Democratic Governors

WASHINGTON -- The White House, caught off guard by attacks on President Bush's economic package, found itself on the defensive as the president was confronted by visiting Democratic governors who spurned his request that they rally behind his plan.The unexpected face-to-face ambush yesterday and a less-than-enthusiastic public response to the proposal added a new worrying note to the calculations of Bush advisers who had hoped that the unveiling of the long-awaited package would spark a rebound in the president's political fortunes.

Gov. Martin O'Malley picked an Annapolis veteran Thursday to oversee the waning years of his administration, appointing as chief of staff a man who has worked under four governors and earned respect in the environmental community for his candor. Department of Natural Resources Secretary John R. Griffin will take over for the final 18 months of O'Malley's administration, as the governor decides whether to set his sights on the White House and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown launches a campaign to succeed O'Malley.

WASHINGTON -- Several Democratic governors provoked President Bush into an angry exchange yesterday by unleashing a surprise attack on his economic growth proposals during a White House meeting at which he sought their help in lobbying the plan through Congress.In the latest sign of a White House promotional campaign gone awry, Mr. Bush was suddenly confronted on his home turf with charges that his plan was full of gimmicks and would add to the nation's "sewer of debt." He quickly fired back with a challenge to the governors to put themselves on the record for a tax increase and name what military bases they would close.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Friday that he has hired the press spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to be his new director of strategic communications.  Teddy Davis, who formerly covered politics for ABC News, will join O'Malley's press staff in mid-February, the governor's office announced. Davis becomes the second hire in the governor's communications operation since the departure of longtime aide Rick Abbruzzese late last year. In early January, Stephen Neuman, a former aide to Democratic governors, came on board as public affairs director.

Dan Rodricks debuts his weekly, online-only column. (His print column still appears twice a week.) Today, read about how Republican Robert Ehrlich stands out from recent Democratic governors in criminal justice matters.

WASHINGTON - Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to appear tomorrow at a Barack Obama event designed to portray unity among Democratic governors and to illustrate an economy that party leaders say has weakened during a Republican administration. Obama has invited Democratic governors to Chicago for an "economic discussion." The campaign has not disclosed a full list of attendees, but O'Malley's office confirmed his participation. O'Malley was an early backer of Sen. Hillary Clinton, and he is among a group of Democratic governors who are now pivoting to show support for Obama.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Presidential candidate Bill Clinton, bolstered by strong endorsements from fellow Democratic governors, responded punch for punch yesterday to a new Republican ad that belittles his record as governor of Arkansas.The yet-to-be-aired ad reportedly declares that Mr. Clinton is "a failed governor from a small state."Mr. Clinton, flanked by 17 Democratic colleagues who assembled here for today's start of the 84th annual meeting of the National Governors' Association, replied: "I think I'm running against a failed president of a big country."

WASHINGTON - The nation's Democratic governors, who fell short in November of achieving a majority of seats in the country, made the most of the situation here the other day in mapping plans for teamwork in the year ahead. With the Republicans still holding a 26-24 edge in governorships, Gov. Gary Locke of Washington, the Democratic Governors' Association chairman, did some quick arithmetic. He announced the Democratic governors will represent 53 percent of the nation's population when the party's new winners in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin are sworn in. By holding a majority of the largest states, he reasoned, "we're now the leaders of this great country," a contention that surely would be challenged by a Republican Party that not only still claims more governors but also the White House and both houses of Congress.

SEATTLE -- The nation's governors called for dramatic changes in America's health care system yesterday but split along party lines over whether to hold Congress and the Bush administration accountable for the reform.In an unusually emotional and partisan conclusion to the four-day National Governors' Association conference here, governors stressed the urgent need for health reform in a nation that pays the most for care while leaving 34 million people uninsured."One thing is clear: There is a sense of urgency here that has been vocalized," said Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, a Democrat, the NGA's new vice chairman.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is looking to strike gold this weekend in Boulder Colorado where he will give a keynote address at a Democratic county fundraiser. O'Malley -- who was just in San Francisco to raise money for same-sex marriage, the Dream Act and Democratic governors -- will squeeze in the Colorado trip before making an appearance in Tampa. He'll be there as a Democratic surrogate to provide on-site rapid response at the Republican National Convention. The itinerary keeps moving from there ... as the governor is also set to give a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

President Barack Obama no longer needs Gov. Martin O'Malley as a top campaign surrogate, and the Democratic Governors Association is set to elect someone else as its chairman on Monday when the group meets in Los Angeles. But neither development is likely to push Maryland's governor off the national stage. "Once you achieve a certain stature, which I believe O'Malley has, then you are going to remain a sought-after speaker, surrogate, television guest," said Anita Dunn, a national political consultant who was an adviser to the Obama campaign.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was in this first-in-the-nation caucus state Sunday to give the keynote address to hundreds at a Democratic barbecue - a role frequently reserved for likely presidential candidates. The invitation, and decision to speak, is a step on O'Malley's march toward national prominence and fuels speculation about a possible run for the White House in 2016. Previous headliners at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual "Steak Fry" include Barack Obama, Richard Gephardt, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is looking to strike gold this weekend in Boulder Colorado where he will give a keynote address at a Democratic county fundraiser. O'Malley -- who was just in San Francisco to raise money for same-sex marriage, the Dream Act and Democratic governors -- will squeeze in the Colorado trip before making an appearance in Tampa. He'll be there as a Democratic surrogate to provide on-site rapid response at the Republican National Convention. The itinerary keeps moving from there ... as the governor is also set to give a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Companies seeking lucrative state contracts and business deals in Maryland made five- and six-figure contributions in recent months to a Democratic governors group led by Gov. Martin O'Malley, federal records show. Firms making large gifts to the Democratic Governors Association in the last six months of 2011 include bidders for a $2.4 billion state employee health contract, a $56 million deal to rebuild highway rest stops and the license to run Baltimore's slots casino. O'Malley, who has been the association's chairman since December 2010, has said the contributions have nothing to do with his decisions as governor.

On Monday, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to unfurl the most ambitious legislative agenda of his six years in office. By Thursday evening, he's scheduled to be 200 miles north in a Midtown Manhattan hotel, schmoozing with contributors to the Democratic Governors Association. The high-profile travel schedule is becoming the new normal for O'Malley, who took on a second year as chairman of the governors group in December. As Maryland's 90-day General Assembly session was ramping up last week, the governor zipped down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to weigh in on the GOP presidential primaries.

One can only hope the Baltimore Ravens do a better job of clock management than the Maryland Democratic Party did during its annual pre-session legislative lunch gathering Tuesday. Gov. Martin O'Malley, the party's leader and the subject of fulsome praise from state legislative leaders and congressional representatives alike, had to sit through extended remarks by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, House Speaker Michael E. Busch, five of Maryland's six Democratic U.S. representatives and U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin before getting the chance to speak.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Friday that he has hired the press spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to be his new director of strategic communications.  Teddy Davis, who formerly covered politics for ABC News, will join O'Malley's press staff in mid-February, the governor's office announced. Davis becomes the second hire in the governor's communications operation since the departure of longtime aide Rick Abbruzzese late last year. In early January, Stephen Neuman, a former aide to Democratic governors, came on board as public affairs director.

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic governors who joined their Republican counterparts here the other day for the annual winter meeting of their fraternity accentuated the positive in the wake of their party's loss of the White House. Gov. Parris N. Glendening pointed to eight Democratic victories in 11 gubernatorial races for a net pickup of one, in West Virginia. He boasted of "a number of really articulate spokespeople across the country," including "a number of governors" (unidentified by him)

Democratic governors meeting Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles elected Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to lead their organization for a second term, keeping him at the helm of the Democratic Governors Association for the busy 2012 election year. In a news release, O'Malley called 2011 a "banner year" for the DGA and said next year he hopes to build on the group's "strong foundation. " O'Malley has led the group since last December, raising a "record breaking" $11 million for the organization in the first six months of the year while using the position to build a national profile with frequent appearances on Sunday morning talk shows.