Democratic Governors Association

Who says Martin O'Malley, who's been in Asia burnishing his foreign-policy credentials and all around the U.S. as head of the Democratic Governors Association, has lost interest in all that needs doing here in Maryland? The governor will be hard at work in Baltimore June 18, leading his Celtic rock band in a performance for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. O'Malley's March will play for the group at Fort McHenry, during what is billed as a "Star Spangled Night. " Plans for the gig were first reported by The Washington Post , darn it all. "On this special night you will dine on the hallowed grounds of this National Monument and Historic Shrine by rare and special arrangement," says the agenda for the conference.

Maryland individual and corporate donors gave $4.8 million in the past three years to a type of "soft money" political committee that critics say can be used to legally skirt state and federal campaign finance restrictions, a new study shows. The analysis by the Center for Public Integrity in Washington examined political committees similar to the one that Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller heads to raise money for Democratic candidates running for state offices around the country.

LAME DUCKS can't fly, but they can reach new lows. Outgoing Gov. Parris N. Glendening proves the point in the usual way: revving up the patronage mill. With several weeks remaining in his tenure, he has spun out comfortable state jobs for three friends and allies. The big salaries were followed by what look like kickbacks: contributions from each of the three to the governor's campaign committee. Never mind that the governor wasn't running for anything. Never mind that he or a member of his staff solicited the "contributions."

MIAMI -- Fresh from victories in Virginia and New Jersey, Republican governors met in Miami over the weekend to plot strategy for 36 gubernatorial elections in 1998. They declared that education would be the next issue they would use to try to move power from Washington to the states.On top of the Republicans' education agenda is a request that Congress and the Department of Education eliminate federally required paperwork and regulations on schools."What we want Congress to do with education is exactly what it did with welfare three years ago," said South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, the incoming chairman of the Republican Governors' Association.

Gov. Martin O'Malleycontinued his national media blitz Tuesday night with an appearance on MSNBC's"The Ed Show," taking the opportunity to bash former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and the Republican budget plan authored by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. O'Malley dismissed Romney's easy victory in the Maryland primary, saying "Governor Etch A Sketch" was always expected to be the victor in the state.  Appearing on one of the left-leaning network's most aggressively liberal shows -- a program that attracts the type of Democratic activists who could help decide the 2016 presidential nomination race -- the Maryland governor praised President Obama's remarks Tuesday afternoon assailing the Ryan budget and Romney's endorsement of the plan.

ON THE SITE... Brian McKnight, Clutch to headline Artscape 2012 : R&B artist Brian McKnight, rockers Clutch and funksters the Rebirth Brass Band will headline this year's Artscape festival, set for July 20-22. O'Malley to stump in Wisconsin for Walker foe :  Gov. Martin O'Malley, continuing to build on his high national profile as head of the Democratic Governors Association, will travel to Wisconsin Thursday to campaign for the challenger in the effort to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

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.

Annapolis will be a picture of pomp and ceremony Wednesday for Gov. Martin O'Malley's annual state of the state address. The governor is set to speak to both chambers of the General Assembly at noon. O'Malley has already unleashed an ambitious plan that has left members of his own party whipsawed. He's proposing raising revenues from income taxes , a sales tax on gasoline and the monthly fee for water use know as the flush tax . Also, he's pushing a controversial social agenda, trying to convince lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage . Wednesday's address will give the governor a chance to sell the plan to reluctant lawmakers -- who are already catching flack from constituents about the pocketbook issues.

Gov. Martin O'Malley returned to the national stage Sunday after a Democratic National Convention speech that received tepid reviews, facing off with Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt over job creation and women's issues on CNN. Questioned by CNN's Candy Crowley, O'Malley defended President Obama's handling of the U.S. economy, asserting that employment is now greater than it was when the president took office. He said job creation could have been more robust if Republicans hadn't blocked Obama's jobs creation legislation in Congress.

They say Martin O'Malley has designs on the White House. And he seems to have made himself at home there one night this week. Maryland's governor and his Irish rock band O'Malley's March scored a pretty big there Tuesday night, getting to play as part of a White House celebration for Irish Prime Minister Edna Kenny. (This after two shows Saturday night at Baltimore's Creative Alliance.) As the Sun's John Fritze reported earlier, O'Malley and his band set up in the stately East Room in front of about 200 people in green ties and shawls.