Everyone who follows politics always seems to go through a certain election that really leaves them disappointed. I’m not talking about simply having your candidate lose, I’m talking about that election that leaves you feeling like something has been stolen from you. I’m sure that those who voted for Al Gore in 2000 know exactly what I’m talking about. For me, that election was in November of 2006. Gov. Bob Ehrlich, the first Republican governor in Maryland since Spiro Agnew, was defeated within two percentage points of Martin O’Malley, who was then the mayor of Baltimore.
What bothers me about that election is how popular Gov. Ehrlich really was. He seemed to be everywhere. He was on TV commercials, he attended sporting events, and he was in parades all over the state. On top of that, he also did an exceptional job as governor. He lowered taxes, cut spending, and held the state bureaucracy at bay. No one could doubt why Gov. Ehrlich had an approval rating of 68 percent in November of 2006. Everyone short of the occasional extremist liberal would have to admit that he was a good governor. With the combination of Gov. Ehrlich’s and Michael Steele’s loses in Maryland, November of 2006 was an extremely bitter month for me.
Fortunately, however, Gov. Ehrlich has not gone away. He and his wife now have a radio show, and he is remaining very active within the Republican Party in Maryland. Being how Gov. Ehrlich has remained in the public eye, it is easy to understand how Republicans in Maryland are longing for a restoration of Ehrlich as Governor. It is now painfully obvious how wrong the outcomes of 2006 were. Our current governor, Martin O’Malley, now enjoys an approval rating of 33 percent, and Marylanders in general aren’t exactly thrilled with the current administration’s tax hiking ways. As Gov. Ehrlich has duly noted on his radio show, politics in Annapolis are turning more to the left every day. The legislation being passed simply does not reflect the values of the people of Maryland. Maryland may be the most Democratic state in the U.S, but it is not the most liberal state. Most people in Maryland tend to vote democratic for one of two reasons, either because of tradition, or because their labor union tells them to.
In the midst of my daily political frustration, all of my hopes are resting on the possibility that Gov. Ehrlich will run against O’Malley in 2010. He is the not only the most obvious candidate who should run, but he is the only candidate who can win. In short, the Republican Party in Maryland lives and dies with Bob Ehrlich. Not only is he our best option, he is our only option. I know that I am not the only person who is strongly urging Gov. Ehrlich to try for a second term in 2010. Quite literally, Marylanders can’t afford four more years of Martin O’Malley. Like in 2002, we need Bob Ehrlich to make government work. Maryland once again needs a new way of doing things in Annapolis. Hopefully, Bob Ehrlich will be the one to make that happen.
