Daily News Clips -- March 28, 2005
From Maryland Democratic Party - [democrat@mddems.org]

"His [Ehrlich's] extraordinary remarks reinforced the impression of an administration that veers from one bizarre gambit to the next, without much attention to the major debates facing the state."

- The Washington Post, 3/28/05

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STATE HOUSE SHENANIGANS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Ehrlich's Distractions
Washington Post Editorial - Monday, March 28, 2005

AS HUNDREDS of pieces of legislation head into the crucial home stretch of the Maryland General Assembly's 2005 session, one might think Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) would be busy fighting for bills he likes and against those he doesn't. Instead, he is engaged in scandal damage control.

That's the impression the governor gave when he suggested to reporters that he is the victim, first, of an "orchestrated" Democratic campaign to leak embarrassing material about his Republican administration, and, second, of a former aide who he says tried to "blackmail" him.

His extraordinary remarks reinforced the impression of an administration that veers from one bizarre gambit to the next, without much attention to the major debates facing the state.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Md. Foster Care Draws Scrutiny
Ehrlich's Challenge to Media on Former State Worker Backfires
By Matthew Mosk - Washington Post Staff Writer - March 26, 2005

When Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. stood in front of the State House on Thursday and called on news reporters to investigate Michelle Lane, he said he suspected a little digging would expose her role in a politically motivated conspiracy to tar his reputation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ex-state worker described as frustrated by DSS lapses
Nurse accused by Ehrlich of blackmail is defended
By Lynn Anderson and Michael Dresser - Baltimore Sun Staff - March 26, 2005

Michelle Lane, the Baltimore woman Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has accused of blackmailing him, didn't start out as an adversary. Lane, who worked for Ehrlich as a congressional aide, a campaign worker and a transition team member, took a job in the Maryland Department of Human Resources on Ehrlich's inauguration day to work on the administration's new programs aimed at protecting vulnerable foster children, friends and colleagues said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ehrlich says ex-employee working with Democrats
Governor accuses woman of seeking revenge for firing
By Andrew A. Green - Baltimore Sun Staff - March 27, 2005

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday accused a Baltimore County woman who threatened to reveal more information about the dealings of former administration aide Joseph F. Steffen Jr. of being a disgruntled ex-employee who worked with high-ranking Democrats to exact revenge on him after she was fired.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep stirring that mud
by Dan Rodericks - March 27, 2005
(midway down column)

Let me try to get this straight: The Republican governor, who should be embarrassed that one of his longtime political operatives was exposed as the guy who engaged in a little Internet rumor-mongering about Martin O'Malley's marriage, wants to find out if Democrats were behind exposing the guy?

Can this be correct? Bobby Governor wants to know - check that, he wants all of us to know - if the outing of Joe "The Prince of Darkness" Steffen was part of an orchestrated campaign by his political opponents. Why? So the governor can say: "Uh-huh! See? Toldya! It was a Democrat who exposed Steffen!"

This makes no sense. Why is Bobby G. trying to give this story "float"?

Instead of trying to smoke out the source of the story, shouldn't he be more concerned that a foul game was afoot, with Steffen up to his pointy ears in it? Does the governor think blaming Democrats or some vengeful state employee for outing Steffen is going to diminish what Steffen did?

"We really want to know," the governor said the other day. "The people have a right to know, and we want to know as much as you want to know about political orchestration in this entire process by anybody connected with the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates."

Why is Bobby keeping this story alive? For God's sake, it's expressly against the rules of smart politics. Move on, man.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------