"What gives me renewed optimism about how Maryland will come through this recession is the meetings I've had with fellow governors from really hard-hit states, and it's clear we're in a much stronger position than the vast majority of states," he said, when asked if Maryland's well-educated, highly unionized and federal-heavy work force will serve as a buffer during hard times. Despite the fiscal situation, Mr. O'Malley seems determined to head into his re-election campaign boasting that he invested $1 billion toward school infrastructure and refused to increase college tuition rates.
He will need such talking points. In the 1998 cycle, as the tech boom swelled state coffers, only two incumbent governors seeking re-election lost. The 2010 cycle, by contrast, could be an electoral bloodbath across the country. Few voters like swallowing economic castor oil, but that is what governors - most of whom are constitutionally bound to balance their budgets - will be administering in the next two years.
I asked Mr. O'Malley how strong his Republican challenger next year might be.
He wouldn't discuss any names raised - from former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and former Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to state Sens. Allan H. Kittleman and E.J. Pipkin - saying only that his campaign would prepare based on the assumption of a tough challenge. (He also declined to comment on whether he thought the potential selection this Saturday of Mr. Steele as Republican National Committee chairman would be good for the state or the Republican Party generally.)
Masked as it is by his public image as the sleeveless, grinning Celtic rock band frontman, wonkiness is Mr. O'Malley's most overlooked trait. He spews policy details and figures like an auctioneer.
Ironically, he feels he could be communicating better to the public the decisions of his administration and their meaning.
"It's much harder to communicate as governor than as mayor," he said, explaining the poor grade he assigned himself. "It's not because the hours are fewer or because we're working less. It's a much more diverse, diffuse audience."
You can bet that audience will be listening carefully during the crucial two years ahead.
Thomas F. Schaller teaches political science at UMBC. His column appears regularly in The Sun. His e-mail is schaller67@gmail.com.
