Governor's race revs up in city with fund-raisers

[Mutley]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.money21jun21,1,6005480.story?coll=bal-home-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

Two of Maryland's fiercest political rivals, Mayor Martin O'Malley and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., stocked their campaign arsenals with cash yesterday - with O'Malley taking in more than $2 million at a fund-raiser that aides called the largest event of its kind in state history.

O'Malley told more than 1,000 donors at M&T Bank Stadium that Baltimore's progress on education, crime and housing should be a model for the state, although he stopped short of declaring his candidacy for the Democratic nomination or mentioning Ehrlich by name.

"There is left to us a new battle," the mayor said. "And it is a battle in whose balance hangs the balance of Maryland, a potential powerhouse of a state, a state whose future ... is threatened by the icy, minimalist indifference by those who say to a free, to a diverse and to a courageous people, 'This far can you go, and no further.'"

Earlier in the day, Ehrlich, a Republican, presided over a $100,000 golf outing at the exclusive Elkridge Club on North Charles Street in Baltimore. Players paid $1,000 to take part in the shotgun-start tournament.
_______________________________________

Go O'Malley!

[savemefromdumbya]

1. Erhlich has done nothing since he was elected

I hope O'Malley gets in. Ehrlich has nothing to show for his time in power only that he has put up many taxes.

[Mutley]

2. Welcome to DU!

And I hope O'Malley gets in, too. You gotta love that man.

[AuntiBush]

22. Hi savemefromdumbya....

:hi:

Are you in or near Baltimore? & Welcome to DU!

[nickshepDEM]

3. O'Malleys fundraising numbers look good, but

Im still pulling for the only adult in this race... Doug Duncan

[aintitfunny]

4. I beg your pardon?

I don't even understand that comment. What makes Doug Duncan the only adult. Is it his penchant to be more conservative?

[nickshepDEM]

6. Have you picked up a local paper within the last six months?

Everday it's the same ol' stuff. O'Malley bitches about Ehrlich. Ehrlich bitches about O'Malley. They remind me of two 5 year olds fighting over a ball at recess.

[elshiva]

7. True actually, but do you think Duncan has a chance since

O'Malley gets all this publicity in the local papers? A friendly question because I just want Ehrlich gone...

[nickshepDEM]

8. Sure he has a chance.

Once the they both announce and the primary begins both will receive equal media attention. They will be going at each others throats like rabid pit bull's. Supposidly Duncan already has a "spy" following O'Malley waiting for him to gaffe.

[elshiva]

9. Well, I hope that they both have a chance.

[Mutley]

12. As do I.

Either Duncan or O'Malley would be better than Ehrlich. But my number one choice is O'Malley.

[aintitfunny]

10. Actually Yes, I read the paper daily and then some

And I agree absolutely with what O'Malley has to say about Erlich and I agree with what he has to say about GWB. I hope he continues speaking out loud and clear. You can call it bitching, but someone has got to speak out. If Erlich responds back, that is to be expected. You see the point is to attack the other side not each other.

I have heard little or nohting from Duncan, but hope to have the opportunity to hear from him this coming fall. I also hope he speaks to the problems wrought by the Erlich administration and stays away from attacking fellow democrats. That would be bad form.

[Mutley]

11. I agree.

:hi:

[aintitfunny]

13. Thank you

It is important that we Maryland democrats stay united to win back the governor's seat and to retain the Senate seat. If we chew each other up in the primary we give the other side ammo to use against us in the GE.

:dem:

[Sasha Undercover]

26. That may be true

(although I would disagree) but Doug Duncan (my county exec) I might add has the charisma of a dishrag. I love having him as my exec. The trash gets picked up and he gives good picnic. But it's the Peter Principle. He needs to step aside and let O'Malley be the nominee because Doug couldn't beat Bob with a big stick.

Now I'll go drink coffee so my next sentence makes sense.

[Mutley]

27. It made sense to me.

Maybe I need coffee too?

[Sasha Undercover]

28. Yep

I expect you do. (I have high expectations for my sentences.)

[Baltimore]

16. Governor's race

I'm a deracinated Marylander posting from Illinois, and I like what I hear about O'Malley, but, to be sure, he gets a lot of national publicity. Please do not start up the Democratic circular firing squad, in Illinois it's terrible, which is the reason I have the signature I have. The back-stabbing you won't believe. However, at the moment I feel, "Go O'Malley!"
Better belong to a sewing club than Illinois DU.

[aintitfunny]

18. Really that bad? sorry to hear that

I am pretty certain that O'Malley is my choice in the primary. Too soon to say absolutely, who knows what will happen between now and then. I do like him and I like his poll numbers, but again, anything could happen. I don't like democrats eating their own, on DU or in a primary race. Supporters of a candidate and the candidate should speak to that candidates strengths and platforms and positions. They should not expend air or energy belittling a fellow democrat. This is just feeding ammunition to the real opposition - the other party. I don't know much about Doug Duncan, but I have heard him denigrate O'Malley, I have not heard the opposite. I hope Duncan does not choose to run his race that way, we need a united party in Maryland not one that had been rended apart by a bitter, ugly primary race. I am committed to the nominee for our party, bottom line is I want Erlich out. Having said that, however, I want to see civility and respect in the primary. May not get what I want, but I can dream.
:-)

[Mutley]

23. Welcome to DU Baltimore!

:hi:

It's good to know that O'Malley gets national attention. Is it good or bad?

[Baltimore]

29. O'Malley's coverage in Illinois

Thank you for welcoming me to DU. His coverage is very good--we have heard that he's a popular white mayor in a black majority town, that Baltimore has gone from the most addicted city in the U.S. to the fifth, that he's an accomplished Irish singer (very important in Illinois, the party is largely run by the Irish), that he's head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and that he's one of the most effective mayors in the world--just as good as the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Shanghai (?I know nothing of the Mayor of Shanghai).
From CBS, ABC, and NPR.

His opponent Doug Duncan I've never heard of.
I've heard of Ehrlich twice: the BBC said that in 2002 he tried to intimidate black voters, and on ABC they said Ehrlich was trying to save the Maryland Thoroughbreds from the evil machinations of, I think, the Speaker of the Maryland House, who has some kind of unexplained hatred for horses, having something to do with slot machines. Sorry I couldn't make any better sense of it.

[aintitfunny]

5. Go O'Malley

He provides a real hope for unseating Bobby E.

[philmo]

14. Duncan v. O'Malley

Is there a good description anywhere of the differences between Duncan and O'Malley?

Of course I will fight like hell for either of them over Ehrlich, but I don't know enough about them to pick a favorite...

[Mutley]

15. Here are websites for them...

Martin O'Malley
http://www.omalleyformayor.org/

Doug Duncan
http://www.dougduncan.com/

[tabmasterflash]

17. O'Malley is being more mature about this

O'Malley has yet to call Duncan out on anything. He's actually praised Duncan at some points (once at a couple of his events in montgomery county). It's Duncan who's consistently blasting O'Malley and Duncan and bad mouthing them. O'Malley has conservatively criticized Ehrlich. He refers more so to "the current administration" and the flailing programs and bad policies that are associated with Ehrlich.

[newyawker99]

20. Hi tabmasterflash!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Mutley]

24. And I believe voters will recognize that and O'Malley will end up

coming out on top. I live in Baltimore and I think O'Malley has done a great job here, despite some problems (schools, etc), and he has readily admitted his mistakes (unlike some Pretzeldents we all know and love :eyes: ). I'll be going for O'Malley, but as I've said, if Duncan wins out over O'Malley I'll support him over Ehrlich any day.

[newyawker99]

19. Hi philmo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Baltimore]

21. Ehrlich

This is the Maryland-Illinoisan again, asking about some vague rumors I heard on the U of I radio about Ehrlich spreading scandal stories about O'Malley's sex life. Now, I know this is B.S., typical Republican smear tactics, but what exactly did he say? Illinoisans know little about other states, for instance I found to my horror the
only thing they know about Maryland (and this is Illinois D.U.!)is Alan Keyes, so I had to do a lot of explaining. We only see the rest of the U.S. through a glass darkly.

[Mutley]

25. A "staffer" of Ehrlich's apparently said that O'Malley was cheating on his

wife. But the shit hit the fan for that guy and even Ehrlich himself didn't back the guy up.