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February 18, 2010

Bob Ehrlich to you: Friend me

* Updated to reflect new friends.

The former governor of Maryland wants to be friends with you on Facebook. Actually, he wants you to be his "fan," but close enough.

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. might be waiting another month to announce whether he'll challenge Gov. Martin O'Malley to a rematch, but already he is assembling an online army of support.

This message from Team Ehrlich arrived last night:

Thank you for being a strong supporter of Governor Bob Ehrlich over the years.

We have a simple request: Will you join the "Bob Ehrlich" page on Facebook?

It's the best way to hear directly from Governor Ehrlich about what it will take to make Maryland strong and prosperous again. Bob has been busy meeting with folks like you across Maryland, but Facebook is an easy way to get his take on current events and to learn about his upcoming appearances.

Thanks again for your leadership and support. Governor Ehrlich looks forward to connecting with you on Facebook soon.

Henry Fawell, a spokesman for Ehrlich, says the former governor's campaign has maintained that page for about a year and a half.

"He thinks it’s a great way to connect with friends and supporters," Fawell said by email. "He’s used it in the past to talk about everything from politics to the Super Bowl. We’ve seen great response to it even prior to this message."

*A quick review of Facebook reveals numerous support pages for the Republican former governor. The Bob Ehrlich page his Team points us to had almost *9,000 fans by the end of Thursday, meaning he picked up almost 2,000 friends in a single day. A Bob Ehrlich for Maryland page has another 3,000-plus fans. Add to those several "reelect Bob Ehrlich" and "bring back Ehrlich" pages.

O'Malley, a Democrat, has also embraced social media in recent years. O'Malley's personal Facebook page boats 5,001 friends, which appears to be Facebook's official limit. His group page, similar to what Ehrlich was promoting, lists more than 3,000 fans. Those kinds of Facebook pages can holds countless fans or members, as you may know from requests to join groups such as "If 100,000 people join then my dad will quit smoking!"

Keep in mind that not all of these "friends" and "fans" are supporters. Reporters, campaign snoops and perhaps even the candidates themselves join Facebook pages to keep track of each other.

O'Malley, it appears, isn't on any of those "reelect Bob Ehrlich" pages. But he's also not one of the five people on the "Keep Bob Ehrlich at Home" page.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 8:44 AM | | Comments (20)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Comments

Does KKT have a FB page too?

O'malley wins Balt city,P.G.county and Montgomery county....game over..end of sentence. live with it repugs!

Coincidence that the link to Ehrlich's Facebook site points to O'Malley's? Nice job, Sun. But you aren't biased, are you? Or just close-minded, like most of your readers (like Jack).
Jack - if the people who lived in those places actually thought for themselves, O'Malley wouldn't have won in '06 and wouldn't have a chance this year either.

(From Julie: Sorry about that bad link. Result of a hasty blog posting and has been corrected. PS- When I corrected it, I noticed his fans had jumped by about 500 in just the past couple of hours. )

The question is, will he join my Mafia Wars?

Will someone please tell me what Guv Bob achieved while he was guv? I seem to remember his increases of vehicle titling fees, the flush tax, the state property tax, highway tolls, and vitually every other fee on the books. He appointed one of the worst possible persons to head the department of the environment. Fortunately, the state senate refused to confirm her. He had his pal Joseph "Grim Reaper" Steffen line up Dems in the state gov't for firing. One example was Vince Gardina, BC councilman who was fired, sued, won, and the taxpayers had to pay him $100,000. Great job, Bob. Don't forget that Bob basically did nothing when his pal Mayo Shattuck announced the 72% electric rate increase. Maryland does not need any more obstructionist Repubs. There are already too many of them in DC.

Can we just get someone in office who actually gives a crap about the state of Maryland and not his own image? If Erlich didn't do anything while he was gov, O'Malley sure as heck didn't take any lessons from those mistakes. While we're at it, can we get a new police commish as well? Someone who isn't afraid of dealing with the unnecessary violence that this city has become known for? I'm tired of people asking me "Is The Wire really what Baltimore is like?" and me having to shudder with the response.

Bobby, JUST COME OUT AND DO IT!

We all know you are going to do it, you are the only republican that stands a chance, just do it. But then you would actually have to be a governor right now. Being governor was easy during the housing bubble - but now it is a lot easier to sit on the sidelines isn't it?

Just announce it already like everyone expects you to do. You aren't surprising anyone at this point.

"Will someone please tell me what Guv Bob achieved while he was guv? "

Will someone please tell me what the Democrat controlled GA worked on WITH Ehrlich?

Oh yea, never mind! They helped pass slots!

Hahahaha good one Liz!!

You can also follow his business on Twitter at @BobEhrlichWigs – Liberal value on quality hair pieces for conservative wallets.

Ehrlich was prevented by the Democratic controlled legislature obstruction from getting slots passed.
Secondly, Ehrlich had a better deal on the table with BGE that was scuttled by the lawsuit brought on by the Democrats.
But the question is this:
who do you want running the state next year when the next round of tax raises kick in?
After 4 years of The OweMalley era I would rather put my faith in Ehrlich.
Ehrkich did raise a slew of fees.
But he was honest about it.
Remember this OweMalley gem from 2007 before the special session-
"83 percent of you will actually see your taxes go down!"

Well, I will say it again. I will vote on whichever candidate makes a committment to support State Workers. Someone who will really take the time to research the salary issue that many, many state workers face and haved faced for years. Many state workers have received four or five cost of living raises in the last twenty years - overworked and underpaid. Isn't Maryland one of the richest states in the country? Isn't it?

Beware of imitators

While I did not necessarily agree with every decision of Bob Ehrlich's, he did leave the state with a $1 billion surplus, he did not pass historic tax hikes, and he did not furlough state workers.

Martin O'Malley has strayed from the Democratic Party I know and love. For instance, he increased spending by roughly 10% over the last three years. So what, you say? Well, he passed the largest tax hike in Maryland history in 2007. Then miraculously he found billions to cut in the years after the tax hikes. I think he is a self-obsessed wannabe rock star (maybe we should ask which politician isn't).

For now I'm backing George Owings.

I would (and have numerous times) ask the same thing; what has O'Malley accomplished either as mayor or governor?

No one ever seems to be able to answer that.

Hey John, you stated "Don't forget that Bob basically did nothing when his pal Mayo Shattuck announced the 72% electric rate increase."

Didn't OweMalley also claim to take on BGE and stop the rate hikes? He definitely lived up to THAT promise!

Ehrlich should run against Mikulski. As much mischief as comes out of Annapolis, Washington is where he is needed.

Balt city,P.G.county and Montgomery county = Democratic sheep...BAA! BAA!
No matter how the Dems policies and regressive taxes harm them, they won't break away from the herd.

O'Malley has been a disappointment on so many levels. He grandstanded about Ehrlich's appointments and hit list, yet he has continued the practice. BGE rate hikes, hundred million dollar un-monitored contracts. The dem's need a candidate, at the least you know what you are getting with Ehrlich.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE IS AGREEING TWITH BRING EHRLICH BACK MY GAS/ELECTRIC BILL IS STILL HIGH FROM WHEN HE WAS IN OFFICE. DID EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT THAT?

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About the bloggers
Annie Linskey covers state politics and government for The Baltimore Sun. Previously, as a City Hall reporter, she wrote about the corruption trial of Mayor Sheila Dixon and kept a close eye on city spending. Originally from Connecticut, Annie has also lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she reported on war crimes tribunals and landmines. She lives in Canton.

John Fritze has covered politics and government at the local, state and federal levels for more than a decade and is now The Baltimore Sun’s Washington correspondent. He previously wrote about Congress for USA TODAY, where he led coverage of the health care overhaul debate and the 2010 election. A native of Albany, N.Y., he currently lives in Montgomery County.

Julie Scharper covers City Hall and Baltimore politics. A native of Baltimore County, she graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 2001 and spent two years teaching in Honduras before joining The Baltimore Sun. She has followed the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pa., in the year after a schoolhouse massacre, reported on courts and crime in Anne Arundel County, and chronicled the unique personalities and places of Baltimore City and its surrounding counties.
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