Today we’re calling Bob Ehrlich out on his outrageous claim that his fees aren’t taxes. This doesn’t even pass the smell test.
This is the second “Pop-Up Video” in a series that fact checks Bob Ehrlich on his double talk to reporters and voters about his record.
Watch reporter John Harwood do a double take when Ehrlich claims that the Flush Tax isn’t a tax.
In addition to the widely publicized Flush Tax he created, Bob Ehrlich raised the property tax by 58 percent or $700 million; the car tax by 58 percent or $500 million; and filing fees on 79,000 small business.
According to the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, Ehrlich raised taxes and fees by a total of $3 billion.
It’s clear that Bob Ehrlich can’t be trusted to answer a straightforward question.
In an article yesterday, The Baltimore Sun reported, “Ehrlich rejects question from Democratic Party employee.”
While The Sun did a great job of reporting many of the facts of what happened, a lot of assumptions are being made online about how I asked Bob Ehrlich a question about taxes. Bob Ehrlich accused me of having “no-class” and characterized my issue-based question regarding taxes as “inappropriate.” This was after he pointed out who I was at the outset of the meeting. It’s no coincidence that now I’m being attacked by Ehrlich’s right wing allies with the same talking points he used, in order to divert attention from the issue at hand – taxes.
Contrary to Bob Ehrlich’s recollection of what happened, I was polite and respectful in asking my question. Prior to my question, many small business owners in the room had voiced concerns about taxes and fees that Bob Ehrlich had put in place. However, not one person in Ehrlich’s campaign, including Bob Ehrlich, owned up to his record on UI taxes, property taxes and corporate filing fees and were effectively misleading small business owners into thinking that Governor O’Malley was to blame for the policies Ehrlich had a role in implementing.
In order to clarify the record, which is what I was attempting to do with respect to Bob Ehrlich’s role in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) taxes increases, I thought it would be helpful to release the video of the question I attempted to ask Bob Ehrlich. I tried to ask Bob Ehrlich a simple question about UI taxes and he refused to answer. Andy Barth can be heard in the video asking me to leave and accusing me of being rude even though I did not interrupt anyone’s questions or Ehrlich’s responses.
For the record, Bob Ehrlich signed the law mandating UI tax increases while Governor O’Malley has worked to provide relief to small businesses.
Bob Ehrlich is creeping to the right after losing ground to his Republican-primary opponent and sluggish fundraising reports showing Bob Ehrlich with only $2 million in the bank – and Martin O’Malley with a 3 to 1 cash advantage – heading into the final months of the campaign.
Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Bob Ehrlich’s primary opponent has people talking — even Bob Ehrlich…
Shortly after Palin’s endorsement of Brian Murphy – Bob Ehrlich creeped to the right, giving an interview to the Institute on the Constitution, a conservative organization associated with the far right.
When the moderator pressed Ehrlich on the constitutional right to public education, saying that government should not provide education, Ehrlich replied that “the courts determine the constitution,” and has made “lots of dreadful decisions.”
What????
We know Bob Ehrlich didn’t fully-fund Thornton when he was in office. We know he raised college tuition by 40% and caused a crisis in public school construction, but does Bob Ehrlich really believe that we shouldn’t be funding public education?
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Bob Ehrlich is upset about Sarah Palin’s endorsement. In 2008 Bob Ehrlich said that Sarah Palin is a “popular Governor, she’s a reformer, she’s a maverick, and she’s a budget hawk.” “She’s a solid performer and she brings excitement to the ticket….” (WBAL, 8/30/08).
When speaking about her debate performance in 2008 Ehrlich brags, “big time debates — it’s pressure…. So I think Sarah Palin, in the two most pressurized situations possible, has performed very well.” (AUDIO)
But after being snubbed by the TEA Party darling, what’s Bob saying now?
“In the debates, I obviously don’t think she did as well.” (VIDEO | 7:53)
Can you blame him? Palin is forcing Bob to the right.
The day after the endorsement, his campaign released a statement contending that the endorsement “reaffirms Bob Ehrlich’s Independence,” and highlighted that he was “not bound to a particular ideology.”
Not bound to a particular ideology, Bob? That’s not what you told the Institute on the Constitution.
