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A Political Reunion of the Surreal
On November 25th, the night I figued former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich would have been celebrating his birthday, he was instead at a Timonium bar greeting well wishers, former employees, and an array of the star struck at what he later dubbed an “unofficial” Ehrlich-Steele Administration reunion.
Though not quite “crashing” the reunion, what with me having told one of Ehrlich’s posse the day before the event that I was going to attend, I dropped in despite not having received any official type of invitation. (Now, really, I simply must wonder why that was?! Guess my invite got lost in the email.) I must say, if an event could be simultaneously interesting and dispiriting this was that event. This was partly true considering the amount of glassy eyes I saw dotting the crowd of 60 or so people who braved both the chill and the political reality. Bluntly put, I wasn’t sure if the drinking games had started a mite early or if, perhaps, I’d stumbled into a very small, private, Obama rally.
Ultimately, however, the interesting yet dispiriting hue hovering over the gathering was mainly due to my perception that so many of the principles involved seemed not to realize that there was little left with which to actually involve. The highlights that led me to that conclusion both directly involve Maryland’s former Governor, Bob Ehrlich:
For the first time since my, how shall I say it – political expulsion – in which I’ve attended maybe all of two or three functions at which Mr. Ehrlich was present, the former Governor personally greeted and spoke with me. Most of his discussion with me centered around the disaster that was the Andy Harris for Congress Campaign in Maryland’s 1st District and just how badly that particular loss “hurt.”
Hurt? Hurt who? Obviously, it hurt Harris. In my opinion, though, what Ehrlich really meant was that it hurt his comeback chances. Which means he is still entertaining comeback chances. Which means…I need a drink…because Bob Ehrlich and his folks must first realize their myriad screw ups up in 2006 led to their defeat before they can even consider a comeback attempt in 2010. And that type of realization does not appear to be in the forefront of their collective consciousness.
Additionally, with Crisis Communications Genius Greg Massoni at his side, Governor Ehrlich complained at how poorly the Harris Campaign was run. Really? You don’t say! I listened politely until the duo went on to distance themselves and whatever is left of an Ehrlich Organization from having anything to do with the Harris debacle. They insisted they had no say for six months in how the Harris Campaign was run – and of course, they added that by the time they were brought in it was too late to change the outcome. Can they really be serious? It’s true, I guess: Success has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan. Or some such sentiment.
Although this second highlight doesn’t ring with quite the sense of surrealist denial as does the previous it is, nonetheless, telling.
As is expected, Bob Ehrlich got up to say a few words, to thank those who’d toiled for him, and mollify those who still gaze at him as the great hope for the future. Ehrlich was, as is the norm, gracious, friendly, and somewhat humorous in his remarks. After making it known that he was unsure what the future would bring (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), he mentioned how he wasn’t sure if former Maryland Lt. Governor and current media star, Michael Steele, would be showing up at the reunion. Then, making a comment I deemed inexplicable, Ehrlich said something about Steele’s tremendous media presence…before asking if all of us aren’t just a little bit tired of seeing Steele on TV all the time.
I was amazed at Ehrlich’s question. Judging from the awkward silence that followed, so were most of those in attendence. It struck me as a comment seemingly borne of pettiness and jealousy and it was way out of line with any meaning of the word “reunion.” It was pretty much then and there that I figured just how long and not overly joyous this evening was going to be. Resigned at the sense of illusion and delusion emanating throughout, I spent the rest of my time there chatting with the three or four people who I really cared to see, and none of them were a part of what a onetime Ehrlich Deep-Insider that night termed Ehrlich’s “Echo Chamber”
To be fair, for the few hours or so I was at the reunion there were some enjoyable and unexpected moments. Many people who I’d thought had figured I was dead because they’d looked right through me the past few times we’d been within proximity of one another, were vibrantly friendly to me this time around. Hell, they were going out of their respective ways to shake my hand, give me a quick hug and smile brightly, if not in a manner that was a bit too plastic. Maybe it’s because these happy folks knew I was coming! Maybe it’s because they were genuinely pleased to see me (and I must stress that WAS the case in a few instances)!
Or maybe it’s just because they’d heard I was starting a blog.
