Slot Politics of Ehrlich and O'Malley

Until we learned that Bob Ehrlich had far more passion for campaigning than for governing--something we really ought to have known from his many years as a backbench congressman--one of the great puzzles of the newly elected Ehrlich administration in 2003 was his utter failure to exert himself at all to promote his central campaign promise to bring slots to Maryland.

No slots bill was even introduced into the General Assembly until 60 days into the session when disgusted Democratic Senate President Mike Miller, an avid slots supporter who was dying to help the Republican governor achieve a shared goal. Ehrlich's lack of action was all the more bizarre because Maryland's governor is arguably the most powerful in the nation.

Martin O'Malley has been playing his budget cards close to his vest but he has pulled off a political coup in the laying the groundwork for bringing bringing slots to Maryland. As has now been widely reported, former Montgomery Councilman (now Labor Secretary) Perez was sent on a fact-finding trip to neighboring states to highlight the dollars that Maryland gamblers lose there. Can anyone imagine a less likely advance man for slots than Tom Perez?

Yet, O'Malley has somehow placed the earnest Perez in exactly that role. Comptroller Peter Franchot has lashed out shrilly at Perez but this only guaranteed more press time to Perez's point that the Maryland treasury loses money when Marylanders gamble elsewhere. Moreover, it places liberal Franchot in the awkward position of fighting with a well-known and respected liberal from his home county.

Weirdly, Franchot may be getting more press but aiding rival Doug Gansler. Both politicians have (fairly or not) earned reputations as showhorses rather than workhorses. While Franchot is constantly in the press--sometimes for being in the press so much--newly elected Attorney General Gansler has generally kept his head down even as works at his job and forges alliances around the state. Gansler's recent endorsement of Obama may help him continue alliances with prominent African-American politicians which served him extremely well in the competitive 2006 primary for his current job.

Meanwhile, whether or not one wants to see slots arrive soon in Maryland, we can rest assured that the current governor's political skills are far from atrophied. Slots opponents should prepare themselves for a much tougher fight this time. Although it was not central to his campaign, O'Malley appears to be ready to roll the dice in his effort to minimize any tax increase needed to balance Maryland's budget.