News | 4/6/08

Media Credit: Blake Savadow [Click to enlarge]

For the last 16 years, former governor and congressman Robert Ehrlich has delivered a lesson to Richard Vatz's persuasion class.

Each semester there are new students to fill the seats and additional issues on the national and local levels to discuss. On his semi-annual visit to Van Bokkelen Hall Thursday, April 3, Ehrlich discussed the presidential election race, the increased sales tax, slots in Maryland, and even the Baltimore Orioles.

"The discussions really evolve," Ehrlich said, reflecting on the subject matter of his prior visits. "I remember during [President Bill Clinton's] impeachment and then when we had the debate over the record label industry and Tipper Gore. Students were going crazy the entire class."

Each semester Vatz, a professor in the department of mass communication and communication studies, attempts to keep his good friend's appearance a secret to his students until the day of class. This time around though, Ehrlich, who now hosts a radio show 1090AM WBAL with his wife Kendel, announced the date of his lesson during a recent broadcast. With a WBAL microphone recording the second half of the class, Ehrlich often stopped to make sure his producer got the "good stuff" he said, being sure to remain edgy and occasionally controversial.

A Republican, Ehrlich discussed the ongoing presidential election and national politics in the past as he encouraged students to become critical thinkers. The purpose of a liberal arts education, like the one Towson University offers, is meant to prepare students to not simply repeat what they hear, but to digest it and create their own opinion, he said.

"I want to make the point that learning to communicate and discern through innuendo, subjectivity and to use your brain is important. It's why students are here, it's what they are supposed to do," Ehrlich said. "What you learn in these classes you are going to take with you for the rest of your life."

In his presentation, he distributed a sheet to all students in the class with three quotations from prominent politicians including presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Ehrlich recently endorsed the latter for the upcoming election. He showed the importance of being clear in speech and being careful with words.

In a twist from his conservative record, he then supported Democratic Massachusetts Senator John Kerry by defending the much-maligned statement that Kerry voted for funding for the war before he voted against it. Not stating that he agrees with Kerry's platform, Ehrlich did say that he understood Kerry's intent, however, the execution was lacking.

"If you say something and it's not clear, back it up immediately and make sure it's clear," he said to the class. "If you let it sit out there, your enemies will eat you up."

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