Is Palin's Endorsement of Ehrlich Opponent a Ruse to Make Ehrlich More Electable, Ask Bob Weiner and Jonathan Battaglia, Democratic Strategists; Cannot Hide Ehrlich's Ultra-Conservative Record

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Democratic Strategist Bob Weiner, who directed the Daily Press Briefing Room at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and Policy Analyst Jonathan Battaglia are asking if "the real reason for Sarah Palin's endorsement of Brian Murphy in the Maryland Republican primary is to make Ehrlich more 'electable' against Gov. Martin O'Malley – Palin knows she is seen as fringe, so Ehrlich must be more mainstream. This is a Machiavellian ruse."

In a statement today, Weiner and Battaglia continue:

"Sarah Palin's endorsement of Bob Ehrlich's Republican primary opponent, Brian Murphy, suggests that Ehrlich is a moderate.  His hopes rest on residents forgetting why they didn't give him a second term. Perhaps it was cutting higher education funding and allowing tuition to rise 40 percent. To understand Ehrlich's likely positions on future issues affecting Marylanders, it's important to look at his record.

"Ehrlich's allegiances are clear: to corporate interests and the extreme right. He has an 83 lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. That means he only voted to improve social programs 17 percent of the time, and in the vast majority of cases, obstructed positive programs or supported tax cuts for the rich.

"At a time when Republican candidates across the country are pandering to Tea Partiers on the far-right and Tea-Party leader Palin endorsed his primary opponent, we can't help but wonder if Ehrlich will drift the same way. Ehrlich, who represented Maryland's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2003, supported defense and weapons systems increases at every opportunity, but voted to slash health, food, jobs, and housing programs; forego minimum wage increases; weaken environmental protections while protecting corporate freedom; and increase the availability of dangerous weapons.

"Ehrlich voted for repealing the ban on semi-automatic assault weapons in 1996, even though violent crime in Baltimore is three times the national average. In 1999, he voted against legislation that would have closed the gun show loophole which allows vendors to sell guns to people without performing background checks.  Even John McCain said that gun shows 'are the second leading source of illegal guns recovered in gun trafficking investigations.'  Ehrlich's extremist views consistently earned an 'A' rating from the National Rifle Association. Maryland needs a governor who will make their state safer, not a safe-haven for violent criminals.

"Over 800,000 Marylanders rely on Social Security, but Ehrlich voted in 1998 against saving the Social Security surplus directly for seniors. In 1997, Ehrlich voted rank and file with Republicans for a budget that cut Medicare by $300 million in five years in order to give a tax cut to the wealthy.

"Marylanders should not give him another chance to move the state backward and should know what they are getting if they do."

Contact: Bob Weiner/Jonathan Battaglia 301-283-0821/202-306-1200

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates