Day By Day

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Maryland Politics -- Ehrlich's State of the State


Gov. Robert Ehrlich delivered his "State of the State" speech this week, laying out the themes on which he is going to campaign for re-election.

The Washington Times reports:

ANNAPOLIS -- Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that his administration has erased the massive deficit it inherited and is now positioned to spend more on education, drug treatment and scientific research.

"Today, three years later, Maryland is strong and prosperous. We are growing a vibrant, knowledge-based economy, and our future has never been brighter," Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican, said in the annual State of the State address.

The governor's 47-minute speech highlighted the budget turnaround, from a $2 billion deficit in 2003 to a $1.7 billion surplus, and outlined new proposals for stiffer penalties for teenage drunken drivers, state funding for stem-cell research and tax breaks for low-income homeowners and military veterans.
Read it here.

As in Pennsylvania, Maryland's gubenatorial race between Gov. Ehrlich and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley is going to be fought on a non-ideological basis. That means it is probably going to be very, very dirty. Already the Dems are trying to gin up corruption charges, which is sort of funny because their candidate is mayor of Baltimore, which is a cesspool of corruption.

The senatorial contest between Michael Steele and Ben Cardin -- now that's another matter. There both sides are playing racial politics and there is a clear ideological difference between the two candidates. That, of course, doesn't stop Cardin's people from getting down and dirty.

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