2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWill Martin O’Malley Be Hillary Clinton's Undoing In 2016 Presidential Race?
The former Maryland governor and liberal Democrat may be the pronounced underdog, but he has faced tough odds before and wonBen Jacobs in New York
Thursday 12 March 2015 12.07 EDT
Like Hillary Clinton, Martin OMalley who said on Thursday he would make a decision on whether to run for president in 2016 this spring has only lost an election to one opponent. But the former governor of Maryland and potential 2016 Democratic candidate for the White House was defeated by a far less well-known opponent than Barack Obama he lost a bid for the Maryland state Senate in 1990 to an incumbent named John Pica.
Pica bragged in an interview last month that he whupped [OMalleys] ass in his north-east Baltimore district. The now long-retired state legislator then admitted I like to think it was 44 votes, he says it was 43 before settling on 43½ as a fair compromise. Pica started the race as a huge favorite, an incumbent running against a relative unknown who only moved to the famously parochial city of Baltimore just a few years before. But then OMalley came out of nowhere to almost beat him.
Pica said he didnt even think the election was tight until two days before - but he understood the momentum of the campaign. I kept thinking this guy has no chance and, then, all of the sudden, this guy is making progress. In fact, OMalley actually had a five-vote lead on election night and only lost after a recount and late absentee ballots came in.
The question is whether OMalley, facing just as fearsome odds in the race for the 2016 Democratic nomination, can give Clinton the same run for her money.
This guy is making progress
OMalley is a mishmash of a stray Kennedy and the type of policy obsessive who even thinktanks keep locked away in a back office cubicle. A liberal Democrat, the former Baltimore mayor has a square jaw, bulging biceps, picture-perfect family and his own Irish folk rock band in which he plays guitar and sings lead often in shirts that show off those biceps.
more...
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/12/martin-omalley-profile-2016-presidential-nomination-clinton
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)misterhighwasted
(9,148 posts)No.
leftofcool
(19,460 posts)Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)MBS
(9,688 posts)Maedhros
(10,007 posts)rgbecker
(4,832 posts)Hillary is very vulnerable as people are sick of the endless "funny things" that the "rightwing conspiracy" keeps coming up with. They don't want to be reminded of the list of Clinton stuff that was endlessly in the news in the 90's. But where O'Malley really out shines Hillary Clinton is with his likeable, seemingly easy going demeanor. With little history of missteps, we have no idea of what the "rightwing conspiracy" will do to O'Malley, but if Warren isn't going to step into the ring, I'd like O'Malley to get out there and take some shots.
I don't want to have to defend sending Tomahawks to blow up Aspirin factories, NAFTA or her Iraq resolution vote. Bring in the new and ring out the old. We don't need a Clinton to revive the economy, we just need a Democrat to do the job.
Search Martin O'Malley on youtube.com and see if you don't agree he comes across as very friendly.
FSogol
(45,491 posts)For people unaware of O'Malley, here's his resume:
http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/gov/former/html/msa13090.html
A former Governing Magazine Public Official of the Year, Governor OMalley was re-elected in 2010. His 2013 legislative successes were described in a Baltimore Sun editorial as without many parallels in recent Maryland history.
With a balanced approach of spending cuts, regulatory reform, and modern investment in education, innovation, and infrastructure, Governor OMalley and his Administration are making better choices that are delivering better results, including:
Fastest rate of job growth in the region.
#1 ranking for best public schools in America for an unprecedented five years in a row (Education Week).
#1 ranking for holding down the cost of college tuition (College Board).
#1 ranking for innovation and entrepreneurship for two years running (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
Under the Governors leadership, Maryland also ranks:
#1 nationally in median income,
#1 in Ph.D. scientists and researchers per capita,
#1 in Research and Development, and
#1 in businesses owned by women.
Called arguably the best manager in government by Washington Monthly magazine, Governor OMalley has cut State spending more than any previous governor in Marylands history, balancing these record cuts with targeted, modern investments in priorities like public education. He has reduced the size of government to its smallest size since 1973 (on a per capita basis) and reformed how it is managed, so that it works more efficiently and accountably. His actions to save Marylands State pension system have made it sustainable over the long term. His fiscal stewardship has nearly eliminated Marylands structural deficit. His efforts to streamline, consolidate and digitize processes like business licensing are making Maryland a better place to do business.
PS, part of a public informational archive and not bound by copyright.
The Governors policies have made strides in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay and saving the Bays native blue crab and oyster populations.
The OMalley Administration has secured millions of dollars in rate relief for Maryland energy consumers while jump-starting the creation of thousands of green energy sector jobs. Under Governor OMalleys leadership, Maryland led the charge for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nations first cap-and-trade auction of greenhouse emissions.
Governor OMalley has cut income taxes for 86% of Marylanders and reformed Marylands tax code to make it more progressive. In addition, he signed the nations first statewide living wage law, along with some of the nations most comprehensive reforms to protect homeowners from foreclosure.
Declaring that Marylanders are bound together by the common thread of human dignity, Governor OMalley signed legislation to protect individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom, along with legislation to protect voting rights. He signed and successfully defended at the ballot box the DREAM Act, which expands the opportunity of a college education to more Marylanders.
Mother Jones magazine considers O'Malley the best environmental candidate.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/12/martin-omalley-longshot-presidential-candidate-and-real-climate-hawk
GusFring
(756 posts)moron