Maryland Gop

M aryland's budget deficit is a long-term problem that requires a long-term solution. Over the past three years, the O'Malley/Brown administration has made little to no progress in addressing the state's budget deficit. Increased spending, a failed slots bill, the largest tax increase in our state's history and federal bailouts make for a dismal track record. The Department of Legislative Services projects a cumulative deficit of more than $8 billion for the years 2012-2015 - $1,428 for every person in Maryland - yet Gov. Martin O'Malley has yet to offer a long-term plan to deal with this crisis.

Republican politician and activist Audrey Scott emerged this week as the front-runner for chairman of the Maryland GOP when the party's first vice chairman dropped out of the running. The beleaguered party plans to select a new chairman at its convention next month. Scott had been in a close race against Chris Cavey, a state party officer and chairman of the Baltimore County central committee. Cavey said he withdrew to preserve party cohesiveness. "It was very noble of him because our party needs unity," Scott said, noting she was not involved in recent party turmoil.

This week's resignation of James Pelura as chairman of the Maryland Republican Party offers the struggling organization an opportunity for a fresh start this fall. At least that's the cheeriest way to look at it. Mr. Pelura proved to be a divisive figure within the state GOP, and even his supporters came to acknowledge that rescuing the party required change at the top. Clearly, "rescue" is not too strong a term for what Mr. Pelura's successor will need to do. Since Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. lost his bid for a second term as governor in 2006, the state GOP has been foundering, not only financially but in voter registration and candidate recruitment as well.

Maryland Republicans are at a crossroads. They face a Democratic governor and legislature and a lopsided electoral map. Friction between libertarians and social conservatives continues to cause intraparty strife. The good news: Maryland Republicans have the freedom that comes with low expectations. They may experiment without fear, lead by example and serve as a model for the nation. Here are seven strategies that may help the beleaguered state GOP jump-start its fortunes. 1. Bring disparate elements together.

Political lore holds that Republicans eat their young. They find ways to undermine their own talent, stepping on the ambitions of promising newcomers. Members of both major parties engage in this sort of political cannibalism, no doubt. It's just more noticeable with Republicans because, at least in Maryland, there aren't as many of them. You'd expect more respect, given the stakes. Come to think of it, the young can be just as bloodthirsty, dining out on their elders. In states such as Maryland, given over historically to Democrats, the fratricidal impulse can be difficult to satisfy.

Despite President Bush's record-low approval ratings in Maryland, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. welcomed him to a Baltimore-area fundraiser yesterday that Republican officials say brought in $1 million for the Maryland GOP. "Mr. President, it's a big deal to have you here," the Republican governor told a crowd of about 200 gathered in a ballroom at the BWI Airport Marriott. "We thank you for supporting us, the citizens of Maryland." Though Ehrlich, who faces re-election this fall in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, said he was pleased to stand with Bush, his partner in the State House -- Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, a candidate for U.S. Senate -- was absent.

Maryland GOP seeks to inform state's voters Michael Olesker's take on the Maryland Republican Party's recent ad campaign in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, and on the current political culture in Annapolis, could not be more off base ("In Ehrlich era, politics have plummeted into the personal," Jan. 11). I understand that Mr. Olesker writes an opinion column, but last I checked, opinions are to be based on facts and fair information-gathering, both of which Mr. Olesker failed to do for this column.

NEW YORK - These dwindling summer days are happy ones for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. He's got a deeper-than-expected budget surplus, an improved employment picture and a higher-profile Maryland GOP thanks to his win in 2002 and to Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's speech at last week's party convention here. But once again, his tendency to unleash startling observations is offering a deeper look at how he thinks. It's an odd habit for someone whose life is politics and who prides himself on his understanding of that art. On the first day of the convention, he seemed to come from nowhere to accuse the Democratic Party of racist tactics.

IF ANTI-BUSH demonstrators don't rain on their parade, Convention Week 2004 could be a further step in the Maryland Republican Party's hoped-for new beginning. It's been 36 years since the party went to a national nominating convention with one of its own ensconced in the State House. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. will be at the helm of a party enjoying more political strength than Republicans could claim for many, if not most, of those years out of power. The convention will offer a week in which the party consolidates some of its gains.