Bob Ehrlich

I'm disappointed that former governorRobert L. Ehrlich Jr.will be writing a column in The Baltimore Sun, a newspaper that skewered him unmercifully when he was in office ("Ehrlich column to run in The Sun," Jan. 22). What The Sun did to Governor Ehrlich, including taking him to court, is unforgivable. I'm displeased in his decision to accept this offer as it reeks of self-promotion. Mr. Ehrlich says his first two columns will be on his decision to write for the paper and then a tribute to Ron Smith.

Thanks to Bob Ehrlich for the long article in Sunday's paper that makes plain, without actually stating it, the big difference between Republicans and Democrats on health care ("A death-knell for employer-funded insurance," April 1). Republicans find the pre-reform status quo acceptable, in which thousands of people died annually, in this wealthy country, for lack of health insurance. Democrats do not, and would like to see the U.S. join the rest of the industrialized world in guaranteeing health care for its citizens.

Update: Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, longtime aide Greg Massoni and former elections board chief Gene Raynor were called to testify before the grand jury, according to my source. Chris Cavey, former chairman of the Baltimore County GOP,   just confirmed to me that he also testified. Former Ehrlich communications director Paul Schurick and Joe Sliwka, a former campaign aide, were not called to testify. I misunderstood my source and I regret the error. Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich and a two top aide s testified last week before the grand jury investigating deceptive Election Day robocalls made on behalf of his re-election campaign, a source close to the matter told me Tuesday.

Once again, Bob Ehrlich shows that his trickery is not limited to election day voting schemes ("Give pols a pass for verbal miscues," March 18). The start of his column promises an uplifting theme - let's cut politicians some slack on some of their statements because they're human and thus imperfect. But Mr. Ehrlich quickly turns to nakedly partisan attacks by listing statements that do not deserve any slack - those of Democrats. He starts off with what he calls President Barack Obama's propensity for apologizing to the world for U.S. policy.

It's a little bit of a mystery to me why former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. wants to "ice skate uphill," as a listener put it, battling the blinding blueness of Maryland's political landscape in an attempt to win back his old job from Martin O'Malley, the man who sent him packing in 2006. So let's try to unravel it. Remember, this loss happened despite positive approval ratings for Mr. Ehrlich. Remember also that he was the only incumbent governor in the nation to be ousted on election day in 2006.

A document making the rounds in Maryland political circles would appear to be a casting call for a Bob Ehrlich campaign ad. One reason there's interest in that: The spot would be shot in California, and Ehrlich has campaigned on the need to bolster Maryland's film industry. Another reason: Among the parts to be cast are Homeless Person #1 and Homeless Person #2, bringing to mind the last time Ehrlich went out of state for homeless people. In 2006, his campaign bused them in from Philly on Election Day to hand out literature that suggested — falsely — that Ehrlich was backed by several black Democratic leaders.

In a new ad, a guy named Robert Ehrlich pops up in someone else's house. He doesn't offer to do plumbing or yardwork. Instead, he strolls into a living room where a gunman has just been shot dead by police. With hostages whimpering in the background, he begins: "Does this ever happen to you? Do you often find yourself being threatened in a hostage-like situation by a crazed psychopath? Well, you no longer have to feel this pain. You can be free from the cloud that is the crime in our cities.

The first time Bob Ehrlich ran for governor, Baltimore political operative Julius Henson called him a Nazi. This time around, Henson just calls him boss. Henson, who lost his job as a Democratic campaign mobilizer in 2002 over the Nazi remark, is working as a political consultant to Ehrlich's campaign, Henson and the campaign confirmed to me this week. "I'm going to be doing some work for Ehrlich, yes," Henson said. "I've already begun consulting." I asked Henson how he squared that gig with his comments eight years ago. Back then, Henson told The Washington Post: "Bobby Ehrlich is a Nazi.

BOBPAC, AS IT has come to be called, is off and running.Over the weekend, the Bob Ehrlich for Maryland Committee rolled up roughly $20,000 for use in the 1998 state elections at a poolside fund-raiser in Timonium.Nearly 100 supporters of Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. each paid $250 Saturday evening to attend a fund-raiser for the committee -- set up not for his congressional re-election, but rather to help friends in other Maryland political races."It's a nice start," Ehrlich said. "We're on pace to hit our goal of $125,000 by September of 1998.

It comes as no surprise that Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. are duking it out in this fall's election over their respective records as Maryland's chief executive. Evaluating who did a better job running the state is important. But so is a sense of where either man would lead us during another four (or, in Mr. Ehrlich's case, potentially eight) years in office. Mr. Ehrlich recently released "Roadmap to 2020," a compendium of ideas he hopes to pursue. It is vague in many of the specifics and frequently fails to address circumstances that have changed since he left office.

One of my favorite activities this primary season is to read the seemingly endless analyses of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The profiles run the gamut from glowing to scathing; just about every Washington pundit has a strong opinion of "Mr. Speaker. " Yet, most of the talking heads have not worked with the man or known him very well. I have worked with Newt, consider him a friend, but also understand the eccentricities of this fascinating leader. (I am also Maryland chairman of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.)

I am extremely dismayed by your introduction of a column written by the evil Bob Ehrlich ("Ehrlich column to run in The Sun," Jan. 22). While I have nothing but respect for the way the late Ron Smith presented his opinions, I do not feel that way about Mr. Ehrlich. Should I detect any hint of the hatred and disrespect that emanated from the former Republican governor, I will be forced to cancel my subscription to your paper, which I have supported for many years. Although I strongly support the continuation of print media, I cannot support an entity that provides a platform for the politics of hatred.

I'm disappointed that former governorRobert L. Ehrlich Jr.will be writing a column in The Baltimore Sun, a newspaper that skewered him unmercifully when he was in office ("Ehrlich column to run in The Sun," Jan. 22). What The Sun did to Governor Ehrlich, including taking him to court, is unforgivable. I'm displeased in his decision to accept this offer as it reeks of self-promotion. Mr. Ehrlich says his first two columns will be on his decision to write for the paper and then a tribute to Ron Smith.

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. used $168,000 of leftover campaign funds to pay for defense attorneys for Paul Schurick, his longtime aide who was convicted on charges of electoral fraud rising out of Ehrlich's failed run against Gov. Martin O'Malley in 2010. The payments were outlined in a campaign finance report filed last week by the Bob Ehrlich for Maryland Committee, which remains in operation. Ehrlich has said he intends to stay out of Maryland electoral politics. The money paid to four law firms that took part in Schurick's defense made up the bulk of. the committee's spending last year.

Former Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who had a tumultuous relationship with The Baltimore Sun while in office, will now contribute regularly to its pages, writing a column focused on national politics. Ehrlich, who was Maryland's governor from 2003 to 2007, said the weekly op-ed column will offer an outlet for his writing as well as a platform to reach a broader audience. The column will appear Sundays, starting Jan. 29. "I think both sides had to think very long and hard" about the arrangement, said Ehrlich, who acknowledged that close advisers expressed mixed reactions, given his strained history with the newspaper.

The Sun couldn't resist one last verbal assault on Bob Ehrlich's integrity and character. In Saturday's paper (Dec. 3), the headline read "Dirty politics on trial" with a picture of Bob Ehrlich. Why not go after the culprit, Julius Henson, the architect of the robocalls? In an editorial containing approximately 82 lines, Mr. Henson's name wasn't mentioned until the last 13 lines. Marie Mullen, Joppa

The Sun couldn't resist one last verbal assault on Bob Ehrlich's integrity and character. In Saturday's paper (Dec. 3), the headline read "Dirty politics on trial" with a picture of Bob Ehrlich. Why not go after the culprit, Julius Henson, the architect of the robocalls? In an editorial containing approximately 82 lines, Mr. Henson's name wasn't mentioned until the last 13 lines. Marie Mullen, Joppa

Ex-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is whining again over the high tax rate of 67 percent that is imposed upon his very rich and uncaring friends who want to build casinos here in Maryland ("Slots to open in October," May 26), but let us remember that it was Bob Ehrlich who gave us the famous flush tax of $30 per year and also added insult to injury when he allowed greedy corporations amnesty to avoid pay their fair share of much needed state tax revenue. Let it also be noted that Maryland lost $90 million when these corporations didn't pay up!

Bob Ehrlich is taking his own advice, as offered in the title of his new book, "Turn This Car Around. " The former governor is putting Maryland in his rear-view mirror. "The book is not for a Maryland audience," the former governor said Tuesday as he launched a local and national media blitz to promote the book. "It was written with a national perspective in mind. " While Ehrlich still lives in Annapolis, he says the book, subtitled "The Road Map to Restoring America," is his pitch for a voice in national politics after having lost his last two campaigns for Maryland governor.