When Comparing Convention Roles,
Steele, Ehrlich Insist Size Doesn't Matter


Maryland's GOP showhorse, Lt. Gov. Mike Steele
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo

By CHRIS KOTTERMAN
Capital News Service
NEW YORK - With the spotlight focused on Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele and
his prime-time address to the Republican National Convention, Maryland
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. spent much of last week operating in relative
obscurity.
That was just fine with Ehrlich, who said his low profile was a matter
of design.
Ehrlich said his job was to make sure the powers-that-be in the
national GOP did not forget that Maryland's Republicans are gaining
influence -- a fact they said was illustrated by Steele's prominent role
in the convention.
"Conventions are a combination of business, politics, and pleasure,"
Ehrlich said.
In his case, that meant days that included schmoozing on golf and
shopping outings, as well as sit-downs with various media outlets and
appearances at political events.
On Thursday, after attending a Wednesday evening post-session party for
Steele at Manhattan's popular 40/40 Club, Ehrlich talked politics and
took live calls on WBAL for an hour before going to address a packed
gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition with Vice President Dick
Cheney. Ehrlich was then whisked away for more interviews before going
to the convention to hear President Bush's speech.
Although he was the highest-ranking Maryland official to attend the
convention, Ehrlich was not an elected delegate; Steele was both a
delegate and deputy permanent co-chair of the convention. That left
Ehrlich free to run about town while Steele could stay with the
delegation.
Ehrlich said it was all part of the "game plan," to maximize the
effectiveness of the week, and Maryland delegates did not seem to mind
that their governor was missing much of the time.
"We know him, he doesn't need to be with us," said Havre de Grace Mayor
David Craig. "His role is party building, to showcase the state."
Ehrlich said that role is made easier by the fact that Maryland is so
close to Washington that "a lot of people in the administration follow
us. It's nice to know that your old friends follow you around."
But one expert said that if national leaders were truly following
Maryland, they would be skeptical of the delegation's talk of the
state's newfound prominence in the Republican Party.
Paul S. Herrnson, the director of the Center for American Politics and
Citizenship at the University of Maryland, said the governor's presence
at the convention is likely a calculated political move.
"It's important to the governor's political career to be seen among
other Republicans," the government and politics professor said. "It's
mostly about politics. I don't see any benefit to the state."
While Ehrlich and the Maryland delegation insisted all week that the
state is still in play for the presidential election, Herrnson believes
the "game plan" will fail.
"Most Republicans realize that Maryland is a Democratic state, and
they'd be foolish to invest in the campaign there," he said.
That did not keep the state's top elected officials from trying, with
Steele's high convention profile and Ehrlich's behind-the-scenes work.
"We each play off our own strengths, for the good of our state," Steele
said.
Both men bristled at the suggestion that the lieutenant governor's high
profile somehow reflected on the governor.
"This isn't a zero-sum game here," Steele said. "It's not the governor
wins if Michael loses and Michael loses if the governor wins. We go work
it and see how Maryland benefits."
Others in the delegation echoed the sentiment.
"He (Ehrlich) doesn't have an ego problem," said Jane Plank of
Kensington. "Most politicians have an ego problem."