O'Malley Meets Iowa

Tyler Hansen ?@tylerisajoke
@GovernorOMalley stopped by #IADems Hall Of Fame dinner last night to say #ThankYouTom Harkin.


excerpts from speech by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley at the Iowa Democratic Party's state convention today:

…. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of the cynicism. I’ve had enough of the apathy. I’ve had enough of us giving in to self-pity, small solutions and low expectations of one another.

Let’s remember who we are.

For 235 years, we have been the country that thrilled the world – and led the world – over and over again, in large part, by making ourselves stronger at home.

Don’t you think it’s time to do it again?

The patriots who made America great – did not pray for their president to fail, they prayed for their president to succeed.

Our founders didn’t belittle science and learning; they aspired to it.

They didn’t appeal to America’s fears; they inspired American courage.

And they would never — ever — abandon the war on poverty in order to declare a war on women,… a war on workers,… a war on immigrants,… a war on the sick,… and a war on hungry children.





The cynical few who have hacked our democracy are digging in.

Yes, these TEA-Party Republicans – funded by their wealthy economic royalists friends, like the Koch brothers – see America as a small place…

A business in decline.

A place of limited capacity and limited potential.

A place that can only afford to serve the interests of the privileged few.

We’ve seen this view before, haven’t we? Hoover called it supply side economics. Reagan called it trickle-down economics. George W. Bush called it…, “focusing on my base.”

Whatever they call it, it will not give our children a better and more prosperous future with more jobs and more opportunity for all.

To those who would prescribe this “future of less” for America’s middle class, we must ask the very real and serious question – how much less do you think would be good for our country?

How much less education will make our children smarter?

How many fewer college graduates will make our economy more competitive?

How many hungry American children can we no longer afford to feed?

Think about your parents and grandparents – picture their faces – they understood the essential truth of the American Dream.

The stronger we make our country, the more she gives back to us; the more she gives back to our children and our grandchildren.

We will not solve our problems by doing less. We must do more.





The truth is, we are all going to the same place.

We are all on the same bus.

Iowa and Maryland. California and Mississippi.

We will move forward or we will slip back together…

We will succeed or fail together…

And we will rise or fall together.

This is not a matter of wishing or hoping.

It’s a matter of belief and action.

We are Americans, we make our own destiny.

And we will not be the first generation to give our children a country of less.

It means that Iowa must stand up. It means that Maryland must stand up. It means each of us must stand up.

It only takes one person, then another, then another to stand up and say: enough.

Enough obstruction. Enough wasted time. Stop selling our country short.

Let us achieve like Americans again.

Let us lead like Americans again.

And let us believe like Americans again – in ourselves, in our nation, and in one another.

Together we can.

Together we must.



Polk County canvass kick off in Beaverdale. pic.twitter.com/ENHiwQgnET

full transcript: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/06/21/martin-omalley-iowa-democrats-convention-speech/11209343/

Martin O'Malley ?@GovernorOMalley 49m
Here’s the full video from my speech earlier today at the @iowademocrats 2014 Convention. Please share. http://www.c-span.org/video/?320008-1/governor-omalley-iowa-democratic-state-convention …