the city schools turned up 100 million dollars in debt next year, tho.

Unfortunately, I think Gordon's on the money. If O'Malley runs against Ehrlich, it'll be a thrashing. Heck, even I kinda like O'Malley. Maybe I'm just too used to the assumptions of Maryland. At least he stands up to that awful City Prosecutor.

[Graham]

I like Ehrlich, though I did support Lancaster. He is standing up to the mob in most cases. He has refused to raise taxes and held his ground when all those zombies used taxpayer money and school transportation for their little protest in Annapolis. All those pictures were very scary; the kids looked like they were in a cult. I just hope they didnt drink any Kool Aid.

Also, I dont know how signing a Marijuana act is "acting like a Democrat." Last I checked neither major party does much on this issue. Also from the letter he wrote me afterwards, I got the feeling that he would have completely legalized it if he thought he could get away with it.

[Jesse Walker]

Also, I dont know how signing a Marijuana act is "acting like a Democrat." Last I checked neither major party does much on this issue.

I'm pretty sure that Maryland's medical marijuana bill was pushed mostly by Democratic legislators. Am I remembering wrong?