Strategists

Just two Republicans have been elected governor of heavily Democratic Maryland in the past four decades, but state political strategists say the time has never been better for another victory. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who after one term lost to Martin O'Malley in 2006, has been contemplating a rematch this fall, and his advisers say this week's upset victory by a Republican Senate candidate in heavily Democratic Massachusetts provides another nudge. "He is processing in his mind as to whether to run, and this is one more piece of evidence that might lead him in that direction," said Dick Hug, a longtime Ehrlich ally and lead fundraiser.

Washington - -President Barack Obama plans to extend a hand to his political antagonists at a House Republican retreat today in Baltimore. But the exchange - part of his election-year attempt to generate more bipartisanship in Washington - is unlikely to alter Republican behavior, say strategists and former members of Congress from both parties. "Republicans are emboldened. They think Obama has overshot the runway, and they're going to stick with their strategy," said Scott Reed, a Republican consultant.

HOUSTON -- If you listen to the hot rhetoric at the Republican convention long enough, you can get a clear picture of the lines of attack President Bush intends to take against Democratic nominee Bill Clinton through the rest of the campaign. Those lines fall into two clearly defined categories. The Bush strategists see Mr. Clinton as vulnerable both on his personal history and on his policies and performance as governor of Arkansas for 12 years. But the operative question is which group of issues will be emphasized.

Just two Republicans have been elected governor of heavily Democratic Maryland in the past four decades, but state political strategists say the time has never been better for another victory. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who after one term lost to Martin O'Malley in 2006, has been contemplating a rematch this fall, and his advisers say this week's upset victory by a Republican Senate candidate in heavily Democratic Massachusetts provides another nudge. "He is processing in his mind as to whether to run, and this is one more piece of evidence that might lead him in that direction," said Dick Hug, a longtime Ehrlich ally and lead fundraiser.

WASHINGTON -- Political strategists scrambled yesterday to assess the impact of "Daughtergate" -- Ross Perot's assertion that a Republican smear campaign against his youngest daughter caused him to quit the race in July.With new polls showing support for Mr. Perot leveling off or falling slightly, the Texas billionaire strode unannounced into a news briefing and attacked reporters for questioning his integrity.His bitter tirade was sharply at odds with the relaxed, homespun image Mr. Perot has been projecting in his unprecedented TV ad blitz.

WASHINGTON -- Republican congressional leaders and President Bush, trying to keep a sex-chat scandal from becoming a lethal election year battering, have turned to a well-worn playbook of damage-control techniques that strategists say could determine whether their party can keep its hold on Congress. The strategies for coping with the Mark Foley affair are familiar to any politician or corporate chieftain faced with scandal: Say you're sorry. Pledge to do better. Blame your opponents. Distance yourself from the transgression.

The likely fall campaign between President Bush and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton will be the first electoral collision between the two generations that have dominated American life for the past 45 years.At age 67, Mr. Bush is, in all probability, the last who will be drawn from the "GI generation," presidents who fought as young men in World War II, manned the barricades of the Cold War and who have held the Oval Office without interruption since former President Kennedy captured the presidency more than 31 years ago.If Mr. Clinton, 45, holds on to win the Democratic race, he would become the first presidential nominee from the baby boom -- the 76-million-member generation that has revolutionized America's social mores, but not yet exerted the political influence many of its members have considered their birthright since the turbulent 1960s.

Investment strategists are hoping for higher oil prices, lucrative energy competition and improved hair dryer sales as they bet on which stocks will help make 1999 another year in the longest-running bull market the nation has seen.The 16-year-old bull seemed to be turning into a bear in August, September and October when an economic meltdown in Russia and Asia and the near collapse of a mammoth hedge fund sent stock prices reeling.In six weeks, the Dow dropped nearly 20 percent from its July 17 high.

WASHINGTON -- It seemed at first out of character -- Hillary Rodham Clinton using pop psychology to explain her marriage, rather than treating the subject with her usual cool detachment. But in an interview in the glossy new magazine Talk, Clinton allies say, the first lady was demonstrating another well-known quality: her political savvy.Democratic strategists say the first lady believed that if she did not confront the issue of her husband's cheating now, the matter would erupt and could hurt her later in a Senate campaign in New York.

ORLANDO, Fla.- In the initial aftermath of John Kerry's smooth performance in his first debate against President Bush, it was easy to forget one thing: Kerry still lags behind Bush in national polls and faces the much tougher challenge at this critical stage of the race in persuading voters that he deserves their support. But after Thursday's Miami face-off, Kerry certainly seemed to have earned himself a second look. Kerry showed an audience of millions Thursday night that he could challenge Bush on the war in Iraq, the president's strongest suit, and may even have redeemed himself in the minds of some voters who wondered whether he could handle being commander in chief.

WASHINGTON - -At least one Democratic political strategist has gotten a blunt warning from the White House to never appear on Fox News Channel, an outlet that presidential aides have depicted as not so much a news-gathering operation as a political opponent bent on damaging the Obama administration. The Democratic strategist said that shortly after an appearance on Fox he got a phone call from a White House official telling him not to be a guest on the show again. The call had an intimidating tone, he said.

Peter L. Bain, a senior executive vice president in charge of affiliate management and corporate strategy at Legg Mason Inc., is leaving at the end of the month, the Baltimore money manager said yesterday. Bain, who joined the company in 2000, was not available to comment. He is leaving to pursue personal interests, a spokeswoman said. "We thank him for his nine years of dedicated service to the firm," Legg said in a statement. Bain, 50, was part of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark R. Fetting's executive leadership team.

Michael Howard Davis, a lawyer and partner with Venable LLP in Towson who earlier had been a political adviser, strategist and aide to former Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and former Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, died Thursday of complications from a liver transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 49. "I think Michael had the most brilliant political mind in the state of Maryland if not the country. He had a knack for recognizing upcoming political trends," said Mr. Ruppersberger, now a congressman from Maryland's 2nd District.

Good riddance. When the clock strikes midnight this New Year's Eve, many will be happy to give a goodbye kiss to one of the worst years in stock market history. The trouble is that the start of 2009 doesn't look as though it will deliver much relief. As Wall Street investment strategists issue outlooks for next year, they are describing the early 2009 economy with such terms as "horrible," "awful" and "dismal," words you rarely see from individuals who tend to be optimists. They see consumers in trouble with debt and job losses, businesses struggling to borrow money and hold onto customers, and cities, counties and states trying to do more with less as pressures on consumers and businesses reduce local tax revenue.

St. Paul, Minn. - John McCain's 10-year climb from his desk in the Senate to his party's presidential ticket will top out this evening at an arena in Minnesota. McCain, who was formally nominated last night, has memorably addressed national conventions since Ronald Reagan's presidency. His moving, patriotic speech nominating Bob Dole in 1996 helped mark McCain as a rising Republican star. But the stakes are higher than ever. McCain is trying to catch Barack Obama in the polls. At a late-starting convention, delayed by Monday's hurricane, he has been buffeted by questions about his running mate and how he chose her. Republican politicians and strategists, and independent analysts, identified five big things McCain should be shooting for when he steps onstage, sometime after 10 p.m. Sharpen the contrast McCain should draw sharp lines of difference with his Democratic opponent over experience in government, expertise in international and military matters, and tax-and-spend policies.

DENVER - When Democratic strategist Paul Begala wrote a $2,300 campaign check to Barack Obama recently, he scribbled in bold letters at the bottom: "FOR NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING ONLY." Obama burst into laughter when he saw the donation, Begala was told. But he and some other strategists won't be amused if Obama ignores their advice.

Sen. John F. Kerry enjoyed at best a modest uptick - if that - in a batch of opinion polls taken after last week's Democratic National Convention, findings consistent with the forecast of most analysts heading into the event. One survey showed President Bush gaining slightly on his Democratic challenger. And the samplings all indicate the presidential contest remains close. Strategists for the two candidates worked to put their own best spin on the latest surveys, but analysts said the results were in line with a political climate in which a great number of voters have already dug in behind their candidate.

Good riddance. When the clock strikes midnight this New Year's Eve, many will be happy to give a goodbye kiss to one of the worst years in stock market history. The trouble is that the start of 2009 doesn't look as though it will deliver much relief. As Wall Street investment strategists issue outlooks for next year, they are describing the early 2009 economy with such terms as "horrible," "awful" and "dismal," words you rarely see from individuals who tend to be optimists. They see consumers in trouble with debt and job losses, businesses struggling to borrow money and hold onto customers, and cities, counties and states trying to do more with less as pressures on consumers and businesses reduce local tax revenue.

WASHINGTON -- Low on funds and slipping further behind Barack Obama in the presidential contest, Hillary Clinton tried to inject new enthusiasm into her campaign yesterday just hours after escaping defeat in the Indiana primary. Clinton held a hastily arranged town hall meeting in West Virginia, where she vowed to go on. An absence of public events on her schedule had prompted news media speculation that she might be preparing to quit the race. Obama, meanwhile, took a day off with his family in Chicago, while leading supporters publicly called on undeclared superdelegates to endorse him and bring the nomination fight to a close.