This is a great ad and representative of what the people of Maryland want to see. Nevermind that O'Malley passed the largest tax hike in history, they want a change!

Who does Ehrlich think he's fooling? He's out there with an ad that basically doesn't say anything.

My favorite part is when he says he is going to tackle the budget deficit "honestly." There is nothing honest about his approach where he has promised tax cuts, tax credits and more spending increases to various groups around the state. This will make the budget picture worse not better.

Marylanders don't want a two-face politician

Let's get to work?

Yeah, let's get to work increasing taxes, increasing spending, and cutting education.

Bob Ehrlich you failed as Governor, and we don't want you back!

If Ehrlich was honest his ad would say, "Dangerous debt, THAT I CREATED. Higher taxes, THAT I RAISED. Not enough jobs, FOR ME TO BLOCK INCREASES IN THE MINIMUM WAGE. Fix the budget, THAT I LEFT WITH A DEFICIT. Grow small businesses, BECAUSE I RAISED THEIR FILING FEES. Excellent schools, DESPITE MY PLAN TO RAISE TUITION AGAIN. Protect the Bay, THAT I RUINED."

If Ehrlich was just starting to introduce himself as Governor, this ad would make sense. But wait, Ehrlich has been a candidate for the last 3 elections. We know Bob and we know what he does when he wins.

He makes promises that he never keeps. He looks out for millionaires and big business at the cost of working families. He wants to take the state back.

You can't fool me. You can't fool my family. Don't worry Bob - you can go back and get paid big bucks to not lobby.

Rewriting history should be the title of this ad.

The only "leadership" Governor Ehrlich provided while he was Governor was he many flip flops on issues. He was against the charter school bill, before he signed it. he was against Thornton education funding, before he supported it. He was against higher education, before he finally funded it.

He couldn't do it then, he can't do it now.

Is Ehrlich really up to his same old tricks?

You had an opportunity as governor before and how did that turn out for Maryland voters? Let's see:

Massive budget deficit
Higher taxes
Increased tax on business
A bay in disarray.... etc

Ehrlich, let's get to work finding you another job. Good luck, its a tough economy out there.

The day Bobby Ehrlich actually works will be his first. Bobby has spent his entire life living off the public dole or sponging off his Republican backers. Now he needs to get elected to pay them for his salary the last 4 years. He had no ideas in his 4 terms as governor and none in his 4 years of radio propagandist. The really stupid argument of the 1 penny sales tax increase being the largest in Maryland history is only something a moronic Republican can grasp hold off to fuel their hate.

Marylanders don't want a two-face politician

So what do you call MOM Freedom?
His failed boast on rolling back BGE rates certainly makes him two faced!

I'm willing to get to work for Ehrlich. Not so much for O'Malley because I know if I don't feel like working, he will find another way to help me on the dole. I was not raised to be a hinder to society. I was raised to pull my own weight. I feel much better in the morning after a hard days night.

I completely agree with David Zurawik. This ad is positive, motivating and free from the pessimistic tone of O'Malley's tripe. The Democratic party has done zilch to help me or my family. In fact, my state and federal taxes have increased, my son's in-state tuition has increased, my energy bill is astronomical and now the country is in debt that my great grandchildren will be paying off. You can keep your hope and change, Martin O'Malley.

I am a Democrat who is proud of our great state, and I will be voting for Bob Ehrlich in November.

The bottom line is that O'Malley passed the largest tax hike in Maryland history AND accepted federal funds (plus the financial obligations that come with them) just to balance the Maryland budget for one year. That's about as short-sighted as it gets!

I've had enough of O'Malley's job bleeding policies and it's time we got some change in Maryland that wasn't actually bad for us.

Bob Ehrlich for Maryland!!!

Moshe

Hey Bob. Glad you are not going to raise taxes. But I am sure you will raise "Fees" again. This state was broke when you left office and now we have a surplus. I will stick with the guy that has our state in the black. O'Malley for re-election. We can not afford to go back to the Bush era again.

Owe'Malley is doing a worse job running the state than he did running Baltimore - that is quite an achievement in and of itself. Ehrlich isn't a perfect candidate, but some of the blame for the past failures of his administration must rest on the Democratic State Assembly he "worked" with. Partisan politics is ruining this state and this country.

@Magellen what surplus? People may differ on social values and economic principles but Maryland's budget deficit and reduced revenues since instituting the millionaire's tax are facts that cannot be swept under the rug. O'Malley is bad for business, that's an opinion - shared by most. But Maryland's budget deficit is a fact that no amount of denial can ignore.

"Rock Republican, we provide the same services but cost you less."

Moshe

Let's get to work?

That means Ehrlich wants to get Ice dancer Maddalone. Chesek, June Smith, and his stooges who follow him around like sheep to work in state jobs again

I live in Silver Spring, and its depressing how out of touch that person is. If nothing else, we have seen a lot of progress in terms of what the Democratic Party has done for working families. From tax cuts, unemployment insurance, affordable higher education, and the list goes on.

You are also mistaken. Both on the federal and state level, 95% of families got a tax cut. If you're in that top 5%, I am so sorry. In terms of tuition, it was frozen for three years and we have seen the smallest increase in more than a decade (while Ehrlich increased it by 40%). In terms of the debt, let's not forget that most of that was caused by two foreign wars, the Bush recession and Bush's TARP

Stop lying that you're a Democrat, and we'll get started

@Adam - You have provided the perfect example of why I am leaving the Democratic Party. Your last sentence, more specifically.

Blaming Bush is ridiculous and I am tired of hearing it. Democrats have run the Maryland legislature for how many years now? We have seen corporations flee, millionaires flee and now party members flee. They have run this state into the ground.

Martin O'Malley has done absolutely nothing for me. My tax dollars go to Baltimore while even the roads in Montgomery County are atrocious. Only 18-cents of every dollar the state takes stays in my county. This is absurd. And the Democrat answer -- Raise Taxes!

Northrop Grumman had it right -- if O'Malley manages to hang on to his job, I'll jump the Potomac too.

I do not often take to quoting Republicans, but Ronald Reagan had it right. My party has left me. And your condescending attitude is quite typical when people do not want to face the truth.

I was in Florida the week before their primaries (8/24). "Let's get to work" was the motto of Rick Scott, a challenger to congressman Bill McCollum for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Scott paints himself as a political outsider.

http://www.rickscottforflorida.com/index.html

Either this "Let's get to work" stuff is a GOP franchise, or Ehrlich ripped someone off. Which is it?

Who's in denial, Moshe Starkman?

Bob Ehrlich claims credit for a $1.4 billion Rainy Day Fund at the height of the short-lived real estate bubble in which 42 of the 50 states and thousands of local governments (including then-Mayor O'Malley's Baltimore City) experienced record breaking tax collections.

At the same time, Bob Ehrlich left his successor a $1.6 billion budget gap.

Today, after two years of the deepest global recession since the Great Depression, Gov. O'Malley has $1 billion in the Rainy Day Fund ($612 million per FY11 budget plus $344 million FY10 ending balance) and a $1.6 billion budget gap for next year.

Bob Ehrlich's spending exceeded state revenues in three of his four years; he raised taxes by $3 billion, and submitted the largest annual spending increase in Maryland history. He transfered funds to cover budget deficits, and he accepted federal bailout dollars.

The Sun's Annie Linskey did an objective analysis last month (before the FY10 close-out):

Ehrlich, O'Malley used similar budget tools

When confronted with the same fiscal challenges in easier times, Bob Ehrlich made the same choices that Gov. O'Malley has made in much tougher times. Now Bob Ehrlich thinks he can criticize Gov. O'Malley for making the same decisions he made himself when he was sitting at the same desk.

Looking forward, Bob Ehrlich continues his fiscal irresponsiblity by promising tax cuts he can't deliver and spending increases with no plan to pay for them.

In his first gubernatorial campaign, Bob Ehrlich ran against taxes, but then raised property taxes 57 percent two months after he was sworn in. The next year he broke his promise not to raise income taxes. He'll say anything to get elected, but he fails to deliver.

- Steve Lebowitz, Annapolis

Hey Stevie L. did you forget about MOM's lies in 2006 about about getting BGE rates rolled back-talk about saying anything to get elected.

@Silver Spring

Why do you not want to listen to the truth? You care about deficits but you don't want to hear that they were caused by President Bush? You say that Democrats have run this state into ground but then how can you explain that we're doing better than most states during this recession. You complain that Montgomery County doesn't get enough funding, what about the ICC or the record investments in our schools.

No you are so grossly misinformed and rather live in ignorance than really see that Republicans like Bob Ehrlich have no new ideas and will just put this country and this state back in ditch.

Jay forgets that BGEhrlich was a rubber stamp for BGE and insurance companies to raise rates.

Jay forgets that BGEhrlich was a rubber stamp for BGE and insurance companies to raise rates.

Try to be informed John.
The Democratic controlled legislature passed deregulation in 1999/2000 and Glendening signed it into law.
Ehrlich was in Congress then.
How exactly was this Ehrlich's fault?
Your boy MOM's campaign in 2006 was based on rolling back the BGE increase.
What a fallacy that was.
And who passed out big raises to the PSC after he took office?
MOM.
Next you will blame Ehrlich for the gulf oil spill of 2010-wait MOM already did in a radio attack ad.

The Ad got hoots of hysterical laughter at my house, how did he keep a straight face??

Hey Jay, give me the name of one GOP member of the General Assembly who voted against deregulation...what's that I hear? Is it crickets??? Dereg was passed by an unholy marriage of the Conservative Dems and the Republicans in the General Assembly. If the Republicans had opposed it, it wouldn't have passed as there was a large number of Liberal Dems who opposed deregulation. Look it up.

The Good: Ehrlich's ad has minimal mudslinging, which is always refreshing.

The Bad: It's true that there aren't enough jobs in Maryland, but unemployment rates and job growth under O'Malley have been much better than those of other states. Our unemployment rate is 7.4% compared to 9.6% for the U.S. as a whole, and the Chamber of Commerce ranks Maryland 4th in job growth. Ehrlich needs to find some other campaign issue to distinguish himself with.

The Ugly: Education is an extremely important foundation for economic growth. However, Ehrlich is clearly not the best choice for education. Under O'Malley, our K-12 schools have been ranked best in the country for two years running. Our state university system is now being ranked as one of the best values of any public system. That would end in a hurry under Ehrlich if his former 40% tuition hike is any indication. Finally, I hope no one believes Ehrlich's claim in the ad to be good for the Chesapeake Bay. This is coming from someone who cut Bay restoration programs and tried to sell state wildlife refuge land for development. Get the facts.

Unrest all you hear is your gums flapping 24/7.
Who was in control the of Annapolis legislature in 1999/2000-Democrats.
Key words in control.
Who was governor who signed deregulation-Glendening.
Who failed to roll back the rates as promised in 2006 campaign MOM.
Strike 3 your out.
Eric your boy MOM tapped into the bay funds to balance his budget in 2010. Conservation first. And MOM had some questionable land deals early on in his administration. Let those who live in glass houses.......................................
And after MOM's tax increase of 2007 there were the funds needed to flatline tuition for 4 years.
The only constant in education is Grasnick-why did MOM try to dump her Eric?
Because she is a pawn of the Republicans. MOM did wonders for education in Baltimore during his terms.
Of course MOM did a great job in Baltimore inventing a plethora of new taxes and cackling how crime has improved in the now 3rd most dangerous city in America.
Get back to me when Baltimore is out of the top 15!

@Adam P.
Feel free to start namecalling now. Is it, after all, your usual retort.

Maryland's tax rates are astronomical and the state's deficit is at an all-time high. At the end of Ehrlich's tenure, the state had almost $1 billion in surplus funds. Now, the state is in the red by $8 billion. Martin O'Malley has spent $23 billion more as governor over the past four years than Ehrlich did.

Because of O'Malley's tax increases, people and small businesses are leaving Montgomery County. In fact, according to state analysts, O'Malley's 20 percent sales tax increase, which was supposed to raise revenue for the state, has negatively affected more Marylanders who make $20,000 per year than those who make $70,000.

(Thank you Al Eisner, Gazette.net)

If the CEOs listed in the Sun then Martin o is damn good for business! He has hi tech leaders contributing and these are the businesses that are creating jobs in our state. Bob the bully has a chicken farmer whose poop is killing our bay and tv b list star whose just a millionaire who should be taxed more. Oh and shame on you Kevin plank! Martin has kept jobs in our state and. Kept our AAA bond rating.

How can Maryland be bad for business when we have one ofmthe lowest unemployment rates in the country? We have job growth!

Bobby is entitled to hisnown opinions but not his own facts-- maryland is doing damn good and Martin has kept jobs in Maryland more than the republican governors in other states

BGEhrlich and his handpicked PSC chair golfing buddy Ken Schisler let BGE rape MD consumers after he "cleaned house' of anyone who would oppose the increase. Same with insurance puppet Al Redmer.

Tech stud-
What keeps unemployment in check in Maryland is the proximity of the federal government and the jobs that come with it.
Has nothing to do with the current governor or the previous governor

I usually don't do this but my family had a business in Maryland now they are lcated in Magnolia North Carolina, my brother was one of the victims in 2000 when O'Malley claim Baltimore as safe, Baltimorons voted Omalley governor to get him out of city hll (lack of education about government) Martin raised BGE 72% he spent the surplus before he sat down. Now I was a democrat before Martin came governor and I switch because of the research (misleading tactics) I have proff if anyone cares to look @ it. Stop blaming Mr Stupid (Bush) he been gone for years now and oh by the way Ehrlich couldn't pass a sandwhich during his term (democrat controlled Assembly) do the research before anyone comment. It'll make u look better. Be Blessed