Welcome to Bizarro World:

A continuing population decline in the city is now called "A housing boom"

The highest murder rate in the entire country (based on murders/population) and reports of up to 40% underreporting rapes are now called "a reduction in violent crime"

Having the lowest performing schools in the state which receive almost twice the per pupil funding as every other county, the second lowest graduation rate in the entire country and schools where over 98% of the students can't even perform basic math are now called "improving test scores"

And here in Bizarro world, where the NAACP is bailing out and suing the city along with the ACLU for arresting tens of thousands of citizens for no reason whatsoever and then releasing them will now be known as "innovative and progressive"

Great work Mayor - up is down, front is back, black is white and there is a housing boom with improving education and decreasing crime in an innovative and progressive environment. I, for one, welcome our new bizarro world overlords.

I realize this is the Washington Post, and I'm sure blogs on Fox News or the Washington Times have a partisan bias as well.

However, it is chuckle-inducing to see the Post relay without comment an ad from O'Malley that touts "innovation and progress" and a reduction in crime - which I guess means you only have a 49% chance of getting murdered or raped, as opposed to a 50% chance from a year ago.

And I imagine the "housing boom" relates to the condo buildings going up in the already cramped Federal Hill and Canton areas, and not the thousands of vacant rowhouses in neighborhoods that aren't fortunate enough to be within 4 blocks of the water.

Meanwhile, if Ehrlich or Steele do so much as belch there will be a snartzy blog and 50 comments to follow. But yes, O'Malley certainly is taking on the tough challenges. He might fail miserably, but the camera loves him and the Democratic party desperately needs some young blood to push onto the national stage.

Posted by people who probably live rich gatd communities afraid of dark skinned people. They may never venture outside when O'Malley is elected Governor.

"Posted by people who probably live rich gatd communities afraid of dark skinned people. They may never venture outside when O'Malley is elected Governor."

Well done.

Here, ladies and gentleman, we see a leftist in his natural habitat, engaging in typical leftist behavior. When confronted with arguments he is ill-equipped or unwilling to respond to, he simply ignores them, and labels those who make the arguments with pejoratives such as "rich" or "racist". Shallow and ignorant, yes, but unfortunately quite effective. Because after all, anyone who disagrees with a Democrat has to be either rich, prejudiced, or inbred.

Well done I say. Keep it up.

Housing boom? Perhaps he's confused that with housing bombs, i.e., firebombs that burn row houses to the ground when people get fed up with the rampant drug trade and inform the police. Apparently, these people didn't see the underground video "Stop Snitching". The truth is that the people of Baltimore City live in fear. Why don't you mention that in your ad O'Malley?

So the election is now a referendum on O'Malley ?!?!
I'm not hearing much about what a great job Ehrlich and his Big Brother George Bush have been doing during their time in office. What is Ehrlich's platform these days anyway, "I'm not Martin O'Malley!" I doubt that he is going to run on "let's run our entire state economy off of slot machines" again. Maybe he should run social security privatization up the flagpole and see how that goes? Nah, much smarter to just smear your opponent than try to justify your own incompetence. Here's a new slogan for O'Malley: "If Bob Ehrlich can do the job, it can't be that hard." Oh, and I bet Michael Steele didn't call himself an "outsider" when he had Bush into Baltimore for that fundraiser last winter. sheesh.

The fantasy of a catastrophically run down, bleeding Baltimore is ludicrous on its face. The thriving metropolis of Baltimore is a bright, shining vista, with a stunning harbor, imaginative architecture, and vital pedestrian activity and commerce.

The Borders Books store in the Power Plant building is an astounding construction, unlike any other. The mighty pillars of industry from yesteryear soar skyward within the immense atrium, as though planted there by the Titans

The city is a work long in progress, and has benefited from more than one hard-working mayor -- not least the remarkably nuts William Donald Schaefer, whose madness had method once.

Baltimore has interested the Party of the Bush Dynasty little between elections, and may indeed be little more than a blurry smudge when viewed through Karl Rove's tinted limousine window.

Regardless of their test scores, it is likely that Baltimorean students have a clearer perspective on the chicanery of the Republican Electoral Machine, than the Ehrlich dirty tricks squad -- and its seamy little princeling of darkness, Joseph F. Steffan Jr. -- has on them.

O'Malley and Brown will drive Ehrlich from the field, and Maryland will see the dawn of a new day.

Dave
Montgomery Village, Maryland

The question is what are the solutions to the statistics you right wingers are suggesting. Martin O'Malley may not have solve these problems that were long festering before he came to office and are structural to the point that the governors office may truly be the best place to round up the political will and resources to make an impact.

Do we for one second believe that Erhlich or the GOP have any answers to Baltimore problems. O'Malley already tried the lock everyone up road, and it didn't work, the city still got worse. With O'Malley's knowledge of what's wrong with Baltimore and the added clout (because that's the only thing that gets things moving nowadays) and resources at this disposal in the Governor's Mansion, Balitmore has more of a shot, than with Bobby Hairspray and his slots, (that should really help with crime in the city), and smaller government conservative values.

O'Malley ain't perfect, but he's better than do-nothing Erhlich, that's for sure.

I have lived in Baltimore since 1993, when I purchased a house near Johns Hopkins University. The Baltimore that I see is more like the Baltimore in the O'Malley ad vs the Baltimore that appears in the Erhlich ads. Yes there are problems that every urban area in the US faces, but in the last few years there is an energy in the city that is not just in the Inner Harbor, as some may suggest.

O'Malley may not have dug every foundation, signed every building permit, opened every new supermarket or shopping area in the last 7 years, but things are better now in the city than they were when I moved here 13 years ago. For example my house has appreciated in value 3x what I paid for it. My neighborhood will soon see new residents in condos (starting in the low $400's) and new places for JHU students to live and spend their bucks.

Bottom line is our Mayor has done good work...I look forward to his future in Annapolis as Governor.

I wonder how many people who will post here actually live in Baltimore City, or how many just work there, or how many maybe just play there a couple times a year, or if Baltimore is nothing more to them than that smoggy skyline in the distance as they race past the smokestacks, steel mills and shipyards on their way to more glamorous and/or pastoral settings.

If you would be so kind, please first consider all the troubles Baltimore has experienced over the course of not months or years, but the last several decades. In my book, the best way to judge how good a job Hizzoner has done is to consider whether his time in office is marked by improvements in the city's overall quality of life over that which was handed to him when he first took the job.

He took on an incredibly troubled city, and it remains so. The city's Police Department is a shambles, starting at the very top, all the way down to these awful allegations of flex squad improprieties and catch-and-release arrests for petty violations sch as loitering. Yet, he can rightfully claim some legitimate successes too. The mayor has overseen vibrant commercial and residential development in the city, such as HarborEast and the Four Seasons. Canton is alive again, and that's spreading to other surrounding neighborhoods, including Patterson Park. What's that saying? A rising tide lifts all boats? Go back 10-15 years, and who among you would have even thought about venturing out onto Eastern Avenue, on to Boston Street, or up Charles Street past 9:30pm.

The mayor has seen needed new commercial development in long overlooked areas of the city, such as a Wal-Mart in SE Baltimore. He saw downtown baltimore become a place where you can shop again, instead of having to venture out to the burbs, yes with the Power Plant bookstore, and with a Best Buy right on Pratt.

Yes, Baltimore has problems, but the man's done some good in his time. Shame he couldn't improve the O's as much as he's improved the city.

Contrast to the Guvnah. I dunno, how do you do that? Ehrlich's had more than his share of difficulty with the legislature, so how can one really truly judge his effectiveness? By the ICC? By adding toll-lanes to taxpayer funded highways? By raising existing tolls? By significantly raising driver licensing and registration fees? By foisting the Flush Tax upon us? By continuing tax-free shopping holidays implemented before he took office? By selling off state property (inluding buildings and park lands)? By fumbling the handling of the BGE rate hikes?

Don't both these honorable men bring their own faults in failures to the table in addition to their successes? (What were Ehrlich's again?)

Keep up those scintillating posts criticsing posts Republicans. I believe they will increase O'Malley's totals coming out of Baltimore and Baltimore County. Do you all have the stones to say how bad things have gotten in Montgomery County under Duncan?

Peter-

Leave your Baltimore Sun talking points in the Baltimore Sun.

"Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley touts a "housing boom," a reduction in violent crime and improving test scores in his city in the gubernatorial hopeful's latest television ad."

Smart thinking, Marty. Oversee a school system so rotten that test scores can't possibly get any lower, and then tout the fact that every once in a while they go from absolutely atrocious to simply dreadful.

One would think violent crime to be non-existent, considering city police officers have enough spare time on their hands to lock up loiterers and tourists who ask for directions.

I love how the governor loves to pound on Baltimore. Um, excuse me governor Ehrlich, but isn't Baltimore in Maryland? The state you govern? What have YOU done for Baltimore?

Nothing, because you'd rather use the problems there as a campaign tool rather than use your office to make things better.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the renaissance, and not just along the water. Most of the neighborhoods are great, actually quite safe, and much improved over the last several years.

THe folks posting here who are blasting the city probably haven't spent much time there.

"I love how the governor loves to pound on Baltimore. Um, excuse me governor Ehrlich, but isn't Baltimore in Maryland? The state you govern? What have YOU done for Baltimore?

Nothing, because you'd rather use the problems there as a campaign tool rather than use your office to make things better.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the renaissance, and not just along the water. Most of the neighborhoods are great, actually quite safe, and much improved over the last several years.

THe folks posting here who are blasting the city probably haven't spent much time there."

So now it's Ehrlich's fault that Baltimore is a disaster. You must be dizzy, because you're doing a lot of spinning.

BG from PG - the Sun isn't smart enough to bring up the points I've made. What you missed is that I'm begging for a counteragrument - a reason to vote for Ehrlich (as opposed to voting AGAINST someone, like a few years ago). You and your buddy Brandon have offered a nice total of ZERO reasons to vote for Ehrlich. It's really a shame. You've missed a good opportunity to make an intelligent argument so far. I can only guess you have no real response about the points I raised because you have no idea about what's going on in that city. I'd love to see an intelligent retort to them. I'm just not expecting one.

By the way, Brandon, Baltimore is FAR from a disaster. New Orleans is a disaster. Iraq is a disaster. Indonesia is a disaster. Baltimore has problems. Tell me how a second term for Ehrlich solves them. Then tell me how Ehrlich's second term fixes the awful economic conditions outside of the I-95 corridor, in areas like Garrett County and Somerset County. Someone square for me how Maryland can be one of the wealthiest States in the Union but have so much poverty outside the Baltimore-Washington suburbs. Perhaps Ehrlich doesn't have to worry about losing votes out there because that's prime GOP turf, but what's he actually going to do for them aside from dumping a casino in their backyard? Where's his jobs program? Where are his bona fides for real and sustainable economic development?

Someone, anyone, give me 10 good reasons why Ehrlich deserves re-election. Seriously! Please! I don't want to place my vote - for ANYONE - based on a handful of 30 second sound-bytes and attack ads.

"BG from PG - the Sun isn't smart enough to bring up the points I've made. What you missed is that I'm begging for a counteragrument - a reason to vote for Ehrlich (as opposed to voting AGAINST someone, like a few years ago). You and your buddy Brandon have offered a nice total of ZERO reasons to vote for Ehrlich. It's really a shame. You've missed a good opportunity to make an intelligent argument so far. I can only guess you have no real response about the points I raised because you have no idea about what's going on in that city. I'd love to see an intelligent retort to them. I'm just not expecting one.

By the way, Brandon, Baltimore is FAR from a disaster. New Orleans is a disaster. Iraq is a disaster. Indonesia is a disaster. Baltimore has problems. Tell me how a second term for Ehrlich solves them. Then tell me how Ehrlich's second term fixes the awful economic conditions outside of the I-95 corridor, in areas like Garrett County and Somerset County. Someone square for me how Maryland can be one of the wealthiest States in the Union but have so much poverty outside the Baltimore-Washington suburbs. Perhaps Ehrlich doesn't have to worry about losing votes out there because that's prime GOP turf, but what's he actually going to do for them aside from dumping a casino in their backyard? Where's his jobs program? Where are his bona fides for real and sustainable economic development?

Someone, anyone, give me 10 good reasons why Ehrlich deserves re-election. Seriously! Please! I don't want to place my vote - for ANYONE - based on a handful of 30 second sound-bytes and attack ads."

I'm not qualified to offer a point-by-point explanation or defense of Ehrlich's policies or why he deserves your vote, because like many voters in our plurality-wins electoral system I vote against candidates a good deal more than I vote for candidates. I'd rather he didn't have any "plans" for economic development, because I believe that in most cases the best thing the government can do for the economy is to do nothing.

It is interesting that you mention Somerset County, which very well could have lost the addition of hundreds of new jobs courtesy of the 'Wal-Mart bill'. If you believe the state ought not to arrogantly dictate that no job at all is better than a job with poor pay and poor benefits, than you have a reason to support Ehrlich. If you believe hikes in the minimum wage do next to nothing for those they are intended to help and may instead do harm, than you have a reason to support Ehrlich. If you believe the college education of undocumented immigrants should not be directly subsidized by Maryland taxpayers, you have a reason to vote for Ehrlich. If you believe a candidate endorsed by the Maryland State Teachers Association is a candidate who is bad for the education of children, you have a reason to vote for Ehrlich.

It is by and large a waste of time to bother with what ideas and proposals he has, because everyone knows most have scant chance of passage. His value to me comes in his veto pen, the chance that he'll use his platform to stand up to the Democratic establishment and its leftist idiocy, and his role in building an alternative to Maryland's political monopoly.

10 reasons to vote for Ehrlich:

1. He turned a $4 billion deficit into a $2 billion surplus

2. Maryland's schools have improved over the last 4 years - test scores are up everywhere

3. He invested over $1.2 BILLION in NEW funding for schools - and another $700 million for school construction.

4. He doubled the amount of money for need based scholarships and college enrollment in Maryland is at an all time high as a result.

5. Crime in every category is down in Maryland since he took office.

6. He has done more to preserve open space, improve air quality and clean up the Bay than any Governor in 40 years.

7. Maryland is a national leader in stem cell research, providing more public money than any other state in the country for research.

8. There are over 100,000 new jobs in Maryland since he took office - and thousands more on the way, giving Maryland one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

9. After 60 years of study, we are finally building the ICC.

10. Great guy, hot wife, cute kids, wonderful parents and he grew up in a tough neighborhood and understands REAL people and the struggles they face everyday.

He's allowed us to forget about the nightmare that was Parris Glendening. This may be the most important reason to vote for Ehrlich.

In seriousness, thanks for the points. I think most of them are worthy of consideration. Can you bore down on some of those, break free of sound of the sound bytes (done more than any other in 40 years, without any explanation of how that's been done?) For as helpful as they may be, they also give reason to wonder why if test scores up all across the state, and crime is down all across the state, why Baltimore is singled out, What about crime in PG Country, or Montgomery County, or in Salisbury, or in Hagerstown?

Same theme - what other schools in Maryland - other than in Baltimore - have not met NCLB standards?

Is the spike in scholarship amounts and availablility in anyway related to significantly inreased cost of tuition at Maryland's public university's? Don't get me wrong, he did the responsible thing, and thnaks are deserved, but what was his role, if any, in the tuition hikes?

"Hot wife" is not a reason. Thou shalt not covet. tsk tsk.

Nice point on the 100,000 new jobs. Where are they located? Where do their employees live? All in the burbs? None in Baltimore? (help me debunk the housing boom claim in O'Malley's ad). How many of the new jobs coming are related to BRAC closures and relocations to APG, to Ft. Meade, and to the Bethesda Naval Hospital; and how many reflect legitimate corporate decisions (e.g., 500 new jobs at Sauder molding in Eldersburg).

I'd honestly like to know - and I don't want to rely on sound bytes. If Ehrlich's been really good for Maryland, then I should strongly consider voting for him.

If "by and large a waste of time to bother with what ideas and proposals he has, because everyone knows most have scant chance of passage" then I'm really concerned about casting my ballot for a fellow that even apparent supporters think has little chance of being an effective leader (as opposed to an effective contrarian) in Annapolis. I don't think I can vote for someone who only intends to argue with the legislature. I long to vote for someone with important ideas and who can work cooperatively with the legislature to accomplish things Maryland can be proud of.

Peter-

Reason 12: Thomas Mike V. Miller
Reason 13: Michael Busch

I could go on but check this out: I'm a Republican WORKING PERSON. Imagine that.

Peter,

On the jobs - this is new private sector jobs, some due to base realignment, which is killing other states but because of Ehrlich, has led to new jobs here. I'm sure your interest will lead you to the MD Dept. of Economic Development where you can research exactly which sectors have had how much job growth.

On why crime and education are singled out in Baltimore and not other places is because the city's problems with these issues are so abysmal. If Howard County goes from 50 crimes to 40 crimes, that's a decrease. When Baltimore drops the same number - from 15,000 crimes to 14,990, it says there is a significant problem. Schools in the rest of Maryland perform in the top 5-10 percent of all schools in the country, Baltimore schools are in the bottom 5-10 percent of all schools in the country.

On preserving open space, Ehrlich has added 60,000 acres - an area larger than the city of Baltimore - to preserved status and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act has been praised by Republicans, Democrats and even the Chesapeake Bay Foundation who doesn't like ANYTHING a Republican does said it was wonderful.

he doesn't set tuition rates.

If hot wife isn't a reason, then neither can O'Malley being "cute" but a lot of people cite that when asked what they like about him.

Hope this helps and I look forward to your continued support of the Governor's reelection.

I am dismayed by the actual numbers on education in Baltimore City and the spin on the percentages. Granted 2 is 100% greater than 1 but it is still dismal. Also the working of stats in the Baltimore Police department on reported crime is to be feared. If the police are combining crimes how is the judge to parse through it?
What happens to the victim of a crime if they decide to file a civil suit?

I am a registered DEM but I am ashamed of the Democratic party in MD. I wish that the candidates would actually talk about things they can do something about instead of toting the party line. My son is a Marine in Irag and he tells me about all the good things they do and how the people are so appreciative.

In addition to a claim by O'Malley,
I believe it is the college of regents that decide tuition increases not the govenor but I might be wrong. Mike Bush should go.

I have had my say. Thank you

To 10 Reasons. Erlich did not grow up in a "tough neighborhood", he grew up in Arbutus, which has always been a quiet community, like a small town of it's own. Many of us have raised children in this community and now those children have stayed and are raising thier children in Arbutus also. Far from a tough neighborhood, the Arbutus/Halethorpe/Relay area still maintains a thriving commnity spirit that provides a great place to live. If Erlich is positioning himself as coming from a "hard life" in Arbutus...shame on him!!!

O'Malley needs rattle and baby bonnet so he can cry about all the things he has no solutions to except raise taxes and steal money from the schools. Gee a year ago the Baltimore City schools were in dire straights and not there's a surplus. I'm sure it's not all from the housing market increase. Help us all in Maryland if he's elected.